fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #5582 ]

[ SECRET POST #5582 ]

⌈ Secret Post #5582 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 29 secrets from Secret Submission Post #798.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

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Heyalia

lmao obviously Hetalia had that in there. What did you expect from a series that treats world history like candy and makes all of the countries incompetent, adorable blobs?

NAYRT
MMMMMH This is not a good example IMHO. That manga/anime is literally a comic story ABOUT the Axis and all the other countries during WWII. So yeah, obviously it's going to portrait Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Imperialistic Japan (and all other fucked up dictationships back at that time) in light positive way. That's literally the concept of that manga.
And I say this as someone who hated Hetalia A LOT while all my friends were into the fandom. I believe it was back in 2007/2008. It still makes me sick and that's basically the only fandom I've EVER been personally offended by.

There are a lot of other WORSE example of pro-Nazi symbolism in anime/manga. (Sorry my brain is fried and can't think of any good example right now).
There is also an Host club that was opened last year (or in 2020?) in Japan, I think Osaka but I'm not sure, where the main theme was literally Nazism with all the guy dressed up in Nazist apparel.
Japan has a very complicated and problematic history with that symbolism......... and young people don't really know about the holocaust so........ yeah...

BTW I don't really think this qualifies as a secret, OP.

SA
Just wanted to clarify that it's not Hetalia itself that "made me sick" back then, but the fandom. I actually quite enjoyed Hetalia's anime/manga back then, before the fandom exploded, and I think it was a cute concept, even if I recognize it was highly problematic.
It was not clear from this comment and I apoligize. (I was made aware of it by a comment below, to which I replied more extensively)

I mean, you can hate Hetalia itself too. You can hate anything without having to apologize for it.

That fandom was the most hateful thing all to itself , it was amazing to see even from afar lol

You're totally right about not having to apologize! But in this case I actually didn't initially hate the media itself, so I wanted to clarify that. It's important for *context* (and to me).
I was cautious about watching/reading Hetalia at first because even then I could see the problematic sides of it (and I was mostly alone in my circle. Back when there was almost no "discourse" if not ship wars AHA), but ended up enjoying the concept because it was mostly wholesome fun.
Then the fandom exploded and now I hate everything related to it, even the original media. I think it's one of the worst most offending fandoms that ever graced the internet space and made me even lose respect of some people I knew back then.

I was an early Hetalia adopter myself, started getting into it when it was all just webcomics being translated by fans and the anime was still a ways off. Hetalia media? Cute and funny. Hetalia fandom, especially the kinkmemes? Definitely too edgy for me even at my peak college self. Also the BNF fights, remember those? Scared me away from the entire US/Russia ship.

THIS I was pretty edgy and read a lot of pretty fucked up non-con back then, but that kinkmeme scarred me, I swear. I remember prompts about the Nanj*ng rape, Armenian Genocide and an horrible war in Poland and MANY MANY MORE. Fuck that.
I don't really know about any BNF fights because I was never actively in the fandom and all my friends back then weren't in the English side of fandom. I never heard anything about that and now I'm very curious. I wonder if there is something about those BNF wars on Encyclopedia Dramatica or an essay video somewhere....

Any examples that don't include anime intentionally about WW2?

Code Geas and Fullmetal Alchemist are both chock full of pseudo Nazi stuff. Lots of supposedly normal shows often have a filler episode where they are all suddenly wearing german WW2 uniforms too, and the cosplay scene in Japan is Swastika central.

Those characters aren't the good guys though. The original secret said pro-Nazi imagery, not just Nazi imagery. Even if it wasn't done in the most sensitive way, that's not like the creators were trying to show support for Nazis.

And laughing at the anon who said Hetalia made them sick, I'm not a fan anymore but I will NEVER understand Hetalia being widely, newly and uniquely singled out as disgusting when every other war comedy and comedy that makes fun of other countries exists.

NAYRT
OH NO I was the anon that said that Hetalia made me sick. I didn't explain properly! It was not the anime/manga itself, which I kind of liked, actually. I watched some of the episodes and enjoyed it for was it was, a light comedy. And I'm from one of the countries with the "worst" depictions. I actually found the implementation of certain humorous elements into the characters genuinely smart. (which is also why I said it doesn't make the count as an example to this secret)
The problem was THE FANDOM. The kinkmeme ect. All those people writing fics using actual historical events (esp. war and genocides) as an excuse for shipping. THAT soured the whole Hetalia phenomenon for me. They took themselves way too seriously and in the process trivialized a lot of real life atrocities.
Since then I've never taken any other fandom seriously, which is both a curse and a blessing. Fortunately I've always been in the "Your Kink is not my Kind and that's OK" lane, so I didn't say anything to my friends and/or online. I firmly believe that people can do whatever in fandom. But Hetalia's fandom scarred me forever LMAO. I was still young, new to the internet and innocent back then and I honestly thought that any non-con, dub-con, incest fics are all OK and all, but not when it come to Armenia's genocide etc. Leave real historical events alone, please!!!
Now that I'm an adult I just don't really give a fuck anymore.

NAYRT

But all of this!

Agreed with your first point.

Disagree with the second, but only because that anon clarified that that’s not what they meant after.

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[ SECRET POST #5582 ]

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