I'm more impressed to NOT see a forum here. >>
Axis Powers Hetalia (more commonly known as Hetalia) is a comic strip/anime created by Hidekaz Himaruya. He created the series during his college days in New York City. Following the anime's release, he returned to Japan.
Hetalia is a satire of the world and it's wars, and then some. Mostly full of humorous moments and serious moments. The characters are primarily the worlds' countries in human form, adopting the personalities Himaruya-san observed. (As such, America is a character obsessed with cheeseburgers and trying to always be the hero)
Beginning as a Japanese comic, Hetalia quickly got a fanbase. And soon, because of translators, it was spread to the rest of the world, earning mixed reviews from 'the best thing ever' to 'an abomination'. The series still continues to this day.
Now that the anime has released, the fanbase seems to have grown. The series is currently at 5070+ 5-minute episodes AND a full hour long movie!
It's very easy to be offended by this series, but it's all in...questionable taste. The series has a humongous fanbase. And the series' many implied pairings has exploded due to the series' base with the wars and the countries' relationships with each other, be it Belarus' obsession with her brother Russia or Holy Roman Empire's affection toward North Italy in the Chibitalia segments. There are hundreds of pairings any fan can enjoy.
Now that I'm done talking, if you're an old fan/new fan/curious, what do you think of Hetalia? c:
I'm sorry if my information's not accurate...I did this off the top of my head, aside from the mixed reviews. Those were from my friends.