How Girls Und Panzer Saved Oarai, and Tanks, In Real Life 

That time the fans saved the BT-42 was so heartwarming. The museum guys must've been so surprised.

Japan really suffered a lot after that tsunami in 2011, but Girls und Panzer coming out in 2012 brought about, slowly but surely, huge tourism and brought the town back from suffering and into an age far greater than anyone could imagine. It's a wholesome story for a town going from a small town wracked by a tsunami to a massive tourist destination. Absolutely fantastic! It was a chance to help restore Oarai, but it went far beyond and brought it to glory! It really is the Holy Land for us in the Girls und Panzer community! And that's before talking about the tanks and history. The BT-42's survival was a true showcase of the fan's dedication to preserving a legendary piece of history. The BT-42 probably would have been lost for good if it weren't for the community. So another score for us! And the music itself in GuP is absolutely beautiful and I'm glad the fans can love and appreciate. Legendary pieces of military music history made even more legendary thanks to GuP. The fans really were instrumental is preserving history. Oarai, the BT-42, and the music. Three plans touched by fans, and brought into the new age. Three victories for us, the fans, community, the family. So, for old time's sake, to the fans of GuP all over the world. Panzer Vor!!!

The entertainment industry can have so much power and influence over people and I'm glad when it's used for good.

I just visited Oarai today and I got super confused about the amount of girls on panzer stuff along the town. I have never watched the show and had no clue about it, but I'm so happy to hear this wholesome story! I hope to visit it later after watching the show! Thank you for the video explanation, I hope you can also visit it someday, it is a really lovely place!

I also want to visit Oarai one day it just looks like a very nice town to visit and it is so heartwarming to see not just tank fans but fans of the Show come together to save the BT-42 an amazing piece of military history

Thumbnail : "Ignore the explosion" Well, this is anime about tank. There is no way I can ignoring that

A 4th point would be that GUP helps to teach history. I have always been a historybuff, but I knew very little about the tanks of WWII, and even had many of the wrong stereotypes that are prevalent to this day. I discovered Girls und Panzer because of a Sabaton Bismarck AMV with High School Fleet. Since that video, I have loved High School Fleet, Girls und Panzer, & Sabaton. Sabaton does the same thing that GUP has done, namely, make people aware of History and preserve the stories.

The story of how GUP fans saved the BT-42 is similar to another story. How a children's storybook writer helped to save a railway. Rev. Wilbert Awdry, author of "The Railway Series," visited a little railway in Wales, named the Talyllyn Railway, that was trying to be preserved. (Something never done before). He fell in love with the railway and volunteered. He then made a fictional twin railway in his own fictional train stories complete with twins of the engines on the Talyllyn Railway. Ridership exploded and the survival of the little railway was assured. One of the stories, "Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady," was actually based on something that happened on the Talyllyn Railway. Only, this time instead of Edward Thomas being impatient like Peter Sam, it was because the guard, (one Wilbert Awdry), waved his flag too soon and forgot the refreshment lady. The Talyllyn Railway now hosts the annual Awdry Extravaganza to remember what the Rev. Wilbert Awdry did for the railway.

I've been to Ooarai twice, because of Girls und Panzer and I can highly recommend it. I think when they were looking around to find a nice town Ooarai stood out because of 2 things, the very distinguished Harbour Tower ( you can visit it, there's a Gup Restaurant up there ) and the equally iconic looking shopping mall. Btw, the hotel getting demolished by the KV-2 in der Film was planning a renovation. If you had visited Ooarai after the release of the movie, you would have seen the building wrapped in blue plastic. And just as with roadworks, you would have been directed to the local Sensha-do office for explanations. As for the BT-42. Girls und Panzer normally gives each school the standart tanks from their country, but they also love the weird stuff. Just look at Ooarai, An M3 Lee, Type 3, Type 89 and most tellingly a Tiger (P). So, if you go to Finland, of course you're going to insert Finlands only attempt to make an armoured vehicle. Although I think the actual crews would have given their left testicle for the manouverability shown in der Film. Sidenote, the 3 Finnish girls are based on Moomins characters, guess which country, outside Finland has an actual Moomins town ? You can even see it in an episode of Yama no Susume. I hope you're manga becomes succesfull enough to get you to Ooarai and if you're there, try to also visit Yokosuka ( Highschool fleet and the Mikasa ) and Toyosato (K-on ). And Saga Prefecture for Zombieland Saga, my next target.

I’ve been to Ooarai and it’s really a nice comfy place to visit

This is my favorite of your videos so far, simply because I'm a Finn, and I can't be anything but proud of how GUP helped in preserving the BT-42. I need to go visit the museum one day and see it myself.

Visited Oarai a couple weeks back. It was AMAZING. Garupan scenery everywhere. That wall of Kaytusha's, by the way, is in a really cool sake shop. The townfolk are just the best. Friendly, helpful, and always happy to help knuckleheded gaijin. We rented bicycles and rode all over town. If you leave the main area, you'll still find rarer Garupan figures in businesses up in the hills (along with an abandoned shrine in the woods). Also, they may have retired the Garupan train, but they bring out one of the cars occasionally. We got lucky and got to ride in it from Mito to Oarai.

Thank you for doing these reviews of GuP. I've been re watching this show and introducing some friends to it recently and they have loved it. I'll be traveling to Japan in December and have plans to visit Oarai as a sort of mecca visit. Please keep the GuP reviews going. The Das Finales have been some of the best parts of the series so far. I hope you can review those as well.

I visited Oarai 2 month ago, it was a wonderful experience, but the magic is on the people there, they make you feel so well, like a second home. I went with a taiwanese and an usa guy (im chilean). A true multicultural team

Has there every been a show as helpful as Girls und Panzer? I also hope to make my own pilgrimage to the real town of Oarai

I'm looking forward to the video about GuP music after all the Pravda T-34's marching at the sound of Katyusha is what brought me to this series, I loved the instrumental version of "Funiculi Funicula", "the British Grenadiers", "U.S. Field Artillery March", "Yuki no Shingun" among others.

So, how much good did you bring to the world? GuP: Yes

its amazing what animation can do in the real world

if i ever get the time and money I will definitely be visiting Oarai. As a history and tank fan I absolutely love the show.

i dont get where you all got the information that the Train wouldve been retired, it is still in service with new Liveries. (for example, one of the wagons has the Garupan characters as little children as new livery.)

I've visited Oarai back in 2014 and it was great but I couldn't find a single GuP gift shop - all the shops pretty much looked like one though. And now the Oarai Garupan Gallery is a thing?! I don't think that was there back in 2014... Well fuck it, I'm adding Oarai to my September trip somehow.

~Past through here during my cycling adventure. Just have 30 minutes to spare and not manage to see everything. Going to visit Oarai again this April, this time I'm going to spend half day explore the place!

i never though how big this show impact to irl, thanks

wait i dit not know about these things and i realy will go to oarai at some point in time if only i got to see that train

Visiting Oarai next week. GuP is love, GuP is life.

Why exactly did they need to negotiate with the town to set the story in the town? Is it a Japanese thing or just these creators?

Ooarai is a tourist trap, so much wasted potential (source: I VISITED)

Wow, that's awesome! Still, I feel GuP can do more. People are having a lot of problems with entitled women these days, so I think we absolutely should send girls to school on enormous aircraft carriers and have them fight each other with tanks. It could be a women's sport that anyone would actually watch, instill good values, and be awesome. Given the state of many modern women, it certainly couldn't hurt.