“Surrender. I’ll let you go if you kneel before me.”
Summary
After preparations and the induction of a new Goose team into Ooarai’s ranks, they head off to fight against Pravda, who have 15 tanks and won the nationals last year. Despite the battle shifting in Ooarai’s favour to begin with, it becomes clear very quickly that something is not right, and all of Ooarai’s tanks end up trapped and surrounded by Pravda, who then request for them to surrender.
Impression
In Soviet Russia…tanks ambush you!
But seriously, what an opponent to have to go up against – I totally understand how Pravda managed to make the battlefield of past victories look like the aftermath of some kind of bomb explosion. I don’t know what Anzio are like, but certainly compared to St. Gloriana’s and Saunders, Pravda have sticks shoved far further up their asses than any opponent we’ve seen so far – yes, even Maho’s Black Forest Peak. When St. Gloriana paid a visit to them, it’s true Pravda acknowledged their power but at the same time, Katyusha still had an air of superiority about her that didn’t really settle well with me. I kinda wish she was never told about Miho being part of the Nishizumi school, so that when the situation turns around in Ooarai’s favour I can see the shock on her face.
Putting aside their personalities, they have ruthless tactics in battle. Morale boosting is part of that too, with Katyusha…singing Katyusha, strangely enough. I’m guessing all of Pravda’s tanks are high quality ones, though they don’t seem as sturdy as some models we’ve seen in the past – maybe giving priority to improved mobility over snow instead? Even though Ooarai sourced out a new tank and a longer barrel for the Panzer IV, going up against 15 enemy tanks is still overkill for a ragtag group that only have an experienced practitioner in Miho. She was actually going on about being cautious and not falling into any traps the very night before the match, so I think it was a mistake on her part to go ahead completely with what everyone else said, and go on the offensive. It must be tempting seeing the flag tank just sitting there, but as they found out, it was all a massive ambush in which tanks literally popped out of nowhere to ambush all 6 of Ooarai’s tanks. I’m trying to be optimistic and hoping that there’s an easy way out, but to be honest, it’d be pretty impressive if Miho could get everyone out of there without baiting them or sacrificing a tank. Of course, giving up is out of the question xD Katyusha will be the one kneeling to Miho by the end!
It’s been hinted for the last few episodes that there’s something far bigger at stake than just their pride as a school – it’s the school’s future itself. I did think of the possibility once the Student Council started reminiscing about their past in front of Miho while trying to break the news to her, but I wonder what kind of arrangement would have resulted in a newly-reformed Panzerfahren school (literally unknown for Panzerfahren glory) having to win the entire national tournament. Scaling that down we’re also seeing other more personal problems such as Miho getting disowned by her mother – and it’s something even Maho seems unwilling to accept despite all of Miho’s faults, this being one of the only times she’s ever shown emotion in the series.
