LAST EDITED ON Sep-10-14 AT 11:03 PM (EDT)
 
>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.

Let's be fair; it was only the front four that were based on the prequel manga, and they were only of poor quality in that they were narratively extremelymuddled.

The manga starts off extremely strong, with Germania's utter and complete curbstomping of the Poles. It's actually an interesting one-two, as you meet most of the core German girls (109, Stuka, Fw 190, etc etc) rapidly and dramatically, and the series spends the first couple chapters making you think they're an eclectic band of athlete-warriors until you realize "no, wait; holy shit, they're actually the antagonists to a large extent."

(This is helped by the fact that by the 2400s, the exact details of the Second World War are no more clearly remembered by your average viewer than the Hundred Years' War or the Wars of the Roses. Ironically, people are more familiar with the hardware than the war itself, owing to the enduring popularity of Tankery clubs.)

It's a great intro, and the anime managed to translate it equally well onto the screen. Unfortunately, it isn't the pilot (yes, yes, you see what I did there) arc. It doesn't happen until 105. The first four episodes tell stories that were worth telling, but they're hampered by giving viewers the impression they should already know these characters, and by introducing periphery schools and characters that seem to be important but that we'll never hear from again on the screen. The Finnish Air School vanishes into oblivion, for example with only Buffy showing up once or twice once the Pacific Conference matches get underway. The Spanish school actually withdraws from the league. It comes across as weird.

Also, pedantry; you've misplaced "A Bitter Pill." That's a second-season episode and it's a complete clip job meant to pad out the episode count. Understandable, since the entire thing mostly takes place during the early days of the war.

-Merc
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