Reviews

A particular scene in Girls und Panzer always struck me as the most beautiful thing animated. Reizei Mako is a loli with black hair; she wears a white headband and goes to school. The problem is she’s often sleepy and is always late for school. The other members of the cast are worried because they need a teammate for their panzer team (more on that later). Mako is perfect for the role of the driver. But once again, on the day when she is needed, she is still sleeping in her comfy bed. Nishizumi Miho, the protagonist, with her brownish-orange hair decides to wake her up osananamiji-style. In the early morning, cuckoos and alarm clocks cry out to wake Mako up. Yet, she is still asleep. Miho drives a panzer and shoots a bullet into the sky, waking Mako up from her dreams.

This is the ingenuity of Girls und Panzer. It is the ultimate form of cute girls doing cute things; it’s self-aware of its silliness and plays on it.

In the setting of Girls und Panzer, Sensha-do or Panzerfahren is considered a ladylike sport. Flower arrangement is one thing, but driving panzers is something else. It apparently makes you a strong, independent female. A competition of the best schools with panzers is held. It is where Girls und Panzer takes its ride to us.

Fusing the sports and cute-girls-doing-cute-things genre, this show takes its absurdity to the max. It is comparable to a flat-chested-lesbians-playing-mahjong anime titled Saki and a certain scientific work. You know they’re slice-of-life. However, these shows don’t pretend they’re intelligent. In Garupan’s case, it has girls driving panzers. It’s silly plus intense.

And it knows how to make the work intense.

When the tournament starts, you are immediately diving into a battlefield of panzers shooting left and right. One of the greatest things in Garupan is its sound design. Its quirky anthem-like soundtrack coupled with the noisy sounds of bullets shooting and tracks rolling create this jarring (and hilarious) sensation that war can be amusing. Think back to your war movies. While there are films like Full Metal Jacket that are funny, they haven’t played on the fact the act of war itself is funny. Few works have done that and this silly anime is one of them. And to do it mostly by sound is a giant accomplishment. Try turning off your video feed: you would still feel the greatness of Garupan. The sound design adds to the epic scale of these battles and it’s something worth commending for.

During these battles, Miho stands out as an incredible protagonist. In sports works, we always get the hot-blooded shounen (who’s probably a bishie). Sometimes, we get the overpowered character who can summon the winning hand with 1MP. Not Miho. She’s just smart and can adapt to anything. Her tactics, just like the show, are ingenious. Who would have thought of tank drifting? Miho, of course.

But inside these panzers are girls and girls like cute things. Director Mizushima Tsutomu (Joshiraku, Another) likes cute girls who like cute things. He knows that this show needs some breather episodes. They’re not actually fanservice, but they are showing us the world-building in Garupan. Yukari, a giant panzer geek, brings the cast to a shop dealing in panzerfahren items. We get the cute-girls-doing-cute-things antics here. Instead of getting turned off, people will find it too surreal (and therefore, enjoyable) seeing these girls get excited about panzers.

This makes me wish more people should pick up this masterpiece. It reminds us entertainment is just as artistic and creative as artsy animes. A giant world waits for us despite being inferred in a mere twelve episodes. It’s a refreshing look on how the cute-girls-doing-cute-things genre can change. So grab the Commie subs, some popcorn, and cry out these two words: “Panzer vor!”