The match begins, and the teams move into position. Miho says that this is a "Total Annihilation" match, in which all enemy tanks must be defeated, and tells the other tanks to get into position, while her tank acts as bait. Anzu asks her for an operation name, and Miho suggests, "Operation Sneaky Sneaks."
Meanwhile, Darjeeling takes a sip from her tea, climbs into her tank and orders the others to advance.
We're back to the Action Prologue from Episode 1, which mostly goes as we saw before, with a few additional scenes.
Hana takes aim at a Churchill, using the strich markings to gauge distance, as seen in the previous episode. The shot, a near-miss, falls near the Churchill, causing it to shake. Orange Pekoe, Darjeeling's loader, says that they're attacking, and Darjeeling suggests that they say "hello" back, ordering an attack on the Panzer IV.
Anglerfish Team engages in evasive maneuvers, and Darjeeling notes that they're better than she thought, before ordering her tanks to pick up speed. She vows that she won't spill a single drop of tea, before firing a shot that just barely misses the Panzer IV, as well as Miho inside it.
Saori opens the hatch and insists that Miho get back inside the tank because it's dangerous. Miho insists that it's safe, since people rarely get hit and there's carbon lining to protect the tank, but thanks Saori for her concern and complies.
Elsewhere, the other four teams are waiting. Rabbit Team is playing cards, Duck Team is spiking around a volleyball, and Anzu lounges around on the tank. Momo complains about Anglerfish Team being late, just as Anglerfish Team announces that they'll be there in three minutes. They then get into position, and Momo orders them to fire... just as Miho's tank is emerging.
I've noticed Momo tends to be one of the less popular Oarai students for a few reasons. She's largely bossy and arrogant, with relatively little tankery talent, and she tends to cause trouble at major points. It's not hard to see why, even if more is revealed about the student council's true intentions.
Momo's mistake alerts Darjeeling to the presence of the other tanks, and Darjeeling says that she "(doesn't) think (their) bait plan is going to work out so well."
Oarai's tanks fire wildly at the St. Gloriana tanks, with Miho's advice falling on deaf ears, and their shots often falling far short of the targets. Darjeeling then orders them to fire on the enemy. Rabbit Team abandons their tank in a panic, which one would think would be the worst possible idea both for their safety and their team's performance, and results in their tank being taken out. Meanwhile, the 38(t) loses a track and drifts out of control, with Anzu casually commenting on it as it happens.
Miho asks Saori to check on the other teams. Hippo and Duck confirm that they're fine, but Rabbit Team doesn't respond, and Momo from Turtle Team keeps insisting that they keep firing. Miho begins to despair, but with some support from her friends, orders the remaining teams to follow her, commencing "Operation Now With More Sneaky Sneaks."
The three Oarai tanks, pursued by the five St. Gloriana tanks, enter the town of Oarai, and plan to use its territory to their advantage. Darjeeling tells her tanks to search for the enemy. One passes by some innocuous-looking banners, before getting shot by a concealed Hippo Team. Another Matilda's commander finds a garage in use, calling the Oarai troops hiding there "idiots" (unusually rude for the ladylike St. Gloriana students, even if Darjeeling is a bit proud at times) but notices too late that Duck Team is rising from behind them, using an elevator, and gets shot in the back.
Miho's pleased to hear this, and Darjeeling, dropping her teacup, admits that they're good, since she failed her Self-Imposed Challenge. But Duck Team's celebration is premature, and after another futile attack on their enemy, they're effortlessly defeated. And Hippo, while trying to escape some enemies, is shot, with their banners negating the advantage that they had from the Stu G's low profile.
Miho, facing a 1 on 4 battle, decides to shake off her enemies, and they're pursued through the city streets. Naturally, some property damage ensues, but when a Matilda plows into a shop, the owner (one of the few men with a speaking role), who's watching... celebrates, since it's ensured and he can buy a new one. Miho runs into a closed road and is cornered, with Darjeeling reciting a proverb that "All is fair in love and war". All seems lost, until Turtle team arrives to save Miho. Improbably enough, Momo misses at point-blank range, but the four St. Gloriana tanks do not. While Turtle Team's defeated, they give Anglerfish Team enough time to take out one of the Matildas and escape.
Anglerfish Team takes out one Matilda that's going around a corner, then circles and takes out the other one, leaving only the Churchill. It shrugs off a direct hit, and misses a shot against Anglerfish, but Miho decides to end things. Miho tries a bait-and-switch attack on the Churchill, which ends with them exchanging fire. The Churchill survives the hit, but Anglerfish does not. The town, along with Ami and Rabbit Team, which has climbed a tree for a view of the action, watch the result.
The battle was nicely done and entertaining for the first one, even if Miho ended up doing the lion's share of the work, while her teammates largely fell prey to rookie mistakes.
Darjeeling approaches Miho and asks her name. Miho seems apprehensive about giving it, possibly out of fear of being compared to Maho again. But Darjeeling says that Miho is quite different from Maho, with an approving tone.
As the three St. Gloriana girls walk off, Momo decides to have Anglerfish team do the Anglerfish Dance, but Anzu points out that Turtle Team will also be participating, since they were also responsible for the loss. It's nice to see Anzu taking responsibility for this.
After it ends, the others reassure Miho that it wasn't her fault they lost. The four of them, sans Mako, who has to go visit her grandmother, go shopping.
As the four are walking, Saori's eyes meet those of an attractive young man pulling a rickshaw. Hana knows the man, whose name is Shinzaburou. He walks over, not hearing Saori's awkward attempt to introduce herself, and Hana introduces him as a man who's serving an apprenticeship at her house.
Shinzaburou's passenger, a woman in a kimono, greets Hana while using "-san" on her name, and Hana recognizes her as her mother. Her mother, whose name is Yuri, is pleased to see that her daughter is well, and asks to be introduced to her friends. Hana introduces Saori and Miho as her classmates. Then, Yukari speaks up, saying that she may be in a different class, but they're doing tankery together; since she's in a different class, as well as a different division of the school, that's apparently the only thing they have in common, and the only way for them to have met. It's natural that Yukari would mention this detail, even if it turns out to be a bad idea.
Hana looks at Yukari in shock, as Yuri is unwilling to believe what she is hearing. Yukari realizes, too late, what she has done, and Yuri takes Hana's hands, sniffs them, and finds the scent of oil and iron. Horrified that her daughter would choose tankery with the hands she uses to arrange flowers, Yuri promptly faints.
Yuri is taken to the Isuzu manor, and Hana and her friends wait in a room. Yukari apologizes, but Hana says it's her fault for not telling Yukari.
Shinzaburou informs Hana that her mother has awakened. Hana apologizes, saying she must return, but Shinzaburou politely suggests that it may not be any of his business, but he believes it would be best to tell Yuri how she feels.
Hana's friends eavesdrop on the conversation, with Miho having reservations, but Saori wanting to find out what will happen to Hana. Yuri tries to understand what's wrong with Hana, and Hana says that for her, arranging flowers isn't good enough. Yuri insists that her flowers are in fitting with the Isuzu style, but Hana wants to do so with more vigor.
Yuri says that tanks should be turned into scrap metal, causing Yukari to become enraged.
Hana reiterates her desire to do tankery, and Yuri reaches a decision-Hana is not to come home again, angrily silencing Shinzaburou when he tries to protest.
While what Yuri did was wrong, I have significantly more sympathy for her than for Miho's mother. She's seems kinder to Hana for the most part, and her decision can be interpreted as losing her composure at Hana's sudden decision, combined with feeling unable to do anything about it (which is exacerbated by the fact that Hana didn't tell her, even if that doesn't justify her decision).
Hana bows to her mother and exits the room, convinced that she will enable her mother to understand one day. She reassures Shinzaburou that she will do the best she can, and Miho promises Hana she will also do her best.
Shinzaburou runs through the streets in a rickshaw, crying and promising to see Hana again, while Saori is apparently cured of any crush she may have had on him.
Mako is waiting for the others, doing a Captain Morgan Pose while she does, and greets them by saying that they're late. Saori observes that Mako is surprisingly energetic at night. They barely board the school ship in time, with Sodoko commenting on their lateness and complaining about Mako's use of her nickname.
Once back, Miho and the others are greeted by Rabbit Team, who apologize for running away and are impressed by Anglerfish Team's performance. The student council feels the same way, saying that they'll leave the plans to Miho, much to Momo's shock. Anzu gives Miho a basket of tea from St. Gloriana, with a note from Darjeeling saying that fighting Miho was more fun than fighting Maho, and hoping to face Oarai in an official match. Anzu hopes they win.
Unfortunately, doing so turns out to be more difficult than they think, since they start out with a difficult opponent in the first round- the American themed Saunders College High. The student council is especially upset, saying that they must not lose, without elaborating why. The episode ends with a shot of dozens of Shermans advancing.
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