Hetalia: Axis Powers - The Complete First Season | 
| Actors: Clarine Harp, J. Michael Tatum, Eric Vale, Patrick Seitz, Todd Haberkorn
Studio: Funimation
Category: DVD
List Price: $34.98
Buy New: $25.99
as of 9/9/2010 10:36 CDT details
You Save: $8.99 (26%)
Seller: Amazon.com
Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 284
Format: Animated, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Languages: English (Subtitled), Japanese (Original Language), English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Discs: 2
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Running Time: 130 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
UPC: 704400079269
EAN: 0704400079269
ASIN: B003SPDSAS
Release Date: September 14, 2010 (In 5 Days)
Shipping: Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Not yet released
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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!
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 6
 Hilarious Series; Dub Has Yet to Disappoint July 22, 2010
MochiSquish
39 out of 40 found this review helpful
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.
And I'll Be the Hero! August 25, 2010
Complication
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
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.
amazing July 29, 2010
Gina C. Hayes (Scottsdale, Arizona United States)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
This anime is fantasic. The dialogue was changed a little bit from the original but I think it fits better for english audience and the english voice acting did a amazing job with the accents which was a main worry for dubbing with fans. This is definietly one of my favorite animes and I dare you not to get hooked after the first 5 episodes.
Chibis!!!! August 13, 2010
RavenRing (USA)
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
I've never read the manga, but my sister got me hooked on the anime with the words "chibi Italy". (chibis are tiny cute versions of a charater with biiiggg eyes)
The premise of the show is simple: countries are personified as bishonen (cute boys), and historical events are played out on a personal level (such as the allying of Italy and Germany, or the interaction of Italy and The Holy Roman Empire). The episodes are about 5 minutes in length.
I don't know too much about World War II, so I didn't have any problems with historical inaccuracy, on the contrary, I probably learned some things (I feel dumb, but I had never heard of the term "Axis Powers" before watching this show).
It is easy to be offended by this show, as the characters (countries) are stereotypical- i.e. Italy is a cute, but totally dumb bishonen, who occasionally dresses up in a maid outfit and looks just like a girl. So, for example if you are Italian, you might object to your county's portrayal and/or handling of historic events. Or you might object to the turning of very serious war matters into jokes. So far, as an American, I haven't been too offended.
I watched this show in Japanese (voice acting was very good, especially Italy) and have yet to view the English cast, but I have heard the English voice actors did an excellent job and that the script was very well adapted, with the jokes adjusted to fit the language.
I stopped watching Hetalia online when I heard it was licensed, so I am really excited for this set to be release on DVD so that I can finally finish watching it!
Hetalia~ August 22, 2010
~Elizabeth~
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Oaky, I've watched the dub on Comcast OnDemand now (even though I bought the DVD... whatever.) :) It rocks! I really don't have much to say that isn't repeating what the other 5 Star reviewers said. :D They changed the script a bit for the dub, but it's still awesome (but not as awesome as Prussia! XD)
Showing reviews 1-5 of 6
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