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[an0nchan]

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong place, or if it has been done; but I hear about an incident involving an anime called Hetalia? what happened? (curios howl is curios)

[Itachi/Lfanatic]

all it was, was that the Korean Gov. didn't like their representation *Im Yong Soo*. So they banned hetalia from their country. If anything I'd either go to the Hetalia wikia or just google and sniff around >.>

[zombisaurus]

it's probably about what happened in anime boston.

im not sure myself, but i know it involved a bunch of germanys doing nazi-ish things during passover...

[an0nchan]

Sry, should have been more specific; The anime boston one.

Was it rly uber bad?

[JoyMason]

Nazi salute out in public, on passover, a couple blocks from a holocaust museum? Yeah..bad.

Dunno if they're just ignorant or jerks, but not the thing to do.

[Brave XDG]

It was only a matter of time until some group of Hetalia cosplayers would do something like this, I'm not assuming ALL Hetalia cosplayers are like this, but some just...yeah. >_>

Common sense guys...common sense.

[Moonsong]

Wow, I didn't know they did it OUTSIDE..what an idiotic decision on their part..I hope they think their poses over a little more before deciding to do them in public. If you really must use the Nazi salute, do it in your own private photoshoot - most people will not sit down and just say "Oh it's okay since you're cosplayers!", sorry.

I cosplayed as Hungary and I'm rather glad I avoided the photoshoots this year.

[an0nchan]

Damn, that is terrible! The nerve, i swear >_>

[Alphonia]

Conventions get to people's heads sometimes.

But from what I know of this incident. The person whom organized the photoshoot issued an apology on his/her journal.

[liivingdeadgirl]

I read an apology on the Anime Boston forums and was slightly appalled at the fact that they seemed to apologize more for 'moving their photoshoot location' rather than the actually act of doing a nazi salute on passover outside on a public sidewalk. Seriously guys? Moving the location of the shoot is NOT THE POINT. It shouldn’t have been done PERIOD. *headdesk*

If I ever saw a group even attempting to do this I would veto so hard. This kind of makes me embarrassed to be a Hetalia cosplayer. >_<

[Alphonia]

Well the way I see this issue is that it centers not around the series (so don't be embarrassed) but rather the maturity of con-goers.

Con-goers tend to be a younger crowd or even some older people just don't know when to go grow up. I was actually a victim of a display of immaturity (though on a smaller scale) at last year's Anime Boston.

The series has attracted a large younger fanbase, and being teenagers, you do stupid things. I always feel iffy when hanging out with other cosplayers. I worry about if they can display the certain level of maturity to not annoy me.

Well at least one of them feels sorry about it. I think its alright to cut that one some slack because everyone is probably jumpin on him/her right now. The rest though, needs to realize how idiotic and insensitive they were acting.

[RyoWolffe]

in my honest opinion. I will have to say most Hetalia cosplayers are ignorants with no knowledge of what is and what isn't offensive. The anime itself is NOT accurate with the retelling of the brutalities of World War II but its more of a mockery of what really happened. Doing something like this is about as offensive as "cosplaying" Osama Bin Laden and standing in front of the World Trade Center ruins while holding a poster of the WTC collapse. You just don't do that!

Speaking of Ignorants and Hetalia, it bugs me that these kids, because they are silly kids, carry the national flags with no respect and even put them on the floor like most props. I am sorry, but in most national flag etiquette, doing that is a MAJOR offense to the national flags.

[Cyanna]

Originally Posted by RyoWolffe

in my honest opinion. I will have to say most Hetalia cosplayers are ignorants with no knowledge of what is and what isn't offensive. The anime itself is NOT accurate with the retelling of the brutalities of World War II but its more of a mockery of what really happened. Doing something like this is about as offensive as "cosplaying" Osama Bin Laden and standing in front of the World Trade Center ruins while holding a poster of the WTC collapse. You just don't do that!

Speaking of Ignorants and Hetalia, it bugs me that these kids, because they are silly kids, carry the national flags with no respect and even put them on the floor like most props. I am sorry, but in most national flag etiquette, doing that is a MAJOR offense to the national flags.

x2

Though...last year I was a little confused when a friend mentioned being disturbed at all the Hetalia "Nazi" cosplays at Otakon (though she didn't mention them actually doing anything). And I was all "Wha? Hetalia has very little blatent Nazism. You sure that wasn't Hellsing Ultimate?" I mean HU has characters that actually DO wear swastikas. But then again...does any con ever get a disturbing number of Schrödingers? O_o

I sincerely doubt they had malicious intent. I also sincerely doubt that most of them were aware that it was Passover and that there was a Holocaust museum a few blocks away. It's people getting caught up in the excitement...and then doing something really dumb. And not having malicious intent does not change the fact it was a pretty dumb move no matter where you are or what part of the year it is.

I get pretty uncomfortable with the flags too. I used to be in a competitive marching band and there were pretty strict rules about using the flag in a show and a band could be penalized if their color guard twirled a national flag or let one touch the ground. It's been pounded into my brain.

[krys-chan]

I'm not into Hetalia, nor do I have the will to watch it but I'd still like to put my two cents in.

The person who organized the shoot did warn everyone to watch how they act.

I WAS at Anime Boston and that Hetalia shoot was HUGE. They were located at the bottom of the steps outside the mall and I looked down when I was done with my Fate/Stay Night photoshoot.

It was a large crowd and they would not have fit anywhere inside of the convention center without being a fire hazard. The courtyard that is located outside but between all the buildings and more hidden because of the buildings was closed this year and that was the original location plan.

Now I know a lot of people are angry but something like this was bound to happen sooner or later. I don't support what they did. Merely explaing what I believed to have happened.

Now even though there were warnings to the group ON THE FORUMS, not everyone is on the forums. There are people who just hear about the photoshoot and show up.

Everyone is excited when there is a con, especially if it is 1) their first con, 2) the only con they attend a year, 3)They just are, with everyone hyped up and the adrenaline rushing, people tend to ACT BEFORE THEY THINK. We all know that this is a person's downfall in a lot of situations and it was in this one.

Now the thread on the AB forums shows us how sorry the person who put the shoot together felt, she apologized. Let her be now. She understands what happened but one person could not control that big of a group. People don't even listen to Staff and Security at cons, let alone another cosplayer. A lot of people may be like "Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do".

It's sad what happened but it happened and the past cannot be changed. Let everyone learn from this and hopefully everyone can learn from this and the Hetalia community will learn and take a lesson from the incident.

Also this is not to be hating towards anyone so please do not take it like that. It is merely my opinion as I try to explain what could have happened in a logical way.

[ToroSonyCat]

I think its unfair to base a judgement on all Hetalia cosplayers just because a few idiots did something wrong at a photoshoot.

I'll never understand how people have the nerve to do these things though, I couldn't ever do it. (I wouldn't want to though either, of course)

However I do think that the flag thing that people are mentioning is a complete overreation.