Girls und Panzer Episode 5 Discussion

symbv said:
Even the extras like the cheerleaders are so moe;

symbv said:

- The uniform Akiyama wore to sneak into Sauder's is a uniform worn by staff from the convenience store chain SunKus. The interesting thing is that the uniform is presented in its exact image as in real life (check below), not a parody as usually seen in anime. This indicates there must be some collaboration deal agreed between the anime production and the convenience store chain:

Aversa said:
Saunders school is American to the core basically how we non Americans see America and there commander is the way how Japanese see American girls kind loud and outgoing.

greenmush said:
Pretty kay episode , but why does there always have to be a cheater in these kind of games . =/

greenmush said:
Pretty kay episode , but why does there always have to be a cheater in these kind of games . =/

Magito said:


Because it gains them advantage. Actually, the rule doesn't forbid wire tapping airships. Add to that, Yukari did spy on Saunders and eventually found out. So both of them are even on using underhanded tactics.

Aversa said:

I was surprised that they did not shoot that airship down tho,.

Blinded_By_Light said:
I am also a die hard tank modeler and watching this episode made me giggle and moan like an animal when they entered Yukari's room. When i saw her room i had to pause and look closely at all the box arts to see what kind of modeler Yukari is.

First i thought that this anime is targeted for WOT players, now i see that a lot of details and research was put into the WWII market and it is a well known fact that a lot of people make scale models.

Blinded_By_Light said:
I am expecting a airsoft anime soon :D

Magito said:

I'm sure to expect a drastic increase in tank model sales. The model shop owners are so gonna be happy.

SayuriUliana said:


1. The image you provided is that of the Grant variant, which is the British version. The girls are using the Lee, aka the US version.

2. They do use the 75mm hull gun. It's fired during the previous episode, and this episode as well during the ambush. It's just that the 37mm is usable in more situations due to being turreted like when they use it to fire backwards this episode, not to mention it's the only one that has both a gunner and loader as opposed to the one-girl gunner/loader on the 75mm (due to the fact that the girls aren't dual-tasking the commander).

SatelliteCannon said:

I heard from somewhere that there's a gigantic amount of Girls und Panzer discussion on 2channel - I bet that, like us, they're talking less about the actual anime and more of This Tank Sucks and WoT.

symbv said:
and military fans enthusiastically answer them.

okanagan said:
Does adding dono means as an address to someone superior to them?

Basically, yes. Here is what Wikipedia says:

Dono (殿 or どの) ... when attached to a name, roughly means "lord" or "master". ... it is a term akin to "milord" or French "monseigneur", and lies in between san and sama in level of respect. This title is not commonly used in daily conversation ...

So... it is indeed quite unusual that Yukari would add "dono" when talking to somebody.

Cratex said:
Sometimes to enthusiastically. I'm forcing myself to keep quiet until I'm in a better mood so I don't do something rude again.

Nasty001 said:

The girls operating the M3 should've pre-loaded the 75 mm and used it when they're making a break when 2 Shermans were blocking their break through when they were dashing out of the forest, they could have also used the 75 mm as back-up support fire after using their 37 mm turret gun and missing the Sherman that got away, besides the 75 mm hull gun can also turn but only in a 30 degree angle.

okanagan said:
In response to Symbv Post #77:
It was still widely used within the army after Meiji Restoration.

Thank you, Symbv. I found this very helpful.

Okay, now this is starting to make more sense to me. Here is my theory to explain all of the behavior that we see from both Yukari also her father:

(1) For an army otaku, the Meiji restoration is a relatively recent time period. So Yukari would know all about the army at that time.

(2) Generally speaking, Yukari is polite, since both her parents raised her well.

(3) When Yukari first spoke to Miho she already knew her name. So it seems that Yukari already had some good reason to look up to Miho and respect her.

(4) Yukari is an army otaku, so she knows exactly the way that army officers and soldiers will speak.

(5) When Miho agreed to be the commander, Yukari said "Yoroshiku onegai itashimasu" (宜しくお願い致します). This was because Yukari was talking to her commanding officer. In the Japanese army, is this the specific correct way that a loader would talk to her tank commander?

(6) Yukari is the loader, which in a way is the lowest job in the tank. So it is natural for her to use respectful speech to the other four girls, and not just Miho.

(7) When Yukari's father meets the other four girls, he realizes that he is meeting the commanding officer of his daughter for the very first time. As a result, his extremely respectful behavior is perfectly appropriate.

(8) The special haircut that Yukari's father has (and Yukari used to have in elementary school) is actually a Japanese army haircut. It is not related to the tight "perm" that was popular for men in Japan in the 1960's.

(9) Yukari had that army haircut as a young child because she wanted to look like a soldier.

(10) Yukari's father also has a lot of specific knowledge about the history of the Japanese army. Was he a soldier? Is he an army otaku?

Please note that all of the above are only my guesses.

okanagan said:
Why is Yukari so polite?

Yukari Akiyama (秋山 優花里) often speaks with extremely polite language. Sometimes she adds "shi" (氏) after people's last names. So it is like saying "My dear Miss Smith" rather than just "Miss Smith". Other times she adds "dono" (殿). This would be like saying "My Lady Smith".

At 08:45 in Episode 3, the five Ankou team girls are in the pool. They thank Miho for agreeing to be commander. Hana says "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu" (宜しくお願いします or Thank you very much). Saori says, "Yoroshiku" (宜しく or Thanks). But Yukari says "Yoroshiku onegai itashimasu" (宜しくお願い致します). So Yukari is also thanking Miho, but in a much, much more polite way.

Then, when the other four girls go to the Akiyama Barber Shop (秋山理髪店) and finally meet Yukari's father (秋山 淳五郎 or あきやま じゅんごろう) in Episode 5, he is so happy to meet the four girls that he bows right down on the floor.

So I guess Yukari gets her extreme politeness from her dad. Her mom is also very nice, but her behavior seems normal.

Does this make any sense or are they making some kind of joke? There are lots of characters in anime who speak politely, but normally it makes sense in the context.

Here is some explanation about Japanese polite language: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics

I am just guessing that maybe it has something to do with Yukari's dad's special hair style. They even talk about Yukari's hairstyle when she was in elementary school which was the same. It is called panchi paama (パンチパーマ). There is no good way to translate this into English. But the key point is that this hairstyle was ONLY popular among yakuza, low-level criminals, biker gang members and some other low-lifes. See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punch_perm

symbv said:
Since when do we have WWII tanks having anti-aircraft gun as part of the standard armament (except perhaps a machinegun at the turret top)?

tiansili said:
I would like to see the rules for the tournaments, learn from "Code Geass". If you could inflict damage on the opponent using terrain or explosives, than its easy as ****, It would be so fun to use C4 and land mines! or traps.

Aversa said:
The guns of a tank can be pointed upwards till a certain angle so a good gunner might be able the get that airship down.
It's just a theory on my part tho so a can be wrong.

Aversa said:
The guns of a tank can be pointed upwards till a certain angle so a good gunner might be able the get that airship down.
It's just a theory on my part tho so a can be wrong.

okanagan said:
In response to Symbv Post #77:
It was still widely used within the army after Meiji Restoration.

Thank you, Symbv. I found this very helpful.

Okay, now this is starting to make more sense to me. Here is my theory to explain all of the behavior that we see from both Yukari also her father:

okanagan said:
Here is my revised theory:

(1) Yukari has poor interpersonal skills:

(2) Yukari's father has poor interpersonal skills:

SayuriUliana said:


The elevation of many tank guns is limited though, requiring that you get far enough away from the target to be able to get a bead on. Also, hitting a target in mid-air, even a stationary one, is incredibly difficult due to factors like gravity that arcs the shot. There's a reason that anti-aircraft work is left to dedicated platforms like SPAAG's (self-propelled anti-aircraft guns).

Sae said:
Ironically, M3 Medium (Lee) they use has a quite unique advantage of 60° elevation for its turret gun. While odds of hitting a moving plane with it are virtually zero, an airship is pretty much like a sitting duck for it.

symbv said:
^ I just wonder if there is any telltale sign shown in the anime that tells us that the tank with the flag is a 76mm model (the Saunders team has one such tank in it) not a 75mm model (which the Saunders team has 8). Still trying to learn how to identify variants of a tank visually...

So I guess the longer gun of the tank when all the tanks are lined up is the best indication that it is 76mm model...