Story: 6/10
The Beautiful world still does not have a major plot but it benefited from the changes in the episode format. A whole story (as against to spreading the strip for two or three episodes) is told every episode which gives it an anime with slice of life theme feel. It continues to include personified countries and their daily hijinks. While not bad, it is as if the historical parody which makes this series very hilarious was set aside for the character quirks. The Beautiful World focused more on ala K-On! moments with only male counterparts using cultural differences as jokes for most of the time.
The humor is an improvement from the World Series which honestly I find a chore if Prussia or Turkey is not there. Gakuen Hetalia, where the nations attend school and the main trio (Germany, Italy and Japan) has to make an article regarding the clubs is laugh out loud funny (a tsundere England never gets old). A close second is Hetalia of the Dead segment which contrasts country's horror movies mainly thanks to America's hero complex and India's tendency to drop unnecessary moments in the middle of a crucial event. Episodes including Netherlands and Belgium are funny enough to garner a laugh or two.
The Beautiful World also takes humor on the sidelines at times and pull heartstrings for once in while. The two France-centric episodes (the soldier asking who he really is and him meeting the reincarnation of Joan of Arc) are poignant with us viewers left asking if we are watching the same show. The next episode, we are shown a typical Hetalia episode.
All other mini-arcs are of the same Hetalia vein, homoeroticism filled, cultural jokes and relied more on character interaction than on the plot. It should be also noted that the homoeroticism in Hetalia is tolerable as it was toned down for most of the time except for that fanservice episode.
If I am asked, it comfortably sits in the middle of the first two seasons of the Axis Powers and the World Series.
Art: 8/10
The artwork dramatically changed for the better and the nations finally look different from each other. It gave a very sparkly feel that does not distract the viewing experience and the humor but it may add fuel to the fire of fujoshi lovers shipping nations 24/7. The animation also improved and I can certainly say that these two play as the strength of this series whenever the jokes miss.
Sound: 8/10
To say that the series improved sound-wise is an understatement. Mawaru Chikyuu Rondo is the catchiest Hetalia song ever with Italy prancing around as if he can dance.
Characters: 8/10 (a low 8 to be exact)
What made me nervous in this series is the continuous build up of characters which took others for granted. This hurt the World Twinkle which will have its separate review later. Sealand's appearance with all other micronations was appreciated but they were not given much time for the viewers to enjoy their presence. Other mishaps of the very limited episode count were the female characters of Hetalia.
I really find America annoying for the first four seasons yet the Christmas episode, Estonia's problem with hackers and Hetalia of the Dead benefited greatly due to his appearance and his usual antics. Greece, which I find a snore in the World Series became passable thanks to the ever awesome Turkey. England's tsundereness and his cynicism never get old and the main trio still retains their quirks and their usefulness in the show.
As much as I love the characters in Hetalia in general, the nonstop increase in the body count without giving them ample time hurts this series. The Nordics, which I personally find the coolest group in the show (sorry Prussia) was not given enough time and looked generic due to this circumstance. Australia and Romania have the worst case since they only appeared in a single segment. Even the main trio (Germany, Italy and Japan) was almost relegated to the sidelines. I can only hope that Hidekaz-sensei would at least focus on them at times for proper development.
Enjoyment:
Although I did not enjoy this as much as I did the first season, this is a commendable entry from Hetalia. Do I like it? Yes. The only major flaw I see in this series is it might not be able bring new fans but heck, who cares if this is good?
