Nations clash in a titanic struggle to determine whose army…has the worst food? Among other things.
Creative Staff
Story: Himaruya Hidekaz
Art: Himaruya Hidekaz
Translation/Adaptation: Monica Seya Chin and Clint Bickham
What They Say
Who’s the strangest country of them all???
Everyone’s favorite countries have gathered together to compare notes on who has the weirdest horror movies, who had the worst World War II rations, who has the wackiest laws on the books, and which stereotypes about them are actually true! The heat is on when China must fight to win over Hong Kong by wearing kigurumi! Germany and Prussia sneak into America’s camp with hilarious results!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Volume 5 of Hetalia is a volume of comparisons, at least most of the time. It kicks off with the guys–that is, the nations–gathering ’round for a discussion of horror films. It’s more current events than history, and most enlightening for someone like me, who doesn’t know anything about his own country’s horror films, much less anyone else’s. Without this book I never would have known that Japanese horror films are about bad things happening to innocent people, or that the Italian variety is a weird mixture of extreme gore and poingant humanism.
After this quick tour, the book takes us into more familiar terrain, transporting us back to the second World War’s North African campaign. We’re shown Germany’s futile attempts to coordinate with their irresponsible ally, Italy’s extraordinary powers of retreat, the total impracticality of German uniforms in desert heat, and the strained but productive alliance between America and England.
The comparisons resume after a brief sketch on the Axis Tripartite pact. The new topic: military rations of World War II. The surprising thing here is how similar each country’s food for the fighting man follows the principles of its own normal cuisine. I’d have thought the exigencies of combat would have led to more standardization among nations.
After that we get a few sketches on scattershot topics (mostly forgettable) before finally finishing out with another section of trivia from the African front. Which, as much as anything, illustrates the two sides of Hetalia for me. On the one hand, it can’t seem to concentrate on any one topic for long. It’s attention is distracted on the flimsiest of pretext, or even on no pretext at all. Reading Hetalia is never a unified experience. On the other hand, it’s never a boring one. Even when the series misses it never misses for long, or by much.
In Summary:
This volume of Hetalia is perhaps a lesser entry in the series, but who cares? It’s funny, it’s informative, it’s nice to look at, and it’s pleasant to come home to in the evening. I don’t need to be in a special mood for it. I can read it with enjoyment whether I’m rested or tired, gloomy or in high spirits. That’s a rare enough achievement, and I’m all for it.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: A+
Text/Translation Grade: A-
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: TOKYOPOP
Release Date: December 10th. 2013
MSRP: $15.99
