We Love Cold War

[rufusluciusivan]

First time posting here.

So, not long ago I came across this project of an animated series on YouTube themed around the Cold War, and (appropriately) called We Love Cold War. I know there are people here who are fond of the Cold War setting for their works of fiction, so I thought this might be of interest to some.

Fair warning though, just to be clear, the series aims to be a parody and its main characters are animesque-looking women. So it combines humor and fanservice. Don't expect a serious piece of period fiction. No gratuitous nudity or anything, just (good-looking) women in miliary uniforms, physical comedy, and jokes on the CIA, the KGB, the USA, the USSR, and the French. (The authors clearly know and love their history though. In one of their latest shorts about the Varsaw Pact, they animated the Hungarian girl getting hit by the Polish one, to reference the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1956 which took place a) shortly after the Varsaw Pact was established and b) because Hungarians were inspired by the Polish October.)

I'll be leaving their promotional poster here, so that you'll immediately know if their artstyle is your kind of speed or not:



Here are the links to their website and YouTube Channel:

https://welovecoldwar.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@nicoanime

The pilot episode, which is scheduled to be released in early 2027, is apparently supposed to be some kind of casino heist. And since the two main characters are a CIA agent and a KGB agent, and they are both shown undercover dressed as bunny girls/waitresses in promotional material, there might even be something of interest USB-wise... Now, I won't get my hopes up at all, as there's a 99.9% chance there won't be anything, but in-between the all-female cast, spy setting, and fanservice-y premise, there may be a 0.1% chance we get something.

[Stormtrooper1990]

Hi Rufus


Interesting, but speaking as a Cold War nut, I'm surprised that MI6 isn't represented at all. Especially when you had the British, American, Soviet and French sectors dividing Berlin at this time.

"The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" is a classic espionage thriller and arguably the most seminal movie in Richard Burton's storied career in Hollywood for instance. It covered our Secret Service's involvement in the deadly and intriguing world of defections from the USSR and the ironically named GDR or East Germany.

In fact this film inspired my story "Over the Wall," which was set during the Cold War.

And while I'm not sure about turning the entire Cold War, which remains relevant today because of the current geopolitical climate, into an anime parody I cannot deny that the Cold War is one of my favourite time periods for exploring potential USB possibilities.

I mean you can't really argue with the sexiness of staasi, GDR and USSR uniforms for women, right?

So the storyteller and USB history nerd in me appreciates how this series is highlighting these wonderful uniforms, and their relevance to our trope.

[rufusluciusivan]

Interesting, but speaking as a Cold War nut, I'm surprised that MI6 isn't represented at all. Especially when you had the British, American, Soviet and French sectors dividing Berlin at this time.

I think this is because the series is still a work in progress. I read they have one short planned for the British.

Long story short they're using their YouTube shorts to advertise themselves to raise fundings (they have a Backerkit and a Patreon), so they're releasing content sparsely to retain people's interest. The Backerkit of the series is actually still underway, but they've recently unlocked the threshold to produce Episode 2 which will be about the Suez Crisis - so British and French should get a lot of spotlight then.

They do have a stand-in for UK. (Sorry for the instagram links, that's the easiest way I could find to locate the screenshots. A lot of these characters currently only appear briefly during the opening credits.) But it's true she wasn't given her time to shine - yet at least.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRFY1hqgbUW/

https://d2na0nmeck3owa.cloudfront.net/g ... averly.png

They even have stand-ins for geopolitical actors people rarely pay too much attention to like West Germany and East Germany, the countries of the Varsaw Pact, or the UN peacekeeping.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DYuZmldDvlV/?img_index=6

https://d2na0nmeck3owa.cloudfront.net/g ... tFinal.png

https://d2na0nmeck3owa.cloudfront.net/g ... eFinal.png

And while I'm not sure about turning the entire Cold War, which remains relevant today because of the current geopolitical climate, into an anime parody I cannot deny that the Cold War is one of my favourite time periods for exploring potential USB possibilities.

It will indeed not be to everyone's taste, but I appreciate how they're very upfront about what they are and what they aren't - one glance, and you'll immediately know if it's for you or not. I also appreciate the fact that the parody doesn't seem to be "cute anime girls in uniforms do silly things lololol". The jokes can be quite cynical and dark, a reminder of how messed up these organizations are. The whole joke of their CIA short is that the overeager (but idealistic) young CIA agent spends most of the video doing an enthusiastic speech about freedom, only to be interrupted that her mission will be to (bleep) the prime minister of Sweden. (Affectionately dubbed in the video's comment section as the "least deranged CIA plot" ) I think they nail the key element of what makes a good work of Cold War fiction in my book: moral greyness.

Humorous animated series aimed at adults using YouTube as a way to get visibility and money have been a trend in the 2020s, following the success of Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss. This cartoon clearly wants to get its slice of the pie. However, I appreciate the fact that contrary to those two series, We Love Cold War doesn't seem willing to rely on constant swearing to look "mature". Instead it focuses on physical comedy, cynical humor, and historical in-jokes.

I mean you can't really argue with the sexiness of staasi, GDR and USSR uniforms for women, right?

I will never argue with the sexiness of women in uniforms period.

[RandomGuy]

I'm not even an anime fan and even I think this could be an interesting show. And yes, the potential for USB content in this is a potential goldmine, but I doubt we'll get much of anything like that sadly.... but fingers crossed eh?