The first season is actually a major source of contention amongst the fandom for two reasons: The first is that it's actually based on the prequel manga series, and the second is because of its poor quality.

The first reason has actually led to a healthy number of flame wars on message boards and more than a few fist fights at conventions, even though the majority of fans agree that it wouldn't have been right to let these stories go untold. See, by the time the anime series was gearing up for production, the original manga was already into 1943 and the prequel series had started up, leaving the producers with a quandary. Half wanted to just visit the prequel as an OVA after the series proper, while the other half worried that if the series didn't sell well then the prequels would never get animated. So the two sides compromised and got the studio to agree to six seasons instead of the intended five, with the first season being composed of stories from the prequel manga.

The second reason, by contrast, is one that even the most die-hard fans of the franchise agree with. Besides the usual pitfalls of any new anime series, from writers feeling out characters to animation being less polished than later seasons, there's the characters and storylines that last one or two episodes and then never appeared again. The characters from manga proper that do show up are not as fleshed out as they were by season 2 and some characterizations were even controversial (Zero as much more arrogant, while Me-109 seems almost melancholy). But there are three episodes all fans agree are must-sees:

- "Winter War" - The first match between the Finnish Air School and Rodina-Mat, featuring the only appearance of Hurry's older sister Gladiator ("Gladdy"), as well as the first appearances of Yak's older cousin I-15 ("Chaika") and Wildcat's cousin Buffalo ("Buffy"). The Finnish team manages, between their tenacious defense and Rodina-Mat's incompetence, a stunning upset that sets the stage for later matches.
- "What's So Civil About War?" - I-15 (now calling herself "Chato"), now joined by her elder sister I-16 ("Mosca") and École Marianne senior D.510, puts up a spirited fight as a member of the República Española against rival Aviación Nacional transfer students CR-32 from Aviación Legionaria, He-51 from Gymnasium Germania, and Me-109 in her first appearance as part of Germania's elite Condor squad. The episode ends with a battered and bruised I-15 reluctantly shaking Me-109's hand, signaling the end of República's struggle.
- "A Bitter Pill" - This episode's different from most in that it's told in flashback with Me-109 as the protagonist, presented as a story told by her. The episode starts in 1941, as 109 comes across Fw-190 and Stuka laughing at the inept manner the Rodina-Mat team is playing in the early matches. 109 bitterly tells them to never underestimate an opponent, before recounting the first match she fought against P.11, the Polish team's star player at the beginning of the Europe Conference. Going into the match, 109 was fresh off her victory against República Española and was overconfident about her chances against a "second-rate" girl like P.11. But as the match began, she quickly found that she couldn't keep up with P.11's twists and turns, totally neutralizing her speed advantage. Her expectations of a quick victory became a vicious knife fight, as P.11 proved scrappy and quick to press her own advantages. The match ended in a knock-out, with 109 suffering a humiliating loss to P.11. While the Polish team ultimately lost, Germania's star player suffered a blow to her ego she'd never truly overcome. The episode ends with the Germanian girls gearing up for their next match against Rodina-Mat, Fw-190 leading the way with swaggering confidence while 109 sadly shakes her head as she and Stuka follow behind.

Ultimately, the first season has received a lot of comparisons to Galaxy Quest: The New Generation and it's own much maligned first season: All the elements were there for future glory and the show had a lot of promise, but was let down by poor execution and sloppy writing. It's generally agreed that, if not for "Their Finest Hour," the studio may have pulled the plug on the whole endeavor.