The Holy Roman Empire is seen
extending his hand out to young Italy in a field as stirring orchestral music
plays. He asks seriously if Italy will join with him to become the new Roman
Empire. Italy slowly takes HRE’s hand and softly agrees. HRE’s face softens as
he promises to make Italy happy for sure. He puts his hands on “her” shoulders
and stares lovingly into “her” eyes before he closes his own, the video
rippling before it cuts to Italy, zooming in on “her” lips. HRE leans in to
kiss Italy when a loud beeping sound suddenly pierces the touching scene.
HRE wakes up with a start, and he
sits up in bed (dressed in green pajamas and not wearing his hat), as his alarm
clock continues to beep insistently. (I don’t know why he has an alarm clock since
those weren’t around then!) It is now
morning, and the sun is filtering in through the window onto him. A vase of
flowers is seen nearby. HRE sadly
realizes that it was only a dream.
[Opening
Sequence]
A battered Finland sobs in a close-up before the
scene cuts to a gradient title card with golden art nouveaux curls framing it.
The female narrator starts to explain the situation, as the text scrolls up the
screen in white lettering with a blue outline. She explains that we are now in
the 17th century when Sweden, along with Finland and some other
German mercenaries, was setting up in The New World and created “New Sweden” (a
colony that later became the US state of Delaware). She then adds that the pioneers got too full
of themselves and started to harass the nearby Dutchmen, which caused the
Netherlands to invade and defeat the colony of New Sweden. Finland and Sweden
were both severely beaten, had their property taken away, and were exiled from
the New Land.[1]
Finland is seen crying some more, as
the camera pans up his face before panning out. It appears to be the last scene
from the previous episode. He is sitting on the riverbank and asks England and
France to help him out. He is also sporting a very large comical bump on his
head. All of them are wearing period clothing (England: white shirt with a red
vest, France: a striped shirt and a blue vest with gold trim, Finland: a
frilled collar and a red-and-white striped shirt with a long-sleeved shirt
underneath). Finland wails that
something awful has happened, and France, who just caught a fish, asks what happened.
England asks if Finland tripped again. Finland raises his head and tearfully
says that isn’t the case. He explains emotionally that he built a villa with
Sweden only to be beaten up by the Netherlands and have it all taken away.
England and France continue to stand
in the river, remarking that Finland’s situation sucks, but they otherwise seem
very indifferent to the nation’s plight. France holds the wriggling fish that
he just caught in his hands. A pink thought bubble appears, with chibi smiling
depictions of the two nations as they think that the whole territory will be
their own eventually anyways.
Finland pops up again and tells them
that he’s seen a mysterious boy around now and then. He doesn’t recognize him
and knows that he is not from the nearby village, and it is improbable that he
is from the next town, for it is a day’s trip. Depictions of the “mysterious
boy” pop up behind Finland. (One is of the boy behind a rock singing a song, and
another is the boy behind a wall looking on with callow curiosity. He is
wearing a large blue shirt and looks like a very young America without
glasses). Finland worries that something
bad will happen to the boy if the Netherlands finds him. A shadowy prickly
figure representing the Netherlands appears as it laughs evilly (fuhahahaha).
England takes slight interest and
asks if he just wanders the prairie all on his own. Finland, showing up in a
speech bubble, says that it is the case and that is why he and Sweden were
confused. France suddenly points and
exclaims loudly, as he drops his fish back into the river. He asks Finland if
the boy ever approached him and Sweden, and Finland replies that it is so,
remarking that the boy is pretty cute. France then wonders if the boy is “one
of them.” Finland remarks that it is a possibility, and England adds that if
the boy is a comrade, then that makes the boy their little brother. The three
nations smile happily as they imagine the boy being a relative.
The cute scene is disrupted as
England and France start to choke and fight each other over who is the true
brother to the young boy. Finland looks on, scared out of his mind and keeping
out of it.
Hetalia 39 Page 1
