Girls und Panzer Episode 8 Discussion

lianx said:
The song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boI5cTbPIHs
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm19500887

Takuan_Soho said:

Leave it to the soviets to come up with a song about a Girl and her Rocket Launcher. Social realism in action. Catchy song though.

Looking forward to being able to watch the show, should be up in a couple of minutes.

symbv said:
Hi! I am back (from a long travel) !

This is time I repost what I posted back in Ep.4 discussion here: http://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=510851&show=80#msg18090795



By the way, a closer look at that pic got me notice this:
* Nonna (CV: Uesaka Sumire)
Nonna is a the deputy commander of the Pravda team (USSR inspired of course)

I gasped at the choice of Uesaka Sumire as the seiyuu of Nonna because Uesaka is famous as a loli-dresing Russian/USSR otaku (who actually now studys Russian in Sophia University, one the top schools in Japan for foreign studies) who says she loves Russian history, literature, art, military, music, everything. Everyone should know about this amazing girl, perhaps starting with her blog http://ameblo.jp/sumire-uesaka/ and her cosplay as a Russian soldier http://c.asset.soup.io/asset/3119/0188_8848.jpeg

More pics of Uesaka (where you can see her in loli mode)
http://rikakon.soup.io/since/240351901?mode=friends&newer=1

Reading the wiki introduction of her, it seems that she is also a tank lover and her favorite tank is Russia's BT-5 (she said it before she got the GirlPan role).

Jyuu-niDesu said:
Since I'am watching the RAW version, and I'am can't understand 90% of the words

Jyuu-niDesu said:
And for Pravda, consisting a whooping 15 tanks, mostly T-34/72, but the lead tanks, as far as I can tell 2 of them, are definitely Panther-killing T-34/85. Also spotted one JS heavy tank, and a funny looking but crudely effective KV-2 heavy tank, with that gargantuan turret housing a 152mm howitzer for knocking down fortification.

Takuan_Soho said:
Very good episode, loved the kotatsu party, how japanesque. The use of the nutcracker was excellent, the building up of the situation to be similar to Stalingrad (which of course the History team foreshadowed) promises one hell of a great next episode. All the principles are in place, both mothers, the secret has been revealed, now is the time for Miho to power up, if only metaphorically.

2-02 Limitations of Numbers of Vehicles
Each team may not field more vehicles than the number designated by the League.
However, it is possible to field less than the designated number.

symbv said:
And I never know that the jam is not supposed to put into the tea but is supposed to be licked into the mouth before drinking the tea! I think I'd need to do some research to see if this is the proper way to drink Russian Tea.....

symbv said:
There is no need to guess or count, because at around 11:20 there is a display of all the tanks of both teams. Pravda has 15 tanks: 7 T34-76s, 6 T-34-85s, 1 JS-2 and 1 KV-2.

symbv said:
Hi! I am back (from a long travel) !

This is time I repost what I posted back in Ep.4 discussion here: http://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=510851&show=80#msg18090795



By the way, a closer look at that pic got me notice this:
* Nonna (CV: Uesaka Sumire)
Nonna is a the deputy commander of the Pravda team (USSR inspired of course)

I gasped at the choice of Uesaka Sumire as the seiyuu of Nonna because Uesaka is famous as a loli-dresing Russian/USSR otaku (who actually now studys Russian in Sophia University, one the top schools in Japan for foreign studies) who says she loves Russian history, literature, art, military, music, everything. Everyone should know about this amazing girl, perhaps starting with her blog http://ameblo.jp/sumire-uesaka/ and her cosplay as a Russian soldier http://c.asset.soup.io/asset/3119/0188_8848.jpeg

More pics of Uesaka (where you can see her in loli mode)
http://rikakon.soup.io/since/240351901?mode=friends&newer=1

Reading the wiki introduction of her, it seems that she is also a tank lover and her favorite tank is Russia's BT-5 (she said it before she got the GirlPan role).

stevewiess01 said:
I just learned the scenario writer of this show was really into the WWII history stuff after recognizing the "NUTS!" reference near the end of the episode.

AiCon said:
Miho needs to develop a backbone. She succumbs to peer pressure too easily. It was obvious that it was a trap and she could have ordered them to stop before they reached the town - which every tank commander knows is a deathtrap for the many ambush spots. The others didn't know since they're still novices, but Miho is a veteran and she's been trained for this by her mom and by the previous school she went to.

Speaking of mom, it'll be hard on Miho when she finds out that she's been disowned by her parents.

Takuan_Soho said:

Leave it to the soviets to come up with a song about a Girl and her Rocket Launcher. Social realism in action. Catchy song though.

Looking forward to being able to watch the show, should be up in a couple of minutes.

Edit: the nice thing about knowing there is a faster site is that you can search until you can find it.

Very good episode, loved the kotatsu party, how japanesque. The use of the nutcracker was excellent, the building up of the situation to be similar to Stalingrad (which of course the History team foreshadowed) promises one hell of a great next episode. All the principles are in place, both mothers, the secret has been revealed, now is the time for Miho to power up, if only metaphorically.

The Stalingrad reference I think is key. Remember the Nishizumi philosophy is "always forward", which at Stalingrad proved to be a disaster for the Germans. The Russian commander was obviously thinking of this in setting up the situation Miho can only win be transcending her mother's teaching, which of course will surprise the hell out of the Russians, piss her mother off, and serve as the major conflict for the ultimate battle.

I think this is why Darjeeling leaked Miho's name. She was in her own way setting the stage (as she has since the 4th episode).

Takuan_Soho said:
Miho has backbone, she stood up to her mother, that should prove it. The issue isn't backbone, the issue is that she isn't taking things seriously. She wants people to enjoy Senshadou, she does not want to turn into her mother where winning is everything, as she explained last episode that is what she is trying to get away from. Now that the stakes have been raised, she will change, I was going to say that the iron would rise, but iron is inflexible, and Miho's great strength is her flexibility.

no_good_name said:
It was good to see an IS-1 (god i love those tracks) and a KV-1 (big turret looks goofy to me) but i thought the purge refrence was poor taste (again just my feelings)

symbv said:
It is actually IS-2 and KV-2 :-)

A fan in 2ch actually made a guide soon after the episode. Great job!
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/zakuzaku911/imgs/a/f/af3fd21e.jpg

Also...

Wow, Doujin for the Pravda team is already out!!! So quick !!!
http://blog.livedoor.jp/geek/archives/51373080.html

Actually reading the article more closely, this doujin is already at its 8th volume and the 1st volume was released way back in 2009, so the story is about an all-girl team of tank crew but not specifically about the Pravda school. The artist now also draws the Girls und Panzer manga -- you can tell the staff really found the proper person to do the manga adaptation!


And a video to share:

An introduction of T34/85 (in Russian)

Jyuu-niDesu said:
Thanks man. The video quality on the site I watch easy that clear, so that massive fifteen tank formation is hard to tell the 76 from the 85.

symbv said:
The screencap below should help a bit in identifying the tanks when they are shown maneuvering in formation:
http://apr.2chan.net/dec/18/src/1354551338849.jpg

in the front row, the center and the left are the 85 (you can tell by the spare track on the front panel of the armor) while the right of the front row and the second row are composed of the 76. The one behind all those T34 tanks is the IS-2. KV-2 lags behind everyone and is not seen in the screencap.

symbv said:
Actually speculation by a lot of fans in Japan is that perhaps the revelation of possible school closure may swing Miho the other way, turning her into a victory-seeking "demon" and she may resort to trickery or sacrificing her team mates to snatch victory. This would give her mom a second thought about disowning her but it will come at a heavy price of losing team loyalty or cohesion. This is a kind of orthodox approach for a "striving in sports" kind of drama popular in Japan so I guess this may well be possible.

Personally I also think Miho has had it too easy with her team, but on the other hand the desire to charge forward is so strong and prevalent in her team and so I can understand why she relented. But on the other hand, when her team ignored her call for caution the second time, one can indeed argue that Miho should have made a stronger stand although in the heat of battle any field communication can easily get lost.

no_good_name said:
and that was some fine tanks porn you posted, did you know if there was a version with subs?

no_good_name said:
hahaha how long has it been since you refreshed the page?
I realised when i posted and modified it (hence the "2 damn-it" at the end))

Takuan_Soho said:


Humm, possibly, but considering the situation they are in (school being threatened, surrounded in a hopeless position), if everyone decided to fight it out, I really can't see them resenting anything she did to win. They would have to know that tanks are going to have to be sacrificed to get the flag tank to safety (Pravda sacrificed a couple just to lure them into the trap). They are just too aware that the odds are stacked against them for them to be upset should they somehow win.

I think my post above is the more likely route - Miho will win, but not by the Nishizumi way, and this will set up the conflict for the conclusion. Similar to Hana, Miho has to overcome, to show that her way of senshado can match her Mother's before she is pardoned. I wrote a post predicting this path back in episode 4, I was wrong about how the tank got in the water, but the rest of the post I think is still on. Miho's flexibility will defeat the charging boar.

No_good_name - the commie translation was bad, Momo did say was "nan dato? Nuts", which translated means "what are you saying? Nuts". Commie missed the WWII reference.

symbv said:
Not really, I did not watch it with subs and have not looked for it so....

I think I started to write my reply 1 minute after your post. You modified your post 5 minutes after you posted it, so I did not have chance to read your update before I finished and posted my post.... ^_^;;

okanagan said:
If you like that scroll hanging on the wall above Miho's mother's head in Episode 8 at 07:16, what it says is 豬突猛進. Feel free to Google this phrase, or search on Google Images or to print it out using Microsoft Word. Literally, it means " A wild boar charges forward ! " But it seems that a more idiomatic translation might be " Go for it ! "

symbv said:
Yes, that is a proper Japanese idiom :-) I am more intrigued by the scroll above Maho's head - 紫電一閃 (Shiden Issen) because it is a much less commonly seen Japanese idiom than 豬突猛進. Literally it means "the brief flash of the purple lightning" (and "purple lightning" means the flash of light when a sword is swung and hurled down) and the meaning is "in the flash of split second, drastic changes can happen". A very fitting teaching for senshado.

Also according to official Twitter, the interesting tank picture drawn in the Japanese sumie style at the back of Miho's mother was originally supposed to be a A7V, the first German tank, perhaps a reference for Kurominemori's German inspired tradition. The staff later changed it to Mark I, the first tank ever put in operation, perhaps they think Nishizumi school should not be mixed up with the German tradition of the Kurominemori highschool.

For those who are interested about what Sumire or A7V are, check:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ink_and_wash_painting
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A7V

Takuan_Soho said:
Humm, possibly, but considering the situation they are in (school being threatened, surrounded in a hopeless position), if everyone decided to fight it out, I really can't see them resenting anything she did to win. They would have to know that tanks are going to have to be sacrificed to get the flag tank to safety (Pravda sacrificed a couple just to lure them into the trap). They are just too aware that the odds are stacked against them for them to be upset should they somehow win.

symbv said:
One possibility is perhaps Miho had to lie to teams of other tanks so that it could fool everyone and thus to strike at Pravda's flag tank. Or she over-compensates and start to impose strict discipline and stops listening to her team-mates (and yet it somehow took the team to victory). This would postpone the confrontation with her mom later but will also set the stage for a team in worse morale than it should have been as a darkhorse school which manages to reach the final. Conflicts within a team and misunderstanding between team mates is a common theme in a sports drama so it is just possible that it will be explored in this anime as well. But of course you guess is also possible too :-)

Another hint that may indicate how Miho's team will win is Katchusha's vow to destroy every other tank and leave the flag tank till the last to strike down. This may prove to be Pravda's undoing for its arrogance and complacency.

As for the final, if they really have thoughts for a 2nd season the best may be for Ooarai to actually lose in the Final but because of exceptional performance manages to get the decision for school close-down to be rescinded. That would allow a rematch for the Miho/Maho sisters again and we can have some other combination of tournament opponents. But of course most probably the screenplay was written with no thought about a 2nd season as no one ever expected the anime to do so well. So I guess my speculation will only stay that - just a wishful thinking.

no_good_name said:
I feel like i'm missing something: why will the school be closed down if they dont win?
Have they explained it in previous episodes?

symbv said:
BTW, I am watching the anime for the third time now, and I notice something really rare: Maruyama, the always daydreaming girl in the 1st Year team, actually smiled in this episode !!

And what Katchusha was eating when she sat in front of her T34/85 and listened to the field report seems to be Borscht http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borscht The color looks like it.

And I keep repeating Sumipe (nickname of Uesaka Sumire) singing Katchusha..... I wonder if there will be a character song album released for Sumpie...

Jyuu-niDesu said:
The KV-2 lags behind everyone.

oldskoolpunk said:

That's where it belongs. It would have trouble keeping up. The KV-2 is on the list of the world's worst weapons. Big gun and heavy armor on an underpowered chassis. Useful for bunker-busting if it can get to the action in time.

Pravda might use it in the next episode to demolish the building in which Ooarai is sheltering.

Jyuu-niDesu said:


What I can tell, The Pravda carrier ,with that "ski jump"ramp and red deck, is obviously based on the Admiral of the fleet Kuznetsov class carrier (which the Chinese 'Liaoning' is based) but with the helicopter landing strip and what seems like forward missile launcher of the smaller Kiev class Helicopter cruiser.
And I thought St,Gloriana's carrier is big.

cruiser2710 said:


Hopfully Miho wont suffer the same fate of fieldmarshel

no_good_name said:

Hopfully Miho wont suffer the same fate as Field Marshal Paulus.

no_good_name said:
What episode was it in, i honestly cant remember.

cruiser2710 said:
Thus far, all the signs in the episode points to the eventual downfall of the group. Unless a Manstein appears among them.

symbv said:
Episode 6 in the fight against Saunders, when Saunder's flag tank was being chased by Miho's whole team, its tank commander, who is voiced by the great Aya Hirano and earlier was intercepting the radio communication within Miho's team, started to get upset and irritated by being chased and she kept talking to herself inside the tank. One of the lines is "they should just have the school close down after all" or something like that.

symbv said:
Hey, Guderian is among them, don't you forget? X-D

symbv said:
Hey, Guderian is among them, don't you forget? X-D



By the way, by close observations we can list out the damage suffered by Miho's team now:

Stg III : Track broken, damaged track wheel on the right
Mk IV: Turret damage, turret turning may not be possible
M4: Gun damage, firing is not possible

The 2 most powerful tanks in the team are all damaged. It is already in dire straits...

cruiser2710 said:


My sister thinks Kampfgruppe Miho would win though I'd think otherwise.

Thus far, all the signs in the episode points to the eventual downfall of the group. Unless a Manstein appears among them.

Even if they win, it'll be in the most dire straits. They'd end up like the High Seas Fleet after Jutland

cruiser2710 said:


How can I forget....

Now if Yukari is Guderian, what does that make Miho be? Rommel? Rundstedt (If I spelt his name correctly)? Rommel? Patton?

We know Momo-chan is a Prussian junker

no_good_name said:

I feel like i'm missing something: why will the school be closed down if they dont win?
Have they explained it in previous episodes?

no_good_name said:


I'd say Kurt Knispel just to be a bit different (its cooler to not be a general) now he had style and was alot more "human" then most ww2 german aces.

symbv said:
The military otaku in GirlPan 2ch thread is amazing.... I am learning more stuff about T34...

According to them, the T34/76 does not yet have a commander copula on the top of the turret like the one you can see in the T34/85 in the anime. This means the model is an earlier model, probably before 1943. From the design of the base part of the gun, they conclude it is likely to be a 1942 model made by Chelyabinsk Tractor Work No.178 (ChTZ).

As for the T34/85, they think it is quite clear from the gun design that it is a 1944 Model made by Krasnoye Sormovo Factory No.112.

Ураaaaaaaaaa !!!!!

cruiser2710 said:


WoT player I see

okanagan said:
With this episode, GaruPan is becoming much deeper than I had expected.

If you look at the background of the people who created GaruPan, their previous work was fairly fluffy stuff like K-On, Squid Girl and Maria-sama Ga Miteru. Squid Girl WAS planning an invasion, at least. Those are all good shows, but even so . . .

Miho looks like a Moeblob. That she is. But her character has been developed step by step through the series to let us see her inner complexity.

Senshado isn't war. Some other people have posted very good analyses of what Senshado IS by drawing analogies with other traditional martial arts, some of them specialized to girls.

But Senshado is dangerous. You really can get hurt. Killed even. Miho knows that only too well from that incident at Kuromorimine when that tank fell into the ocean.

There was an incident just yesterday in Japan involving Archery. A certain high school has an Archery club. Somehow a 17 year old boy fired an arrow and hit a 16 year old girl in the head, seriously injuring her. I can't read the story well enough to understand exactly how bad her injuries are. Anyways, here is the link:

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/news/20121202-OYT1T01105.htm

I hope she's okay.