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Axis Powers Hetalia (or Hetalia: Axis Powers, if you prefer) has much to be proud of for itself. Starting off as a webcomic in 2006, it has since spawned a manga, a Drama CD series, an anime series, and now a theatrical film.

The movie makes several departures from the main series, most notably having a storyline as opposed to simple sketches, although a few appear in the beginning to ease the viewers into the movie. This new approach brings a few interesting twists to the Hetalia mold, but unfortunately, the movie tries too hard to stay true to its roots, giving very little new ... experiences to fans in regards to characters and humor.

Aside from knowing that Hetalia is about making cultural stereotypes of several countries into characters representing their respective homes, some of the basic quirks of each "nation-tan," and the fact that it's a comedy, there's not much need for prior knowledge to understand this movie. Being a fan might make you appreciate it more, however.

Story (no spoilers): (5)
The Hetalia movie stylistically deviates from its sketch-comedy roots in the anime for a plot-driven story, and this decision brings a few ups and downs. For one, seeing the characters outside of sketches and finally into a full fledged adventure can be quite a thrill for long time fans. Now, here's where the issues start, and there's (unfortunately) a few of them.

The plot of "Ginmaku Hetalia Axis Powers: Paint it, White" is a fairly typical alien invasion story, complete with faceless invaders, UFOs, and extraterrestials speaking perfect Japanese. Trying to balance plot and humor, the movie never gives the viewers a sense that the characters are ever in any real danger, and the resolution to the entire movie was rather anti-climactic with very little catharsis in the end.

Humor in the movie also took a hit. The focus on plot means that the edutainment aspect of Hetalia loses out to situational comedy, relying on the established character gags to make funny reactions when the time comes. The unfortunate part is that the movie never makes an effort to be funny without the established character gags. Virtually no jokes or gags in the movie haven't been done already in the anime (Canada's invisibility, China's numerous Chinatowns, so on and so forth), even though the setup in the movie is completely different. More on this in the characters section right up ahead.

Characters: (5)
What made the Hetalia series so successful has undoubtedly been its large, quirky cast of characters. Embodiments of cultural stereotypes made for hilarious interactions, especially in the skits. Staying true to the stereotypes, the movie doesn't spend much time developing each character, and that becomes a problem. The characters, completely driven by established quirks, become ridiculously predictable. While this isn't a problem in sketch comedy, watching the same character gags over and over for a full hour becomes a chore. Be prepared to watch the entire movie with England and France constantly beating each other up, even in the most crucial moments, America laughing for 60 straight minutes, Japan struggling to (and failing) to ever raise his voice, Italy running away from everything, Germany yelling at everyone, and so on.

The movie focuses almost entirely on the main players of World War II (Russia, China, America, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan) with very little appearances from anyone else aside from small cameos, which was a little disappointing. Iceland is the only new character introduced to the anime here, though he eventually made an appearance in Hetalia: World Series anime as well, so he's probably already well known to anime audiences in the West.

Art and Animation: (8)
Okay, since the last two sections have been a bit critical, let's look at some of the more positive aspects of the movie, shall we? The art-style remains virtually unchanged from the anime series aside from new costumes for the main characters, which means that for the most part, it's pretty good. The animation takes a step up for for the movie incarnation, though it's not particularly noticeable outside of the more fast paced scenes.

Sound: (7)
The voice-acting cast is the same as from the anime, and they still do an excellent job of portraying the personality of each character to a tee. The music takes on a more theatrical, epic sound for the movie as opposed to the usual happy-go-lucky pieces that are used in the anime (though they're still there in the light-hearted parts, don't worry). Whilst the music isn't very memorable, they do a good job of setting the mood, which is the most important part anyhow. With that said, the theme songs "WA! Wa!! World Ondo" by the 8 main seiyuus and "Mein Gott" are songs that will stick in your head for a while.

Enjoyment: (6)
Even with the promise of a plot, the Hetalia movie doesn’t do much to distinct itself from the series it spawned from, and gets repetitive quickly. While this may come as a disappointment for those who sought to see some completely new Hetalia materials, as I did, fans that are a-okay with a little more of the same of what they love will probably find the movie enjoyable. Chances are, that’s most of the fanbase.

"Random", "Over-the-top", "Weird", and "Hilarious" might be some of the descriptions one might come across when reading about the Arakawa Under the Bridge franchise. With the plot's groundwork having been laid out in the first season, Bridge x Bridge showcases more of its eclectic cast's daily life and misadventures with a little character development every now and then, if one pays attention. As Bridge x Bridge is the second season of the original Arakawa Under the Bridge, viewing of the first season is required for full enjoyment. That said, Bridge x Bridge will satisfy most fans of the first season with its ever quirky characters ... and humorous hijinks.

Story (no spoilers):
Aforementioned, the story starts off where the first season left off in the banks of the river Arakawa. Bridge x Bridge seeks to develop character relationships whereas the previous season developed the background for the show. One strong point about Bridge x Bridge is that it is very consistent in its quality of humor and episodic storytelling. The bulk of the comedy revolves around the cast's interactions in their daily lives, their penchant for randomness, and Kou's reaction to everything around him from a normal man's point of view (in other words, it's the same as the previous season's type of humor). This approach might be hit-or-miss, depending on how much the viewers will take a liking to the characters, but it will still end up bringing some laugh out loud moments at least every now and then for most.

Characters:
Oh, where to begin. The personalities of Arakawa are what makes the show truly enjoyable. Each character has a unique and silly personality to his/herself that tends to create hilarious moments when combined. Bridge x Bridge gives more screentime to characters neglected previous season, including Billy, an ex-gangster, Jacqueline, his love interest, and Amazoness, a bulky woman with a personality of a schoolgirl. The show's main focus is comedy, so unfortunately, character development is pushed to the side apart from a few moments of the characters' pasts being revealed (especially Nino's). This is rather disappointing since the show offers so many mysteries and questions about its characters, yet answering very few. In this respect, Bridge x Bridge unfortunately brings less satisfaction in the previous season which delved in detail about Kou's history. Nonetheless, the characters are still a joy to watch.

Art and Animation:
The animation in Bridge x Bridge is a typical SHAFT affair: usually passable with some moments of brilliance and occasionally being surreal. Notably absent from this season is the stock "Kou blink" animation used so often in last season, giving more time for actually animated scenes - always a nice thing. As for the art, Bridge x Bridge features a colorful style that will probably have no problem hooking your attention when you see it. Character designs are also quite nice on the eyes; every single character is visually distinctive from one another and their odd designs match their personality perfectly.

Sound:
The OP "COSMOS vs. ALIENS" is a strange (but very charming) little song that might take some getting used to, while the ED "Akai Coat" is a nice indie rock tune. Both do a fine job of setting the mood for the show. Voice acting in this series is very well done: Kamiya Hiroshi's stern straight man voice for Kou Ichinomiya, Maaya Sakamoto's soft voice for Nino, Miyuki Sawashiro's sweet but haunting performance for Maria all gets top scores. As for the soundtrack, the music does well to match the mood of moment, which is usually quirky and sometimes over-the-top, but also with relaxing atmospheres that pop up every now and then (and the cold opening for every episode). Overall, SHAFT did a very nice job in the sound department.

Enjoyment:
Despite the main plot progressing very slowly, a unique story with unique characters and even stranger presentation (as per SHAFT) are several reasons why Bridge x Bridge kept me excited every week to see a new episode. If you've enjoyed the first season, the second season is highly recommended as well. I'd recommend the entire Arakawa Under the Bridge series to anyone looking for an original, funny anime that isn't afraid to stand apart from the conventions of typical anime characters.

(Helpful or Not Helpful, feedback on this review is very welcome)