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Wow... somehow I'd not been paying much attention to GuP and it's turned out to be a fabulous show.
Not just the best of this season but one of the most significant anime of the last few years! First it's got some of the strongest storytelling I've seen in any anime, with character, setting, and plot, all revealed through action not through exposition. This is notable for any action show, but practically unheard of in a sport show. While there's only been time to develop a few characters we've seen far more plausible and honest development of thoose few than in almost any anime I've seen.
From the prez's initial stereotyped portrayal revealing both good intentions and a willingness to trust and modify her ways, to Saori's initial flighty boy-obsession giving way to an investment in her own skills and growing self confidence, we continually see characters develop beyond the typical 2D anime chara-types and most of all that development makes sense. No where is this more evident than in Miho herself who's obvious plot conflict about disliking Sensho-do is resolved in the very first episode. Yes it's the 'friendship-conquers-all" trope, but unlike the typical version where friendship is simply declared an ideal (girls hold hands giggle inanely), here we see what friendship means when Saori and Hanna are willing to give up their desire for the sake of their friend. And that's only when her character story starts for crying out loud!
Second we've got a serious action show with well executed fight scenes that make sense. This is rare enough in science fiction where fights seldom follow the rules of their universe (or even basic common sense tactics). No the best you can usually hope for is a kind of action ballet where dramatic things happen with beautiful choreographed explosions all according to an expected short hand. Our heroes are winning, our heroes are on the ropes, our heroes get fired up and kick butt, etc. Yet GuP not only stages battles that make sense - they actually make sense given the bizarre combination of WWII hardware and highschool girls operating them in a kill-the-king format contest.
Third, no gratuitous panty shots. Which somehow seems to be the trigger that makes this show broadly acceptable as an ambassador of anime. The show is immensely popular in Japan, which will translate to worldwide exposure. Honestly if you'd asked me to think of the most niche, long tail, bizzare, anime fetish combo - WWII hardware and school girls would have been at the top of my list. Yet this show is going to make that combination only slightly less quirky than steam punk.
Huh... I didn't mean to come on here and rave quite so much... (^_^);;
Actually I came on to ask if anyone know of a good wiki resource where someone's recorded all off of the info on the various tanks, matches, and crew members? I'm sure that info scattered through the 200 pages of this thread but I'd really rather not dig through it all...
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