Girls & Panzer

"Senshadou" is a traditional sport using World War II era tanks in elimination-based matches. Widely practiced by women and girls alike, it's advertised as a form of art geared towards making ladies more prominent in culture and appealing to men. Becoming a worldwide phenomenon over time, the influence of senshadou leads to the creation of a world championship which will soon be held in Japan.

Miho Nishizumi, who comes from a lineage of well-respected senshadou specialists, is at odds with the sport after a traumatic event led to her retirement and eventually a rift to form between her and her family. To steer clear of the practice as much as possible, she transfers to Ooarai Girls Academy where the senshadou program has been abolished. However, with the news of the upcoming championships, the school revives their tankery program, and Miho is pushed into joining.

Now, with the aid of some new friends, she must overcome her past and once again take command of a squadron of tanks in an effort to save her school from closure, all while proving to her family that the Nishizumi-style of senshadou is not solely about victory.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Akiyama, Yukari Main

Nakagami, Ikumi Japanese

Reizei, Mako Main

Iguchi, Yuka Japanese

Nishizumi, Miho Main

Fuchigami, Mai Japanese

Isuzu, Hana Main

Ozaki, Mami Japanese

Takebe, Saori Main

Kayano, Ai Japanese

Anzai, Chiyomi Supporting

Yoshioka, Maya Japanese

Katyusha Supporting

Kanemoto, Hisako Japanese

Darjeeling Supporting

Kitamura, Eri Japanese

Nishizumi, Maho Supporting

Tanaka, Rie Japanese

Itsumi, Erika Supporting

Nabatame, Hitomi Japanese

Hayashi, Youhei Producer

Maruyama, Shunpei Producer

Ogisu, Hirotsugu Producer

Sekine, Youichi Producer

Reviews

Mar 27, 2013

NotDolphy

Recommended

There’s a reasonably well-justified tendency among anime fans to hastily dismiss the potential merit of any permutation of the whole “cute girls doing cute things” motif that’s so nauseatingly ubiquitous in modern anime. In recent times, we’ve had a spate of these lusterless shows - whether it be “cute girls climbing mountains!” or “cute girls that are actually anthropomorphic guns or something!” - and the results are nigh-invariably uninspired dreck that’s not worthy of anyone’s time. With this in mind, it’s only natural to approach the simple premise of “cute girls driving tanks” with caution. It is against all odds, then, that Girls und Panzer ... manages to not only be worthwhile, but also one of the most consistently entertaining shows in recent memory.

Girls und Panzer’s story is a simple one. Schools from around the world compete in a sport called Sensha-do, or “way of the tank.” In this universe, "tankery," as it is colloquially known, is seen as a dignified martial art that helps girls hone their grace and femininity. Miho Nishizumi, the protagonist of this story, was a very capable captain of Sensha-do in her previous school, but due to a traumatic experience in the semi-finals of the previous Sensha-do tournament, she distanced herself from the sport by transferring to a school that doesn’t participate in the Sensha-do, Ōarai Academy. Unfortunately, her new school takes up Sensha-do soon after her arrival. Even more unfortunate is that the school council is aware of her accomplished past as a commander and coerce Miho into being the captain of this newly established Sensha-do unit. While the sheer implausibility and silliness of this premise can be seen as the show’s greatest detriment, it is simply a plot device necessary to get the girls into some tank battles, which is definitely where this show shines brightest.

The tank battles, simply put, are amazing. Takaaki Suzuki, the military adviser for Girls und Panzer, shows a great understanding of the ins and outs of tankery. As the rules specify, each tank needs to be of World War 2 vintage or older. These tanks are presented with great accuracy and attention to detail, each one having their strengths and weaknesses based on their real life counterparts. The battles themselves are often loosely based on real historical battles, generally involving Ōarai playing the underdog, and each one taking place at various unique environments. The many distinct and varied locations coupled with the accurate depiction of each tank lends itself well to some genuinely engaging strategies, both from Ōarai and their opponents, and are genuinely exciting to watch. As these battles are loosely based off historic events, many of Ōarai's schemes mirror well-known strategic maneuvers and consequently remain both entertaining and satisfying to witness unfold.

With that said, this is hardly a serious anime about battling tanks; the excitement incited during these battles is enhanced twofold by how infectiously silly and fun the different girl's personalities are. In stark contrast to their competition, the girls of Ōarai Academy are a convivial bunch. They paint their tanks pink, do an embarrassing dance to improve morale, and cherish friendship over winning the match. Cheesy, right? Well, it is, but the show embraces this cheesiness in a way that makes it feel genuine and endearing. What makes Girls und Panzer’s comedy so special is that it’s never afraid to laugh at itself and how preposterous its premise is. Each tank on Ōarai’s side has a team of operators amusingly framed around their unique clique. For example, one team is composed of gamers who approach Sensha-do in a similar way that one approaches a video game. Another team consists of history buffs who romanticize past historical battles and leaders, attempting to emulate them with their hilariously over-the-top antics. Ōarai’s opponents are similarly depicted as caricatures of their respective nations, such as the British team being refined in composure and perpetually drinking tea during the match, or the cocky American team that stoops to utilizing underhanded tactics. The battles contain a fair share of unorthodox stratagems that contribute to this pervasive sense of fun as well. Even when the girls of Ōarai are up against seemingly insurmountable odds, the show never loses touch of its deft sense of humor.

But Girls und Panzer isn’t all fun and tankery. During the time spent away from Sensha-do, the show does attempt to have a few more serious plot lines, which generally yields poor results. The show spends an inordinately long time attempting to set up its admittedly silly plot in a comparatively serious way, and falls flat on its face in doing so. Thankfully, this is only an issue for the first episode and a half, as the show picks up steam once it gets to the Sensha-do tournaments and generally takes itself less seriously. Due to the massive size of the cast, minor conflicts are dismissed almost as soon as they’re introduced. For instance, one minor arc involves a character who gave up the family business of arranging flowers to take up Sensha-do. This is met with harsh disapproval from her family, but is soon after entirely dismissed after her parents watch one of her matches. There isn’t any character development as the result of this, and the parent characters are never seen again in any meaningful context. It only serves as a shallow feel-good moment that slows down the momentum of the show. Most characters, while entertaining enough in the context of the group, are relatively two-bit and characterized solely by their unique quirk when looked at on their own merits. Miho is the only character to receive any real development, and even that plays out in a fairly predictable manner. However, these breaks from tankery only compose a very small fraction of the show. Most of Girls und Panzer’s episodes are dedicated to their engaging tank battles and, provided one is enjoying the ride, it becomes possible to overlook their fleeting, minor flaws in storytelling.

The animation and soundtrack are generally excellent and complement each other appropriately. The soundtrack marches with militaristic tunes that fit well with the action taking place on screen while the tanks are rendered using very detailed CG that looks great in motion. Unfortunately, some of the CG environments during the battles aren’t as well-realized as the tanks are, often appearing flat with repetitive textures. This is most apparent during the earlier episodes, where it’s clear that the production staff had a limited budget; CG heavy scenes are marred by a poor frame rate and the environments are at their worst. Fortunately, this is remedied as the show goes on and, by its final episodes, the show is an absolute delight to look at.

In the end, Girls und Panzer won’t make you re-evaluate the way you view anime or present you with a profound take on life, but what it does do is present a thoroughly entertaining and refreshing variation on the whole “cute girls doing cute things" theme. Despite its flaws, Girls und Panzer’s infectious silliness and engaging battle scenarios should have any viewer plastered with a permanent grin on their face, screaming “Panzer Vor!” for the duration of any given episode. It’s a simple pleasure, but one well worth the time.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Jul 8, 2013

Zarashy

Mixed Feelings

“Girls und Panzer”, Girls and Tanks (Panzer - taken from the German language), can be considered as one of the few anime which truly sticks to the title. At first glance, it can be said that this show is all about ‘cute girls competing each other with tanks’. To some it may sound amusing, while for others it might seem as another tedious work.

The anime is set in the future (some few decades from now) where tanks are obsolete and are at girls’ disposal for honing their skills in Sensha-do (Way of the Tank). We have our protagonist Miho Nishizumi, driven from her past ... traumatic incident, transferring to Oarai High School. Coming from a family renowned for its Sensha-do, Miho is immediately beguiled by the student council into joining Sensha-do. With an example of Bushido (Way of the Samurai) Sensha-do is introduced here, which is depicted by this show quite fairly.

Coming back to the story, Miho who has joined Sensha-do is teamed up with the four deuteragonists. With the forming of rest of the teams the student council aims for the championship title, which will be held pretty soon. Oarai High School or moreover the student council has taken the initiative of starting Sensha-do again after a 20 year gap due to certain circumstances. From here on the story continues on showing the hardships met by these girls and how they make their way through each victory.

As far as the story is concerned, Girls und Panzer is as passable as any other mediocre anime. Now that being said, there is a ludicrous element in the anime which needs to be brought into light. To my knowledge, one needs to invest an ample amount of time in honing his/her skills to operate a tank, which is attained here by the girls quite effortlessly. Yeah, practice sessions are held here from dawn to dusk. Nonetheless, this is no feat one can achieve by practicing a month or two. Another surreal situation I came across whilst watching the show – they were allowed to continue their fights in a residential area and the girls were left unscarred even after getting a direct hit. I was completely dumbstruck after watching this and I don’t think there is a need for an argument here.

As much as ‘Girls und Panzer’ lacks in the story, it offers a pretty commendable work in the art section. The animation is the most appealing aspect of this anime. Bright and colorful surroundings along with well sorted out landscapes adds up in making it livelier. There might be some dubious stunts performed, however that will be overlooked by intense and fluid action sequels. Praiseworthy here is the detailed and intricate design given to each tank. You will be able to easily distinguish each tank from a far distance. One might even say that maximum amount of time was invested on tanks, as they are one few things this anime has to offer. Character designs are well done. Each character is clearly defined with a different hairstyle and color helping us in easily identifying them.

The main characters are the only ones you can look forward to. Each of them is given a background, but not to the mark of your satisfaction. The problem of having so many main characters is that they need to have a story to fill in their past. Then again providing a story would mean extra episodes, which is not an option here. All the side characters are present just to fulfill their purpose in the story. However there is a certain degree of calmness or you can call it “moe-ness” that will make you feel relaxed. The amalgamation of cute characters and good VA make them adorable to look at.

It takes a lot of effort in making the sound quality as good as the animation. Many anime fail to deliver that satisfactory mark and this one partly does the job. Each shot from a tank is clearly audible and the engine sound of each tank is distinct enough to be told apart. A good sound in coherence with interesting action scenes makes it a deserving watch.
The seiyuu did a pretty good job, albeit having very little to adapt from their roles. The OP and the ending themes are good as well, and do contribute to the ambiance of the anime.

‘Girls und Panzer’ is an anime you should consider as a light watch. Expectations from the story will leave you disappointed and when you, on the other hand, have nothing to expect from it, you will be astonished by its detailed art and good action scenes. If you are willing to cast aside your affection for a good story, then you might end up having a fun time.

Hope you liked the review. Please don’t refrain from pointing out any mistakes (either grammar or argument).

_____________________________________________________________

Story: 5/10
Art/Animation: 7.5/10
Character: 5.5/10
Sound: 7/10
Enjoyment: 6.5/10
Overall: 6.5/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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May 22, 2015

ratchet573

Not Recommended

As you may notice I tend to stop watching anime all the time. Sudden bursts of activity are followed by stagnant periods of inactivity. This is pretty much due to the fact the majority of anime I watch is so average or subpar, I get sick and tired of it. Despite all these anime having different plots and characters, they still manage to have the same plot and the same characters. And after seeing enough anime that contains two dimensional everything, I kind of move on to watching movies and finding more engaging media until a niggling voice in my head tells me to come ... back and embrace the garbage once again.

Girls Und Panzer reminds me why I intermittently stop watching anime. It’s the kind of arbitrary fap bait that has permeated nearly every season of anime for the past…well, as long as I’ve been watching anime. It’s a show with a following because it appeals to a demographic of people while also appealing to their weiners. Obviously if you like tanks or World War II or military stuff, you’ve most likely seen Girls Und Panzer. Whether you’re into these things or not, you’re embarking on a subpar journey with very few positive merits.

The show takes place at Oarai Girls Academy, where Miho Nishizumi is attempting to escape her previous life as a member of a tankery team. She meets new friends and, because the plot demands it, winds up getting stuck in a tankery after school activity. Her friends join her and together they, along with a lot of other students, set out to win a tankery tournament and save their school.

So we have a real basic setup here. The tank thing is an after-school event and the show focuses on the tournament between the different schools. It’s basically a sports anime in that regard. Once the initial hurdle of getting to the tournament is passed, the series moves at a fast clip, sending us from battle to battle. It’s paced pretty well but there’s a point about halfway through where they skip an entire battle for absolutely no reason. Every other fight of the tournament between our heroes and the other teams is shown, but this one is skipped. Okay, they wanted to push the anime forward and fit everything into the allotted episode limit. But it kind of ruins the whole idea of the underdog coming out on top. It’s a boring and overused plot device but part of the drama of this device is seeing how these underdogs manage to win. Especially after the upset of the first match, where we’re led to believe the Oarai team won due to some divine miracle, it breaks up the drama. Great, the underdogs are really badasses. Okay, so we can expect that they’ll win all their other matches.

But that only scratches the surface of the problems. The first major problem comes from the idea of tankery being feminine. The series establishes that tanks are feminine and tankery makes you a better wife. This raises a lot of questions in my head. Who, other than a Japanese man with strange fetishes, finds tanks to be feminine? When I think of femininity I don’t think of giant hunks of metal with massive cannons on them. So this idea of tanks being the kind of thing girls would love is ridiculously stupid. I’ve never known a girl who can tell an AK-47 from an M-16, let alone one who thinks tanks are cool.

Also, the anime takes place on a converted aircraft carrier. As in, the top of the carrier has been terraformed. Okay, the image is cool and if this were an anime like Gargantia where the planet is covered in water, I’d buy it. But the explanation of why schools are on battleships has something to do with how bad the school system is. Basically, the question is glossed over because not even the writer can figure out why the hell the schools are on ships.

And all the schools in the show are all-girl schools! Where are the men? What do men do in this world?

Why is it that people see a tank driving through their neighborhood and shooting and go from shocked to “GOOD LUCK AT THE MATCH!”

Why did a guy forget about the fact a tank was run into his shopfront because it is “good luck”?

How come they use old tanks? How come these tanks move so fast? How come the tank uniforms consist of short skirts? How come tanks are relevant to combat in a series that takes place in modern times?

And how come they didn’t mention that the school would close if they didn’t win the tournament until near the end? That’s a pretty big thing to forget about until the plot demands a reason for the characters to band together and set aside everything to succeed.

This show opens up so many questions. It has the skeletal parts of a story, but none of the meat that makes a story, you know, understandable. It’s like a guy was sitting at his desk with a model tank, a tank guidebook, and was watching Lucky Star. He had a voila moment and wrote out an anime that shows he obviously likes tanks and moe but he doesn’t understand anything about storytelling, character development, or world building.

Oh but the characters! How can I hate such fantastic characters? Every character in this show is pretty much awful with the exception of Yukari, who managed to be silly and cute at the same time. There’s Mako who falls asleep a lot. And Hana who…arranges flowers and that’s about it. Saori…she needs to get laid. Miho, the main character. She’s about as boring as you’d expect. One bad thing in her past defines her otherwise unstoppable winning streak. Like Kirito, she can pull shit from the air. She drifts a tank. She seriously drifts a fucking tank. Like, I could forgive most of the stupid physics and liberties taken with the tanks since it’s a cartoon. But drifting a tank…okay you’ve lost me.

Compound all these inherent problems with a lackluster main theme and ending (at least during the show the military music is a nice touch) as well as some mediocre animation (along with terrible CG tanks) and you have yourself a show so underwhelming and stupid, you’ll wonder why you sat through all twelve episodes.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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	Poll: Girls und Panzer Episode 3 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Yumekichi11 - Oct 22, 2012	124 replies	by Tukhachevsky »» Dec 8, 9:17 AM
	Poll: Girls und Panzer Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) okanagan - Mar 25, 2013	276 replies	by Punkero »» Sep 27, 3:52 PM
	Poll: Girls und Panzer Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Yumekichi11 - Oct 8, 2012	252 replies	by C1922 »» Jun 18, 8:28 PM
	Poll: Girls und Panzer Episode 11 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) symbv - Mar 18, 2013	168 replies	by patkarunungan »» Jun 6, 5:38 AM
	Poll: Girls und Panzer Episode 10 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) Stark700 - Dec 17, 2012	194 replies	by patkarunungan »» Jun 5, 9:11 PM

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