As part of my quest to continue chipping away at my endless backlog, I decided to pick up and finish watching the rest of the extended catalog of Girls und Panzer material post the TV series.
Girls und Panzer: OVA Collection
Centered around the casts antics throughout the main television series, these six OVAs focused mostly on the cast and their quirks rather than on the tank action. That wasn't necessarily a problem, though I would've liked more the cast to be included in a number of these episodes as I found watching them all at once with no tank action to break them up, their paper-thin personalities started to wear a little bit. But the OVAs aren't long enough to wear out their welcome, though I'd say these are probably the most disposable of the extra material for the franchise (outside of maybe the school ship episode, which highlighted exactly what their function was and how they were maintained, which was neat).
Girls und Panzer: This is the Real Anzio Battle!
As an OVA designed around showcasing the one battle we never got to see in the original television series, I was pretty pleased with how the Real Anzio Battle turned out. Like a slightly longer episode of the show with an improved budget, everything here feels like a nice return to form after the OVAs, especially since the tactics of the Anzio team are significantly different than any opponents they've faced before, making the match at the end more exciting despite knowing how it was going to end. Top that with a fun side-story that features one of the other tank captains and Anchovy herself being a nice addition to the rival tank commander crew and you have the makings of a classic OVA.
Girls und Panzer der Film
Now, I thought the Real Anzio Battle looked like a pretty impressive step up from the original television series, but watching the jump from there to the movie was something else! The CGI tanks here are absolutely gorgeous, and beautifully rendered throughout, which is really saying something given how much of the film's run time consists of tank battles. If you loved Girls und Panzer for its gratuitous tank action, then look no further because you'll get your fill here and then some. The final showdown that takes up almost an hour (nearly half the length of the film) is a nonstop thrill ride the likes of which I haven't experienced for some time. Is it a bit one-note: sure. Is the setup for the final conflict a bit contrived: sure. But as one of those animated movies of a successful television series that aims to distill the best of what that series provided in the best looking package possible with all the fluff removed, you'd be hard pressed to find many that execute that goal better than Girls und Panzer der Film.