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Heartwarming / Girls und Panzer

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Per wiki policy, moments pages are Spoilers Off!

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    Anime (Including the OVAs) 

The anime

  • Every time Miho seems on the verge of breaking down, and her friends — Saori and Hana especially — give her their quiet support. A great example of this can be seen during the chase in episode 6.
  • Saori and Hana, who initially wanted to do Tankery, switched without hesitation to Miho's choice of elective class to be with her, and were willing to face expulsion (or so they thought) in order to spare Miho the traumatic memories that doing Tankery again would rise.
    • Seconds later, Miho decides to enter Tankery, not for fear of expulsion (which would be in the tearjerker entry), but out of gratitude to her friends' standing up for her, something that she later tells them no one has ever done for her before - so she switches to THEIR initial choice of elective class, traumatic memories be damned.
  • In episode 7, Yukari comments that Miho's former teammates that she saved when their tank fell in a river must be really grateful for it. Come episode 10 and we see the aforementioned former teammate thanking Miho, and Yukari watching on with a marvelous 'I told you so' expression.
    • In that very scene of episode 10, there's another subtle line that doubles as Moment of Awesome. This time for aforementioned nameless former teammate's simple request to Miho: Do not quit. Anyone with even a passing experience in any sort of competitive sport or martial art will understand what makes it awesome. Also for Miho's simple answer: She won't.
  • In Episode 8 then the Student Council tried to tell Miho that their school is going to be closed down if they don't win, but couldn't and instead tried to be generally nice and showed her pictures of fond memories in the past, even a photo with The Comically Serious smiling!
  • Also in episode 8. Ōarai's tanks are fleeing Pravda's ambush and the Stug III suffers a hit to the tracks, immobilizing it just before it can take cover with most of the others inside an abandoned building. But the Panzer IV - bringing up the rear - rotates to be back to back with the Stug III and pushes the crippled vehicle to safety while covering it from and returning fire against Pravda's forces.
  • Nonna singing "Bayushki Bayu" to Katyusha. It really drives home how close the two are.
  • Hana's flower arrangement at the exhibition, and her reconciliation with her mother, who now understands her better.
    • What makes it better is in Episode 4, immediately after getting disowned, Hana tells her friends that "Someday, I'll arrange some awesome flowers that'll make my mother understand." Hana's belief that her mother will come around at a time like that might make her a Love Martyr or Horrible Judge of Character in another series, but here, she's correct. Her mother seems to, from what we've seen, be typically warm and loving, but happened to take the sudden news of her daughter doing Tankery poorly and overreact, and it's nice to see that they reconciled.
  • Episode 10. In what is indeed an Awesome Moment of Heartwarming, they offhandedly mention that many other clubs have forked over additional money to support The Team. They use that money to buy a Hetzer conversion kit. Let's say again: the other school clubs pool enough money to buy a tank upgrade kit, complete with high-velocity 75mm gun and heavy cast armournote . Sometimes, what's awesome is not the ass-kicking but the silent support...Anyone familiar with the usual dynamics between school clubs (most oftentimes NOT so sharing and friendly) will get a warm, fuzzy feeling out of that apparently unimportant line.
  • The "night before the battle" sequence in Episode 10 showing the various teams bonding, in ways that reference what made them be teams. Also, almost all of them eat some kind of katsunote , which is an homophone of the verb katsu, meaning "to win".
  • Right before the Final Battle, one of the Kuromorimine girls who was saved by Miho in last year's finals thanks her for her heartful effort back then.
  • Miho makes a point of one of her reasons she enjoys tankery now is that she is sharing the enthusiasm and motivations of her friends, making them her own. One of the most moving yet subtle examples is when in the first recap episode she introduces Duck Team (who were into tanks trying to restore the volleyball club - their real passion) using their volleyball positions, instead of their tank roles.
    • There's official art of her playing volley with them.
  • It says a lot about this series that many of their heartwarming moments are also moments of awesome. There's even an In-Universe example of it, judging from Orange Pekoe's reaction, mix of awe and joy, to Kay's and Miho's conversation in Episode 6 when Kay makes Miho understand that there's more to Tankerynote  than just winning at all costs.
    • The "More to Tankery" bit gets an immediate callback in the next scene, when Mako learns that her grandmother has been hurt and is in the hospital, and they have no way to get there quickly. Maho immediately offers the use of her school's helicopter to get Mako there as soon as possible, evidently considering it a decision not even worth discussing.
  • The series penchant for scenes being both a Heartwarming Moment and an Awesome Moment is not surprising, given that its very point is to drive home the notion that you CAN be a badass without being a Jerkass. This is Discussed and taken up to eleven in one such moment in episode 11: When the Rabbit Team's tank gets stuck in the middle of a river crossing and begins to tip over, they unanimously ask Miho to go on without them even though they are in real danger of eventually being dragged down the river by the current (because they need to win or else the school will be disbanded and the whole team will be separated). Even in the face of the risk of the school being closed, Miho refuses to leave them. Much to Ōarai's credit, there's no talk in the team of doing otherwise: All of her teammates see it as proof of why they follow her. Then Miho Takes A Third Option and jumps across the other tanks to bring a towline to the Rabbit Team's tank, much to the amazement of all of her teammates and Rabbit Team, enabling all the tanks to escape the river before Kuromorimine arrives. It's not only an impressive feat, but it's an instance in which Miho successfully practices her way of Tankery, saving her teammates without jeopardizing the match.
    Mako: (smiling) So she picks helping her friends over moving the panzer forward.
    Hana: That's so like her!
    Yukari: That's why we all follow her, and why we've made it this far!
    Saori: Exactly.
    Hana: I really want to win this match. I want to win to prove there's nothing wrong with Miho-san's approach to Tankery!
  • A small yet touching example of the team spirit between Oarai's tank crews is found when Hippo Team tries to "avenge Mallard Team" by firing on the Maus, an attempt that fails. Considering that in Episode 8, Sodoko had complained about the team's dress code-defying costumes, only to get blown off, it's a nice indication of inter- as well as intra-team comradeship in spite of their differences.
  • As mentioned in the Awesome entry, people left the theater in Manly Tears of Joy after the preview. Because the sheer awesomeness of the episode was enhanced by the fact that what brought Ōarai's final victory was not extra firepower nor numbers. It was Team Spirit, it was selfless loyalty, it was a highly cohesive team working together. Over all this, it was it all through the application of Nishizumi-Miho style of always helping your teammates. Now, if you excuse us for a moment...
  • And then there's Momo's breakdown while trying to thank Miho for winning the tournament and saving the school.
    Momo: "Nishizumi. I can't express enough gratitude for all you've done. I... I'm really... I'm really grateful..." (breaks down crying)
    Yuzu: "Momo-chan, you're crying too much."
  • Maho and Miho's conversation after the match. While previous meetings between them were awkward, in large part because of Maho's Jerkass Façade, it's touching to see Maho accept Miho's own way of Tankery, which she had hoped Miho would find all along, especially when both of them are possibly the happiest they've been in the entire series.
    Miho: Onee-chan. I finally found it. My own way of Tankery.
    Maho: (smiling) That's good.
    • Reading of the prequel heavily implies that in this scene both sisters consider each other's happy smile as an In-Universe example for themselves. Reading the lyrics of their respective character songs (specifically, Miho's second character song) outright confirms this to be the case.
  • Shiho Nishizumi clapping for Miho's victory after Kuromorimine's defeat.
  • Throughout the series, the Volleyball Club have been participating in Tankery with the sole aim of reviving their club, so much so that they practice wearing their volleyball outfits. What do they decide after the finals? To continue with Tankery next year - the last year they had, should they manage to revive their school's volleyball club, to join it as their elective. This is not because of they having given up on volleyball (which would be tear jerking), as evidenced by them still wearing their volleyball outfits in the victory parade, but because they no longer consider Tankery as a second-best to it. Lucky girls: they have two goals in life now.
  • The credits scene for Episode 12. It uses the same light, upbeat song as normal, but played over Oarai's victory parade through the streets of town. Out of all the girls, the only one not smiling is shedding Tears of Joy, and the townspeople are out in force, including some recognizable family, cheering and waving.
  • The overall character development of the first 5 teams of Ooarai tankery squad is one big heartwarming moment as well. As they all start off as individual groups with no experience in the sport, and didn't know what they were getting into. However, because of one girl's efforts for them, the groups decide to better themselves in tankery and not rely on their leader to win. By the final tournament, the first 5 tankery teams have become competent enough on their own, as well has developed such as strong trust on their commander that they will follow whatever commands she gives and, if need be, sacrifice their unit for her.
  • Anzio, and Anchovy in particular, become a Heartwarming Moment for their new reactions in their OVA, which arguably fits better with the series than their original presentation in the manga. The lesson shifts for Miho, from the commander needing to be the one to bring victory no matter what, to knowing that they should always be proud of their team's accomplishments.
  • Miho's second character song, "I found my way", and Maho's character song, "Your way and my way", together. We refer the reader again to Maho's Earn Your Happy Ending character entry, the series' Win-Win Ending entry, and Maho and Miho's conversation after the match, mentioned above. And once again, we'll have the kerchiefs ready.

    Manga (Including Little Army, Ribbon Warrior, and MLLSD) 
  • In the seventh chapter of the Little Army manga, it becomes clear why Maho is trying as hard as she does to please her mother, even if she seems cold to Miho in the process; by fulfilling the role of Nishizumi heir, Miho is free to pursue Tankery the way she wishes.
    Maho: Miho, follow your own path. If you come to hate Panzers, it's fine to quit. However, if you wish to continue with Panzers... find a Panzerkraft you can call your own.
  • Miho's Heroism Motive Speech in the last chapter of Little Army, when she concludes why she is doing Tankery, after being reminded of it being a way to improve oneself, and of all the fun she had with her friends.
    Miho: It's not for the sake of my family. Neither to imitate Onee-chan... I could do Panzer with everyone this summer. This feel... Became a precious memory. So perhaps- this became my "Panzerkraft".
  • The Book Ends in Little Army. In the first scene, which takes place in the present, Miho is essentially re-enacting her walk to school from the first episode, down to running into the telephone pole while noticing a bakery, and is thinking about the friends she once had. The end of the manga shifts to the anime timeline, and Miho is walking to school, but then Saori calls out to her and the last page shows Miho's four friends.
  • In a flashback in Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu, Katyusha tries to give a proposal to the commander, but two other Pravda students look down on her for being so small. Nonna then comes in and picks Katyusha up onto her shoulders, declaring that now Katyusha is no longer small, but "much greater than all the others". Recalling this, Katyusha concludes that the bond between her and Nonna is strong, and there are no bad things written in the "Katyusha Diary" she found.
  • In Chapter 8 of "Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu," while the results are often hilarious, it's nice to see Maho opening up to her teammates in the holiday season (she gets them together because she wants to enjoy the same kind of celebration she enjoyed with Miho), as well as the fact that both she and Miho are thinking of each other during the holiday season, even though they're no longer at the same school.
  • From the same chapter, while most of the team is traumatized by getting the models of tanks that were their downfall, (or in one case, failed to protect), Koume is quite happy to get the tank model of the tank commanded by Miho, the one who saved her in the last tournament.
  • Given Erika's clear disdain of Miho's act of saving that Panzer III costing them their victory, it comes as a surprise that in the light novel version, Erika was one of the crewmembers aboard that particular tank when it fell into the river, making Erika seem like an Ungrateful Bastard. After Oarai defeats Kuromomine however, a tearful Erika herself reveals to Miho that she was grateful for being saved.
    Erika: "I'm glad that you didn't quit Senshado."
  • In Chapter 12 of the Comic Anthology, the team throws a birthday party for Miho. While somewhat overwhelmed at first by all the gifts from various teams, she says that she's happy to celebrate her birthday with her friends, and possibly happiest of all when she gets a text message from her sister wishing her a happy birthday.
  • In Comic Anthology Volume 2, chapter 1, we are shown that Erika was a senshado prodigy during her elementary school time. Its until she meets Maho when attending Kuromorimine Youth camp Erika suffer her first loss. And no matter how she tried, she seemed never able to win against Maho. Already despairing because these losses, Erika accidentally overhear her teammates badmouthing her in her back. At this moment Maho appears and berates the girls for laughing behind Erika's back. Maho's speech not only lifting Erika's spirit back, but also encouraging her to find her own senshado together with Maho.
    Maho:"Laughing at someone who fought with all her might behind her back!! Have you no shame!? Making fun of someone with calm face is vulgar!! Trying alone and failing is thousand time more worthy!!"
  • Chapters 17 and 18 of Motto Love Love Sakusen desu!, "It's the Conditions at Anzio".
    • 17: The girls of Anzio learn an important lesson about home; that there's no place like it, and no one like Anchovy.
    • 18: Momo-chan remembers that as much as her time in Oorai can seem like a never ending conveyor belt of schadenfreude, she's still the only Momo-chan that Oorai has, and they're the only school she's ever known best. Bonus points to Anchovy, since she willingly concedes that Momo-chan's reforms are what she could never do, and pledges loyalty to Momo-chan.
  • In the first chapter of Little Army 2, Emi tells Hitomi of all her regrets, particularly becoming a pariah among her old team, and transferring to Japan to run away from it all. As she trails off by saying that she'd hoped she could see Hitomi again, Hitomi simply says "Then we're the same. Welcome back, Emi-chan."
  • Chapter 6.5 of Little Army 2. Emi apologizes to Maho for how she'd treated her in the original series, and admits that she's come to see her as a kind person. Maho accepts the apology, and leaves Emi with a warning that Miho- or rather, Oarai as a whole, is strong, showing how much regard she has for her sister and her school.
  • In Chapter 7 Little Army 2, when Sheska confronts Emi with her abandonment of their old team in Germany, the entire Bellwall team stand stands behind Emi to back her up against Sheska's accusations.
  • Chapter 9 of Little Army 2, when the four friends from the original Little Army reunite, with the knowledge that because they both lost the second round, they'll be facing each other in a tankery match soon.
  • In Chapter 12 of Little Army 2, faced with an Ooarai ambush, Emi decides give up on pursuing and having a one on one fight with Miho to help save her team. However, the rest of the Bellwall team tell her that it's going to be fine, and that she should go and chase after Miho.
    • Even when they eventually do lose, the rest of Emi's team tell her that it's fine because she got to have her duel with Miho.
    Emi:"Sorry everyone..."
    Neko:"What's your deal? You're smiling, aren't ya?"
  • Ribbon Warrior seems at the first glance a darker depiction of tankery from the point of view of an Ax-Crazy wannabe samurai and her thirsty doormat of a girlfriend fighting against try-hard failures of the national tournaments. But as the manga goes on, it becomes apparent that these 'try-hards' are the people who were inspired by Miho and Ooarai's victory against all odds, against all stacked decks, against all the regulations that cripple those without any mean of procuring better hardware in the national tournament. In a tournament where everyone only have their skills to fall back to, the tankathlon gives these underdogs a chance to prove themselves to their hearts' content without sneering old people dismissing their tankery, where 'enemies' are friends competing instead of bitter rivals divided by caste and wealth.
    Darjeeling: Ooarai Girls' Academy started the wind. A new encounter which was blown by the wind, and came to us. (...) The Cauldron is a beacon of light to the world. A written challenge which I have sent arrogantly. (*pans to starry-eyed girls watching the Cauldron) Girls, why don't you play your heart out with tanks? Go, stop following the adults! You must merely mix yourself with this fun! Here I tell all of you tank maidens out there! You are welcome here!
  • Chapter 40 of Motto Love Love Sakusen has a flashback to 8 years prior to the start of the series showing Shiho actually dressing up as Boco to surprise a young Miho. Her husband (Miho and Maho's father) also shows up as well, dressed up as one of Boco's enemies. When he can't beat up Shiho dressed up as Boco like what's supposed to happen (due to Shiho's tankery training kicking in), Maho simply states that Boco isn't himself because he's fighting to protect Miho.
  • During Ribbon Warrior's Cauldron tournament, Maho participates with a Panzer II with a bucket hanging off its gun. It's implied that this is either the same tank she used to ride with Miho as kids, or an homage to that.
  • In Chapter 63 of Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu, Shiho humbly asks the Ooarai community (Miho's friends and their parents) to look after Miho for her, acknowledging that she's never really had friends before.
  • During Ribbon Warrior's final chapter, Shizuka, who's spent the entire series feeling that she would have been happier living in Japan's Warring States period, proudly declares that she's happy she was born in modern times because she got to do tankery with Rin.

    The Movie 

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