{"id":60500,"date":"2026-06-22T00:01:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T04:01:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/?p=60500"},"modified":"2026-06-21T21:47:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T01:47:44","slug":"girls-und-panzer-captain-does-her-best-pt-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/?p=60500","title":{"rendered":"Girls und Panzer: Captain does her best! Pt. 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was really suffering last night. The last couple of days I’ve had on-and-off periods of general unwellness, and finally about evening yesterday I reached the point of deciding to go to bed early. I slept maybe an hour but sinus pain woke me up. It was one of those things where I could lay on the left side and my right sinus would drain into my left sinus, but not any other direction. If I rolled over onto my right side it would take about twenty minutes for my left sinus to drain to the right. If I laid on my back I just felt like I was being strangled. For a while I could lay *just slightly* to the left or right, alternatively, and keep the pain of a clogged sinus away, but I eventually got back up about 11:30.<\/p>\n

Around midnight to 12:30 it finally started draining and allergy symptoms hit hard. My eyes were watering, I was coughing, choking, blowing my nose every thirty seconds; all while chugging H.E.B. brand Sprite. This took about three and half hours to calm down before I could head back to bed. Which, in turn, meant I slept in today; quite a bit. The whole time I was up I worked on file management on my computer. I had a directory of videos that needed sorted, renamed, duplicates removed, etc. It’s been sitting there since around 2021 or 2022. About 30% of it is done now. *Maybe* 50%, as a lot of renamed files are pushed below my working point instead of above. HOWEVER, the categorization topic that dominates the naming structure is still below me, too; and that will likely be were most of the files in the directory are. I suspect my interest in and attention to archiving in this way is what is commonly referred to as an “Autistic Special Interest.” I can talk for hours about how I would organize a directory of files. And yes, I can apply that to a database as well. I did it professionally for years. But here’s the weird part. Technically, if you organize the data through a database, file names are most useful as location or time markers. The organizing data belongs solely to the database. “Tags” in modern parlance, you might say. I *can* do that, but I would rather the file name and directory structure store all the most-useful information. In a good file system or file type, you can always store meta information, just as you would in a database.<\/p>\n

Anyway, I stopped doing that to finish Episode 4 of Girls und Panzer<\/em>: Captain does her best!<\/p>\n

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We left off with Miho leading the Oarai Sensha-do team into the city (of Oarai), hoping the “home field advantage” will mitigate the early loss of two tanks. This is immediately successful in relieving pressure. As St. Gloriana enters town there is no longer any sign of the Oarai tanks:<\/p>\n

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Yes, in *our* world there would have been clear signs of which direction tank treads went on the road, through damage and obvious marks. But this isn’t our world. The Oarai team has *disappeared*.<\/p>\n

St. Gloriana splits up (never a good idea in a story). The three Oarai tanks could be anywhere, if the team captains are clever enough. A vaguely-tank-shaped pile of trash could hide a tank<\/p>\n

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You have to be very alert and observant to avoid ambushes<\/p>\n

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In fact, an observant commander probably would have spotted the History Club’s ambush.<\/p>\n

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The STuG III has a powerful gun, so the point-blank shot officially disables St. Gloriana’s Matilda. Now it’s four tanks to three.<\/p>\n

Another Matilda spots a garage bay or lift (elevator) with the “occupied” light blinking<\/p>\n

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Well, that shouldn’t be active right now! The St. Gloriana commander positions her tank for a point-blank shot of her own:<\/p>\n

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Despite St. Gloriana’s British influence, she clearly has never heard of “knock, knock, ginger” or as it’s commonly known in the U.S., “ding dong ditch.” Also she ignores that the floor panels behind her are clearly vehicle lifts from below deck as well:<\/p>\n

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The volleyball team yells “Serve!” and blasts a shell right into the Matilda’s auxiliary fuel tank (there’s two internal tanks as well, the big round thing on the back is extra fuel).<\/p>\n

Darjeeling is so shocked two of her tanks have been taken out…she DROPS HER TEA. But also quickly realizes Oarai isn’t *necessarily* the joke she took them for. Oarai is very inexperienced, yes; but not completely incompetent. Maybe turnabout is fair play (the St. Gloriana students are prone to adopting quaint British sayings and axioms, most of which make little or only tangential sense. I don’t know how much of that is intentional and how much is the Japanese interpretation of the saying requiring such extensive modulation *to be understood in Japanese* the saying are rendered mostly meaningless in English.)<\/p>\n

The History Club is quite proud of their sneak attack and brags to themselves that the STuG III’s low profile means it can be hidden from view:<\/p>\n

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There are actually TWO problems here, not one. The History Club still hasn’t realized the banners negate the low profile AND draw attention. Further, the STuG can’t see over the fence they’re next to. And honestly, they wouldn’t be able to do much about it if they COULD, not having a turret. “Pride goes before a fall,” as they say.<\/p>\n

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The STuG III is out now, making the numbers either four or three, to two. The action returns to the Volleyball Team. While the door-knocking plan was smart, their 57 millimeter gun wasn’t powerful enough to damage the Matilda seriously. Exploding the auxiliary fuel tank looked impressive, but the St. Gloriana tank was not disabled. And as the Volleyball Team realizes…it’s the Matilda’s turn to serve:<\/p>\n

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The Type 89 is officially disabled, and St. Gloriana has only lost one tank. That means the battle is now four to one. Miho immediately scrambles. This displays one of the most interesting dynamics throughout the original series. Mako is a genius-level driver, and Miho is able to communicate with her to get what she wants. Unfortunately Mako is defeated by a road closure, and upon turning around they find the entire surviving St. Gloriana team blocking the street behind them.<\/p>\n

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Miho doesn’t say anything, but quickly scans the side-streets. Darjeeling decides it’s time for an aphorism, When suddenly<\/p>\n

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The Student Council, having repaired their damaged track, bursts out of a side street between St. Gloriana and the Panzer 4. Momo jubilantly screams “FIRE!!!”<\/p>\n

And misses. I don’t know if the monocle glasses indicate a vision problem, if her temperament is just too…Momo; or if she’s just simply a bad shot. The shell barely grazes the fender of Darjeeling’s Churchill, and Anzu quips “…of all the times to miss…” then…<\/p>\n

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With the 38(t) disabled (obviously, but it was probably stupid for all four St. Gloriana tanks to fire), the very brief four to two odds are back to four against one. But that unexpected distraction was all Miho needed (and the Student Council’s tank blocking St. Gloriana from forward movement.) She has Mako duck down the alley the 38(t) emerged from, but not before blasting a Matilda from behind the 38(t):<\/p>\n

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Three to one. At the end of the alley Mako quickly turns the Panzer to the left and brings it about to ambush the first Matilda behind them:<\/p>\n

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Two to one. Without resting Mako brings the Panzer to the other side of the alley intersection:<\/p>\n

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One to one. Yes, Miho just took out three Matilda’s in thirty seconds of screen time.<\/p>\n

Plausibility rating: better than NOT IMPOSSIBLE. You have to make some assumptions, and everything has to work well; but Miho is supposed to be building a very good tankery team. That’s what the story is about. Also we’re already knees-deep in suspension of disbelief at this point, and it works narratively.<\/p>\n

All that’s left is the Churchill, and by real-world standards and what’s been said in the anime series, the Panzer 4 as configured would have a tough time with this tank. Just as they have consistently shown, they will need a close range shot to disable the Churchill. Gaining distance will actually disadvantage Oarai, and Darjeeling is VERY alert for ambush tactics.<\/p>\n

Miho instead orders Mako to take the Panzer about a block away, then turn and accelerate toward the Churchill, which is just now pushing past the disabled Matildas. At the last minute Mako swerves wide and turns the Panzer hard while Hana brings the gun around to attack the Churchill’s side.<\/p>\n

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Unfortunately the Churchill gunner is alert and able to match the maneuver, resulting in the two tanks firing simultaneously. The Panzer 4’s shot bounces off the front armor of the Churchill’s turret, but the Churchill’s shot destroys the Panzer’s 75 mm infantry support gun. St. Gloriana wins.<\/p>\n

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After the match, a dejected Miho is approached by Darjeeling, Assam, and Orange Pekoe. Darjeeling asks for Miho’s name, and is of course shocked to discover this is the youngest daughter of the Nishizumi family. Miho, for her part, seems embarrassed of her name, although one could interpret that in different ways. Darjeeling tells Miho she is “quite different” from her older sister Maho, and seems to genuinely mean it as a compliment.<\/p>\n

Following this exchange the Student Council approaches. Momo says she will have Miho do the “Ankou Dance” as agreed, but Anzu interjects:<\/p>\n

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Anzu makes it clear: the loss was a team effort; they will ALL do the Ankou Dance. Momo and Yuzu (the pony-tailed, brown-haired driver for the Student Council team) respond with horror.<\/p>\n

So…what IS the Ankou Dance. Well, Oarai, the real Oarai, is famous for a few things. I’ve already mentioned the sweet potatoes. The other is the Monkfish, or Goosefish; a type of Anglerfish. It’s an incredibly ugly fish and is a Japanese delicacy. Oarai is one of the areas known for catching and preparing a regional version. Winter festivals in Oarai feature different ways to prepare ankou. I can find NO REFERENCE to an honorary dance, but that’s what Girls und Panzer<\/em>‘s “Ankou Dance” is. The lyrics of the accompanying song interpret the eating of ankou as a love story. The official festival dance looks like this:<\/p>\n

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Miho swoons, Sayori frets about her marriage prospects, and Hana and Yukari adopt a stoic attitude. Unsurprisingly Anzu seems to be having fun, and Yuzu is happy (almost) no matter what. I wish we would get some insight into her character.<\/p>\n

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Following the parade, or dance, or spectacle, Mako excuses herself from the shopping trip Sayori and Yukari advocate, telling the others she needs to visit her grandmother while she’s in town…or there might be consequences. We saw how she responded when Sayori said Mako’s grandmother would be mad at her, so I’m not sure how much of a joke this is. The other four plan to eat then shop, when a wild “Hana’s mother” appears, transported by an “apprentice” pulling a two-wheeled rickshaw. She asks to be introduced to Hana’s friends, and Sayori and Miho are presented as members of the same class. Yukari, the same grade but in a different class introduces herself as a fellow Tankery Club member.<\/p>\n

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Hana’s mom literally faints. Like, everyone screaming “OMG!” and “Call the paramedics!” Hana had not TOLD her mom she was taking Tankery instead of Flower Arranging (there is a Japanese word for the art of Flower Arranging; we’re skipping over that). And you might remember that apparently Flower Arranging is a REALLY BIG DEAL in Hana’s family. They get Hana’s mom home, and after she recovers she meets with Hana in private, which the others (and the apprentice, Shinzaburo) eavesdrop on. Hana apologizes for not telling her mother what she was doing, but also makes clear that an important reason for participating in Sensha-do is the realization that she is missing…something…in her Flower Arranging. And believes Tankery may provide the solution; plug the hole in her desire to create flower arrangements that are uniquely her own. (This is a theme is this series, if you didn’t know. Do your OWN thing.) Hana’s mom (Yuri), who believes all tanks should be scrapped, DISOWNS HER DAUGHTER ON THE SPOT. Hana takes her leave and Shinzaburo, sobbing all the way, “pulls” the four girls back to the ship. Sayori had initially and immediately taken a liking to the flower-arranging apprentice (when she first sees him, she actually says “Their eyes met!”), but is a bit cooler now<\/p>\n

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Back on the school ship at the entrance, the First Years are waiting for Miho. They apologize for abandoning their tank and promise to do their best in the future.<\/p>\n

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The Student Council is also waiting. Anzu adds to her decision about the Ankou Dance: “From now on,” she says, “maybe we’ll leave the planning to Miho.” Momo is NOT pleased about this, but everyone else is. So maybe we change our thinking on the opening trap gambit of the battle. While Miho had openly doubted this plan, leading to Anzu making Miho the Oarai Tankery Captain, the team had still used Momo’s idea. But going forward she will not be in charge. As much as this feels like the defeat of an obstacle (and Momo is clearly not suited for planning or command. Or gunnery) this is a subject that will surprisingly be revisited, but not for a while. Anzu also delivers a gift to Miho from Darjeeling. An included note expresses that Miho gave her a much more interesting battle than her sister Maho, and she looked forward to the next time the teams would meet. Yukari notes that St. Gloriana only sends “after-battle” tea to teams they respect, and true to the spirit of St. Gloriana, adds “Yesterday’s enemies are tomorrow’s friends.”<\/p>\n

The episode ends with match formation for the 63rd National Tankery Games, the tournament that is the “season” for the High School teams. As team captain, Miho draws the number “8” which puts them in the “7 v 8” bracket to start the tournament. Their first opponent will be Saunders University High School from Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture; a powerful school primarily due to extreme wealth, rather than doctrine.<\/p>\n

So, if St. Gloriana from Yokohama is “British,” what is Saunders?<\/p>\n

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Yep…<\/p>\n

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…they’re the Americans. “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” plays as the Shermans roll on.<\/p>\n

If having a large number of tanks means something, then why have all the battles so far featured five on five teams? Well, that’s how many tanks Oarai HAS. It’s not brought up until a future episode, but St. Gloriana limited themselves to five tanks just for this match. The National Tournament is a bit more open about team size, but most schools bring ten or more tanks.<\/p>\n

WHAT DO???<\/p>\n

Next episode of Girls und Panzer<\/em>: Veterans of their trade: Saunders Corps!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was really suffering last night. The last couple of days I’ve had on-and-off periods of general unwellness, and finally about evening yesterday I reached the point of deciding to go to bed early. I slept maybe an hour but sinus pain woke me up. It was one of those things where I could lay […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[638],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-paige-writes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=60500"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60500\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60538,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60500\/revisions\/60538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=60500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=60500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=60500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}