Thread by @GermanSchteel

Hey hey, people. Schteel here. It's time to mute me because we're returning to Das Finale 2 and reaching the climax of what I think is possibly one of the best battles in GuP so far (barring Der Film) at least.

We'll dive right back in. To recap, it's Ooarai vs Chihatan.

Given the sunset, Chihatan has been fending off Ooarai's attempt to seize the high ground for more than a few hours at least. Aside from eliminating the Sharks in the Mark IV, their piddly rounds do nothing except halt Ooarai's progress.

A far cry from well...

Well, you know.

Also I feel obligated to ping @look_the_thumbl just cuz they asked.

Aside that, Chihatan hasn't lost a single tank so far in the action. Such is their repeated formless attacks that it almost causes a break in Ooarai's ranks.

"remember what happened last time with pravda? yeah let's not repeat that"

In the immortal words of Sun Tzu, "If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant."

In this case, Chihatan's hello goodbye schtick is not just working, it's also frustrating the hell out of the opponent.

Game recognize game. As someone in the earlier thread pointed out, Ooarai girls all recognize and acknowledge that Chihatan has changed and shouldn't be underestimated.

There's no "they're just charge-happy idiots!", this is the same old paint with a new kind of car.

Someone who watches Volleyball for the Volleyball and not the girls please explain these concepts, thank

As earlier seen, it's 80% humidity along with like 38c which is 100f. It's toasty, they're gonna sweat their makeup off, they're gonna lose water fast, they're gonna have mosquitos suck them dry, and have rashes and jungle fever if they're not careful.

Plus imagine the smell.

As seen on this map here, Chihatan has apparently repulsed Ooarai from the high ground three times. While they haven't inflicted terrible casualties, just denying the strategic terrain is keeping parity between the two teams.

Inside the jungle, Ooarai's advantages of long guns and heavy armor matter squat against Chihatan's ability to displace quickly into the foliage. Seeking open ground with a terrain blocker like a lake is the best solution here.

For a quick bit of terminology, rank generally refers to line abreast (side to side) whereas file means line ahead (one after another).

Unfortunately, it's now begun to rain.

Them's the breaks of jungle warfare. Bugs, heat, mud, trees, ents, tigers, crocodiles, now rain.

>tfw the poorfag has to settle with putting on a greatcoat and a hat

Though, my headtheorizing is that Andou just doesn't want to be seen under an umbrella with Oshida.

I'm sorry but this little exchange just comes across as "do we need to change too?"

"yeah, dumbass."

It's already taken a while given it was like high noon to start and now it's basically sunset. Canonically speaking this may take even longer than Der Film's battle or Pravda.

I can't recall Miho ever extending a fight for this long.

I don't know what's funnier, Azumi's reaction to the question or the idea that Oshida and Andou lugged an entire porcelain bathtub for Marie out to the field just for her.

This is another bit where Chihatan has the advantage and Ooarai doesn't. Their lighter tanks (at least in theory) can handle this mud better than all the heavier mediums and heavies in Ooarai's line up.

congrats sodoko you now have the jungle-itis

I ain't a beautician so I can't comment on the ability of mud helping beautify one's self, only that I know that it wouldn't help for an ugly old troll like myself.

They're referring to the Acropolis Rally racing in Greece. Rally racing is done on dirt, mud, and good Earth rather than on race tracks. It's actually pretty exciting to watch if you're interested in that kind of stuff.

The girls thusly end up going into this rather deep ravine, and unfortunately the much heavier B1bis ends up getting stuck in the quagmire at the bottom.

Seems either snow or rain, the B1 is always gonna get stuck on something.

DO YOUR BEST GOMOYO

Note where the tow hooks are coupled to, tanks usually have little bars and rings specifically for being carried by crane or for being towed forward.

More power to the engine just sinks the Tiger P further into the mud.

This is no longer Girls und Panzer, this is now Girls und Spintires.

Nakajima says this with an unfailing smile on her face as if she's expecting Tsuchiya to break it.

Sodoko lets out a little wail on entering the muck, it's absolutely adorable but I don't know what she's expecting from pushing a tank.

A Land Rover sure, but not a tank surely.

For those of you who don't know, antlion pits are little pits dug by antlion larva. If an insect falls in, they slide down the slope, and if they try to climb out, the antlion at the bottom flings sand at them.

Should they fail to get out, the antlion feeds on them.

There's no particular attention paid to this line because Mako immediately goes off to solve the problem herself.

I love how Sodoko is more concerned with Mako combining their names than the fact that Mako is literally charging straight at them in a tank while they're stuck in a quagmire.

Priorities priorities

Sodoko just pulls this sick flip out of nowhere like Marie did, it's convincing me that Senshado just turns girls into formless gymnasts or some shit.

The ram knocks the B1 loose from the Quagmire.

I also want to point out despite that severely muddy water, Sodoko's bottom half is more or less pristine. Guess all that carbon coating protects even against aesthetic damage.

poor mako, still apparently arriving late to school even after being granted a second chance.

Back to Chihatan though. Unlike Ooarai, they seem to be making better time through the mire of the jungle undergrowth.

Also, remote charge lel

TAMADAAAAAAAAAA

Credit where it's due. Nishi doesn't take any credit for the tactics that Fukuda devised.

Nishi consistently has always proved herself humble and reasonable enough to defer to more experienced people, as one should do.

This is why this battle is probably one of the best in GuP. It's not Ooarai overcoming an opponent with special tactics as they usually do.

This time it's the opponent taking Ooarai's special tactics and working it against them. Where Ooarai is the Goliath and Chihatan David.

And this is the lake where Ooarai has set themselves up on. From here, Chihatan can't maneuver around to flank them easily. The only options for Chihatan here would be to attack them directly into the open.

But first, it's lunch time!

Any pause in the action is always a good time to get a meal in and hydrate as well. It's important to keep them calories coming in.

With the sun going down, attempting to navigate in the dark by moonlight isn't going to go terrible well.

They already have their lunches out and the good ground, no need to rush things. Chihatan now has to come to them.

And with that, nightfalls.

Technically speaking, with a moon like that, there shouldn't even be that much natural light in the bottom of the jungle. But because it's fiction, we have to be able to see where everyone is.

For the life of me, I spent an hour last night and a little bit this morning trying to identify what species this owl is and I JUST CAN'T

WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU

I actually really like this strange contrast between Chihatan and Ooarai. It's in the food. Whereas Ooarai gets to eat like queens with their fresh cooked bentos, Chihatan has to settle for a single ball of rice and some (presumably) hardtack.

Them's the breaks.

All those insects, birds, and fucking tigers in the night.

Senshado is fucking metal for just plopping tank fights down in places where a legitimate hazard is the girls getting pounced by cougars. And not the sexy kind of cougars, the maneating ones.

gonna be honest, this is me_irl

I remember a session of Arma 3 where the op ended up running into the night and we had no NOD, so I cry-laughing trying not to get lost in the jungle looking for my mates. It was terrifying.

Ah yeah, it ain't motherfucking GuP without some SINGING

>just carries a bigass subwoofer in the tank

Teramoto's a good girl.

Chihatan's Charge Ballad is charming af, best I can say about it.

It's also based off of two songs for as I can see: The Drifter's Lover: youtube.com/watch?v=RL4CS9…

And the Daughter of the Chieftan: youtube.com/watch?v=0xdBMh…

And if you want to listen: youtube.com/watch?v=w1JXY8…

Unlike the bombastic military marches of the other schools (Katyusha especially), Chihatan's Charge Ballad is a lot more personal. It's a certain je ne sais quoi where you're just vibing with the bros rather than trying to psyche yourself up for the next battle.

It's part of Senshado's greatest contradiction. It's a sport where tanks are thrown into combat crewed by girls, and yet somehow produces the greatest bonds of sisterhood in sports.

And it even continues blasting as Nagura speaks some vital scouting info to Nishi.

Chihatan's singing through the night is gonna alert everyone and they don't give a fuck. It's partly wholesome singing to lift their spirits and partly "come get us if you dare".

"Attack the enemy where he least expects it."

Sun Tzu said that. And I'd say he knows a little more about fighting than you do pal because he invented it, and then he perfected it so that no living man could best him in the ring of honor!

Back at the lake however, Ooarai apparently doesn't hear the loud as fuck singing and music playing in the trees.

Just imagine if you were a Marine on Guadalcanal and you just heard singing in the trees accompanied by the increasing rumbling of treads.

Amazing of her to doze off putting her neck and head on metal spars like that.

sorry, must go AFK for a bit, brb

jiiiiiiii~

Mako is well-suited for the impending boogaloo.

I actually really adore that Sodoko's sodoclones aren't just clones of Sodoko, they still have personality.

do your best gomoyo

Off the top of my head:
Friday the 13th
House on Sorority Row
Siren Head I guess
And maybe Slender stuff too

I'm not good with horror so you know.

There's an urban myth about the battle of Ramree Island, in which Japanese soldiers encircled by British forces were attacked by saltwater crocs. Their force of 1000 men was cut in half by the crocs (though I've heard 1000 to 20).

It's not uncommon for crocs (which can get to be over 20 feet in length and over 2 tons in weight) to be reported attacking humans. Gustave for instance being the most famous one.

Though I hear he's dead anyway.

>someone calls it a crocodile just a second before
>yuuki calls it a hippopotamus

pffft

Something's fucky.

Kudos to the Freshmen, once one of the more lackadaisical teams of the bunch, now drilled and disciplined enough to report to stations within seconds.

This actually threw me off the first time I watched this because I thought "wow that's a smallass tank".

Nope, it's actually a hugeass balloon covering an amphibious tank.

Seems Azusa's quick thinking saved the tank because the shot bounces (note the shell is actually either rendered or hand drawn, it seems to vary from shot to shot).

Yukari, ever vigilant, quickly calls it out even in the middle of the darkness.

Yes indeed, it's the amphibious tank, Type 2 Ka-Mi. Based off Fukuda's Type 95 Ha-Go, the Ka-Mi was designed by the Imperial Japanese Navy to supplement the Special Naval Landing Forces.

The Ka-Mi is actually a fairly interesting design because it's a fairly capable vessel on land and water as well. Unlike most Japanese tanks, it has an all-welded hull sealed with rubber, and the pontoons front and back are both detachable from the inside.

It was capable of 22mph on land, and a respectable 5 knots on water. The tall turrets you see on the Ka-Mi are a raised "bridge" through which the Commander can see. And the bell on the back over the engine block is the chimney for the engine exhaust.

Unfortunately, due to its rather specialized nature (it couldn't be mass produced, many of its parts were handmade), it never saw significant service as an intended beach lander, and by the time it was ready the Japanese were already fighting off the United States' island hopping

Funny story: There's unconfirmed reports of US Army LVT-1s (Army never operated LVT-1, but did use LVT(A)-1 far as I recall) actually engaging Ka-Mis on open water during the invasion of Leyte.

Unconfirmed anyway. Most reports show the Ka-Mis being destroyed ashore.

Miho quick to recognize that a lone Ka-Mi definitely not the Maus or the T28/T95 from Der Film.

As we saw last thread anyway, they left their superheavy secret weapon back at the range.

The Ka-Mi demonstrates why it's not as huge of a threat as you may think, and that's because the recoil of the gun causes the entire vessel to list severely. Water is not a solid platform for firing.

Later on, you'll see it actually pull the entire tank to near 45 degrees.

The Ka-Mi actually demonstrates how important it is to design ships to be stable with low center of gravity. Back in the old Napoleonic days of naval combat, broadsides were usually done as rapid sequences rather than all-at-once to avoid the sheer recoil capsizing the ship.

As that happens though, Chihatan bursts from the trees and swarms the patrolling Duck team, who flee back to friendly lines.

Jesus CHRIST I'm pulling my fucking hair these idiots are gonna to capsize themselves. LOOK AT THAT LIST

That said though, Miho's being smart. She's diverting only two tanks to engage while keeping the majority of her forces ready for the incoming attack.

She can't just ignore the Ka-Mi either. Even if it's bouncing around on water, there's always the chance it'll get a lucky shot.

You'd think they'd charge into this, but nope. They're instead hanging back, using the trees for cover, and firing suppressive shots instead.

Even TAMADA is getting into the spirit of things.

This is Nishihara. No, she's not talking to anyone in particular, far as I know this entire conversation she's having is just to herself.

It's okay, I do the same thing sometimes.

Sodoko however spots it.

Also I'd like to point out that yes that duck did start out underwater earlier. Der Film actually established that tanks (when prepared at least) can basically submerge their entire selves and not be worse for wear. That's carbon coating for you.

In the midst of this fight, you can actually see that the animators animated the Ka-Mi's treads underneath the giant inflatable duck head. That's attention to detail.

The B1bis and the Ka-Mi trade blows at point blank. At this range, even the 37mm is bound to penetrate through, but as for the B1bis' shot it goes right into the frontal pontoon.

The pontoon (being eight compartments meant specifically to tank shrapnel in fact and keep the ship from flooding badly, you can barely see it in fact) actually saves the Ka-Mi and keeps it in the fight.

Not so for the B1bis. That's another heavy Chihatan has managed to kill.

Though hilariously, Nishihara returns to water without her frontal pontoon, even though realistically you kind of need that to go swimming.

Ah well, she has the rear one still.

Though this presents a turn. Ooarai -still- hasn't answered tit for tat yet by killing any of Chihatan's tanks. This is where you realize that while Kuromorimine and the University All-Stars nearly sank Ooarai, Chihatan of all people actually has the upperhand too now.

The benefit of multi-turreted tanks like the M3 Lee, you can engage targets front and back. Probably one of the few times ever that this has been useful for the Rabbits.

However, now comes the best part. Nishi readies all tanks to fire on the flag tank.

A simultaneous barrage on one point, the flag tank.

Note that in this sequence, -all- the Chihatan tanks get a shot, I couldn't fit them all into one tweet.

The ensuing barrage (which sounds utterly fucking terrifying as it's a series of fwumps and then shell whizzing by) forces the Tiger P up front to protect the flag tank.

Right where they want it.

With Chihatan's greater focus, I'm loving that the Vice Commanders are actually calling out other commanders by name instead of just yelling out "Tank 4" or "Tank 5".

I think the only unidentified tank commander Chihatan has is the Croc Ka-Mi.

They even have their own distinct platoons so on a second viewing, you can know who's who. Tamada leads the ShinHoto Chi-Has, while Hosomi leads the regular Chi-Has, with Fukuda in the Ha-Go alone and Nishi in a regular Chi-Ha.

They also succeed in doing what few manage to do, and that's making Miho raise her voice at people.

The nerds are yelling about establishing a Zone of Control, stuff you usually see in tabletop wargames which affects enemy adjacent units.

In this case, they're blocking around the Flag tank to keep the rushers from scoring a cheap win. Sorta like Der Film's opening.

See this?

This is the face of someone who's finally being allowed to charge and it scares me.

And you see this as well.

This is Chihatan proving that charges can actually work if some brains are actually put behind them.

In this case, behind the Tiger P. It's also an amazing under the barrel shot that has actual narrative purpose, leading you right to the engine block.

The sparks shooting out of the engine block are downright hilarious but are an awesome (if somewhat unrealistic) detail given how much Leonpon team emphasized replacing the antique electrics with modern ones.

And that's another heavy down. Not just any heavy, arguably the deadliest heavy in Ooarai's lineup. Practically impervious in most cases to the Chi-Has and they've destroyed it.

Like destroying a Death Star.

This is where Das Finale 2 got me.

I actually got really sad for Hamada getting knocked out.

With Tamada running, this also gets the rest of Chihatan running too, with the Ka-Mis bringing up the rear behind Ooarai.

Note Miho shouting into her throat mic, she's muted and for deliberate purpose. This climax is less Ooarai's and more Chihatan's now.

That's very optimistic of Nishi tbh

Remember though, this is Miho we're talking about. If they're doing something, it's for a purpose.

This time though, we're looking at it from the rival's eyes, not Miho's. So whatever Miho is planning, we're not privy to it this time.

I swear, Nishi was born in the wrong place, wrong time. If she were a Sister of Battle or something or an Imperial Guardsman, she'd be one of the best. Welcoming a good fight even if it means death.

Thusly, Chihatan turns itself around and goes right back at them.

Back to their old ways.

Arisu really took a deep liking to Ooarai in Der Film because of their resistance, like Boko always coming back for another fight no matter how much he gets beaten down.

It's never alluded to here in Das Finale, but Chihatan has more in common with Boko than one might think.

No matter the odds, and no matter how many times Chihatan has been battered and beaten by their opponents, they've refused to let that embitter them. And instead use that as an opportunity to start the day fresh with another charge, heedless of the consequences.

And in this fight with Ooarai, Chihatan are like Boko. After getting their asses handed to them time and time again over the course of the series, they've come back for more.

But this time, their patience, discipline, and indomitable spirits have rewarded them.

Througout GuP, the results usually have never been in doubt. But the more we've gotten to know Chihatan, the more we see their desire to win, the way they came to Miho's aid, and Fukuda's genuine desire to wanna see Chihatan change for the better..

I don't want Chihatan to lose.

Quite possibly the most aesthetic command in GuP.

Compared to the simple Miho.

In this joust, Ooarai simply allows Chihatan to pass straight through them. Even with guns blazing (and shells almost striking the Ka-Mis following Ooarai) from the Chi-Has, Miho's Marauders simply blaze past.

Ooarai actually has every reason not to commit to a brawl here because it simply doesn't benefit them. They have two casemates, they're outnumbered against a foe that can leverage the terrain better than they can.

All Ooarai can do is run, and Chihatan follows.

Remember Kids, tracers point both ways.

Kubota is the first to realize that something is fucky. Fukuda thinks so too but doesn't know what. There's a doin's a transpirin'.

(Note: Kubota is usually portrayed in MLLSD's web 4komas as being a fellow "shorty" ally of Fukuda, seems they both have the same big brains)

The tracers are actually the only thing visible from Ooarai. If they really wanted to break contact, they'd just stop firing.

But as long as they do, they keep Chihatan, still riding off the high of having eliminated not one but -three- tanks, on their tail.

Also apparently according to the fanmade "Chihatan Academy Aggressive", Kubota makes a great plushie.

Just tossing that out there.

Kubota's just me_irl, actually studying the material but as soon as someone asks for detailed evidence, it's immediately tossed out of my brain.

Remember when I said Katyusha using hand signals was important? This is why.

Alisa from Saunders' radio fuckery is so well-known in Senshado now that it's both become a legitimate cause for concern -and- a meme.

Unfortunately, even with Kubota shouting that things may be dangerous (usually enough to get reasonable people to stop and reassess), Chihatan are now too into it to stop.

Also shout-out to Kubota for being the one to actually -look- at the map when everyone else was so caught up in trying to catch Ooarai. Normally this would probably be left to Fukuda, but Kubota's presence means there's hope yet for Chihatan's shorties.

"we fucked up"

Fukuda attempts to dive forward to wave them away, but it's too late. Muddy ground, Chihatan ever stopping for anything?

Not a chance.

All of Chihatan's tanks go stumbling over the side in the ravine, all except for Fukuda's anyways.

At least until Nishihara blindsides her.

Also, I wanna point out that she starts a 3D model at the top of the ridge, but as she goes off frame downhill towards camera, she actually transitions (seamlessly I might add) to hand drawn.

If you recognize this quagmire, that's because this is the same quagmire that Ooarai got stuck in a little while ago. That entire scene of them getting stuck may have seemed pointless then.

But not now.

Nishi's calm face as she looks up and realizes Ooarai outplayed her by preying right on their old habits is deafening.

It's like she internally realized that victory, sweet victory, wasn't stolen from her grasp, it was dropped out of her hands.

However, check this shit, it's not all bad. The ravines are so sharp that their gun depression can't hack it, so they physically have to lower themselves down to the edge to fire down at them.

They can't even strike the center of the quagmire, so the only choice is encirclement.

One exit out gets the good ol' rocks fall everybody dies treatment, leaving only one way out of the quagmire.

Physically speaking, they're actually perfectly safe right at the center where the tanks gun depression can't aim at them.

Hosomi's little spin move here is fucking hilarious and I wish I had a clip of it to show y'all.

All things aside, trying to charge up a sheer wall against Ooarai isn't the worst idea, it's just made terrible because it'll expose them to shots from behind.

Tamada's bullheadedness along with the rest of Chihatan will cost them dearly. After eliminating some of Miho's best heavy hitters, they finally have something resembling parity.

And they want to throw it away trying to go up a sheer cliff wall. I've seen worse throws.

Nagura's "The only way is forward" speaks on more levels than you might think.

Remember back in the series, the banner hanging on the wall in Miho's home when she was being scolded for the incident.

Their blind devotion to always advancing forward actually connects them to Miho

I remember saying before about the idea of never giving up. Chihatan never give up, and that's both a virtue and a curse for them. Their imperishable spirit means they never learn from their mistakes or try to approach the problem in a different direction.

This time is different

This time, they're giving up.

She hath spoke the forbidden word.

I feel like the last bullrush they did that led them into the quagmire was what finally knocked Nishi loose. That after tasting victory, the fact that their own stubbornness threw them into this physical and metaphorical quagmire awoke her and made her take charge.

Victory in battle isn't just crushing your opponents after all, it's knowing when you're outmatched.

And as they say in the Ork lang, when they retreat, they can always go back for anuva.

Fukuda's (well-intentioned) manipulation may have got them this far. But imagine how much they could do now that Nishi isn't just playing along, but is actively taking control of the situation and making it her agenda to truly change Chihatan for the better.

Also one thing I want to note is that we haven't even -heard- Miho speak in like the past five or ten minutes. This climax is entirely Chihatan's to have.

Tamada isn't taking the news well.

Remember that in Senshado, there may be a bit of hate, but in the end all the girls learn this eventually.

Game recognize game.

Miho probably didn't even get to hear the epiphany that went in the pit. She probably still thinks that she's facing a reborn Chihatan that's still set in their old ways like BC Freedom was.

But that's not the case for Nishi and Chihatan. They're committed. They want to show Miho that they're not just a bunch of pushovers anymore, but a school worth fearing and respecting.

And in this, they become heroes of their own story.

But that's the end for Das Finale 2.

I was fucking surprised by it when I first watched it. Obviously any GuP is a surprise when it only comes out every two-three years but still. It wasn't just by how good the tank fight was, but how fucking amazing the narrative has become.

A lot of casuals who watch GuP maybe once usually give it shit for recycling the same plot. But Das Finale is physical proof that that's literally not true (except for maybe Der Film but that's debatable).

Das Finale in some ways almost makes a side character out of Ooarai with the greater focus on the rivals. And nowhere is that more evident with Chihatan. Once a bunch of joke girls (and likely one final stab from the IJN to the IJA), now the protagonists of their own hidden story

I think Das Finale 1 does rightfully get some flak for pacing, and personally I would've loved to see more of the BC Freedom girls interact the same way Chihatan does. But Das Finale 2 sets the bar for what the rest of the finale series can be provided Corona doesn't kill us.

I can tell you something though, the wait for Das Finale 3 is gonna kill me because on the one hand, I feel it's inevitable that Ooarai is gonna win.

But on the other, so much of me wants to see Chihatan win too.

It's a rare time in sports where I have to root for both.

I hope that DF3 does come soon so I won't worry so much about the outcome.

In the meantime though, this is the last of mainline GuP material I have to cover (aside from Arisu War and Taiyaki War). I may still do threads time to time for hidden stuff or for other anime.

But in the meantime, I wanna say thank you to reading and making me feel like I'm not wasting my time doing these threads and also validating my autism for girls in tanks with surprising narrative quality.

And shout out to /ak/ as well for the subs. Watch them, not crunchy.

Until DF3 comes out, let's charge back into life together.

I'll see you next time.