Post by zeidoktor on Dec 2, 2014 15:17:43 GMT -5
Schoolgirls driving tanks. No matter what image your mind conjures with those words, I can safely assure you this series is better than you'd think.
In the world of Girls und Panzer the sporting event that everyone blows out of proportion is Tankery, mock battles using live tanks. This is a feminine sporting event, and the story follows Miho Nishizumi, daughter of a prodigious Tankery family who, following a traumatic event, transfers to a new school for the express purpose of getting away from Tankery.
But it just so happens that the school Miho chooses has picked this year to restart its Tankery program, and they want Miho to lead the team. Miho reluctantly accepts and once again finds herself drawn into the world of Tankery, where she struggles to find a way that fits her, rather than the win-at-all-costs mentality of her family's style.
Despite the fact that the premise sounds a bit silly, this series really is better than it sounds. The cast of characters are plenty compelling. Along with Miho our main cast includes Saori, the boy crazy 'team mom' who signs on thinking boys like girls in tanks. Hana, who joins out of curiosity and comes to love tankery, but is conflicted between it and her family's tradition of flower arrangement. Mako, an intelligent but lazy girl who's basically blackmailed into joining with the promise of removing her absences from her permanent record. And finally we have Yukari, a Tankery fangirl who jumps at the chance to not only get involved with Tankery firsthand but to serve directly under a Nishizumi.
One thing I especially like about this series is that they actually treat the sport as a sport. Most series with a premise like this, the importance of the series' main game gets blow out of proportion to ridiculous levels, often being the key to saving the world. Or, at least, being a key to being considered important in the world. In Girls und Panzer, most of the teams treat Tankery as a competitive sport. They participate because they love it, and enjoy going against each other in friendly rivalries. This is in stark contrast to the antagonistic Kuromorimine school, where Miho's mother is headmaster, whose mentality is that victory, no matter what it takes, is the single most important thing.
So, while the series may seem silly n the surface, it's really quite engaging and enjoyable, and one I'd recommend.
