Today marks the ten year anniversary to
Girls und Panzer's finale. I think I speak for the whole community when I say that the build-up leading into the last episode was memorable, and as I remember, discussions continued for weeks after the dust settled on Miho's victory. With this being said, some of the discussions here were not always factual or conducted in good faith, and as a result, some misconceptions have lingered. Over the past decade, I've rewatched
Girls und Panzer numerous times, and I've had a chance to review some of the things that some have felt to be inadequate or unsatisfactory about
Girls und Panzer; over time, because I hadn't been present to speak up and explore why some of the complaints and gripes were actually non-issues, these problems would come to dominate all discussions surrounding the series. As such, I will be sharing counterarguments and an in-depth analysis of all of the issues that were expressed in this forum, exploring why when one examines things closely, there is actually no problem at all.
Misconception: The student council's behaviours were unjustified.
Reality:
The student council had been backed into a corner and were desperate to revive Panzerfahren. When the chips are down, they took the 38(t), which was the weakest tank in Ooarai's inventory as a show of their faith in Miho's abilities
Misconception: St. Glorianna is an "unresolved" problem for Miho and the story
Reality:
It's not important for Miho to beat St. Glorianna in a match because St. Glorianna is not involved with Miho's growth as a person. Further to this, St. Glorianna is meant to show there is a foil to Miho's unpredictable style: patience.
Misconception: Maho and Erika are unsportsmanlike
Reality:
Limited information provided to viewers give this impression. In reality, Girls und Panzer foreshadows that every team, even Black Forest, demonstrates good sportsmanship.
Misconception: Miho should not have saved her teammate
Reality:
Miho's actions were correct, and the interpretation of the Nishizumi Style here was completely incorrect. I address the notions of what the true essence of martial arts is and explain why if Miho hadn't acted, there might have been actual casualties that match
Misconception: Ooarai did not deserve to win
Reality:
If Ooarai had lost, Girls und Panzer would undermine the themes it sought to create. Friendship, creativity and trust are more sure indicators of success than brute force and rigid order.
Misconception: The Nishizumi Style is ruthless and clashes with Girls und Panzer's themes
Reality:
Some members of this forum, both in favour and against the Nishizumi Style, did not understand what it entailed. When broken down, the Nishizumi Style doesn't conflict with Girls und Panzer and is merely another way of practising Panzerfahren
I am fully aware that many of the individuals in this thread are no longer active, and the aim of this post isn't to persuade them that they were wrong. Rather, I am sharing my thoughts to ensure that future readers of this thread have a fair and comprehensive view of the series: many of the people here who held those misconceptions were also very vocal, and their presence in the thread may give the (untrue) impression that their arguments had some merit, whereas in reality, these individuals were merely louder than others. In this way, my posts become recommended readings for all fans of the series. Of course, if my thoughts are somehow NOT more meritorious of consideration over those of this thread's more vocal members, I'd be welcome to hearing an explanation for that, too.