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History as Sexualized Parody: Love and Sex Between Nations in Axis Powers Hetalia

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Rewriting History in Manga

Part of the book series: East Asian Popular Culture ((EAPC))

Abstract

Following the publication of revisionist manga series such as Sensōron (On War, 1998–2003, 3 vols.) by Yoshinori Kobayashi, Japanese comics and popular cultures have attracted increasing attention within the heated public debate surrounding issues of history, national identity, and youth (Sakamoto 2008). Public discussion on historical revisionism and school textbooks has been so far to a large amount shaped by political or ideological interpretations about the past, present, and future of the nation. However, some commentators have pinpointed the emergence of radical changes within new generations in Japan in regard to their self-perception and identity, and to their relationship with the nation as an imagined community, noting the emergence of a post-ideological or post-modern sensibility, increasingly indifferent to modernist, content-based, true versus false or good versus evil dialectics, which continues to inform the evaluative horizon of both conservative and progressive institutional discourses (Honda 2007).

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For the full results of the survey, see http://survey.gov-online.go.jp/h26/h26-shakai/zh/z02.html. Accessed June 10, 2015.

  2. 2.

    For the combined results and analysis of these two surveys, see http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/honkawa/9465.html. Accessed June 10, 2015.

  3. 3.

    http://survey.gov-online.go.jp/h26/h26-shakai/zh/z01.html. Accessed June 10, 2015.

  4. 4.

    In addition to the generational gap of patriotism, gendered differences are also an important variable. According to the 2015 Ministry survey, 60.9 % of male respondents express “strong love for the nation,” in contrast to 50.6 % of female respondents.

  5. 5.

    http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/honkawa/5223.html

  6. 6.

    Yahoo Auctions Japan online lists 8443 Japanese dōjinshi and 2565 cosplay items related to Hetalia http://auctions.search.yahoo.co.jp/search?p= percentA5 percentD8 percentA5 percentBF percentA5 percentEA percentA5 percentA2&auccat=0&tab_ex=commerce&ei=euc-jp. Accessed June 10, 2015.

  7. 7.

    Survey conducted in 2010 by Gentōsha Comics: www.gentosha-comics.net/hetalia/enquete/index.html. Accessed June 10, 2015.

  8. 8.

    www.gentosha-comics.net/hetalia/enquete/index_02.html. Accessed June 10, 2015.

  9. 9.

    For a detailed description of all character nations, see http://hetalia.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Axis_Powers_Hetalia_characters. Accessed June 10, 2015.

  10. 10.

    www.gentosha-comics.net/hetalia/enquete/index.html. Accessed June 10, 2015.

  11. 11.

    In contrast to the original manga and anime series, personal names suggested by Himaruya himself are widely used in dōjinshi adaptations (Italy = Feliciano Vargas; Germany = Ludwig; Japan = Kiku Honda; USA = Alfred F. Jones, etc.).

  12. 12.

    The sexualized and male homoerotic overtones of Himaruya’s Hetalia characters remain mostly implicit, allowing for appreciation by a wider readership, who are not interested or even detest yaoi-inspired homoerotic and sexually explicit representations.

  13. 13.

    Among fandom in Italy, these needs and problems are very similar, attesting to the globalized structure of heteronormative and patriarchal norms, as well as the potential of Hetalia and yaoi fantasy to cope with them and to stimulate liberating pleasures, expressions, and practices. What differs is the specific way of expressing and performing the Hetalia world. Compared to Japan, there is less manga parody and much more emphasis on collective cosplaying and fan fiction, as well as some involvement of male manga/anime fans. For a public, collective, and joyous performance, see the Hetalia Cosplay Group at Rimini Comics 2010 (www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-fLtXG98T4).

  14. 14.

    The news can be seen online at www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo_btds9-kM. Accessed June 10, 2015.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Venice, Venice, Italy

    Toshio Miyake

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  1. Toshio Miyake
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Nissim Otmazgin

  2. Dept of Japanese Studies,, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    Rebecca Suter

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Miyake, T. (2016). History as Sexualized Parody: Love and Sex Between Nations in Axis Powers Hetalia . In: Otmazgin, N., Suter, R. (eds) Rewriting History in Manga. East Asian Popular Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-55143-6_8

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