"Silver Screen Hetalia Axis Powers "Paint It White!" Review: A fusion of humor and emotion"

"Silver Screen Hetalia Axis Powers Paint it, White" - Humor and friendship to save the world

"Silver Screen Hetalia Axis Powers Paint it, White," released on June 5, 2010, is an animated film based on the popular manga "Hetalia Axis Powers" by Himaruya Hidekazu. This film is a work that draws out the charm of the Hetalia series, which continues to fascinate people all over the world, to the fullest, and is based on the theme of humor and friendship. Below, we will introduce detailed information and reviews of this film, as well as recommended points.

■Overview of the work

Silver Screen Hetalia Axis Powers Paint it, White is distributed by Frontier Works and Movic, and animated by Studio DEEN. It consists of one 82-minute episode and was directed by Bob Shirahata. It is based on the Hetalia Axis Powers manga by Hidekazu Himaruya and published by Gentosha Comics.

■ Story

One day, mysterious and strange events occur all over the world, and humanity faces the threat of extinction. The United States holds an emergency international conference and passionately proclaims, "Let's save the world under my command." However, as always, the nations of France, England, Germany, Japan, Russia, Italy, and Canada who have gathered at the conference are not united and begin to act separately. Their desire for world peace remains unchanged, but in the face of the powerful presence behind the mysterious events, each of their powers is too small and powerless. What will be their fate? And will they be able to save the world?

■Explanation

The mysterious Picts invade the Earth, turning not only humans, but also buildings and nature around the world into flat objects with a mysterious ray. The usual eight friends gather to save the Earth from this crisis, and learn from their American best friend Tony that the Picts are trying to turn everything in the galaxy into flat objects. They work together to fight the Picts, and in the process, they are met with a variety of humorous moments and friendships.

■Cast

The main characters are voiced by:

• Italy: Daisuke Namikawa
• Germany: Hiroki Yasumoto
• Japan: Hiroki Takahashi
• America: Katsuyuki Konishi
• United Kingdom: Noriaki Sugiyama
• France: Masaya Onosaka
• Russia: Yasuhiro Takato
• China: Yuki Kaida

Many other characters also appear, including Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Romano, Spain, Canada, Sealand, Prussia, Poland, Finland, Greece, Ukraine, Belarus, Cuba, Tony, Iceland, Kumajiro, Chibitalia, Austria, Holy Roman Empire, Hungary, Roman Empire, Janice and Princess Picts, and each character is played by a unique voice actor.

■ Main staff

Many staff members were involved in the production of this work. The original story was written by Himaruya Hidekazu, the planning was done by Oikawa Takeshi, Iwasaki Atsushi, Takahashi Kimie, and Yasuda Masaki, the script was written by Hiramitsu Takuya, the character design and chief animation director was Kawanami Masaaki, the storyboards and direction were done by Bob Shirahata and Suzuki Yoshinari, the animation directors were Emori Mariko, Akiyama Yukiko, and Kawanami Masaaki, the key animation was done by Nishioka Shinobu, Nakayama Yumi, and Oka Mariko, and many other staff members participated. In addition, the color design was done by Mochida Takeshi, the art director was Takahashi Maho, the cinematographer was Shimozaki Akira, the sound director was Hiramitsu Takuya, and the music was done by Cornish.

■Main Characters

Details of the main characters are as follows:

• Italy : His real name is Italia Veneziano. He has a cheerful personality and loves pasta and girls. He relies on Germany, but doesn't really listen to what he says. His aesthetic sense comes from his grandfather's Roman Empire background, and he excels in art and fashion.
• Germany : Serious and hardworking. Hobbies include reading, baking, and walking dogs. He is constantly being pushed around by Italy's various tricks, but when Italy relies on him, he can't leave them alone and ends up taking care of them. He loves potatoes, wurst, and beer.
• Japan : One of the members of the "Axis" along with Italy and Germany. Although a little naive, he has a diligent and serious personality, and is modest enough to read the mood of the situation and refrain from speaking. He also has a dexterous side.
• America : One of the five members of the "United Nations." He loves heroes, justice, freedom, and hamburgers. He's just as strange as England, with the man in the UFO and his boss being friends.
• England : One of the five members of the "Alliance" that is the counterpart of the "Axis". He is sarcastic and competitive. He is often fighting with France, who is also in the "Alliance". He loves ghosts, fairies, magic, and so on.
• France : A proud member of the Union who believes he is the best in the world when it comes to the beauty of words and the arts. He is not very good at fighting, and loves beautiful things, whether they are people or things.
• Russia : One of the five members of the "Union" who lives in a big house. A mixture of simplicity and childish cruelty, he exudes an indescribable sense of menace. He loves vodka.
• China : One of the five members of the "Alliance". He has villas all over the world. He looks young, but he's actually quite an old man, or a sage or something. He's extremely skilled at painting portraits of beautiful women.

■ Related works

"Silver Screen Hetalia Axis Powers Paint it, White" was produced as part of the Hetalia series. Related works include:

• Hetalia Axis Powers
• Hetalia World Series
• Hetalia World Series EX
• Hetalia The Beautiful World
• Hetalia The World Twinkle
• Hetalia World★Stars

■ Theme songs and music

The theme songs and music are as follows:

• TM1 : WA! Ring!! World Ondo
  • Lyricist: TSUKASA
  • Composer: TSUKASA
  • Singers: World 8 (Italy (Namikawa Daisuke), Germany (Yasumoto Hiroki), Japan (Takahashi Hiroki), America (Konishi Katsuyuki), England (Sugiyama Noriaki), France (Onosaka Masaya), Russia (Takato Yasuhiro), China (Kaida Yuki))
• IM1 : Mein Gott! Band Arrangement Version
  • Lyricist: Ikuko Ebata
  • Composer: Shinichi Sakurai
  • Sung by: Prussia (Atsushi Kosaka)

■ Evaluation and recommended points

"Silver Screen Hetalia Axis Powers Paint it, White" is a must-see for fans of the Hetalia series. With a humorous story and distinctive characters, this work will make you laugh and feel touched at the same time. In particular, the characters from each country work together to save the Earth, teaching us the importance of friendship and unity.

The voice actors are also superb, bringing out the individuality of each character, from Daisuke Namikawa as the cheerful Italy, Hiroki Yasumoto as the earnest Germany, and Hiroki Takahashi as the modest Japan, to the best of their abilities.

The music also adds to the atmosphere of the show, and in particular "WA! Ring!! World Ondo" is not only entertaining to the audience, but also leaves an impression as the characters from each country sing together in unison. "Mein Gott! Band Arrangement Version" can also be enjoyed as a song that symbolizes the Prussian character.

This work is recommended not only for fans of the Hetalia series, but also for those who are experiencing Hetalia for the first time. The story, which has themes of humor and friendship, will be enjoyed by a wide range of generations. In addition, the depiction of characters from each country may serve as a catalyst for international understanding.

Conclusion

"Silver Screen Hetalia Axis Powers Paint it, White" is a work that brings out the charm of the Hetalia series to the fullest. With humor and friendship as its theme, the characters from each country work together to save the Earth, making viewers laugh and moving. The voice actors' performances and music are also excellent, and the entire work comes together to entertain the viewers. This work is recommended not only for fans of the Hetalia series, but also for those who are experiencing Hetalia for the first time. Please feel the power of humor and friendship through this work.