2p!England: France, I’m so happy, I could kiss you!
2p!France: *clears throat nervously* Umm… Neat.
*Later*
2p!France: *lying face down on his bed* I can’t believe I said “Neat”, Germany. “Neat.” Nobody says neat anymore! It’s the fucking 21st century! It’s not neat to say neat, but I said it anyway because I’m a fucking moron!
2p!Germany: *idly turns book page* Hey, don’t beat yourself up. Everyone gets nervous sometimes. Remember what happened when Italy confessed to me?
2p!France: You thanked him, right?
2p!Germany: *closes magazine to stare into the distance* I thanked him.
Okay, I’m just gonna take the time here to gush about how much I love Hetalia’s portrayal of America.
He’s callous and blunt and never really takes the time to consider other people’s feelings before blurting out something, but it doesn’t come from any mean-spiritedness. It’s because he doesn’t like to beat around the bush - he wants to get straight to the point as quickly as possible. Life moves fast for him and he ain’t got no time for thinking.
I think the party scene in particular emphasizes how amazingly sweet and kind he is, as well. He’s willing to make (or order, whatever the hell he did to get all that food) all this food just to make sure that his guest (who he has never even met before, if the scene prior to this is any evidence) feel as comfortable and welcomed as possible. And, especially in the next couple of scenes, he’s portrayed as being curious and well meaning. Even when he finds out that Japan ran up his water bill, he doesn’t get mad. He’s honestly curious about why Japan would be using that much water, and then when he finds out the reason, he wants to start taking baths as well.
The other thing I always liked with America is the fact that he’s never been portrayed as lazy (which is a stereotype I absolutely loath when applied to Americans). Especially in this episode, when Japan is caught cleaning the carpet, it’s chalked up to the fact that Japan is incredibly anal about cleanliness. When America is seen vacuuming the carpet, it’s because he wants to use the fastest means possible because that’s how he is. Even when it’s discussed how America doesn’t change clothes a lot, it’s because he doesn’t see the efficiency in changing your clothes a lot. Why change your clothes when the ones you have on already are perfectly fine?
I also always liked how all his energy and abrasiveness is chalked up to the fact that he is very young. It’s never about, “he’s a terrible person,” it’s “he’s too young and naive.” Even in the earlier seasons, it’s touched upon how young America really is and how much he fears being viewed upon as old (if you want any evidence to this, watch the last episode of the American Revolution saga, and his conversation with Lithuania).
I don’t know, I just really love this character and I’ll stop now before I make myself sound even more stupid.
((Episode source: Hetalia the Beautiful World “Episode 7”))