"Hey, I've got an idea for a show!"
"Cool, what's it about?"
"A sports club which competes in a tournament designed around fighting wit-"
"Hmm, losing interest..."
"Wait! They fight with tanks!"
"TANKS?! Like... WWII tanks?"
"Yeah!"
"Well, that sounds cool... but I don't think anyone would be interested."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...hey, what if we added cute girls?"
"SOLD! C'mon, let's pitch this thing!"
So, GIRLS und PANZER feels like it should've turned out to be a soulless cash-in on the moe craze, centered around the task of selling merch related to traditional WWII-era tanks that would normally only appeal to the most hardcore of military otaku. Instead, what I found was an enjoyable, well-directed action show that happens to star cute girls going through the Cliff Notes version of a traditional moe show to make time for more tanks, and man did that turn into a cool combo.
I'm not sure I can really describe the ratio that the show strikes, but it feels like it leans a little heavier towards the tanks than the school life angle, and I feel that was the right decision, especially with the cast being as large as it is was in the end. Personalities might be paper-thin for the most part, but their one-note stereotypes didn't get on my nerves at all because they weren't the central focus of the show.
Of course, that wouldn't have mattered if the tanks battles themselves weren't cool, but Actas surprised me by showcasing these tank battles as highly entertaining and visually interesting battles of skill and wit that really focused on showcasing each tank's team and their particular roles. And the variety in said fights was interesting too, from unique weather hazards to unique challenges presented by the enemy and so on, fights were diverse and memorable, which says a lot given how difficult I imagine it can be to make tank combat seem interesting in a lot of situations.
The show's 3D is among the best for the budget they had considering how heavily the show leans on it, and even the visual design of other scenes was pleasant, even if you could see they were cutting corners where they could to save the money for what mattered most. I'm very curious to see the film now, as I imagine the jump in overall visual quality with that kind of budget would be a treat. But even so, I'll chalk this one up as a really entertaining ride, one that's more than the sum of its parts... much like the girls' tanks. Panzer Vor!
