“Girls und Panzer” is an anime where the title really tells you everything you need to know about it. The basic plot revolves around an inter-school championship where all-girls’ schools compete in tank battles. The tank battles are fought with real World War Two tanks and live rounds though the teams are protected within by thick armour and a special ‘carbon coating’ which protects the inside. Being a comedy there is no death, no danger (other than tanks being immobilised) and the stakes are no more than winning or losing a match.
Written by Reiko Yoshida and directed by Tsutomu Mizushima, the story is very simple and will be familiar from many other Japanese shows and films; basically a hopeless team must compete against much stronger opponents to advance in the competition. Essentially, it is a novel take on the typical school sports dramas. While the story is predictable there is a good amount of humour, firstly from the juxtaposition of having a gang of schoolgirls commanding tanks, quoting Caesar, Churchill and other wartime leaders, but also character-based comedy. Each of the protagonists has their own side-stories; the lead Miho has transferred to avoid Panzer battles but is pressed back into it; Hana’s mother is disappointed she isn’t concentrating on flower-arranging; Mako is constantly sleeping in and so on. There are also plenty of in-jokes for people familiar with World War Two history, with the teams representing various countries (America, Britain, Russia and Germany), different terrains and tactics being deployed. Much of the humour derives from stereotypical portrayals of the characters, but there is nothing meanspirited, and the series’ constantly looks to the positive rather than negative traits.
The animation itself is bright and colourful and the detailed work on the tanks themselves, utilizing 3-D computerised animation, makes it an interesting watch. The battles are frenetic and action-packed, switching back and forth between the tanks and the girls piloting them. The music by Shiro Hamaguchi shows a love of military themes, with a very “war movie-feel” to the animation and the music.
I would highly recommend “Girls Und Panzer” to anyone as a fun light-hearted comedy, but people interested in military history might find it particularly amusing. The story can be criticised for ‘sanitising’ warfare; it focuses on the honour, leadership, determination, teamwork and other qualities necessary in operating a tank and fighting a battle, teaching these traits to a younger generation while ignoring the more unsavoury aspects of the war. But the story is so well-meaning, humorous, and entertaining you can’t help but be swept up with the girls’ enthusiasm.
