only reaction on this issue so far: UUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

whatever, I just wish this won't affect the anime. extremely sensitive people give me headaches -_-

Yeah...I do wish there wasn't something like this. >_<
I'm trying to see it from the other perspective though. -.-

And then I end up a bit wishy-washy LOL. @__@ ough.

Actually, The Korean people are doing a petition to stop the anime cause I THINK they've only just found out about that. Japanese mangas, although some very popular, are quite underground in Korea. The Koreans don't look mangas much as entertainment, and I think the government or the society just doesn't like people 'wasting time' reading comics.
Anyways, no, they're not doing this because it's just some sort of degradation, they know it's about some jokes, but then there's the history, and the overall relationship between them. I'm a Korean too, but I've been living abroad for quite some time(not by choice, mind you), and although I still feel like I belong in Korea, I do know some things about them (I DO have relatives there and I DO interact with them and news/entertainments).
I've also only just found out about this Hetalia manga, and, since Korea was so fussing about it I looked at some Japanese sites, read a few strips of Hetalia, read profiles and gotten opinions from the Korean community(not that I'm saying this might be enough).
Their point is that they do not agree with the author's view on Korea. It has very varying ranges starting from the outfit the character is wearing to the background-history-being-warped kind of details.
First of all, Korea's outfit is NOT represented correctly, even I know that.
Second, the character's birthday is wrong, Korea did not get independant on May 1st, it was actually August 15th.
Third, although Koreans agree that they do 'hustle more than usual' when it comes to Japan, after the initial 'rage', they do think it over(mostly by people who try to accept as cultural differences) and thus are actually reasonable.
Fourth, Koreans do not carry Japanese flags, not for pride(as Koreans seem to interpret as) nor to shred it to pieces. If they did, they'd be arrested most likely for degrading other countries, and the government frowns upon doing that kind of actions. Even if this manga is supposed to be during the WW2 or somewhere near that time, it's still wrong because then Japan had already territorialized Korea and whoever did that was shot on the spot. There are quite a few examples of people who were sent to jail to be killed for saying 'Hooray Korea' or something like that. The Japanese flag on the chest(as the Koreans say)most likely mean(because it's similar)the thing Korea's athlete wore during the Olympic. 'That was not, as it is represented in the manga, by self-motivation, but because it was forced upon the country and the athlete.' As for the shouting thing, who does not have love for their own country? Especially if it is about 1st of March, which the Koreans have utmost pride on, when 2000 000 people rose up against Japan. It is really bitter to get degraded on something they did as to retaliate.
Fifth, the Koreans, because of the above misinterpretations('not to mention historical distortion')are worried about the thoughts it might be implanted on the children who might watch the show. Although it shows very late at night, it is worriesome to the Koreans because there still might be children that might be reading/watching the manga/anime. Especially when it's had a total of 300 000 000hits it's bound to have a lot of fans-thus watchers. 'Adults may know and laugh about the jokes, the kids do not. The concept of 'sarcasm' or 'exaggeration' is not very clear to children, which may lead to misinterpretations on the children's part; the names based on countries do not help. This is blatant criticism with the mask of a joke.' ... or so the they say.

Sixth, it is just not possible to convince those who oppose airing the animation that this is 'just a joke'. It's hard for the Korean people who have suffered so much from Japanese forces before and during (and still continuing in a different way)to just accept the past and let go, when Japan, to their eyes, do not apologize enough for their actions. It may not be known because Koreans(just normal people)who banter about this do not do so on the international ground(dunno why tho, since they should if they're so hurt by it). Koeans do NOT hate Japan, they like the cultures, they understand that there are some things that Koreans should adopt(such as attitudes, some say). But they do NOT love Japan as much as 'Korea'(Hetalian Korea I mean) does. The Korean adolescents respect Japan and its cultures, but when it comes to the time under Japanese rule, they hate it even though they do not know it directly. The earlier generation will loathe them, and the yet earlier generation will absolutely despise them, along with the Japanese in general.
Seventh, there might be people who ask that Koreans degrade Japaneses already in their mangas/commercials/movies/etc... so why they are so fuming about it. The Koreans retort as to why, then, the world reacts so sharply on works where it praises German Nazi's.
Eighth, 'It is not the Koreans who are biased, but the Japanese adolescents'. To me it sounds like an excuse, but then it is a proven fact(at least to the Koreans) that Japanese have distorted historical knowledge. A study proves that the Japanese textbooks have euphemized words that soften the actions they had done in the past. However, I don't really think this study would be much accepted because the one who did the study was a Korean.
Ninth, 'Korea' brags about owning everything in the manga. Which is not true. Dok-do(or as the Japanese say, Dakeshima,), Baek-du Mountain, Kimchi, Han-bok, Han-gul(Korean letters), Goryo, Balhae, etc.. are, indeed, Korea's, but not Buddhism nor Kanji. Buddhism, like most major religions are, is a western(in Korea's case) religion that came via China and passed on to Japan. Kanji was used before Han-gul was produced; Han-gul was produced BECAUSE the king thought CHINESE letters were too hard for commoners to use.'We do NOT own it, or say we do. Japanese letters, on the other hand, is made from incorporating both Chinese and Korean letters, so why do the Japanese accuse us for falsely claiming Kanji? which leads to another point: copying Japan.'
Here the Koreans are really mad about making Korea look like it's the only one doing the copying one from Korean culture is the Kimuchi, a Japanese version of Kimchi which is less spicy and a little sweeter. 'Japan evolved to what it was primarily by importing western culture and refining them with Japanese style.' 'Japan is not very loved not only because it has abandoned Asia(eg:Korea and China=>Manchuria)when needed and came back, it also didn't show serious attitudes to apologizing.'

Tenth(already?!), some Korean people are debating about the chest groping thing, because some say it's humor and some say it's about Dok island. The people who say it's the Dok island issue are actually repeating the facts that Dok-do was actually owned by Koreans as far back as before the Shin-la era when one of our Generals got the contract from the Japanese who were illegally fishing in Shin-la territory, and that the diplomatic issues were controlled by the Japanese during the Japanese-rule(which, by Cairo declaration, was nullified and thus had to be given up by the Japanese already), and that the island is geographically closer to Korea than Japan. But that's old news.
Anyways these are some(I think most)things that Korea is most angry about Japan and why 'until the Baek-du mountain reduces to rubble and East sea water dries up we Koreans will carve the things Japan did to us into our bones and never forget about it'.<<scary, ain't it? =-=;; Eleventh(last, I promise.)Koreans do not wish to go back to whenever it was under control of anyone. Not Japan, not China. Korea is a peninsula, and got attacked both by China and Japan frequently(From China to unite its kingdom and from Japan as a route to trade). Korea did get into a brother-like relationship with China only as forced, not willingly. It was only named brotherly as it included Korea giving tributes to China just as its other territories did. It was as shameful to Korea as Japanese rule had been. ... WOW that's a lot. I hope this at least gives our side of perspective. I hope you'll give this as much understanding as you give the author. And no, I don't think either that the anime will be blocked, although 15000 people did sign the petition thing. Delayed or edited maybe, but not stopped. I really don't usually participate in things like this, but I really couldn't stop myself. Everybody has pride in their country, Koreans may have more. But that is just because we try so hard to keep our country(inside and out)together that in some cases we just become snappy about it. Sorry, but we can't help it, and we won't help it if we can until we are left alone already. Dont' flame just because seeing as nobody in the world except Korea seems to care, and since THEY don't talk outside their own country, I will. I cannot, will not let the people see my country as some extra-sensitive jerkface who annoys everyone by stopping an innocent, harmless show. The manga shows that Koreans put family as top priority. Think of it that way. Well, guess what? It is.

Which reminds me. Korea's independence year is NOT 1919, it's 1945. 1945 15th of August, Korea got independent. August 15 1948, Korea got its government. As for the age, well. I've looked at some of the ages of the characters, and saw that China was approx. 4000 years old. WTF. Korea's history, if it counts(which it should) includes the Cho-sun, Goryo, BaekJae, Shinla etc. dynasties. The Korean history is 5000 years old, or as the Koreans say, Half 10000. Thus, China's history must be helluvalong time ago. 4000? NO Possible way. China's been for at least 6000 years according to the recent findings.

Hi, I hope I didn't provoke anything. >_< Sorry about that...
(Just a note: top-half of the entry was quoted from the comm. and my response was the bottom)

Very hefty comment but I read it word-for-word. I actually must agree with the majority of your points.
I guess my entry seriously looked negative because of how I worded it. (in the spur of the moment I typed it in quick reaction)
Ahh, but I guess it goes to show how Americanized I am in thinking this way (then again, it's just me). I myself am part-Korean, but I have NEVER ever set foot in Korea (or out of US) nor was at least immersed in its culture. So it's slightly hard for me to FULLY understand. Or maybe it's just I'm mixed, so I really don't feel as if I have, well, a country I can call my "home." So it's hard for me to feel like I can support Korea on this topic, YET I say I take their side on this issue (ack!). Man, yeah... I know I sound really lame but I couldn't word it any different. >_<

Sorry for a bit of a short reply:

I will agree that manga is not popular in Korea, which I know for sure, despite the "manhwa" produced there. I also DO know the history between Japan/Korea (and China), and agree that there is an "historical distortion" with the Hetalia comic and character. Well, yes, the facts and character themselves are distorted. Actually, in truth, my first reaction to this "character" was that it was weird. It seemed so incorrect because the author is Japanese (obvious point), and gave the character part of his own perception I think. But what if the author was Korean? o__o (ok I doubt it, so just disregard that question)
I sometimes wonder what the whole point of Hetalia was. =_=

I know I virtually don't know much about the history between Japan/Korea except what my own mom/TV tells (ok this too sounds lame to be talking of my own mother in a reply.... but her parents were tortured by the Japanese themselves and that is one thing I definitely know), I have a dislike about the history of the Japanese rule too. I think that is mainly the only part I don't like about Japan, the times they try to do such harsh actions.
And that that they do try to cover up what they've done. >.<

I almost was confused with the "children watching the show" part, but I understand. It's easy to misinterpret it, yes. Because the concepts are well... they obviously aren't a children thing. (not to mention the author is partly into homosexual undertones with the male nation characters)
I actually didn't realize that. o_o

Again, sorry for the short reply. >_<
I did read it, so thanks. I must say that was interesting because I've never gotten a feedback like that and that I'm aware of most of the points given. :)

Did you know, that in TV series, Korean Character will not been shown...
Did you know, that TV series will be shown at 12:00 at night...
Did you know, this TV series will be shown in Japan and not Korea...
Petition are signed in Korea for TV shown in Japan, don't you think that is odd? Does Arabian people petition for porn shown in US? Do please keep it to your self lol

yes, I just found out about it.
yes, I believe I mentioned that.
Yes, I think that was because the people there refused it..
As for the last one, I have absolutely no idea, I'm just saying cause some people might not look both sides of a story.

to be honest, I would understand Italian or French people getting mad about it but why Korean? Why does this anime have to tell both side of history? or should I say tru story, this is an anime, fiction, a cartoon for crying out loud. If Japanese people wants to watch it, let them...If they don't want to watch it so what? Its like animal rights activist living in I don't know lets say Spain criticizing Tom & Jerry...who cares? its a cartoon, its an anime...Right now in Japan due to this petition or whatever, lots of people start to notice it...and these petition in Korea end it up as an advertisement many wants to see it now in Japan...this anime itself is quite lame if you ask me, but now, many will see it...to me, this time, Korea got mad for no reason which wasn't their business in the first place

Sorry for barging in...

Well. First of all, I do think Koreans have a right to get mad because of the past histories between them and Japan, it just seems wrong to them because the author seems to put it in different perspective. I mean, it's not easy to let this slide.
Actually, the whole point they are doing this petition was because of a comic where Korea was "touching Japan's breasts." http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-01-13/korean-protests-call-for-hetalia-anime-cancellation/
but basically I'm repeating again that they are offended that it "re-imagines" the whole World War thing.

But yes, it IS slightly an overreaction. Personally, I don't think a petition will help because the character doesn't even appear in the anime.


There will always be other opinions. *sigh* The ones who think Korea should not give a care, or the ones who also are offended with them. -_-
I think the only thing that will happen is just endless discussion. <_<

oh, and I'm sorry, one more thing...this author is also notoriously know for him being homosexual and supporters were quite minority and before this petition majority of Otaku were surprised that this low level comic book are going to be animated...
Great advertisement, thanks to Koreans....sigh...

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/bbs/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=104838&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

above is pretty interesting arguments...