Girls & Panzer: Kore ga Hontou no Anzio-sen desu!

TL;DR - This OVA should have been the second half or continuation of episode 7 of the main season of the show, and thus fits perfectly between it and episode 8. It's more of what you love about the show, and an easy recommendation. If you do decide to watch it between 7 and 8, DO NOT WATCH THE AFTER CREDITS SCENE UNTIL AFTER YOU'VE COMPLETED THE MAIN SEASON! It features heavy spoilers for the finale.

The battle against Anzio in the original series run literally wasn't shown; only the outcome was, which, after watching the whole season, felt off since every other battle was played ... out in full. While I'm not sure if there was ever an official word on why this match was skipped in the anime, there is a likely scenario. During the season's broadcast, the show was falling quite behind schedule, so it seems plausible that, rather than devote significantly more resources towards creating unique content, they opted to quickly put together the two recap episodes that aired for the show so more focus could be put on the series in an attempt to catch back up.

Whatever the case may be, this OVA is what we missed in the season; Anzio's background, the prep before the battle, and the battle itself. There's actually some good character building here, as well as a battle that is just as solid as those we saw in the season (albeit shorter due to having to fit into a 38 minute OVA). Simply put, this OVA is more of what you loved from the season and doesn't disappoint.

If I had to put a place in the season to watch this, it would obviously be around episode 7, the episode literally titled "Up Next is Anzio!", despite Anzio only making the equivalent of a cameo appearance at the end of the episode. Watching it after the episode, sort of as an episode 7.5 would be fine enough, but my honest suggestion is to watch episode 7 to the point where Miho finishes addressing the girls in the bath, pause it there, then watch this before resuming. One word of warning though; there is an after credits scene to this OVA, but since it came out after the conclusion of the season, this extra scene contains heavy spoilers. SO DO NOT WATCH THIS AFTER CREDITS SCENE UNTIL AFTER WATCHING THE ENTIRETY OF THE SEASON! Even if you forget to come back to it, you're not missing much, just a cute little bit of comedy that has no impact on the show whatsoever.

It’s pizza time! So Let’s roll!
Story wise 8/10 the Ova looks like an episode from the main series that got lost and went on air late. It introduced us to a new school jumps to the fun and that’s about it!
Art is an 8 the date of review is 2021 and hence art has come a long way since. But by 2014 standard and by eye the series did well, Smooth tanks flipping scenes included!
Sound wise very okay same cast same VAs great job as usual.
Character wise it just introduced us to a whole new school and some character development was shown. We can see ... the personalities of each characters from just this 30 mins glams!
Did I enjoyed it? Yes! It like a stray episode from the main series that will help on understanding Anzio before going to der film or das finale. A must watch for a fan of the series!

The Anzio OVA for GuP does everything a "side story" should accomplish for a show. It has the same fun energy, action and antics as the main series episodes; it adds to the story by showing us exciting events that were passed over; lastly, it fleshes out some of our characters.

Anzio Girl's High is a great comedic addition to the GuP cast, probably only second to the Chihatans introduced in der Film. Their school emblem says it all, being a stylised pizza with asparagus on it. Anzio exudes charming, impulsive energy reflected in their vehicles, using the comically useless but zippy CV33 Tankettes and ... the Semovente M41 Assault Gun. They really do channel that energy of the Italian Bersaglieri Regiments who run everywhere instead of marching. You have to see videos of the Bersaglieri Military Bands to see how well their essence is captured; their running while playing instruments is simultaneously ridiculous yet impressive, precisely the impression you get when watching Anzio fight. It is hilarious to watch them attempt to implement Anchovy's competent plan only to botch it for the dumbest reasons, devolving the battle into sheer chaos. For the most part, GuP's action scenes are much stronger in an urban setting. The Anzio battle taking place in a hilly forest breaks that trend with the tanks' high-speed, ensuring that the scenery never feels stale.

A nice addition to the OVA is using it to give some characterisation to Hippo team. Despite having the most distinctive appearance in the Ooarai supporting casts, they probably get the least amount of time for more in-depth characterisation relative to the number of episodes they are in. Character has never been the strong suit of GuP, as I've stated in my review of the series, yet Hippo team felt particularly weak at times despite their memorable quirkiness as history nerds. The story of Ceaser and Carpaccio being childhood friends is a nice addition and plays with the quirk of Hippo Team's personality being built around their hobby. It gives us that little bit of extra characterisation that pushes Hippo Team beyond being just caricatures. It does not remotely compare to any actual character-driven show, but it is more than enough to be good for a fun and zany show like GuP.

The weakest point of the OVA was the music, with the theme for Anzio feeling underwhelming compared to everyone else's. This is not the creative team's fault since there are pretty slim pickings for Italian military marches that can match famous compositions like Panzerlied and Katyusha. Funiculi Funicula was the best available choice, though it is a Neopolitan song instead of a march. On the other hand, they still demonstrated their passion for the series with their attention to detail. They added in the OVA may little scenes in Ooarai that help tie together the series better like showing us Nekota's failed attempt to talk to Miho about joining the Sensha-do Team. Even things as small as giving each member of Hippo Team a unique cup, matching their personality, during Miho's visit are not left out. Further, Ooarai's training scene also gives us a glimpse into what happens in the various training montages during the series. At the same time, it also has some great comical moments that reinforce character quirks.

Overall the Anzio OVA is a fantastic addition to the GuP series, being one of those rare pieces of extra material that really adds to the series. It is a must-watch for anyone who loved the original anime, yet it can also stand on its own.