The chapter, as well as Miho and Maho's duel, begins with the Tiger making the first move, and Miho ordering Mako to circle around to the left. Yukari ponders the Tiger's history, with it being used by people like Wittman and Carius, and concludes that they have no chance of defeating it head-on.
Miho orders Mako to make turns to make a detour without letting their hull get in front of the Tiger, and while Mako complains that it's difficult, she succeeds, impressing Miho and Yukari. Yukari notes that with both tanks at the same speed (Maho's tank is heavier but with a better engine), Mako's driving makes the difference, and interesting bit of information.
Miho concludes that her sister won't let things continue as they are, and the part with Miho getting to a dead end before ramming Maho follows, with the implication that she wasn't expecting it. Miho orders Mako to the right, and Yukari says that if they'd taken a hit from the 88, "god help us."
As Maho grazes Miho's tank, Yukari points out that the enemy is going on the offensive. Miho orders Hana to fire back as much as she can, telling her that the Nishizumi style is all about the offensive, and that if they don't put some pressure on them, the attacks will continue unabated.
Leopon Team is fighting outside, and has taken out three enemy tanks. Erika is annoyed about it being a "failure" tank, and this time, orders the tanks to fire on the turret ring, a tactic she didn't order in the anime.
Meanwhile, Miho orders Mako to take a left and Hana to fire. Hana continues firing while Mako brakes. Yukari thinks of this as a shooting contest. Both contestants can win, so it all comes down to willpower. I've noticed that fight scenes in manga have a lot more dialogue than fight scenes original to anime, and I have to wonder if it's somehow related to how that medium works, and whether manga writers feel the need to give the readers something to read, not just look at.
As Miho gives her orders for the final assault, Yukari understands what she's going through, since it's their "do-or-die moment." All the eliminated teams are shown on the side of the arena, with Leopon not far from their disabled tank.
The final clash and the aftermath happen like they did before, but without the celebrations from the spectators, most of whom had next to no role in the manga, if they weren't Adapted Out.
The student council thanks Miho, and Yukari is amused by the sight of Momo wailing, while pleased that they were able to make their feelings reality. None of the other small scenes involving the other crews are shown, especially not Mako's tardies and unexcused absences being absolved.
Miho runs off to see Maho, and the exchange goes as it did in the anime, up until Maho confirms that it was very much like Miho to fight that way.
Then Erika shows up, declaring with a smile that they lost but will win next time, much to Yukari's surprise. Miho deeply bows in gratitude before telling her sister that she found her own way of tankery.
As the Kuromorimine team drives off, Maho says that Erika spoke well, and that it takes a strong person to be a Graceful Loser, which is why she'll succeed her as commander of Black Forest. Erika, saying she wanted to win together with "Commander Nishizumi" (the first time she calls Maho anything other than just "Commander") starts to break down in tears, and one of her teammates offers to take the wheel. It's nice to see Erika display some redeeming features and vulnerability, in spite of her increased cruelty for much of the manga.
Regarding Erika, in the light novel (which I don't have any translations for), it turns out that Erika, of all people was one of the people Miho saved from the tank, which means that for much of the series, she's not just a Jerkass toward Miho, but also an Ungrateful Bastard. In the end, however (I'm not sure when or how Erika had her change of heart), Erika tearfully tells Miho that she's glad that she didn't give up tankery.
Oarai takes the championship flag in a brief ceremony that lasts half a page.
The scene shifts back to school, with Anglerfish Team coming together like they did at the start, making their way to an assembly at the tank storehouse. Yukari once again reflects that she was alone before meeting Miho, and now has many friends. She says this is her way of tankery.
The tank information at the end of the volume shows the Chi-Nu, Leopon and Maus, among others (they're numbered 1, 2 and 11, respectively, so I'm not sure what the other eight are).
After the end of the manga, a brief scene is shown, with Shiho clapping for Oarai's victory, as Kikuyo approaches. Shiho wonders if a new wind is blowing, one that will blow the previous order away. Kikuyo asks whether continuing to protect tradition is out of touch, but Shiho simply smiles and says that they will go back. This was a nice extension on Shiho's scene, while still keeping it somewhat ambiguous. One can hope that eventually, it will be expanded on more.
All in all, the manga did have some interesting new parts, such as Miho being threatened with disownment, and the battle with Anzio, but there were noticeable ways in which it fell short of the anime. Yukari isn't as interesting as Miho, since she largely revolves around Miho, and her Character Development largely consisted from relying on Miho to help them win to wanting to help Miho herself.
It might have been better to focus on Miho, or to have an an entirely new perspective, such as someone who didn't see much of Miho during this time.
Of course, the manga also did a good job explaining some things from the anime, such as how the plans worked, and certain aspects about the tanks' performance, particularly in the finals. As such, it works well as a supplement for those who watched the anime, but less well as a stand-alone work or one that expands on the story.
Next Installment: We go back in time six years, and liveblog the Little Army prequel manga.
