12 episodes later, I have to say I was fairly satisfied. Rather than being a platform to simply showcase different models of tanks surrounded by moe tank otaku-bait, I actually got an exciting series of tank battles, the kind that actually kept me on the edge of my seat. The slice-of-life and moe moments were easily the weakest parts of the show for me, but mercifully those became few and far between as the necessary character development of the first half was done. I still don't know why they thought it was necessary to have the girls freak out over a squirrel in the middle of a winter battle with the Russians, but I digress.
The battles were well-executed and fast-paced (as I said, I was actually leaning into the monitor to see what kind of trick they were going to pull off and inevitably win the match); I actually felt like they were using tactics to win matches, rather than special moves that come out of nowhere (coughEyeshield 21cough). It was accompanied by a very fitting soundtrack; there wasn't a huge variety, but all the tracks, especially the track Panzer Vor, had this very childlike and whimsical military march quality to it - I was fondly reminded of my Boy Scout days. The CG tanks were surprisingly well integrated into the animation, and only the hyper-smoothness of the lines and the lighting gave it away.
My only complaint is that the characters are very flat (not like that!) - I honestly do not remember the name of anyone besides Maho (who I personally found a little too weak for my taste, but whatever), and characters were constantly added but left unused for much. As a side-note, I had to calm myself down whenever I saw someone stick their head out of a tank without their damn helmet on.
All in all, I don't regret watching Girls und Panzer. I was pleasantly surprised by this series, and I proudly award it a 8 out of 10.
PANZER VOR!
