A sports anime about girls in tanks!

Tweekums

There are many anime series about sports, schoolgirls and weaponry but I can't think of any other where these tropes are combined like they are in 'Girls und Panzer'! Miho Nishizumi is a schoolgirl who transfers to Oarai Girls High School because it is the only school that doesn't take part in the sport of tankery… the martial art where girls compete against each other in Second World War era tanks! Unfortunately just after she arrives the school takes up the sport using a handful of old tanks and Miho finds herself talked into taking part. They are always outnumbered and outgunned but somehow manage to win their matches. As they progress in the competition further pressure falls on their shoulders when they learn that the school will close if they aren't the overall champions at the end of the year.

This is one of the more original series I've seen; the idea of girls fighting in tanks is both hilarious and exciting even though nobody is ever killed despite blasting away at each other and occasionally flipping the tanks! The characters are typical of school girl anime without feeling excessively cliché. The animation looks great; with the battle scenes looking particularly fluid; sometimes everything seems to be in motion… and action never just features a shaky shot of a static image as is sometimes used in other series. Overall I'd say that this is well worth watching if you want something which is both funny and exciting.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.

score 9/10

Tweekums 6 April 2013

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2778340/