(L) Girls und Panzer

[Myssa Rei]

Actually I think I think Midonin's a little too sore about this than he should. My favorite shows are ARIA and the Hidamari series, my favorite genre is Slice of Life, but I didn't feel alienated at all. The trick is opening your mind to the other side of the equation, which in this case is tanks.

That, and how everything was so charmingly executed helps as well.

The fact that the subject is readily accessible (Wikipedia is your friend) actually enhanced the experience even more, in my case. See Saori's comment at the end, about recognizing a tank on sight when at the start she couldn't know a Panzer IV from a Stug? That's how I felt. It's so strange, in hindsight, but I don't feel that I've wasted my time going through all that data. I mean, I can now identify a freaking Tiger I from a Panther on sight! That counts for something!

So yes, roll on second season! More girls (Emi, come baaaaack), and more importantly, more tanks! GIVE US THAT CROMWELL AND CENTURION DAMNIT!

[Random Wanderer]

Originally Posted by Myssa Rei

Actually I think I think Midonin's a little too sore about this than he should. My favorite shows are ARIA and the Hidamari series, my favorite genre is Slice of Life, but I didn't feel alienated at all. The trick is opening your mind to the other side of the equation, which in this case is tanks.

That, and how everything was so charmingly executed helps as well.

The fact that the subject is readily accessible (Wikipedia is your friend) actually enhanced the experience even more, in my case. See Saori's comment at the end, about recognizing a tank on sight when at the start she couldn't know a Panzer IV from a Stug? That's how I felt. It's so strange, in hindsight, but I don't feel that I've wasted my time going through all that data.

So yes, roll on second season! More girls (Emi, come baaaaack), and more importantly, more tanks! GIVE US THAT CROMWELL AND CENTURION DAMNIT!

Essentially. I'm still not an expert on tanks, and I still can't recognize them on sight, but I can learn about them on wikipedia, and I have done so when they've come up in the episodes, enough to be able to appreciate the details that matter. I actually only started watching this because I heard Kana Ueda was voicing a character in it, and I have somewhat jokingly said in the past that I should at least try any series that I learn about that she's in. When I started I knew no more about tanks than Saori: "All tanks look the same, though." Big thing with armor and a gun. Kind of cool, but that's all. I learned more just be reading discussions here and with a little use of wikipedia, and it was enough to help me appreciate both sides of the series.

[Ithekro]

GuP is a rare thing I think. It is not often one finds a show about historical tanks being used correctly outside a historical setting. That it features cute girls makes it more interesting than if it was just a bunch of guys riding around or a alternate World War II history anime. This is a sports anime....with girls and tanks. That alone sounds increadibly wrong, yet for some reason it worked. It poked the right people it seems.

I know several people that either don't care for anime, or just don't care for modern anime, that like this show. I've found several old school type people (the pre-Akira crowd) that enjoyed the hell out of this, despite it seeming to be a rediculous concept at first glance. And yet it is the tanks that brought them in, but they found the girl's stories interesting as well.

I know one person that probably would have love this show, but unfortunately died a few years ago. He was into Japanese girls and World War II tanks....so this would be have been perfect for him.

[arkhangelsk]

Originally Posted by Midonin

There was a term used in the finale of Joshiraku, about things that only need to be experienced once. This is that series for me. If/when it gets a second season, I'll still watch, because it's a sequel to something I mostly enjoyed, but I don't think I'll be around to discuss it. Maybe I'll enjoy it more that way. It was fun, I just came out of it a little disappointed. I place it on the same level as Upotte. Some good ideas, but too overtaken by technical aspects, minimizing individuality (or in Upotte's case, severely blurring the line between trivia and personality) to be something I'll find memorable.

That's a very long essay to say that they should have somehow reduced the amount of tank action and increased character development, but quite frankly, it is far from clear to me where hypothetically they can have reduced the number of fights. Which fight should they have thrown away? They already limited the total number of schools severely to reduce the number of fights to a barely plausible minimum and they already have to reduce the Anzio fight to less than 1 minute total so they can use Ep7 for character development.

Besides, I think the character development of this story is shown in the fights. Do you think you can see the little bunnies growing so well just because the author allocated them more civvie-scenes?

My wish is that this summer's Stella C3 Bu is able to balance the elements of the Akiba-type and the military otaku in a way that will give both sides equal presence.

I've only just glanced at Stella C3 Bu, but it seems like it'll be enormously advantaged by having only enough "same-side" characters to fill one of Oarai's tanks. Besides, a BB gun is a BB gun. So you might get your wish in a fashion - there is simply less to say about the equipment and fewer characters to flesh.

Maybe you would like Girls and Panzer better if it was about 1-v-1 or at most 3-v-3 tank duels?

[Myssa Rei]

Indeed, the show is a great example of showing, and not telling. There's a lot to be seen in just the details than you'd otherwise need tons of exposition in any other show. See Hana's massive appetite: no one actually points this out, but every time we see her eating, her portions are HUGE compared to her friends.

The only aspect where this kind of fell flat on its face is with regards to Maho -- if one didn't read Little Army, one would just brush off her attitude as being cold for no reason. Only WHEN one reads Little Army we finally learn that, throughout the show, Maho was just playing out a role, one that she likely inwardly doesn't really agree with, but has to do.

[Wild Goose]

In terms of show vs tell, I think Girls und Panzer did a better job compared to SAO.

I should note that 6 gigs of space on my iPad are taken up by Girls und Panzer, just so i can bring this show with me everywhere, all the time.

[Sumeragi]

I still remember the very first reply to this thread:

Originally Posted by Sumeragi

YES! Finally this particular genre has arrived!

And how I've been proven right

[willx]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

GuP is a rare thing I think. It is not often one finds a show about historical tanks being used correctly outside a historical setting. That it features cute girls makes it more interesting than if it was just a bunch of guys riding around or a alternate World War II history anime. This is a sports anime....with girls and tanks. That alone sounds increadibly wrong, yet for some reason it worked. It poked the right people it seems.

I know several people that either don't care for anime, or just don't care for modern anime, that like this show. I've found several old school type people (the pre-Akira crowd) that enjoyed the hell out of this, despite it seeming to be a rediculous concept at first glance. And yet it is the tanks that brought them in, but they found the girl's stories interesting as well.

I know one person that probably would have love this show, but unfortunately died a few years ago. He was into Japanese girls and World War II tanks....so this would be have been perfect for him.

Whoa whoa whoa .. I wouldn't go too far here. Historical tanks being used correctly.. pshh!

This was a sleeper hit with 1) tanks and 2) cute girls. It was very fun and entertaining but in hindsight I'm not sure it was really that shocking. Think about all the series with girls and guns, girls and robots, girls AS planes and girls AS guns. Both gritty and light-hearted, they've all done relatively well.

It's been a great ride and I'm looking for more but I'm not ready to crown this thing an awesome masterpiece quite yet..

[arkhangelsk]

Well, at the very least, it was good enough to make me wholeheartedly want Oarai to have the victory. Normal authors don't tend to do as well with such setups and make me cheer for their equivalent of KuroMoriMine.

↓

Originally Posted by Wild Goose

Does that mean you were rooting for Jail and the Numbers five years ago?

To a great extent, I was.I may not have been the only one. Remember the huge explosions over their poor deployments?

Now let's get back to the present.

[Wild Goose]

Does that mean you were rooting for Jail and the Numbers five years ago?

[whitecloud]

You know if you take the girls out from senshado and replace it with men, everytime they lose it will definitely descent into a brawl that will like like a scene from war hammer where a guy brandishing sword and wearing navy uniform deflecting shell tank left and right while punching and kicking the opponent in the balls and shouting

[SatelliteCannon]

Oh, forgot to add:

There's this rumor going among the teams that being hit in the breasts (repeatedly) with a stray senshadou shell can make them grow larger in time.

[Ithekro]

Nonna plays defense for Katyusha a lot than.

[whitecloud]

no wonder its for girls....can you imagine if it a man...(well the rumor also a form of propaganda...)

[Panzerklein]

If it a man, his "water gun" will be "upgraded" to stronger, faster rate-of-fire one ?

[MarkS00N]

Originally Posted by willx

Whoa whoa whoa .. I wouldn't go too far here. Historical tanks being used correctly.. pshh!

This was a sleeper hit with 1) tanks and 2) cute girls. It was very fun and entertaining but in hindsight I'm not sure it was really that shocking. Think about all the series with girls and guns, girls and robots, girls AS planes and girls AS guns. Both gritty and light-hearted, they've all done relatively well.

It's been a great ride and I'm looking for more but I'm not ready to crown this thing an awesome masterpiece quite yet..

Well, I'll crown it as a masterpiece...

Sure it isn't realistic or whacky enough...
It is however, one kind of show I really-really love...

It isn't deep when you see it at the first time, but when you think about it, it can be very deep...
I mean, we have several pages debating about Nishizumi style didn't we?
Same thing will not exist in show like Digimon X-Cross, K-ON, or something similar...

The tank sure isn't realistic, but it was a tool in this anime and this anime use it very-very well...
Type 89 doesn't behave the same way in real life, but it is used and exploit here to characterize the volleyball team...
The carbon armor doesn't exist in real life, but play a pivotal role in story...

This show know what it caters, know what it has, and uses it very-very well to engage those who it caters (to the point of amazement) thus pull those who uninterested in it to watch and begrudgingly said, "Well, it is okay but isn't really that special".

People who like action will ramble about some underwhelming episode (where there are no action) while people who like SoL will ramble how there are too many actions...
But as long as there are two conflicting opinion that contradict each other, it means it does well...

So yeah, Girls und Panzer is one of the best anime I've ever seen and without a doubt a legend that will be said for quite sometimes...
Not everyone like every legend or think it as a legend (not everyone like NGE, Madoka, or Cowboy Bebop for example), but history always show that legend will mark its legacy on this world that always evolve, either mark a new trend, become a new standard, or simply left people of no matter what age to see it and bask by its glory...

[Wild Goose]

Originally Posted by Panzerklein

If it a man, his "water gun" will be "upgraded" to stronger, faster rate-of-fire one ?

I think it's more than instead of a machine pistol, it upgrades to an assault rifle, then battle rifle, then finally a light fifty sniper rifle.

[whitecloud]

and then the last one..railgun...hahaha

[LoweGear]

So those Yukari Corner snips from the BD/DVD's are getting translated. While they mostly contain information you can find anywhere on the net, there is one minor detail that managed to surprise me: Turns out that it's not the read as Type "Ten", it's the Type "One Oh".

[Myssa Rei]

Oh hey, so someone's translating Yukari's history lessons as well? That's neat, as her commentary (see the one where she compares the Type 89 to the Matilda) is pretty funny.

Now if they'd also do the Drama CD portions. I'm interested in the sixth one from Volume 3 in particular (something about Paris was it).