Girls & Panzer

I own a few books about WWII tanks and have watched many documentaries on WWII tanks. Needless to say, I really enjoy things about tanks! Especially in video games or TV shows! That being said, I also play an online game that has everything to do with these things called, "World of Tanks," and it is how I first heard about this anime. Some people absolutely hate it, but many more absolutely love it! I first saw this show being streamed on Crunchyroll (an anime streaming website) and after hearing about it from some fellow online-players, I decided to give it a shot. For the first two episodes, I honestly couldn't stop laughing at how ridiculous (but entertaining) the concept of little Japanese high school girls shooting each other in tanks was. However, by the third episode not only was I hooked, but I suddenly was taking the show a lot more seriously! The concept is pretty far-fetched, admittedly, but the show is an absolute blast! And honestly, I don't think I could even use a calculator to add up all of the "far-fetched" anime plot lines out there! In comparison, this one is pretty damned believable. Just a few of the amazingly well-drawn tanks you will see in this anime are: Pz.Kpfw. IV, Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. F., M3 Lee, Sherman Firefly, Elephants, Pz.Kpfw 38(t), Cromwells, Jagdpanthers and even a Maus!. The list goes on and on and you can check under the Wikipedia entry for this anime for a few more of the tanks you will see. Fact of the matter is, however, that you WILL NOT find a movie, cartoon, television series or any type of viewing material that will show you more tanks in action than this show does! Okay, I must admit, the Military Channel's, "Greatest Tank Battles" probably will have this beat, because it is a historical depiction of tanks and tank tactics and not one meant solely for "entertainment purposes." But barring that... this show is FANTASTIC and definitely wins the medal of most unique and entertaining anime! Amazingly enough, the tanks are drawn perfectly and exactly like their real-life counterparts. And the show will even help you learn a little bit about tank mechanics! They talk about penetration, distance, modifications and armoring among other things. Also, one might assume that the anime would be predominantly about the dramatic lives of Japanese high-school girls with a sprinkle of episodes regarding tanks... however, this is not so! Tank battles and character development are interwoven deeply and I would say that they both appear about 50% of the time and at perfect, well-timed moments. This show got surprisingly big in Japan and they even have plans to import it this year to NA/EU (Dec. 3rd 2013 by Sentai Filmworks). It is pretty short, with only 12 episodes, so it isn't a huge time-investment either. Already, more OVA's and even an entire movie are being worked up to follow the huge success of "Girls und Panzer"! Honestly, there is no reason not to like this show (unless you don't like anime or don't like tanks; failing those however, NO REASON whatsoever!). Although some obvious reality of the show has to be cut to make for an entertaining anime series (and really, they do this in board games and video games ALL the time), it stays as true as possible to real tank battles and they use real tank tactics! Not to mention, I loved the "World of Tanks" plug they did in the show, which is apparently where the creator got the inspiration for it. I would recommend this to just about anyone who is either interested in tanks, anime, both, or is wanting a truly unique series! It's an addicting show, with interesting characters and a great balance of drama and action! But I must point out that if you are not easily entertained, that you *MUST* stick with it until Episode 3, where the first tank-battle actually occurs before you begin to make judgments. Even then, I would watch the "Battle with Pravda (Ep 7)" (an amazing and epic battle) before throwing out words of resentment and discouragement to others who might otherwise be genuinely interested in this show. This show really is great, but you have to give it an honest chance! With some pretty epic tank battles, its incredible originality and enjoyable plot line, I definitely give the, "Panzer Vor!" for "Girls und Panzer!" \( ^_^)/ Edit: Oh! There is also a video of the dubbed version from Sentai Filmworks! You can find it by going to Youtube and searching for, "Girls und Panzer Sentai Filmworks." -- Honestly, the propaganda reminds me a lot of 'Rosie the Riveter,' but with tanks!!!

Epic anime. This series is absolutely a solid gem for anyone who likes anime and military stuff. I won't go too much into detail but this is a classic Japanese high school anime involving a sport called 'sensha-do' or 'tankery'. In sensha-do, each school fights using tanks to knock the other's schools out. Girls from each school are basically a stereotype of a country from World War II with all the usual suspects: Japan, Germany, USA, UK, Italy, and Finland. Girls from each school operate tanks from their respective countries and have traits people associate with those countries (in a cute, funny way). One of my top 10 favorite Anime of all time. Highly recommend.

While the concept of high school girls battling in tanks is an odd one, to say the least, Girls und Panzer does it quite well, ensuring that viewers can easily relate to the girls and their rivals, who battle it out for the championship just like other school athletes, ensuring that we enjoy seeing their efforts from beginning to end. The plot is somewhat standard sports fare- a relative underdog team, with a talented but less than confident leader, must defeat all its rivals and win the tournament, but it's done fairly well. The various characters have their own reasons for competing, which helps the viewers get invested in their struggles and root for them. Miho is a relatively interesting protagonist who changes a great deal over time, particularly becoming somewhat more confident in herself and willing to command, without losing sight of who she is. Her friends also have their own struggles to deal with, and develop nicely over the course of the series. The secondary cast is fairly large and diverse; its size is a natural result of how each of Oarai's five tanks requires 3-6 girls to crew, and the team gets larger over time, and its diversity is a result of a broad variety of clubs and groups of friends being recruited. Unfortunately, many of the groups are limited to one or two personality quirks per individual. Oarai has an interesting collection of rivals, from the laid-back and friendly Kay from the American-themed Saunders to the egotistical and ruthless Katyusha of of the Russian-themed Pravda. Such characters could have used more screen time, though, especially Miho's older sister Maho, who becomes significantly more likable and interesting in light of Little Army showing more about her true motivations and relationship with Miho. Additionally, Oarai's match against their second opponent in the tournament, the Italian-themed Anzio, is skipped entirely, and only shown in an OVA. The tank action is quite entertaining, and appropriately suspenseful for the protagonists, who tend to be outnumbered and overpowered in most of their battles. The "flag tank" rule in most tankery matches- defeat a single tank with a flag to win- gives the Oarai girls a fighting chance in spite of their disadvantages, and effectively keeps things suspenseful. The series is somewhat short, at around 12 episodes, and while the series resolves most of the plot threads, there are some that could be expanded on further, such as Miho's relationship with her family. Here's hoping there will be a second season.. While I'm usually a fan of English dubs, I recommend watching the original Japanese in this case. The English voice actors are decent, but not especially good. All in all, Girls und Panzer is well worth your time, as it provides both exciting action and a well-written story.

First off, I want to say that I watched this series twice before buying it. I found it on a streaming site and couldn't wait until it came out on DVD. It has a mix of awesome tank battles and heartwarming personal interactions and also some funny stuff. The idea of high school girls fighting in tanks as a sport may sound strange but both the writers and animators pull it off very well. the battles are exciting and the plans are clever. They are also well paced. Some fighting anime make fights last forever which becomes drawn out and boring. These battles have the ideal length; long enough to see the heroes' sweat but short enough to feel fast paced. The character development is fantastic. The main team alone has almost two dozen characters and if you include enemy teams and other characters, the count reaches more than thirty. If a show can develop that many characters in a dozen episodes than there is no other word than "fantastic". Miho's development as a commander and as a person deserves special mention as the contrast between the first and last episodes are remarkable and yet make perfect sense. There's plenty of funny stuff here generated by the cast's interactions; lots of good clean fun. I was disappointed by the English dub because many of the voices sounded off. I thought Miho sounded like a boy and that Anzu sounded like she was voiced by the same actor as an adult newswoman. I didn't include this in the rating because I figured I was too used to the subtitled Japanese.

I rarely write reviews, but there doesn't seem to be any other way to address the errors and assumptions in the Amazon editorial review by Mr. Solomon for Girls Und Panzer. Anyone considering getting this series should know that it does not contain either nudity or Nazi imagery. Saying it contains "violence against women" is a misleading use of the term since the violence is rendered as sports competition between teams of girls. No one is killed, hurt or being victimized in this story. The judgment that admiring tanks used by the Germans in WW II is "tasteless, if not offensive" to Western audiences I simply don't understand. Even during the war, the Desert Fox (Rommel) was at least grudgingly admired by those fighting him. Why not warn that the series contains tanks used by the Japanese in WW II, or tanks used by North Korea in the Korean War? What make this series work (for me) is that the tanks are treated as magnificent machines, not as political props. Just as gamers and re-enactors have turned the fights of the past into competitions and tributes to the equipment of the past, so does this series. The way the story presents tanks as one of the most natural interests in the world for girls is a different and entertaining inversion of the usual clichés that girls like ponies and boys like race cars. And telling the story in terms of the girls developing teamwork, skills, and cooperation to work toward a seemingly impossible goal makes sure that while the tanks are fun, they never take over the story. It is also great to see the detailed, accurate recreations of so many tanks. A typical US animation would have used generic tanks rather than real ones, and lost a lot as a result. The world in Girls und Panzer could never really happen because of the sheer costs of the tanks and the battlefields (not to mention those school ships), but one of the joys of anime is the way creators dream up something that would be cool and just run with it. This is cool. Have fun.

This has some great high school moments, and amazing tanks. That being said, some is problematic. The when i say no, i mean yes song is amazing to be on something this recent. Disk 3 is mostly bad fan service and should be skipped. That said, enjoyed the main show.

The premise of Girls und Panzer consists of girls in tanks. What could go wrong with that? I thought this would be an entirely light hearted series with no real depth. How wrong I was. The animation of the characters is good but the combination of the excellent CGI of the tanks themselves makes it stand out. The story line is relatively simple featuring a reluctant commander who has to bring a collection of girls into the world of tankery. The characters and script are quite compelling keeping tension across the episodes with enough cliff hangers for a club of mountaineers. It kept me gripped and fascinated to see how the story ends with no slowing down or wasted episodes. A truly heartwarming experience. Just one sour note though. The third disk in my set was quite glitchy coming to a stuttering halt at a couple of points in the last two episodes. It did this on a PS3 and my DVD player so it's the disk not the system. Still gets 5 stars though.

Look, people online have given video essays bordering on documentaries to explain why it's acceptable for them to enjoy this show while still being a dude. I don't care. It's a funny show about a dumb concept with some historical eye candy for WWII tank-lovers. That's it. Buy this series if that interests you and have a nice day.