Girls und Panzer der Film

Panzer vor! Although the “ガールズ＆パンツァー 劇場版” feature length film already appeared in theatres throughout Japan late last year, the highly anticipated movie sequel to the “Girls und Panzer” television series was just released on BluRay.

Having recently watched the original series again, was very much looking forward to “Girls und Panzer der Film”. What a thrilling ride the movie is, offering fans two hours of top anime entertainment watching adorable girls get into all sorts of shenanigans driving their tanks into battle.

Did have doubts about the core plot being that the Ouarai girls must once more face an indomitable foe and impossible odds to save their school ship from being decommissioned, but it was the best plot option to seamlessly tie in with the series. Prefer the movie to have such a less original story that fits the franchise continuity and atmosphere, than a story or villain that come out of left field and clash with what was established before.

“Girls und Panzer der Film” boasts terrific production values that include good pacing and excellent animation, especially the tank battles that seamlessly blend classic animation and cgi.
While many might rightfully object that the battles contained several scenes where the tanks pull off impossible stunts and other incredulous feats, or that the balance of power too suddenly shifts sides (no doubt because the creators wanted to top the battles seen in the original series), but this did not bother me as “Girls und Panzer” is not meant to portray realistic tank warfare.

What I did regret is that although the movie introduces several new characters like Mika, Clara or Rosehip, it spends little time fleshing them out, especially compared to other newcomer Arisa.
However, this is not unexpected considering the time constraints and fact that “Girls und Panzer” has a huge cast of characters to begin with. Instead, it makes me dream of another full season that could feature stories about all these new characters.

If you liked the original series, then you should definitely check out “Girls und Panzer der Film”, it is a superb feel-good movie about cute girls overcoming challenging odds and having lots of fun driving tanks in mock battles.
Keep calm and 撃って撃って!