So... this is all a bit complicated, but I hope you'll bear with me. I started watching the six-episode OVA series of Girls und Panzer yesterday.
That first episode is really something quite staggering. Especially for something with such a short running time, the narrative just simply exists on a higher plain relative to other offerings of fiction — and I would argue that this includes not just other works of Japanese animation, but probably even classics of the world of literature.
Allow me to at least attempt to provide a précis of the plot.
A decision is made by the powers-that-be that, for undisclosed reasons, training manoeuvres are to take place at the beach. Amongst the extensive cast of assembled characters, there is a great deal of excitement and anticipation at this unexpected turn of events. There is one noticeable exception, however, and that is our story's protagonist, Miho. This is where the writers deliver their first plot twist.
You see, Miho is not currently in possession of a swimsuit. (You see? I don't imagine that any of you still reading this managed to anticipate that bombshell any more than I did.)
As this has now more than likely piqued your interest in witnessing this watershed moment for yourselves, I feel loathe to provide anything more revealing than the most teaser-like gloss of the events that follow.
A joint decision is made between Miho and her friends that they will go shopping for swimsuits and try on an array of said outfits, consulting with each other in order to decide upon which piece suits each individual girl the best. The last thing I am willing to reveal here is that this process is not merely left to the viewer's imagination, but is actually depicted in animated form.
Then they visit the beach.
All of this is really quite extraordinary. Not since the bold conclusion to the anime TV series Neon Genesis Evangelion has a work of fiction so clearly sought to demolish barriers and challenge accepted norms of what is viewed and recognised as a traditional form of storytelling within a typical framework of— fine, then: it's just another f***ing anime beach episode, okay?
In episode 2 they go camping and have a barbecue — while wearing their swimsuits.
