those who do not remember the past are condemned to search for Hetalia vids...

[feliciter]

...although to be accurate I had been trawling Youtube for various versions of You Raise Me Up (worse than Hetalia, I know, but).

Having heard about (but not actually dared to get into) Hetalia, I was tempted to follow the links from this vid, which led to this outstandingly cracktastic character primer:

Click to view

After which the first slideshow made (

Comments

[yumearashi]

*laughs* Hetalia is awesome. As my sister says, "Hetalia is stereotypical, racist, and also a huge pile of bullshit. But funny." As for my own assessment, I happen to think it's so funny because there's some truth to the stereotype - certainly that's true for America-kun!

I've also been watching Mushishi since it's been on TV. I'm up to episode 20-ish

[feliciter]

I have thus far managed to avoid the actual anime and manga, since it will probably cross that line receding further from sanity with each vid that I can't unsee. Although it is fun to pick up the allusions in the art/animations, which are the highest quality of all the fandoms I've seen - and that includes Mushishi. (Episode 20! What do you think of it so far?)

Also went looking for the original Caramelldansen: realised to my horror surprise that it was one of the songs playing in this cruise-boat in Istanbul, that we were persuaded to dance to - and I attributed the laughing, hip-gyrating and funny hand motions around the ears to alcohol alone o_O

[yumearashi]

*grins* what has be seen cannot be unseen! It is pretty cracktastic, but it does have serious moments too. The scene with England and America facing off over the latter's desire for independence was pretty awesome (though I may be biased there). Besides, the episodes are only 3 minutes each ^_^

Mushishi is interesting - very different from any other anime I've seen. The art is gorgeous, the endings usually sad, and most of the philosophy is probably above me ^.^;

*giggles* that music/dance has been done for just about every series that you could ever *not* want to see it set to ^o^

[feliciter]

(re-reading my comment, perhaps I should clarify - the *fan*art and animations of Hetalia are better than most Mushishi fan-equivalents. Not the original >_<)

Quite a good learning experience, as it did send me to Google Canada-Cuba relations, and most of Scandinavian history was a dark mystery to me (or to be accurate never actually registered), until some of the fanart piqued my interest.

The scene with England and America facing off over the latter's desire for independence was pretty awesome (though I may be biased there)

Quite a number of fanvids and art seem to reference that - which episode is it?

Mushishi is interesting - very different from any other anime I've seen.

Exactly, and for the reasons stated. The otherwordly quality of folklore-based episodes puts one in mind of, for instance, Angela Carter.

most of the philosophy is probably above me ^.^;

Oh, surely not! Though Mushishi is the rare anime that nourishes both the mind and the eye.

[flemmings]

Hetalia is such a sinkhole. Once in you never get out, just because there's so flipping much of it. When I grow weary of life, I'll become an Hetalia fan; it should take up all my remaining time.

[feliciter]

Which is why I'm trying to confine myself to the fanvids - between the manga, various media, fanworks, LJ and recorded history canon, how anyone keeps it straight (pun fully intended) is completely beyond me.

[evey_w]

Holy crap I didn't know you watched Hetalia fan vids. XD; 'Cause I've been meaning to share a bunch of those (including some of the ones you already posted up there) but didn't because I'm afraid of looking like a retard.

By the way, if you haven't actually read any of the official Hetalia strips, you are missing out a lot on the Caramelldansen thing. It's really extremely brilliant in that the vid includes just about every single crackistic character outfits/situations you can find in the manga (i.e: little!nations and their "big brothers", Britainnia angel at 7:50, the red Christmas boxers at 5:46) and the characters appear in an order in so that the every new character who appears has some relations to the last one.

[feliciter]

I didn't know there were so many of them - watched the first one a couple of hours before I posted and it all went downhill from there (I'm still online four hours later).

I've been meaning to share a bunch of those (including some of the ones you already posted up there) but didn't because I'm afraid of looking like a retard

XDDDDDDDD Stupid is as stupid does. Abandon all hope, ye who enter Hetalia fandom!
So far I've been getting my info from Wikipedia (on Hetalia as well as the background) and some of the LJ entries. I like the heaven-hell joke (heard some variations before, but this execution is brilliant!)

Britainnia angel at 7:50, the red Christmas boxers at 5:46

Ah OK. I shall..uh...look them up if the opportunity arises.

the characters appear in an order in so that the every new character who appears has some relations to the last one.

I rewatched several times because it was so hypnotic was trying to spot all the historical allusions e.g. Axis powers, French-English relations from the time of the Norman Conquest to the

[evey_w]

Not only are there so many of them, but I too am impressed by the high quality of the fanvids. I mean, most of them may be full of stupid and devoid of any meaning, like Akuyuu de LOVE LOVE SHOW, iHetalia, England dancing, and the Nudefest, but there are also these ones (<- ded from cute) that look almost like official stuff. In any case, if nothing else, the art alone is pure love. XD;

Note: Play mp4's in Windows Media Player. I just managed to save those from Youtube before they were gone.

>Ah OK. I shall..uh...look them up if the opportunity arises.

Here you go. Annnnd I have no idea why he's dressed up as an angel. It's another case of unexplained stupidity.

[feliciter]

Thank you for the links! The Prussia and iHetalia ones are very well done (and I can't believe the ChibItalia/HRE ones isn't canon). But as with quite a number of the YouTube vids, my eyes will never recover from the Nudefest :p

(although I'm probably approaching Hetalia with the wrong attitude if the first thing I thought of when I saw the Stars & Stripes clock in the UK/US birthday segment was OMG FOUR MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST...wait, wrong fandom)

Hetalia does indeed have, on the whole, the best (and most insanely dedicated) fanartists and vidders of all the fandoms I've seen thus far.

Britannia Angel whut

[rasetsunyo]

WHA- WHA--

I dunno, man. I find the entire concept terribly iffy. Although deeply seductive. Are the entities states? Nations? Linguistic groups? Why are some male and some female? How does it even work??

*brain breaks, gibbers*

Anyways China (5:20) shoulda been in Tang robes. Or maybe Ming. Def not Qing.

Who decides what gets represented anyway? South American countries get no love. Or African ones. Or Australasian. Grump.

[feliciter]

I think the entities are supposed to represent states, both modern and at various points in history (hence Prussia, the Roman Empire, the German, and the chibi-forms). I have no idea how Hidekaz Himaruya decides, though it is convenient for the Austro-Hungarian Empire can be represented by a male Austria and female Hungary.

Also, military and school uniforms produce hotter art :D

China (5:20) shoulda been in Tang robes

From the LJ entries and Wiki, the creator doesn't seem to be terribly interested in absolute fidelity to recorded history...

South American countries get no love. Or African ones

Maybe later? Though I very much doubt it - Hidekaz goes for the easily recognizable e.g. Australia (in the Kurutto Mawatte Ikkaiten vid) in bushranger gear and accompanied by a koala and wombat. Also, I can imagine the difficulty in coming up with a recognizable, for example, Singapore, if Thailand is a guy in glasses and white shirt/long trouser with no distinguishable ethnicity ~_^

[rasetsunyo]

Well, as long as he/she doesn't have to wear a hideous Merlion dress...

[feliciter]

Merlion dress

ahahahahahaha *wheezes*
I don't know if the Thailand character is canon (fans can be very enterprising!), but whoever drew him may have had the present King in mind. If Korea kicked up such a fuss about their representation, imagine the furore. Also, India isn't represented, or the Islamic states (though Greek-Turkish conflict is covered, and Egypt is quite secular) - I guess Hidekaz isn't keen on being fatwa'ed just yet.

Although, war! and breakup! fanworks are the best of the lot, from what I've seen. Especially the American Revolution, the Russo-Japanese and Sino-Japanese wars, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. (Not to mention European politics, which is extremely fertile ground and much too messy for me to untangle.)

[ambientlight]

i didn't realise a >10min caramelldansen was possible...

i introduced hetalia to the anime club last year, and it went down fairly well, which was interesting.

[feliciter]

I didn't realise *Hetalia* was possible O_O

I suppose one has to keep one's mind empty, at least while reading/watching open, to fully enjoy it :D