When it comes to the TV series, there are certainly a lot of laughs to be had but the show got too spread out with too many characters and lost its focus on the core characters that were the best of the lot. But there was fun to be had and the Axis characters did appear. With those two series, it was very easy to get into overall with its mild commitment of just five or six minutes an episode. Even when it ran a storyline over a few episodes, it often broke things up with other gags so you had plenty to like. In going with a full-on feature, I had a lot of trepidation about it because, well, these are all short gag characters. Can they carry a movie?
The gist of the movie is very straightforward as an alien race has arrived on Earth in the present day and they’re turning people into what’s termed noppera. It’s a Japanese phrase which means a creature with no face. When Japan explains this, that turns a lot of the blame his way which is certainly comical. With a worldwide threat though, everyone has to work together to try and save mankind. Except that none of them are capable of working together in the slightest and it just leads to plenty fights as we’ve seen before. There is amusement however in that several look to America from the start because his movies kick ass and he’s always the hero. When others try and defend their moviemaking, it just goes horribly wrong. Italy does, however, get it all right when he says that his movies are all about Italians going to foreign countries and sleeping with women. Aliens can’t be that much different, right?
There’s a lot of problems that the gang faces individually as they see their nations reduced to facelessness. They’ve never been able to work together really well, but this challenge does get them to at least be on the same page. Which is amusing as they learn that the reason for the invasion is because the race, the Pictonians from the planet Picto, want the universe to be like them and Earth is ranked pretty low for a lot of reasons. And it’s very diverse so it makes for a good starting point in getting it to conform and show everyone else what they’re capable of. They get this not from the Pictonians themselves, of course, but from the alien that America knows. Tony, the hamburger eating and soda drinking old school looking alien.
With a movie like this, it really does get difficult to go through from a review standpoint similar to how the TV series was. It runs through so many different gags along the way and keeps to the anything can happen mentality that you just have to sort of roll with it. Having the core gang sneak aboard the Pictonian’s main ship is great, but it also goes on too long as well which leads to it feeling more drawn out. Which is something that Hetalia in long form can suffer from since we’re so used to short form storytelling for it. But the use of the core cast here is very strong as they work so many gags and jokes along the way that if you wait briefly, they’ll be moving on to something else that will make you laugh. Whether it’s Italy doing something stupid that ends up being important or America taking charge, it just keeps moving. And that can keep it pretty entertaining alone just to see where it will go next.
In Summary:
It’s been a number of years since I last saw Hetalia but I’ll easily admit that the show has been on my mind lately. There’s something about those first two seasons that worked so well for me in the tale it wanted to tell, playing with the Axis Powers and just throwing down in some complicated ways. There are issues to be sure and inaccuracies and so forth, but as a comedy that was largely looking to be playful and silly and that captured the love of many fans, and even a lot of historians to see it presented in this way, it’s the kind of project that still stands out. This collection packs a lot of material into it that definitely needs to be spread out and not binged less it becomes a blur. But you’ll also find areas that work better than others for you and some characters that just delight. I’ll always have an affection for Sealand, for example, and some of what they do with the Nordic countries. And especially the original Axis and Allies aspect. I don’t know how well this will play against the politics of the day but a decade ago it made me laugh and I’m not losing that.
Features:
Japanese Language, English Language, English Subtitles, Episode 6 Commentary “Revolutionary Brothers” , Episode 26 Commentary “In Which America Does His Best Italy Impersonation”, Episode 32 Commentary “Super Italy Bros.”, Episode 36 Commentary “Japan’s Musical Fantasy”, Episode 41 Commentary “The Homeless Wizard and France’s Idea of Fashion”, Episode 45 Commentary “China Gets the Best Lines”Show Comments by Director Bob Shirahata, Part 1, Show Comments by Director Bob Shirahata, Part 2, Show Comments by Director Bob Shirahata, Part 3, Director Bob Shirahata’s ED Sequence Comments, Director Bob Shirahata & Atsushi Kosaka (Prussia) Talk, Atsushi Kosaka (Prussia) Commemorates the Announcement of the Hetalia Movie, Director Bob Shirahata & Aki Kanada (Chibi Italy) Talk, Director Bob Shirahata & Daisuke Namikawa (Italy) Talk, Hetalia Fan Event at the Tokyo International Anime Fair 2010, Hetalia Event in Tokushima, Part 1 of 2, Hetalia Event in Tokushima, Part 2 of 2, Fan Event, Four Boys, One Couch, Chibitalia “Marukaite Chikyuu” Performed by Italy America’s Cleaning Storage Hetalia in Taiwan, Part 1 of 2 Hetalia in Taiwan, Part 2 of 2 Fan Event in Roppongi, Special Talk Between Bob Shirihata and Hiroki Yasumoto, Draw a Circle, That’s the Comment Corner Interview After the Hetalia Movie Premiere Welcome, Hetalia: The CAPSLOCK Commentary, Opening Day Stage Greetings, The Hidden History Hidden Within Hetalia, Outtakes, U.S. Trailers, Textless Songs
Content Grade: B+
Audio Grade: B+
Video Grade: B
Packaging Grade: B
Menu Grade: B
Extras Grade: A
Released By: Funimation
Release Date: December 17th, 2019
MSRP: $69.98
Running Time: 610 Minutes
Video Encoding: 480i/p MPEG-2
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Sony PlayStation3 Blu-ray player via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
Chris Beveridge
Chris has been writing about anime, manga, movies and comics for well on twenty years now. He began AnimeOnDVD.com back in 1998 and has covered nearly every anime release that’s come out in the US ever since.
He likes to write a lot, as you can see.
