Girls und Panzer Odds and Ends

I’ve been keeping a low profile because of the ISML 2013 preparations I’m involved in – that will still take a while to wrap up, but in the meanwhile, have a look at the collection of Garupan-related photos that I picked up along the way.

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Ikebana

Hana’s ikebana composition recreated at Ooarai’s Aqua World Aquarium

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Food

Tank cakes

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Tank pork cutlet

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Itasha

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Real tank rolls out in Ooarai

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RL Maus

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Japanese wiki – number of hits to Maus (tank) page mysteriously (?) increases after the airing of a certain GaruPan episode.

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Ooarai, under construction… but what’s the sign in the distance?

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Damaged by tank shells, repairs underway (!?)

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Ooarai All-girls victory celebration banner at Ooarai station

(visitors not watching GuP bound to be very, very confused)

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Thank you to the GuP staff for all the great moments. Here’s hoping for a second season! 

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Achiga 15/16 Broadcast Dates

Initial broadcast dates for the two final episodes of the Saki Achiga-hen anime have been announced:

Ep. 15 (AT-X) 2013.4.02（Tuesday） 19:30～20:00
Ep. 16 (AT-X) 2013.5.25（Saturday）19:30～20:00

The manga has recently finished it’s run, so watch out for spoilers until then.

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Accel World – Kuroyukihime and Haruyuki’s Kid

Yayoi: When I am a good child, mother smiles at me. I’m very happy when I see mother smiling.

So apparently, the Accel World –Kasoku no Chouten"- game features Kuroyukihime and Haruyuki’s child named Yayoi, which I find hilarious. Now I wonder whether this is an actual in-game development or just one of Haruyuki’s delusions xD.

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Saki–Achiga-hen Gets Another Episode

Recent interview with series director Ono reveals that the Saki Achiga-hen special episodes will continue until episode 16, one episode longer than previously revealed.

Well, the more the better. The more detailed the portrayal of a Saki match, the more impressive it is, so more time can never hurt. If only they had done Achiga in a two cour format to begin with…

Source:

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Girls und Panzer – Episode Postponement and… More in the Works?!

An Apology

Girls und Panzer episode 11, supposed to air starting 24th December, will not be completed in time, and episode 10.5 will air instead. There are many ways to call this kind of thing, but honestly speaking, it’s a recap. Furthermore, even the schedule for episode 10 has become tighter than ever. Under normal circumstances, drawings are finished grouped in cuts, and those cuts are later corrected via a process of trial and error. But it will be necessary to air without fully completing those adjustments.

As to why it has come to this, the fault lies in my naïve planning. It is because creating an original series made me greedy. While having to maintain a good balance and keep to a tight schedule imposed by a TV series, I wanted to show both the characters and tanks as much as possible. My selfish thinking brought about this result, causing quality drops and postponements.

I am truly sorry.

Regarding episode 10, a fully revised version will obviously appear on the BD/DVD release. Of course, the same goes for all previous episodes. I guarantee that when episodes 11 and 12 air, they will represent a level of quality that will satisfy all viewers. I have no right to make this request under such circumstances, but please wait until that day. I am repeating myself, but I am terribly sorry for disappointing everyone waiting for the broadcast.

At the same time, I would like to thank the many people who enjoyed Girls und Panzer until now. Their encouragement has been a great source of support for me as well as for the staff and VA cast involved in the project. Personally, I do not think that the ending of episode 12 will mark the end of this story. Sometime, somewhere, I would certainly like to present a little something to repay the fans for their support.

Mizushima Tsutomu    

The above is a translation of the most recent post on the director’s blog.The avalanche of comments from fans showing their support, including at least three comments form foreigners, is a heartwarming sight.

監督、頑張れ~！皆待って応援しているから！

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Girls und Panzer – Ep. 12 Release Date Decided

AT-X station now lists ep. 12 of Girls und Panzer on its schedule for the 9th of January (Wed.) starting from 21:00 JST.

The release date of the episode had to be changed after the show’s initial airing schedule was pushed back a week following episode 5 because of production issues.

Whether the above-mentioned release date will be the fastest airing of the episode remains tentative.

At least it’s not a several month’s wait… (glances pointedly at Saki-Achiga).

EDIT: It now seems increasingly likely that we will have a several month’s wait, with a possible release around March… orz

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Saki Achiga ep. 13 Release Date Decided

After a long, long wait we now know the initial broadcast date for the 13th episode of Saki, Achiga-hen.

The episode will air on AT-X channel on the 24th of December, starting from 23:30 o’clock.

There is still no officially confirmed information available concerning the release dates of episodes 14 and 15.

Saki, Achiga-hen is likely to be one of the series in my top 12 for kiddtic’s Ani-Bloggers Choice Awards 2012, so this should be a welcome reminder of the show’s strong points before the voting deadline.

As manga readers already know, the atmosphere surrounding Shiraitodai radically changes the moment Teru ends her match. Anime-only fans can look forward to some surprises waiting ahead.  

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Girls und Panzer – Yukari vs 15,4lbs Tank Shell

“Keep in mind that a single Panzer IV tank shell weighs just below 7kg (15,4lbs)…” , “the tank hatch might seem thin and light, but it’s one heavy lump of metal…”, “the jacket buttons are just a decoration – there’s a zipper underneath…”.

If the final effect was not enough to clear any doubts, the detail-packed character setting sheets that recently found their way out into the net serve as a reminder of how much thought and work goes into the the creation of every original drawing (sakuga) frame presented in Girls und Panzer. (And the Miho sketches are damn cute, too.)

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Girls und Panzer – Meanwhile in Ooarai, Japan

The real-life town of Ooarai is currently cooling down from the recent Ankou Matsuri / Anglerfish Festival. Ooarai itself boasts a population of just a bit below twenty thousand, and in recent years the number of visitors for the festival has been estimated to total about twenty-five thousand. This year, however, the number of participants has suddenly shot up to around fifty-five thousand. I wonder why~

Tour around Ooarai (posted some time before the festival):

The Girls und Panzer crew can also be spotted on the Ibaraki prefecture home site and, naturally, on the Ooarai town home site. It should be no surprise, though, that those particular girls know how to carry out an invasion. Panzer vor!

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A Sneak Peek at Hayate No Gotoku 3

We’ve been slowly getting a better idea about the contents of the third season of Hayate no Gotoku, subtitled Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, which will air in the beginning of October.

PV:

Basic facts established by the PV, interviews, articles etc.:

• original story based on names (story sketches) by Hayate author Hata Kenjirou
• (this is likely what the big surprise Hata mentioned earlier was all about, as drawing all the names would indeed be impossible for him while keeping up regular manga updates)
• the series is described as containing both love comedy elements and a more serious plotline
• voice actor cast remains unchanged for main characters
• studio Manglobe is responsible for the animation (the same studio made the recent Hayate movie)
• characters confirmed to appear: Nagi, Hayate, Maria, Hinagiku, Ayumu, Chiharu, Ruka, (semi-confirmed: Tama, Klaus)
• opening by eyelis (some previous works)
• ending by Ruka’s voice actress
• aside from singing the ED, Ruka is supposed to play a prominent role in the series

And now, the preview summary of the first episode scheduled to come out on the 3rd of October has been made available:

The single daughter of the Sanzen’in family, Nagi, receives a surprising phone call. It is an invitation of extraterrestrial origin, coming from area 51. Nagi announces she must depart there, but is stopped by her maid Maria and made fun of by her butler, Ayasaki Hayate.

Other than being weird in typical Hayate fashion, the episode summary might hint that the first episode will drive straight into the plot proper, without devoting (an) episode(s) to reestablishing characters and plot points from previous series. Of course, with this being Hayate, everything is still possible.

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