Product Details

• Actors: Clarine Harp, J. Michael Tatum, Eric Vale, Patrick Seitz, Todd Haberkorn
• Format: Animated, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: Japanese, English
• Subtitles: English
• Dubbed: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Funimation
• DVD Release Date: September 14, 2010
• Run Time: 130 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B003SPDSAS
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #71,674 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Hetalia: Axis Powers (2009) began as a web comic by Hidekazu Himaruya that was adapted first to a manga, then to an animated series. Hetalia depicts 20th-century history, mostly events between World War I and the end of World War II, as a series of misadventures enacted by adolescent caricatures of various countries. Italy is a coward who yells about cooking pasta; Germany demands order and insists on discipline; America talks while eating hamburgers. The ethnic humor grows thin when Italy joins forces with Germany, announcing, "You can order me around and I'll disappoint you," and Japan suggests "Axis" as "our team name." The last vestiges of taste fall by the wayside when Romano (Northern Italy) announces, "I've got a little surprise for you!" and Germany replies, "What is it, another Jew?" Apparently some people find this ethnic humor funny, but the series was cancelled in Japan when Korean protesters complained about the depiction of the Korea character in the print version. Twenty-six five-minute episodes of Hetalia fit on one disc; the second offers commentaries by director Bob Shirohata. But the material is too slight to warrant these lengthy analyses, and the results feel like an annotated biography of a mayfly. Next to Hetalia, Nerima Daikon Brothers plays like The Critique of Pure Reason. (Rated TV MA: ethnic stereotypes, profanity, cartoon violence) --Charles Solomon

Product Description

Forget everything you learned in history class, and imagine all the nations of the world as cute guys hanging out on a wildly inappropriate reality show. Now, toss in every stereotype ever and prepare to pledge allegiance to your favorite superpower in Hetalia Axis Powers!

Maybe you’ll surrender to Italy’s charms. He’s a sweetie who’s always got a noodle in his mouth and he’s bff with blue-eyed Germany and shy Japan. Sounds nice, right? Of course, their friendship sort of causes world war II, but is that really such a big deal? Not if it means those adorable allies France, America, and England will be stormin’ the beach! No matter who comes out on top, victory is yours! Now ditch your textbooks and try to keep up, because history happens fast in Hetalia Axis Powers!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

111 of 114 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious Series; Dub Has Yet to Disappoint July 22, 2010

By YayCake

I've been following the manga and anime since the series debuted in Japan. My biggest fear for the dubbing of "Hetalia" was that it would be stripped of everything not PC (which is literally the entire show). However, in the English version, the jokes are more offensive and the innuendo more rampant. The Japanese version skirted around any Nazi references, but the English version throws one in no more than a 2 minutes into the first episode. Couple that with America referring to Russia as "cannon fodder" and you've got yourself a winner of a show. If you're easily offended then this is obviously not the series for you, though I appreciate the culture clash and parodying of stereotypes. Of course, I also laugh at dead baby jokes.

Fans of the series might complain about the dialogue changes, which, from what I've seen, capture the spirit of the situation but contain altered jokes. Some of the voices are taking me a while to get used to, but overall I think the dubbing was well done. If I hadn't watched the Japanese version, I probably wouldn't think twice about judging the English voices. It's simply hard not to compare when you're used to something else.

I am impressed by the script changes and actually like the English dialogue more than the original. I'm basing my opinion on the few short clips FUNimation has put on YouTube, but I have high hopes for the rest of the series.

102 of 107 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars And I'll Be the Hero! August 25, 2010

By Complication

Amazon Verified Purchase

An Obligatory Disclaimer:
I'll begin with an overly lengthy disclaimer: this show was NOT intended for those that are easily offended or upset by stereotyping, historical inaccuracies, or the trivialization of major historic events (also, homophobics beware: this show is laden with innuendo). Now, let me just say, to all the people that fall into these aforementioned categories but purchased the show anyway and now are complaining vehemently about it via review, this show is exactly what it makes itself out to be: a CARTOON. If you were looking for something serious, then good god what were you doing browsing through animated TV shows? Would you go to Spongebob for life lessons? No. Likewise, if you're looking for an accurate portrayal of historic events, go buy a historical reenactment. It's not rocket science.

That said, I'm going to attempt to answer some basic questions you might have as someone that is considering purchasing Hetalia: Axis Powers.

1.) I watched the Japanese version with English subs. What's new?
Aside from the fact that you can now listen to the English dub, the dialogue seems to have been edited rather severely while still maintaining the basic personalities of the characters. The English voice actors have also attempted to take on the accents of their respective countries, some more successfully than others. Happily, this version contains both language tracks, so if you get fed up with the English dub you can always switch back to the Japanese track.

2.) I'm new to Hetalia. It sounds interesting, but how do I know if it's for me?
Short answer? Google it. Just type in something along the lines of, "hetalia english dub episode 1." Watch the first episode, posted by Funimation, and you should get the gist of the show fairly quickly. Google the English sub version for an interesting comparison.

3.) What age group is Hetalia targeting?
Time for an annoyingly vague answer. While this show is not particularly serious, it is also not intended for 5 year olds. Sexual innuendo is very definitely present, and my best guess for a show rating would be something like PG13, though I can't say for certain. (Though, in actuality, if you were to show this series to a 5 year old the innuendo would probably go right over his/her head. It's not always particularly overt.)

4.) Do I have to be a history buff to enjoy/understand this?
Definitely not. Though I personally love history, this show is largely character driven with only a very light dusting of plot (ie. historic events).

5.) I'm studying WW1/WW2 in history, will this help me?
While it may help you to differentiate between the different countries, it probably won't give you an accurate understanding of what transpired during the World Wars. That said, if you find history dull, this will almost certainly make it more interesting for you, and thus help you memorize various historical events and the motivations behind them.

My View:
This is a wonderful show, that in my mind promotes cultural understanding by not pointing the finger of blame at any one country for any of the bloody events of the past, instead choosing to simply make each country lovable in its own quirky way. In my opinion, we need more shows like Hetalia that force us to step back and not take ourselves so seriously for five minutes. In summary, this is easily one of my favorite shows and is in fact one of the only animes I'll watch. It's definitely worth checking out. Five stars.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars amazing July 28, 2010

By Gina C. Hayes

Amazon Verified Purchase

This anime is fantasic. The dialogue was changed a little bit from the original, however, I think it fits better for the english audience. The english voice actors did an amazing job with the accents. This is definietly one of my favorite animes and I dare you not to get hooked after the first 5 episodes.