Girls & Panzer Specials

Edit Notice: Apparently I listed the incorrect episode one. I've updated my review to reflect what the episode was actually about.

The specials are definitely a great watch for anyone who enjoyed Girls und Panzer.

There's side stories, sequel episodes, and episode additions. Overall the mood of the specials felt a little different from the feel of the show but they were just as enjoyable.

EP 1: The girls spend their time picking out swimsuits before they go to the beach. What really stands out here is the originality of the swimsuits that are showcased. I got a good laugh at the ending.

EP 2: A standard camping episode ... with a bonus of everyone deciding to be in swimsuits.

EP 3: The most interesting episode by far. They go into detail on answering questions you may have about the series and school ships.

EP 4: A full presentation of the Anglerfish Dance that had to be performed after losing the school's first match.

EP 5: An addition to the match against Pravda High that follows Yukari and Riko on their scouting expedition. This one was a lot of fun.

EP 6: And to wrap it all off, a sequal episode where the student council hosts a celebration for winning the championship.

The episodes are either specials, side stories, prequels or sequels tieing in with the main story. If you enjoyed Girls und Panzer main series, you will enjoy this OVA. They are smaller episodes while still retaining the fun and enjoyability, as the characters shine.

Ep 1. The girls from Sensho-do spend the entire episode trying to find swimsuits to go to the beach. It is a typical cute episode with its own original ideas for swimsuits based on tanks. The ending had me laughing.

Ep 2. The girls decide to camp nearby and the fan service continues as they decide to be in their swimsuits from episode ... 1. It is a fun watch.

Ep 3. The most interesting episode, as it explains how school ships came about and why grade school is the only one that still remains on land, a good history lesson on the world and some more good fun.

Ep 4. What I presume is the complete version of the Anglerfish (Goosefish) dance, that Ooarai Academy performs after they lose.

Ep 5. A side story that happens during the Ooarai Vs Pravda from the main series. This episode focuses on the scouting expedition carried out by Yukari and Riko. Of course, following Yukari you know there is going to be a lot of new stuff explained and a lot of fun. I liked that we also got some extra screentime with Riko.

Ep 6. The Sensho-do club celebrates their championship win and the characters shine even more during the talent contest.

I usually don't write reviews on specials but why not. I loved G&P itself but as usual the specials are nowhere as near as good as the main show (note: there's also an OVA, which unlike the specials is definitely worth watching).

The 6 episodes are very different from each other and I gave it an overall of 6 but here's the breakdown -

Episode 1 - The girls plan to go to the beach and shop for swim suits. A standard and completely unremarkable fan service episode. I really have no clue why they insist on making one for virtually every anime that exists. Unless you're ... a fan of these it's not worth watching.

Episode 2 - The girls go camping. Again this is mostly fan service (and again more swim suits). The only thing that's noteworthy is that at some point they quote a famous Monty Python sketch (maybe it was aimed for foreign viewers because my Japanese friends like probably most people in Japan have never heard of Monty Python). Other than that the episode is not really worthwhile.

Episode 3 - By far the most interesting episode of the six. The girls take a tour of the school ship and explain how it operates and visit all the hidden areas where students don't normally go.

Episode 4 - The stupid Anko dance that the girls were forced to do after they lost the first practice match. You can see the entire routine here. The episode is only 3 minutes long so what the heck.

Episode 5 - This one's actually noteworthy. It takes place during the match against Pravda and follows Yukari and Erwin as they go on their recon mission. It shows where and how they got the information that the girls later used to break out of the siege. Pretty interesting.

Episode 6 - The girls celebrate their ultimate victory. The episode tries to be funny but I think it miserably fails at that. Pointless and boring.