Since the manga's now up to where the anime is, let's switch back to the anime for a critical point in the story- the Pravda arc.
The episode begins with Katyusha, commander of Pravda's tankery team, talking with Darjeeling, who has lost against Black Forest but doesn't mind, as Nonna, Katyusha's exceptionally tall vice captain serves tea with jam, and Katyusha eats it quite messily.
The subject shifts to how it's Pravda's turn for their semifinals match, and Katyusha is cocky enough to dismiss training for the match against Oarai as a waste of fuel. This remark seems intended to show her arrogance, but one has to wonder whether they do want to conserve fuel for financial or environmental considerations.
Darjeeling then brings up Miho being from a tankery school. Katyusha initially demands to know why Nonna didn't mention this (although Nonna points out that she did, in fact, tell her), but is slightly relieved when she learns that Miho is the younger daughter. She asks if Darjeeling came all this way just to tell her that.
The scene shifts back to Oarai, in which Nakajima finishes installing a long-range canon on the Panzer IV, which Yukari says makes it look like the F2. Miho thanks the auto club, and Momo and Yuzu seem content with how much they've upgraded. Miho asks who's going to crew the tank, and on cue, Sodoko and two of her colleagues from the disciplinary committee (who look just like her)- step in and announce that they will do so. Anzu introduces them, referring to Sodoko by her nickname (it seems Mako isn't the only one to do so), and Sodoko politely objects.
The newcomers need to learn how to operate their new tank, and it falls on Mako to teach them. While Mako's willing, Sodoko protests having to learn it from her, and insists that Mako not be arrogant because of her good grades. Mako asks Sodoko to read the manual and practice on her own, angering Sodoko, who insists that Mako teach her. Mako says, "right right," annoying Sodoko, and gives a longer and more drawn out "right."
Momo then turns to the group, and says that the semifinals are next. She says that even if their opponent is the previous champion, Oarai must win. Rabbit Team asks why, and says that they can get better next year- it's a nice touch, given that Rabbit Team has the most time to improve while in high school. Momo then snaps, and yells that this cannot happen, silencing the freshmen and stopping the music. A few seconds of Stunned Silence follow, broken by Anzu saying, with dead seriousness, that they must win.
Momo tells Miho to give her orders, and Miho asks to start practice. As everyone runs off, Anzu calls out to Miho, asking her to come to the student council office so they can tell her something.
That night, Miho meets the student council in their office. The weather has gotten cold, because they are north of the 50 degrees latitude line, as a result of the roulette choosing that location for the match with Pravda. Miho asks what they wanted to talk about, but Anzu tells her to have some goosefish stew. Yuzu says that Anzu's recipe is great, and Anzu starts to describe it, only for Miho to cut her off and tell her that she doesn't need to know that. This seems a little strange; one would think that Miho would show polite interest in the recipe.
Miho and the student council then sits under a kotatsu, while they reminisce about the past, and all the various events that they planned while working in the office, sometimes late into the night. Miho then suggests that's enough reminiscing, which, again, seems a bit uncharacteristic of her. The student council then reveals that they've been running it since their first year, and Anzu shows them some photos, including Momo smiling (something Momo finds embarrassing), a costume contest, a water festival and a pro wrestling tournament. Miho finds all this fun, and Anzu and Momo agree. They then start to eat.
The meeting ends, and Miho walks home, wondering what they wanted to talk with her about.
Back in the office, Momo mentions that Anzu couldn't bring herself to tell Miho the news, and Anzu says that she doesn't want Miho to bear the burden if she had just transferred. Anzu wants Miho to just enjoy herself, without worrying about what will happen. As Anzu goes to make tea, Momo dejectedly says that everything's over, but Anzu reassures her that they don't know what will happen.
This is an interesting change of heart for Anzu, showing that she's gradually becoming kinder and more considerate of Miho's feelings. While I do find that Anzu does seem a bit lazy at critical moments, and Momo often seems to act as though she's still commander of the team despite not having Miho's competence, this does show that they are good people at heart, and have a good goal.
Miho, on the walk back from the student council meeting, wonders what they wanted to talk with her about.
Back at the Nishizumi house, Shiho asks Maho if she was aware, presumably of Miho doing tankery at Oarai, and Maho says yes. Shiho says that Miho has no regard for her status as a Nishizumi, and that she can't tolerate it any longer. Shiho recites the Nishizumi school's doctrine- succeeding at whatever they do and proceeding forward with ruthless determination. Shiho then notices that Maho doesn't seem to be paying attention, as Maho's expression indicates she is extremely uncomfortable with what is going on. Maho then says that she's following the Nishizumi style, and is about to say something about Miho, but Shiho tells Maho to forget about her; she will be going to the semifinals, "for the express purpose of casting her out of the family".
With these two scenes and a handful of lines of dialogue, Shiho has become the most hated character in Girls und Panzer, and it's not hard to see why. While Maho does seem cold to Miho, she has redeeming features, and does, in fact, care for her younger sister in ways that her mother does not. Until her final scene, Shiho displays no sympathetic traits or redeeming qualities, although some fanfic writers try their hand at portraying her in such a light.
On a side note, it should be pointed out that Shiho's plans to disown Miho are never brought up again, which leads some to wonder whether Shiho ever carried it out.
The scene shifts back to Oarai and turns lighter hearted. Hana notices Miho's pocket warmers, and Miho says that without a heating system in the tanks, they have to prepare however they can. Rabbit Team ponders putting on extra layers, and lipstick, wondering how many will be watching them. Hippo Team also puts on their costumes. Sodoko scolds Rabbit Team for using makeup (which I assume is proof that the Japanese high schools are much stricter about personal appearance than Western ones, even apart from the uniform). Oryou tells Sodoko to stop nagging, but she insists that it's a class, only for Erwin to nonchalantly tell her that she's the star of her own story.
Duck Team considers recruiting for the volleyball team by writing on the tank, and Yukari points out how excited everyone is since they won against Anzio, and Saori says expectations are high. Hana is especially pleased, since Shinzaburou is bringing her mother to the next match, meaning that she has made progress on reconciling with her mother.
In Miho's apartment, she works on her laptop with printouts of Russian tanks on her desk. She lists out the Pravda arsenal, and ponders the possibility of an all-out attack on their flag tank, but realizes that they'll be in trouble if it fails. She realizes that they'll have to be cautious.
The Oarai and Pravda ships come into port, and Saori is extremely cold. Miho says that they prepared, putting Winterketten on the StuG and antifreeze in its radiator. Miho notices that the normally stern disciplinary members seem uncomfortable, so she reassures them, and Mako offers to help. Sodoko, angered by being called by her nickname, gets back to normal, as Rabbit Team has a snowball fight, and Hippo Team sculpts a snow samurai.
A truck pulls up, and Katyusha and Nonna get out. Katyusha laughs uproariously, suggesting that Oarai is nothing more than a joke. Anzu introduces herself and offers a handshake, but Katyusha does not comply, instead having Nonna lift her onto her shoulders and taunting them that all of them are below Katyusha, in terms of tanks, technology and height. Momo is unimpressed, angering Katyusha. Katyusha decides to leave, but notices Miho before she does, sarcastically thanking her for last year, and asking her to "work (her) magic again" this year.
The crowd in the stands is relatively sparse, most likely because of the weather. Darjeeling and Orange Pekoe, however, are there once more, and wonder how Oarai plans to win against the cold and Pravda's superior numbers.
As if to answer that question, the scene cuts to Miho meeting with the others, sharing her strategy- to not be overwhelmed by their superior numbers, but to advance calmly and find the flag tank. Unfortunately, Caesar speaks out in favor of throwing caution to the wind, followed by the rest of Hippo Team. Miho tries to persuade them otherwise, but the rest of the team speaks out, and Momo agrees, acting as though she's still the leader.
One has to wonder why the student council is also going along with this, given that it's clear that they know something the rest of Oarai does not, but that they'll soon learn.
Miho, seeing that everyone else has made up their minds, agrees, resulting in Yukari and Hana wondering why. Miho says that Pravda would gain the advantage in a long battle, and she wants to take advantage of the team's motivation. Anzu agrees, quoting Sun Tzu's statement that haste can often be bad, but dragging things out is never good.
The Pravda tanks advance, and Katyusha threatens any tank that gets taken out with being set to Siberia for "25 Rubles
," (I'm not sure why they use it as a unit of time), which Nonna says means 25 days of supplemental lessons in a dark classroom. Katyusha then declares their intention to leave the flag tank for last while taking out all the others.
What happens next depends on what version you're watching.
- If you're watching the original, "Katyusha" follows. This is quite an impressive musical number, and it got me interested in the show in the first place.
- If you're watching the Crunchyroll sub, it cuts to the next scene.
- If you're watching the DVD version, an entirely different song, ("Polyushke Polye" plays). Since there's no vocal track, you don't see Katyusha and Nonna singing along, so they look quite comical riding along with their mouths shut.
The Oarai tanks advance. Hana, who is cold, is in favor of wrapping up the match soon, while Yukari offers Miho cocoa.
Katyusha and Nonna, doing some recon, spot Oarai's tanks. Katyusha's surprised that Oarai's going all in, and decides to settle things.
Mallard Team has difficulty getting up a snowy hill, and Momo demands an explanation. Gomoyo apologizes to Sodoko, saying that she's trying; the two seem fine with using each other's nicknames. Miho tells Mallard Team to fall back, but Mako gets out and leaves the driving to Yukari. She then gets in Mallard Team's tank and drives it up the hill. Gomoyo is grateful, but Sodoko is not, complaining about Mako getting in someone else's tank without asking. Mako nonchalantly tells them not to worry about it.
Hana destroys a snowbank with a high explosive shell. Shinzaburou, who is there with Yuri (who wears a haori along with her kimono), claps and cheers, but Yuri mournfully says that her daughter is doing that with the same hands she uses for flower arranging. Shinzaburou, however, suggests that Yuri try to enjoy the match.
Oarai's tanks advance without encountering any enemies. Rabbit Team sees some squirrels, and Hippo Team jokes about this being like Stalingrad. Miho then sees the enemy ahead, and puts her tanks on alert. As the enemy opens fire, Miho notices that there are only three tanks, and decides to make use of the Panzer IV's long barrel. Oarai opens fire and takes out two tanks, exciting them. Miho, however, is concerned, noting that things are going too well.
Miho decides to pursue the remaining tank. Hana wonders why it's running, but Saori says that it's natural when it's being pursued with the entirety of their forces, not unlike guys do when pursued by girls.
Miho sees five more tanks, among them, Pravda's flag tank. The Oarai tanks charge foward and attack, while one Pravda tank falls to their assault. Darjeeling's expression turns grim, while Maho and Shiho are impassive. The Oarai tanks continue the pursuit as Miho pleads for them to stop. The Oarai tanks pursue the Pravda flag tank into the village, only to find that it's better at evading fire than the others.
Pravda springs the trap, and Oarai is surrounded as concealed tanks reveal themselves. Everyone is shocked and horrified at this development. Pravda's forces open fire and force the Oarai troops to retreat to a church. A few tanks get damaged, but none are disabled.
The bombardment soon stops, and a pair of messengers arrive, requesting, on Katyusha's behalf, that Oarai surrender and bow before her in a coldly civil tone. Momo refuses, with "NUTS!", but the speaking messenger says that they'll be back in three hours, which does seem like a long period of inactivity for a tankey match.
As the messengers walk away, the rest of Oarai is annoyed at the prospect of having to bow before someone like Katyusha, but Miho is concerned. She says that if they try to fight their way out all at once, someone might get hurt. The rest of Anglerfish Team chimes in, supporting Miho no matter what she does.
Momo, however, vehemently insists that they must win, and Miho finally asks why Momo wants to win so badly. Miho says that they've done well thus far, but tankery isn't war, and there are more important things than winning. Momo asks what, and Miho says that she came to the school, met many people and learned for the first time that tankery is fun (again, Little Army seems to suggest that the "first time" part is untrue). Miho says she loves the school and tankery, and wants to keep those feelings intact.
Momo, horrified, turns to Miho, asking her why she would say such things if "Our school is gone if we lose!" evidently having finally found an opportune moment to convince Miho. Miho asks what Momo means, and as Momo has fallen silent, Anzu points out that she's right, and that if they don't win the nationals, the school will shut down.
The episode ends with that twist, and was a nice change of pace, even if Oarai got into trouble because of their overconfidence.
Next Installment: Now knowing why they can't lose, Oarai is faced with the difficult task of getting out of their present situation.
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