Note: This post
can be taken as both a friendship and shipping post, so I’ll tag it
accordingly. I say shipping in the sense that this material would be useful tools
to incorporate into characterizations should anyone wish to write this pairing
more in tandem to canon.
A trend I’ve noticed in the fandom is that many people are
quick to dismiss the possibility of Japan and England sharing a good
relationship. I suspect that the anime’s portrayal of them in WW2 has a lot to
do with this conception. That said, what I seek to prove is that their
relationship—more specifically friendship because that’s what it is—extends before WW2. The two are and were actually very close allies.
That said, I’ve organized their relationship into three main
themes. All themes are linked to one another and contain substantive parallels
between their characters.
Loss of a Brother
Figure:
Both England and Japan experienced the pain of losing a
brother figure. Japan lost China, who raised him, and England lost America, who
he raised. While Japan’s historical isolation extends into the time where he
and China were still personally involved with each other, there is nonetheless the
unique parallel that both countries have experienced personal isolation.
Ex: China
developed a grudge after Japan betrayed him in WW2. Please note that the grudge
has since eroded away in the present.
Source: Hetarchive, The Story About the Early Days of China and Japan.
England and America both experienced a substantial loss and
tear in their personal relationship following the Revolution. This has also
since been rectified in the present.
Ex: America drank coffee in spite of his grudge over the
Revolution.
Source: Hetarchive, Lithuania’s Out-sourcing Series pt. 1
Ex: England dreams about raising America, an echo of his
latent and longing desire to live in the past again.
Source: Volume 3, England Dreaming of Long Days Passed.
Loneliness and Isolation:
Of course, the two didn’t just experience personal
isolation. They’re both known for their political isolation.
Ex: England,
being geographically isolated from continental Europe, became ostracized from other European nations.
Source: Volume 3, England Dreaming of Long Days Passed.
Ex: Japan grew
accustomed to telepathically communicating with other beings. In fact, he grew
so accustomed to it that when he first met Italy, he wasn’t in the habit of
speaking verbally [x].
Obviously, this isn’t overlooking the Westernization he
experienced during and after the Meiji era. The point is that his previous
isolation impacted his communication patterns.
Ex: In fact,
several strips in the series depicts Japan being overwhelmed upon opening his
country.
Source: Volume 4, Netherlands and Isolationist Japan.
The neat tie between the two characters is that Himaruya
dedicates an entire strip to the two of them forming the Anglo-Japanese
alliance. The title of said strip is pretty self-evident as to how their
isolation impacted them:
“The Anglo-Japanese Alliance Between Two Lonely People.“
Lastly, there is also this comic gag that depicts their neko
versions overcoming their isolation by sharing a kitty box [x].
Cultural Sharing:
A last theme coursing through their relationship is the open
dialogue between their cultures. In other words, the two have a history of
sharing their cultures.
Ex: England enlists Japan’s help in teaching him how to make
better industrial design [x].
Ex: Japan adds his own spin to a traditional Christmas card and
England reciprocates the favour [x].
Ex: England hosts Japan at his café and aims to give the
latter an authentic English experience of the space [x].
Overall, England and Japan share a very gentle and generous
relationship, overlooked as it may be in light of other relationships that tend
to be underscored in fanon.
America and Lithuania.
America and Japan.
England and Japan. Italy and Japan.
Italy and Germany.
In this post, I set out to prove against claims that Hetalia’s narrative promotes division and necessitates hatred among the
characters. Quite the contrast, Himaruya’s writings have shown that while
history may be rough, filled with grudges and periods of hostility, friendship
and camaraderie will always prevail. It’s for this reason that characters who may
experience a sudden, turbulent, heated, and disastrous pit in their
relationship will eventually gravitate toward the other and find it in
themselves to reconcile over time.
It’s much more complicated than hatred. Grudges exist but
they aren’t permanent. Political relations add more complexity to how the
nations negotiate their personal lives, which, in turn, adds more nuances to
their relationship. Some common themes, or rather stages, depicting the
aftermath of these fall outs include: resentment, external hostility to hide
feelings of nostalgia and longing, reminiscence, and reconciliation.
Point is, because history is a central tenet in depicting
the nation’s lives over time, their relationships are made to be dynamic. While
I have touched on this before, I would like to go into more depth with two specific
relationships. That is, China and Japan, and England and America.
That said, let’s tie this back to the strips.
China and Japan:
China raised Japan and considered him to be his younger
brother, albeit Japan’s denial of this. The two nonetheless shared a very close and
emotionally intimate relationship.
Even in the midst of rising political
tensions between their nations and other conflicts, it didn’t compromise their
personal relationship.
The breaking point in their relationship was Japan’s
betrayal of China. Japan enters an unsuspecting China’s home, asking for
forgiveness before stabbing the latter in the back.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, the Japan in this panel seems
to be forcefully dissociating himself from the situation, divorcing his
emotions with a blank face to complete the task.
I say this because later, we
see China crying about how war has changed Japan. At the time, Japan wanted to become stronger. What’s important to note is that the strip portrays Japan as the antagonist, highlighting the consequences of greed and an imperialist mentality.
We then learn that China developed a strong grudge against Japan for this betrayal.
However, it doesn’t end there. While we don’t get much insight
or interactions between them in the interim, they are able to reconcile.
China’s character song “Aiyaa four thousand years” gives us the best
perspective on China’s feelings over the matter, as it nostalgically covers his
early relationship with Japan and ends on a note of forgiveness with his wish
to be able to gaze at the moon with Japan again.
Source: Hetarchive, The Story about the Early Days of China and Japan
Skip forward and this reconciliation becomes apparent as
they openly interact with each other with no hostility. While they aren’t as
close as they used to be, notable steps have been taken to improve their
relationship [x].
England and America:
Just like the above example, England and America go through
several bumps in their relationship. However, what defines them best is that
they swing back and forth in a pendulum of hostility, bickering, longing, and a
need for the other. In the present, the bickering is still present, but it’s
playful in nature rather than hiding a latent grudge from the past.
Personal vs Political
Ex: After the Revolution, the two had tense relations. This
doesn’t stop America from becoming distraught after hearing that England fell
ill as a result of the conflict [x].
You’re not my friend, but I still need you
Ex: America refuses England’s offer to be friends, yet in a
volume 2 character note we know that America wasn’t well liked following WW2
and that only Japan and England were considered to be his real friends.
Source: Hetarchive, Black Ships Have Sails + Volume 2
Longing vs Refusal to Acknowledge
Ex: America gets
nostalgic when he cleans his storage closet and recovers items from his childhood
with England.
Source: Hetarchive, Cleaning Out the Storage.
Ex: England
dreams of his time spent with young America and sleep talks, making fond
remarks.
Meanwhile, this is the same person who would go out of his
way to criticize and nitpick at every little thing America did. While England can
be incredibly rude, it’s not for no reason. There’s a deeper meaning to it;
it’s a symptom of the heartbreak he experienced and his poor way of coping with
it.
Source: Volume 3, England Dreaming of Long Days Passed.
Ex: Bedridden and
gravely ill, England’s last wish is to have America say “England” like he used to.
Source: Comic Diary 3, Hetarchive.
Reconciliation
As mentioned, their relationship in the present has moved
more to that of teasing.
All in all, I often use these two relationships as examples to
illustrate how time makes relationships in the series dynamic. They aren’t
static in the sense that the past defines their present experience. Without a
doubt, the past does have an impact, but the fact that they’re immortal has to be
factored in if we’re to analyze how they are granted more opportunities to
overcome their grudges.
Why
Hetalia isn’t racist + why it doesn’t promote Japanese imperialism/nationalism
Before I start, it’s important to get a few points out of the
way given that many of the misinformed critiques of Hetalia have been made by
people who haven’t read the original source material (i.e., the manga).
There’s a difference between historical
situation and promoting a horrid ideology. Just because a series depicts war
and Nazis doesn’t mean that they’re inherently glorified. Of most importance is
that Hetalia promotes peace and reconciliation in spite of depicting war.
The wars that are depicted are general and the atrocities
are deliberately glossed over. This is necessary because Hetalia is comedic in
nature.
Hetalia is based on stereotypes, good or bad.
While some of the jokes are admittedly offensive, no nation is singled out nor
are any specific nations made to be superior in comparison to others. Every
character is made fun of for their stereotypes. Its humour isn’t meant for everyone.
Hetalia is satire. It mocks war and nationalist
sentiments rather than promoting it.
The dub is not canon. That includes many of the
insensitive jokes that Funimation scripted.
The anime itself is unrepresentative of the
manga. It can only cover so much material. Don’t judge a manga by its anime
just the same as you wouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
It’s also important to note that Seychelles has
always been dark-skinned in the manga, unlike in the anime where she was drawn
as pale-skinned. However, I do concede that even in the manga, her skin should
be darker [x].
Since I’ve already created many posts on this subject, here
are some resources corroborating the above points: [x] [x][x][x] [x].
In addition, I’ve also found a scholarly article in a
university publication that does a fantastic job of not only dismantling many
of the misconceptions about Hetalia but also many of the baseless critiques
that have been aimed toward it:
It’s a fair, level-headed piece that uses original source material to prove that
Hetalia mocks and undermines sentiments of Japanese imperialism and nationalism
while also demonstrating that it takes a definitive anti-war stance.
What I particularly like about it is that it
acknowledges that some of Himaruya’s early choices were made in poor taste but
is still able to substantiate the stance that this insensitivity isn’t
supportive of racist sentiments.
It also shows artwork/content that glorifies
Japanese imperialism and nationalism and then compares it to Hetalia.
Overall, it’s very well-written, sourced, and informed. Below
will be a list of important quotes that I took from the article. I highly
encourage for people to read the whole thing, as it breaks down a good amount of examples from both the manga and anime [x].The article can be found through Google Scholar.
Source:
Sands, A. T. (2013).
Belittling japanese nationalism in hetalia: axis powers. Humanities and Social Sciences Review, 2(3), 125-144.
Quotes:
“Hetalia does not
portray violence or accurate portrayals of history; Hetalia is a collection of
gags mocking militarism and stereotypes,” (125).
“Hetalia condenses
history for comical effect but retains an anti-war sentiment by belittling
wartime axis beliefs…In Hetalia, each character’s nation is targeted for
ridicule through its stereotypes, and I argue the stereotypes are not intended
to create a sense of racial inferiority,” (126).
“A close examination of
plot, character development and imagery reveals a subtle disdain for
nationalism, which purposes racism and false history,” (126).
“Manga and anime can be
a good outlet for nationalists to use, but it can also be a tool to combat
nationalism,” (128).
“For every Hetalia fan,
there is another furious anime blogger appalled by it. As the battle over
Hetalia’s purpose rages in anime and manga circles, academia has of yet not
entered the discussion with earnest,” (129).
“Hetalia does gloss over
almost all of the war, especially the darker parts of the war, but if you watch
the whole show, it is easy to realize the show is not about WWII,” (129).
“Korea as an ‘other’ in Hetalia is not nearly as
physiologically different from his Japanese counter part… Although Korea is not
portrayed physically inferior to the Japanese, critics argue his immature personality
and actions are racist. Himaruya’s choice to make Korea an immature teenager
rather than an adult may not have been the most sensible of choices, but it was
also necessary for him to create jokes tailored to Japanese stereotypes of
Koreans, which he could then subvert…On some levels, the jokes are insensitive,
and they are not politically correct,” (130).
The author also goes
on to mention how inappropriate and weird some of the “sexually charged” jokes
were, starting from page 131.
“In Hetalia, every nation has its moments when its actions
are designed to make people laugh at it, and Japan is no exception. Rather than
idolizing Japan, Hetalia’s representation of Japan is a socially awkward,
emotionally repressed, and sometimes obsequious character to be laughed at. He
is neither the proud solider in Sensoron nor the charismatic scholar of
Kenkanryu…
If Japan’s character had been a fearless soldier immune to
cultural gaffes, I would argue Hetalia would be purporting an idealized notion
of the “self” in order to promote nationalism. Himaruya’s version of Japan,
however, could not be farther from an “idealized self,” nor does he try to
blatantly dichotomize or attack a perceived “other,” (132).
“Hetalia does have politically incorrect and at times
racially insensitive caricatures. Gag comedy is based on jesting stereotypes
and thus has to have some degree of politically incorrect imagery and character
personalities. Neither in the original web comics nor in the anime version that
followed it did Hetalia attempt to isolate Japan as the dignified “self” people
should idolize. The “others” are often portrayed at the butt of the jokes, but
each nation also has its turn to be the dominant character, even at the expense
of Japan’s pride. Critics can dislike Hetalia for being tactless at times, but
I argue their accusations of supporting malicious racism are based on curt
examinations of the show, which do an injustice to Himaruya’s true intentions,”
(133).
“Hetalia’s critics decry it for more than just its perceived
racist notions; they also denounce it for its interpretation of WWII and other
historical events, which lack acknowledgement for grievances against Japan.
Gag-comedy constrains Himaruya to a small amount of time to touch on important
historical events, such as China’s discovery of Japan, Russo-Japanese War, and
WWII amongst others. The time constraints naturally appear as historical omission
for the sake of defending the nations; however, Hetalia does not attempt to
omit history to protect Japan’s pride, but rather it condenses history for
comical effect,” (133).
“By mocking the tools and ideas of war and degrading it into
a minute-long gag, Himaruya expresses his contempt for war and the foolishness
of man to pursue it, thus creating an anti-war message rather than glorifying
the imperial state as Kobayashi did,” (135).
Page 136: a good
example of how the Axis were anything but glorified, season 1 episode 18.
“Himaruya may have glossed over the atrocities of war, but
he did not glorify Japan,” (136).
“I believe that in season 4 episode 26, the final three
fragments before the credits represent Himaruya’s sincere belief in the need
for reconciliation amongst East Asian nations and Japan…Japan informs the viewer
he wanted to wait until the last to show his final technique, and in a close up
of Japan’s emotional face he proclaims, ‘But if you’re serious, I’ll get
serious, too! My final secret technique: Expression of Regret!’…
“The simplicity of the idea that peace could be solved by a
pair of underpants is the joke’s punchline, but I believe, underneath the surface,
it represents a metaphor that the path to peace and reconciliation in East Asia
is far simpler than assumed. For Japan, the path is regret,” (136-137).
“Himaruya is trying to make a comedy out of history. Hetalia
does omit many historical facts, but it was never trying to be a serious
historical discussion. When Hetalia condenses history for comical effect, the
imagery and dialogue indicate the scene is solely a gag. Himaruya’s metaphors
and cinematography suggest he views war as senseless. Rather than supporting right
wing nationalism, Hetalia appears to be a satirical anti-war anime,” (137).
Conclusion:
With all that in mind, Hetalia may have had its faults—and
still does to a far lesser extent—but
it has never advocated for war, racism, or nationalist and imperialist drives.
If anything, interpretations of the series have caused the exact division that
Himaruya’s writings have long been opposed to.
I forgot to mention this, but it’s nonetheless crucial to
the narrative Hetalia pushes.
The scene where Japan betrays China substantiates how
Hetalia does anything but glorify Japanese imperialism.
China warmly welcomes Japan into his home.
Meanwhile, due to political tensions, Japan has already
mentally committed to positioning himself as the enemy in spite of the
brotherly relationship they shared. To the reader, he becomes the antagonist,
someone who enters China’s home—a metaphor for his trust—and
egregiously violates it.
If the series truly promoted imperialism why is it that
Japan asks China to forgive him right before he brandishes his weapon? The mood
isn’t that of superiority and triumph; it’s of shame and regret.
Source: Hetarchive, The Story About the Early Days of China and Japan.
Idk if this is of any use to your DenNor
analysis but there’s that scene in a Hetaween event where Norway demands that
Denmark asks if he’s lonely after Den has already asked Sweden and Finland.
Denmark tells him that they’re always around each other so he’d know if he’s
lonely and Norway doesn’t seem completely okay with that answer…
Yes, but Norway’s just annoyed with his response [x].
I summarize
relationships for these posts, so I can’t use every example 🙂
I think all nations are
just inherently smarter than the average human, regardless of their populations’
intelligence levels. Yes, they do act foolish in the manga, but they’re just
comic gags/ stereotypes. If you think about it, each nation has gone
through several political, economic, and social revolutions. Centuries and millennias
of existence would inevitably lead to increased intelligence.
Italy never lost his
smarts either.
Ex: He participated in
the Second Industrial Revolution and invented cars [x].
It’s really random and
there’s not much logic to it. I’ll get into some patterns that I’ve found
in a more detailed post, but the basic rule is that regardless of history, nations
aren’t related to each other unless explicitly stated by Himaruya.
I wanted to ask about Belarus. Does she have an
outdated personality like France? Should I consider her old appearance as
inaccurate?
I’ve said this before, but very
little is known about Belarus. She’s a bit of an anomaly, so I’m not inclined
to form a solid opinion on her.
Most of the canon information about
her personality is from an untranslated PC game that Himaruya created and posted
on his blog. As for any changes? She appears in a few non-linear strips and the
first three printed volumes but makes a marginal appearance in World Stars.
Where we do see her more often is in
the Holiday Events (e.g. in Halloween 2011 and Halloween 2013-2014 you get
larger glimpses than in the Christmas Holiday Events where she also appears).
Judging by her character there,
she’s still obsessed with Russia and has violent/ impulsive tendencies, yet
she’s also calm and almost…regal at other moments [x]. However, it’s nowhere near
to the same extent as some of the borderline insane information given from the
PC game.
(She mistakes Taiwan’s greeting as normal lol).
I’d prefer to have a recent arc of
chapters/ strip deliberately focusing on her before I assess what aspects of
her characterization have remained and/or if it hasn’t changed at all.
Since Mochis are versions of the countries they
represent, does that mean that America’s strange dad complex can be backed up
by the weird lettuce-daddy Mochi comic strips? Cause Lol, I hope so.
I really wanted to
say no to this but knowing Himaruya, that literally might be a factoring
reason lmao. Although you have to remember that this lettuce also once wanted to
take over the world, only to be eaten by Canadamochi [x].
Okay so this has been in my mind for a while. I
was reading over some chapters from the manga to establish notes for myself and
came across the terms ‘junior’ and ‘senior’ used. Specifically in the It’s a
Treasure Box Full of Countries and Ch. 201. I was wondering if it’s meant to be
out of age establishment (Hutt River calls Wy, Molossia, and Sealand juniors
and himself Wy’s senior) or ranks (Australia calls himself Canada’s senior but
could also mean age… )? What are your thoughts?
Most of the time it has to do with
chronological age.
Then again, you also have South
Korea asking Japan and China (who in the
series are older than him) to call him older brother [x].
I saw something saying that romano has more
arabic(?) blood than italy, that’s why he’s darker than him (hair, skin, etc)
but I wasn’t sure if it was someones headcanon or canon
It’s considered to be canon by most
since his hair still remains darker than Veneziano’s. It’s listed in his Hetarchive
article [x]. Some LJ posts also link to Japanese fans who have saved old trivia
information that Himaruya later deleted from his blog.
By the way, in one of your posts, you mentioned
that “in WW2 when he’s occupied by the Nazi regime, England takes France
into his home”. Can you show me which strip that’s in? (I can’t find
it…) Thanks!
It’s from Volume 5: “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité and…”
Ellawritesficssometimes 