Bandai Namco Filmworks revealed on Friday that the third film in the four-part theatrical anime project for Maruko Nii’s Girls und Panzer: Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu! spinoff manga in the Girls und Panzer franchise will get an accompanying mini-anime titled “Shin Sensha, Hakken Desu!” (Discovery of a New Tank).
Image courtesy of Bandai Namco Filmworks
© GuP MottoLoveLove Projekt
Image courtesy of Bandai Namco Filmworks © GuP MottoLoveLove Projekt
Image courtesy of Bandai Namco Filmworks © GuP MottoLoveLove Projekt
Image courtesy of Bandai Namco Filmworks © GuP MottoLoveLove Projekt
In the short, Yukari Akiyama and others from Ooarai Girls Academy gather to search the lower decks of the academy to search for a new tank. They descend deep to areas previously unexplored, and encounter gloomy passages and mysterious stalls.
The first film also received an accompanying mini-anime, titled “Shin Iemoto, Tōjō Desu!” (New School Head, Arrives!) that screened after the main film. The short centered on Shiho Nishizumi and Chiyo Shimada.
Image courtesy of Bandai Namco Filmworks
© GuP MottoLoveLove Projekt
The third film will open in Japan on March 6.
The first two films opened on December 26 and January 30, respectively. The fourth and final film will open on April 10.
ChouCho and Sayaka Sasaki perform the opening theme song “Nonstop Daydream,” and Mai Fuchigami as Miho Nishizumi performs the ending theme song “Oyasuminasai no Tsuzuki Desu!” (The Continuation of Good Night!) for the films.
Masami Shimoda (unit director and storyboarder for Girls und Panzer and Girls und Panzer das Finale) is directing the anime at P.A. Works and Actas. Takahiko Usui (Girls und Panzer der Film production advancement) is the series director. Noboru Kimura (AMAIM Warrior at the Borderline, Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture) is writing and overseeing the series scripts. Humikane Shimada and Isao Sugimoto are again credited for the original character designs with cooperation from Takeshi Nogami. Sugimoto is also designing the characters for animation. Chief animation directors include Kōsuke Kawazura, Yūki Akiyama, and Sayo Mizuno. Shirō Hamaguchi is returning to compose the music. Takayuki Yamaguchi, who previously worked as a recording adjuster on the franchise, is the sound director. Yasumasa Koyama is returning to handle the sound effects. Showgate is distributing the anime.
The franchise’s cast members return for the anime films.
Maruko Nii launched the manga in 2013 in Kadokawa’s (then Media Factory’s) Monthly Comic Alive magazine. The manga’s 24th compiled book volume shipped on August 21, and the 25th volume will ship on February 24. The manga follows the unknown daily lives of the Ooarai Girls Team and other students.
The Girls und Panzer television anime premiered in October 2012 and had 12 episodes. The Girls und Panzer der Film anime film followup opened in Japan in November 2015.
The franchise has an ongoing six-part Girls und Panzer das Finale film series. The first film opened in Japan in 59 theaters in December 2017. The film features new characters from BC Freedom High School as they engage in a winter battle.
The second film opened in Japan in June 2019. The film depicts the finale of the battle between Ooarai Girls Academy and BC Freedom High School, and also shows the battles for Kuromorimine Girls Academy, Pravda Girls High School, and other schools.
The third film opened in Japanese theaters in March 2021. The film features six more schools competing on three additional battlegrounds.
The fourth film opened in Japan in October 2023. The fourth film continues with Ooarai’s battle with Continuation (Jaktkosota) High School, after the loss of important teammates at the onset of the match in the third film. The film also shows the match between two strong schools, Kuromorimine and St. Gloriana, with Kuromorimine headed up by Maho’s successor Erika, and St. Gloriana’s commander Darjeeling in her last match.
The fifth film will open in 2026.
Source: Press release
Disclosure: Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc. (Sunrise) is a non-controlling, minority shareholder in Anime News Network Inc.Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.
