First Impressions / Girls und Panzer / OVA/Movie

「これが本当のアンツィオ戦です!」 (Kore ga Hontou no Anzio-sen desu!)
“This is the real Anzio battle!”

Introducing Anzio.

At last, the final OVA of Girls und Panzer! Flash back with us to Oarai’s second round, featuring the Italian-themed Anzio. Having been unfairly left out in the main series Anzio is compensated with somewhat more focus than the other schools. We start with a rousing address by the charismatic Anchovy (Yoshioka Maya, working a double shift) and set to an arrangement of ‘Funiculì, Funiculà‘. Her deputies: Carpaccio (Hayami Saori) and Pepperoni (Taichi You). Anchovy is definitely our main character this time. She wields a riding crop and her subjects call her Duce. So she’s basically Mussolini, to the point where I feared her school would string her up if she lost. But unlike the real Mussolini, Anchovy the people’s hero, prudent in victory, magnanimous in defeat, etc., etc. is a lion leading sheep. Not only is her team rather ditzy, Anzio shares a similar story to Oarai in that they’re dirt broke, except for them it’s played for laughs (and I question the financial savvy of floating your school on an aircraft carrier). Since there seems to be no expectation that anyone knows anything about Italy other than Rome, food, and national debt, that’s all they get. Perhaps it’s because they’re so pitiable that they turn out to be the most sympathetic opponent to date.

Everybody else.

While I’m sure that most people watching came for tank on Italian tank action, this OVA also makes an effort to squeeze itself into the main Girls und Panzer continuity. Released at another time, it could easily have masqueraded itself as an episode 7.5. There’s still plenty of references to future developments, growth for our characters (like team Rabbit still learning how to drive), and even cameo appearance from teams that are yet to be. Most significant this time, though, is the History Club, who are not only deeply involved with the preparations and practice against Anzio (the most detailed we’ve seen yet) but one of their members also has a personal connection with the Anzio team. Since we already know that Oarai wins the match it’s necessary to keep the battle interesting in a different way, in this case, with a human element.

Not that the battle isn’t a big deal by itself. Let’s get to that, shall we?

Avanti!

Introducing the Anzio lineup! Their musical theme: an arrangement of ‘Fiamme Nere’, the battle march of the Arditi, an elite division of World War I Italian stormtroopers. Their tanks: also Italian, and that’s not a good thing. For the first time in Girls und Panzer history Oarai is not the complete underdog, and it’s Anzio that has to resort to unorthodox tactics. But after their facade collapses the match degenerates into an uncoordinated slugfest, which is a change from the tight tactical plays we’ve come to expect from Miho. Let’s go through this mess tank by tank.

The Carro Veloce CV.33 is pathetic. In every other army they won’t be considered real tanks but tankettes, which are more akin to jeeps with treads. To demonstrate exactly how useless they are the Duck Team’s Type 89B takes on five of them. At once. This is the same Type 89 that doesn’t even have a proper anti-tank gun and has never, and will never again, score any other kill in the anime series. This kind of performance is why the Italians nicknamed the CV.33 the bara d’acciaio or ‘steel coffin’, because there’s not much you can do with them other than squeeze into one, annoy the enemy until they decide to waste ammo on you, then die.

The Semovente 75/18 is technically not a tank either, but a self-propelled gun that provided much needed firepower to the Italian army. Since its design was inspired by the StuG III it’s apt that Caesar’s friend Carpaccio also mans one. It’s also funny how everyone just lets them have their little grudge match in the corner, especially since the StuG III still nominally has the biggest gun in the Oarai team and you’d have thought they’d like it doing something important. Alas all the instruction about stopping and aiming was for nought because whereas Miho vs Maho was a match of complicated feints and daring manoeuvres Taka-chan vs Hina-chan is a brutish fight without finesse. I suppose it’s not just a duel, it’s a joust. But it still ends in a wash. Sorry, StuG fans.

Last (and surprisingly least) is the Carro Armato P40. This is what passed for a heavy tank in the WWII Italian army. In reality it’s little more than a slightly bulkier, less ergonomic Panzer IV and even in the hands of Anchovy performed no better. What is arguably a tactical mistake leads the Anzio flag tank into an Oarai kill zone where it is summarily dispatched. This also makes the Anzio match the only one where Oarai completely annihilates the opposition. Not a single enemy tank survives. Isn’t it sad, Anzio?

Fortunately, this is the kind of anime where defeat means friendship, and even having her hopes and dreams dashed doesn’t weigh on Anchovy too much. Unfortunately, Girls und Panzer still needs to explain why she was conspicuously missing at the finals. Turns out, Anzio simply partied too hard. Anzio: their appeal is in being miserable. It does make you want to give them a hug.

Full-length images: 01, 11.

 

ED Sequence

ED: 「Enter Enter MISSION !」 by 渕上舞、茅野愛衣、尾崎真実、中上育実、井口裕香 (Fuchigami Mai, Kayano Ai, Ozaki Mami, Nakagami Ikumi, Iguchi Yuka)

Epilogue:

 

(Hopefully not) Final Thoughts.

Let me get something straight: I’m a pacifist. I’m from a generation where war is hell, peace is the way, and we’d join hands around the campfire to sing Kumbayah. Life is precious. Violence is the last resort. Harmony forms the very fabric of my soul.

But, damn, tanks are cool.

I know there’s some people who identify themselves as military otaku. I’m not one of them; I won’t be rattling off any materiel stats or going to bed hugging my Erwin Rommel pillow. But you don’t have to be a hardcore tank buff to appreciate the design of these rugged killing machines, the same way you might appreciate a shark. Perhaps, as seen in the Caesar vs Carpaccio bout, tanks tap into some of the medieval romanticism of mailed knights charging on their trusty steeds. Heavy plating and big guns just overflows with machismo. Which makes it ironic that it’s Girls und Panzer with its 99% female cast that lets us indulge in fantasies of halcyon days of yesteryear, before air power drove dedicated armour confrontations out of business. And since it’s ultimately a sports anime and not a war anime it can strip out much of the nitty-gritty and often horrific details. No tanks cooking off here. Panzerfahren is a safe children’s pastime. Totally.

Although this OVA wasn’t exactly the best of Girls und Panzer–it’s not even supposed to be the climatic battle, after all–it is a reminder of all the good things that GuP has consistently offered. Sure, one may raise an eyebrow at its absurd conceit or its exaggerated battles or its relentless idealism, but one should also raise a salute for how unashamedly it delivers those things in high quality. I’m usually hesitant to ask for sequels of anime but since Girls und Panzer has so far been the gift that keeps on giving I feel like I can allow myself to be a bit optimistic. The movie’s been confirmed. Give us a second season too.

53 Comments

  1. Didn’t this come out a month or more ago? Well, no harm. I’m glad someone reviewed it to remind folks about this series. Hey! Everyone! If you haven’t watched Girls und Panzer, GO FIX THAT!

    Anyway. It was pretty amusing how they tried to play the tankette swarm as being some sort of threat, but anything that can not only be defeated by the Type 89, but is also incapable of damaging it just doesn’t deserve to be on the field.

    Wanderer
    Reply

  3. Thanks so much Passerby for covering this. Better late than never as they say. Guess you can say Yukari’s designation is officially loader/espionage. Now I haven’t read the manga adaptation that showed the battle vs. Anzio, but I checked a little and Anchovy was portrayed quite differently compared to the anime. Let’s just say personally I liked Anchovy in the anime more. While it’s a shame that Anzio wasn’t featured in the main series, in a way it worked for them since I think Anchovy got a bit popular thanks to the hype from waiting for the OVA. As for Anzio as a school, I would definitely cheer for them along with Oarai. It was fun watching the carefree ways of the students. They may be poor but the camaraderie is strong. It’s nice seeing how loyal everyone is to Anchovy, and how Anchovy herself values all her subordinates, even with their shortcomings. I especially liked that assembly scene at the start. The angry reactions from the students were cute. One thing I wonder though is for a poor school(according to Anzio students themselves), I wonder how they can afford to have food festivals on a regular basis.

    Zhinvu
    Reply

    1. The food festivals are likely the reason they’re poor. Anchovy mentioned they were able to afford to buy the P40 simply by reducing the amount of money everyone spent on snacks.

      Wanderer
      Reply

    2. The only one who is really into Senshado I think is Anchovy. The rest are in it for the food and fun. They’ve got way more support vehicles than tanks. I think they need to switch their competitions to food. Iron Chef anyone?

      Bear
      Reply

      1. I definitely agree they’d fare better at food. Though I gotta admire Anzio’s tenacity with how their tankettes persistently keep coming back if you don’t hit their weakspot.

        Zhinvu
        Reply

  6. Thanks for the information on the music. Didn’t recognize it.

    I think you denigrate the P40 too much. It wasn’t a great tank but it had heavier armor than the Panzer IV Ausf D that was Miho’s tank and a more powerful gun.

    The CV33 however was never intended for tank on tank combat, though they did develop a version that had an anti tank rifle in place of the machine guns. One of the flaws in the story is the way the CV33’s were used. Given that they were maneuverable they would have been useful in scouting out Oarai’s tanks just as Miho used the Type 89 and the M3 Lee. If Anchovy had had situational awareness then things might have played out differently.

    The manga has three M13/40 tanks instead of the three of the CV33’s which would have made a lot more sense but supposedly the director liked the CV33’s

    The Semovente is an assault gun as was the StuG originally though both became tank destroyers.

    For those who are interested we’ve written a number of posts about the OVA on our website and will be posting one soon on the manga version of the Anzio battle. Quite a few differences between the two.

    Bear
    Reply

    1. Hello.
      I would just like to point out a thing: the Semovente da 75/18 was not an “assault gun” like the StuG III, it was designated merely as a “self-propelled gun”; it was not meant to provide firepower when attacking fixed positions, it was generically supposed to provide firepower to the armoured division on the move, where the normal artillery would fall behind.

      Italianguy88
      Reply

    1. @Longhaul: Personally, I liked the manga version of the battle more, but I do agree with you that the OVA fits the atmosphere of the anime series better. Excluding the obvious differences (i.e. differences in each schools lineups), the manga has a much more serious tone, and Anchovy is not the nice girl you see in the OVA. Rather poor sport in the manga. :/ For me, some combination of the two versions would be ideal.

      daikama
      Reply

  8. Tankettes occupy a unique niche in tank development as they were meant to supply close fire support for advancing troops. It gave a way to keep heavy machine guns moving with the infantry or allow for fast scouting over rugged terrain that armoured cars would otherwise have trouble with. They were never meant in any way to fight enemy armour, which is why the concept died out as heavier tanks were capable of providing better protection with significantly better firepower. The way they were used by Anzio here would have never occurred IRL, at least intentionally.

    On topic this episode is not one of the best episodes/OVAs of the series, but it does fill in the missing gap during the original season. Not to mention I get a kick every time out of the Leopold railway gun converted into a massive projection screen 😛 Considering the solid fan base, the partnership with World of Tanks, and the upcoming movie I highly doubt GUP is going to go away anytime soon; a second season is a good bet.

    Pancakes
    Reply

  11. Finally, the Anzio OVA. Anchovy gets her day in the limelight at last. (Unlike Sacchin…) Also, this is the only time where the Volleyball/Duck Team get “kills,” so it’s pretty much “savor the moment” here.

    I also loved the little call backs/call forwards to:
    – Saori studying on how to be a better radio operator.
    – Hana finding Anzio’s CV-33s “cute” (as mentioned in their Tournament Participation Roster).

    But the best portion of this OVA was the focus on the History/Hippo Team and their role in helping Miho out before the match. And Caesar apparently has Rome: Total War (or something similar to it named “ROMEN“) installed on her laptop!

    BTW, here’s the PV for the movie:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmGYEx-ka3M

    Can’t wait!

    Incognito
    Reply

      1. Another reminder why I love Girls und Panzer: Attention to the little details.

        And yeah, call it a national stereotype or such, but Anzio seems to be an accurate illustration of Italians’ love for food.

        P.S.: Saori Hayami not saying, “Onii-sama” (too many times) for once is a breath of fresh air.

        Incognito
        Reply

  12. Thanks for the review Passerby and welcome again to RC. 😀 I agree with you that the OVA integrates well with anime. There’s a lot of little scenes which work towards that goal. Not only cameos of future Oarai team members, but simple explanations of why some things happened. Ever wonder why Nekonya took so long to ask Miho about joining Oarai’s Sensha-do team, or how they managed to get the Tiger(P) out the ship’s hold? Well, now you know.

    Admittedly, Girls und Panzer is a pretty light-hearted, not-so-serious show anyway, but for me, the Anzio match was noticeably less serious, more light-hearted overall compared to the other matches – particularly the Pravda and KMM matches. The focus on comedy as much, or even more so, than tank action and tactics (to the extent there were tactics). You got a sense of that right from the start when Anzio’s team is more interested in lunch than there new, “game winning” tank.

    Their tanks: also Italian, and that’s not a good thing. For the first time in Girls und Panzer history Oarai is not the complete underdog…

    JMO, but I’d say that arguably Anzio is the slight underdog here in terms of hardware.

    —The Carro Veloce CV.33 is pathetic.

    Yes, yes it is, but as noted by others, it wasn’t designed for tank vs. tank combat. Rather it was an infantry support vehicle. It was also designed in 1933 and actually quite similar to another tank designed at that time – the Panzer I. The Panzer I, designed in 1934, was quite similar in terms of specs to the CV33/CV35 tankettes. While almost twice as heavy, the Panzer I still had thin armor (7-13mm) and mounted twin 7.92 mm MG13 machine guns rather than a cannon. So the CV33 (Serie II here as it featured twin 8mm MG rather than a single 6.5mm MG) wasn’t so bad compared to its contemporaries. Like the Type 89, it was obsolete by the start of WWII… just more so.

    —Last (and surprisingly least) is the Carro Armato P40. This is what passed for a heavy tank in the WWII Italian army. In reality it’s little more than a slightly bulkier, less ergonomic Panzer IV and even in the hands of Anchovy performed no better.

    The “heavy tank” designation was for its intended role rather than physical specifications. I also think you’re a bit too harsh on the P40. Personally, I think of it as the “Italian M4 Sherman” though the Panzer IV (Ausf. F model) is also a viable comparison. I do not consider it as good as the M4 Sherman or later Panzer IV models (Asuf. F and later), but I do think it’s the best tank/TD in the match with the possible exception of the StuG III.

    FYI – Anyone interested in more details/spec about the tanks/TDs/tankettes featured in the match can find them here.

    —… since the StuG III still nominally has the biggest gun in the Oarai team and you’d have thought they’d like it doing something important … Taka-chan vs Hina-chan is a brutish fight without finesse. I suppose it’s not just a duel, it’s a joust. But it still ends in a wash.

    RE: the StuG III’s gun, that’s an understatement. The 75mm StuK 40 L/48 is the best AT gun in the entire match by far. “Joust” is exactly the same word I would use to describe the duel, and it does readily reminds one of EP 12’s Miho vs. Maho duel. I also agree that Miho vs. Maho was much better, and that the StuG III has better uses. Still the battle dissolved quickly into separate mini battles, and there’s not much you can do with TDs lacking a turret once locked in battle other than keep firing straight ahead or attempt to flee and maybe ambush later. I would avoid crashing into each other though >_>. Anyway, while certainly not the most realistic example of tank/TD vs. tank/TD combat, IMO it was the most exciting part of a low-tension match.

    —The movie’s been confirmed. Give us a second season too.

    Enthusiastically agree with you there. 😀

    daikama
    Reply

    2. A better relation to the CV.33 IMO is the Vickers Light Tank line, specifically the Mark VI, as these were actually intended for combat like the CV.33. Quite a fitting tankette considering the Anzio focus of this episode as the Mark VI operated both in North Africa and Italian Somaliland/Ethiopia. The TKS is also a good one which funnily enough is suspected of seeing combat in Ethiopia too during the Italian invasion.

      Who needs over engineered German tankettes when you have glorious British/Polish boxes on tracks 😛

      Pancakes
      Reply

    3. About those CVs… This was what Rommel said and it perfectly sums up the Italian tanks at his and Anzio’s disposal, not withstanding the P40…

      “The Italian tanks are more suited to chasing the natives in the desert.”

      c2710
      Reply

      1. I believe you can also write the Semovente off the list. It was the only Italian AFV capable of defeating the Allied medium tanks, so much that it was produced for the Germans even after Italy’s surrender.

        Italianguy88
        Reply

  13. Woah, I suppose I better apologise to all the fans of Italian tanks who have come out of the woodwork. If any of my critique seemed harsh just assume I’m playing it up for laughs.

    Not that it’s not all true. Heh. (Please, put away the pitchforks)

    I actually rather enjoyed the CV.33’s showing, what with them withstanding enemy fire with nothing but GUTS. Like the volleyball team I respect their efforts even as I despair for them. They do flip like three times every time they’re hit though. Were we sure this sport is safe?

    As for the P40, I suppose I had a go at them because after all that hype about it being the ‘secret weapon’ and the mock practice to prepare for it, nothing came out of it. After it was trumped up so much I guess I expected more…spirit.

    Passerby
    Reply

    1. Tank otaku crawl out of the woodwork whenever people talk about this series.

      And of course this sport is safe. Nobody ever gets hurt in the series, after all, right? Senshado is a perfectly safe and fun sport for every young girl from kindergarten on up. 😉

      Sign your daughters up today! 😀

      Wanderer
      Reply

    2. @Passerby – no worries or need to apologize. *surreptitiously puts away MG42* Just joking. 😀

      A couple CV33s are fine as tank candy, but personally I would rather have had less tankettes and something else in Anzio’s line up per the manga (three CV33s replaced by three M13/40 tanks). I’ve read a comment that the director likes the tankettes a lot so you’re not alone in that regard. Still, it’s a “bit” more than just “eye-brow raising” watching a couple of high school girls right a 3 1/2 ton (3.15 tonne) tankette with relative ease. LOL

      “Were we sure this sport is safe?”

      Yeah, kind of wonder about that myself some times. BTW, IMO Moomba had a great line about Senshado “safety” in his his EP 06 review: “Tanks are safe they said! The interior plating keeps you from harm inside they said! Dude. That looks like fire. Fire is not safe!”

      daikama
      Reply

  14. wow… I’m no WWII buff so i decided to go read the wikipidea on WWII Italy….. I guess Anzio really did a good job of representing the country of pizza…. In fact, they did so well that it makes me really sad just watching how Anchovi does her best to unite her carefree comrades.

    Duche! I love you as much as I love macaroni!

    Anyways, this OVA really reminded me why I bought a scale model of an T-34-85 after rewatching the series last year. High impact action with a douse of comedy here and there. It truly lives up to the Gurls Und Panzers brand.

    Ginobi47
    Reply

  15. man those C33 .. they get flipped and they just push them back and keep going!

    “‘steel coffin’, because there’s not much you can do with them other than squeeze into one, annoy the enemy until they decide to waste ammo on you, then die” lol’d

    Anzio is really really poor… they spend all their money in parties! … that after party image.. ahah there is a girl with her head inside a pot!

    cant wait to watch the movie.

    PS: gosh this OVA made me remember how much i miss this series… WTB Season 2! … in the mean time imma go play world of tanks while listening to Katyusha (… where did i leave the 2 hrs loop again? .. meh … youtube here i come)

    inanis
    Reply

  16. What I liked about this OAV is that despite being made much later that the anime, it fits the plot and canon like a glove.

    Re-watching GUP with the OAV chronologically actually helps, since you see Teams when they are still lacking experience develop themselves. Especially with the hilarious training sequences, Hippo still being perfecting their shots and positioning, Duck once again screaming their lungs out, and Momo still being incompetent.

    They even bothered to answer questions that always bugged me from the anime series. How did Anzio end up in tank pile with Oorai overlooking them? They answer that. How did the Automobile Club get the Tiger P when it was embedded inside the ship? They answer that. Its this little careful details that I always enjoyed in GuP.

    The battle with Anzio itself it was not as exciting as the other matches which I guess its expected considering their tank lineup. Instead they made up for it with lots of energy and laughs. It really endeared me to Anzio. I especially liked Pepperoni, who is kind of a moron, but of the funny, likable kind with her enthusiasm. The battle also allowed Duck to finally score some kills thiugh largely with tanks worse than the Type-89. But seriously, they took out five targets on the move, they have such a high rate, yet their tank is terrible. Also, its interesting how Rabbit acquitted themselves nicely in this battle. For a moment Anzu looked like a very competent commander this battle who was able to help here team shoot properly.

    https://randomc.net/image/Girls%20und%20Panzer/Girls%20und%20Panzer%20OVA%20-%20Large%2050.jpg
    I have the ask though if this is Anzio’s pre-match celebrations and can put themselves out for an entire day, what kind of party would they pull after Ooorai wins? Its too bad they slept throughout the whole match, I guess we will never know.

    fragb85
    Reply

  17. Nice work on your maiden entry Passerby. Looking to more posts from you.

    Anyway, the thing about Italian can be summed up in this quote by Field Marshall Rommel, “The German soldier impressed the world. The Italian soldier impressed the German soldier.”

    I think that itself speaks voluminous since material wise, the Italians were “totally fucked up” by German and 1940s standards. It seems that Chobi-ko has been taught and came out in the higher percentile in Rommel’s Panzertruppenschule Afrika. But yes, Operation Macaroni was botched up thanks to Pepperoni. (God what has she been doing when Rommel was talking about decoys…. Thinking about food???)

    Oh and the StuG v. Semovente…. Did this come to mind? Frankly speaking they can replace the entire music from start to finish with Duel of Fates

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh4l39Lo194

    cruiser2710
    Reply

  20. One thing that bothered me was a detail: those were actually CV-35, not CV-33. The CV-33 only had one gun, and was considered obsolescent before the war even began.

    They weren’t actually useless; they just aren’t useful for fighting enemy armor. The CV-35 was intended to fight against enemy infantry; it’s a pillbox on tracks. That’s why it’s armed only with machine guns.

    Steven Den Beste
    Reply

    1. @Steven Den Beste: “One thing that bothered me was a detail: those were actually CV-35, not CV-33. The CV-33 only had one gun, and was considered obsolescent before the war even began.”

      I ran into the same issue myself initially (i.e. thinking the tankette was misidentified) until some comments prompted me to do some more digging into the matter. From one WWII/tank site: “The second model [of the CV33] appeared in 1934 and delivered in 1936, was armed with two machine-guns FIAT modello 14/35 of 8 mm. The support of the last road-wheel was separated from the idler. In 1938 the CV-33 was officially renamed L3 or L3/33 (L for leggero (light), 3 for tonnage and 33 for the year of introduction).” The other thing is that most, if not all, CV33’s that originally had a single 6.5mm MG were upgraded to twin 8mm MGs. In short, those technically could be CV33s even with twin 8mm MG.

      Interestingly, in the manga version of the Anzio match, the tankettes are listed as CV35 models. FYI, for some unknown reason the English manga scans for the Anzio match list the tankettes as “CV33” models though the tankōbon raws clearly state “CV35” models. (see manga raw CV35 example (4th panel)). I have no idea why there’s a difference between the two. Anyway, the reason I mention this is because the OVA could have just gone the manga’s route (i.e. CV35) and bypassed the whole issue. It’s not like going from CV33 to CV35 will make ANY difference here. Lastly, while JMO, I think any tankette was pretty much obsolete by the start of WWII.

      — “They weren’t actually useless; they just aren’t useful for fighting enemy armor. The CV-35 was intended to fight against enemy infantry; it’s a pillbox on tracks. That’s why it’s armed only with machine guns.”

      In a sense, all tanks are “pillboxes” on tracks, but 13-15mm of maximum armor thickness (data varies among sites) does not a pillbox make. An M2 AP .50 cal BMG round can penetrate 1″ (25.4mm) of homogeneous plate armor at 200m and 17mm at 600m (don’t know if that’s the usual 30 degree incline or not). So, not much of a “pillbox” when you can easily be taken out by heavy MG fire at 500m let alone any sort of AP cannon shell.

      The CV33/CV35 like any tankette could be useful in the right situation, but this is Senshado = tank vs. tank combat. When (A) you’re vulnerable to the Type 89’s low velocity 57 mm L/15 Type 90 gun AND (B) you can’t harm the Type 89 from the front, side or rear (17mm of armor), IMO that pretty much = useless in terms of Senshado.

      daikama
      Reply

  21. Yaaa break out the champagne for Passerby! Nice post mate.
    I loved GuP so this was just a cherry on top. It’s a bit of a sterotype about the Italians and their want to only party. I live in Spain for 4 years now and whenever I travel for business I get the same shit “Hey do you need time for a siesta?”, or “hey how was that 4 hour lunch”……Anyhow the names just killed me, Anchovy, Peprroni, Carpaccio!!! hahahaha
    Loved the OVA and the end where Anzio are passed out. the chick with her head in a pot! LOL.
    Really looking forward to the movie!

    Miaminights
    Reply

  22. Well… that actually sums up how the world sees us Italian people like. Silly laughing stock. Since old WWII till now not much has changed. Well, It’s the harsh reality though. I’m so sad. Nonetheless the anime was so much enjoyable too! Avanti!!

    Solaris
    Reply

    1. While Pepperoni may live up to that stereotype, by the end of the OVA I was rather impressed with their attitude. They may not be the best at Senshado, but they certainly put out real effort and enthusiasm. Anybody who’ll turn a 3 ton vehicle upright after being flipped over has real heart. They really enjoy life! Mangia!

      Bear
      Reply

  23. oh my Anzio might be not the strongest team of all, but sure they know how to party hard…
    …and make great food!
    watching this OVA while munching on pizza with pepperoni and anchovy = ZEN
    now give me another season…

    ewok40k
    Reply

  24. Welcome to the comunity, Passerby, and thanks for the review.
    For once, Oarai isn’t the underdog, although Anzio have a better stablished school and Panzercraft club, even if the girls need to cut their snacks provison to buy a tank.
    The only reason for the use of the Carro Veloce is to finally get the Volleyball Girls to score! They’re the most banzai team in Oarai, so they deserved some glory, even if the only thing they’ll shot down are tankettes. Pepperoni’s cute stupidity also makes the cut, alongside the Rabbit Team grow.
    Now, the Assault Gun Battle was an epic brawl. Maybe Carpaccio and Caesar need a mud pool to finish the buisness.
    Anchovy’s anime version is way too much.

    SeedStriker
    Reply

  25. Anyone notice the Star of David on Oryou’s Kimono?

    I wonder if that’s a subtle reference to Erwin’s (Rommels) status as a true military officer rather than a “Nazi” and his letter which called for allowing Jewish citizens to enlist in the Army. (Hence why Oryou is serving in Erwins tank)?

    Hellstorm901
    Reply

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