The biggest hit in recent years is Axis Powers Hetalia (aka Hetalia: Axis Powers and Hetalia: World Series). Maybe not the biggest hit-second… maybe fifth hit biggest you see fanart and 100+ cosplayers dressed as characters from the series. But it may vary depending on the fan’s preference. You might not have watched the show before, but seeing a character with a hair antennae that’s not Edward Elric’s is spot on.

Axis Powers Hetalia is a World History Comedy anime-a rare sub-genre for such a show. It started off as a webcomic then into a manga series by Hidekaz Himaruya and was turned into an anime series you see before your eyes. As most of the title implies, the main character of APH is Italy, a shy young man with a passion for Pasta(aaaa!) and wine who dreams of becoming a powerful country, following in the footsteps of grandfather Rome.

He looks up to Germany, the leader of the “Axis Powers” group who has to put up with Italy to the point of insanity in every episode. Germany is not all that mean: he’s a tsundere-type character like we see in many anime series. There’s also Japan, who is also a stereotype of a young Japanese man who has a soft side for reading manga and is shy around others and keeps to himself.

Russia, a 'yandere' (opposite of 'tsundere') character, shows his soft side, for now...

The other main cast are America, China, France, England, and Russia. Like the “Hetalia” group, America are allies with said countries (like in real life situation). In several, (or dozens) of episodes, America’s group is seen ambushing the camp of Germany, Italy, and Japan on a beach. There are over 35 characters and counting in Axis Powers Hetalia. The characters are often seen poking fun at their own qualities, such as America’s obsession with hamburgers, recklessly declaring that he’s the “leader of the world”, and his sibling rivalry with England. The many of the arcs are based on actual world events: World Wars I & II, the Revolutionary War, and the G-8 Summit, for example.

The characters are named after the country they represent, but they have real names as well: America->Alfred, Germany->Ludwig, Russia->Ivan, etc. APH is also popular with female fans, thanks to a 80% cast of males. It is sometimes referred as a Moe series for females, especially where many Shounen-ai references are made through most of the series.

A serious scene between America and England during the Revolutionary War.

Each episode of Hetalia is 5 minutes long, so it’s really easy to get into if you’re curious or just want a quick series to get into. But there’s a word of warning: it can be hard to watch as the first several episodes run too fast, but it will all make sense soon enough.

An important fact about Axis Powers Hetalia is that it was supposed to air on TV, but due to controversy of the character Korea in the series, it’s being streamed online instead. (However, thanks to observations from fans, it seems Korea makes a very, very brief appearance in an episode. Although Korea’s role is more frequent in the manga.)

After listening to recommendations from fans, I am now a Hetalia convert; being a series review and not a “first impression” review, I also recommend checking it out (and to support it you local *legal* streaming website)! With it still on the air and my catching up to the aired episodes in one week, it would be a while before I would have written a final review. ^^

Speaking of streaming online, Axis Powers Hetalia can be watched on FUNimation, YouTube*, and Hulu* (*account required to watch due to TV-MA rating).

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