Galpan unveils visuals of the movie version and the third wrapped bus!　Report on the 2014 Oarai Anko Festival (centered on the voice actors' talk show)

The TV anime "Girls und Panzer" participated in the "Oarai Anko Festival" in Oarai Town, Ibaraki Prefecture, for the third consecutive year (November 16), and now that official photos have arrived, we would like to show you what happened on the day.

(Reference) Previous events
→ Girls und Panzer" participated in the event in Oarai, Ibaraki, where the event took place! Report on the 2012 Oarai Anko Festival

→Galpan participates for the second year in a row! 2013 "Oarai Anko Festival" report (centered on the voice actors' talk show)

This year marks the 18th Oarai Anko Festival, an event where visitors can easily enjoy anko (sea anglerfish) soup and anko nabe (sea anglerfish stew), as well as hung anko (a specialty of Oarai), which comes into season in November, The number of visitors, which had been 20,000 to 30,000 in previous years, rose to 100,000 (according to the organizer's announcement).

First, Mai Fuchigami (playing the role of Miho Nishizumi) and producer Kiyoshi Sugiyama participated in the opening ceremony, which started at 9:15 a.m. on a special stage at the Oarai Marin Tower. The word "Galpan" was used by many people involved, including Oarai Mayor Kotani, and Producer Sugiyama expressed his appreciation. Then, Mr. Fuchigami declared the festival open and started the festivities.

A talk show followed at 12:15 on a special stage. The five members of the Ankou Team, including Mai Fuchigami (played by Miho Nishizumi), Ai Chino (played by Saori Takebe), Mami Ozaki (played by Hana Isuzu), Ikumi Nakagami (played by Yukari Akiyama) and Yuka Iguchi (played by Asako Reizei) were all present. This time, instead of the usual pantser jacket, they wore their original mod coats with the Ankou logo on the back, so they were well prepared for the cold. The coat was so popular that when it was announced that men's sizes would be available, reservations were sold out in a little over a week. During the talk, "Alaippe," a character from the town of Oarai, appeared on stage to celebrate the first anniversary of its birth. In the announcement about the movie version, producer Sugiyama appeared and announced that the release date would be postponed from the original 2014 to the summer of 2015 with an apology. A visual showing the entire Oarai Girls' Academy tank team with the plaza in front of the Oarai Marin Tower in the background was also released. When asked what kind of story they would like if they were to create a spin-off, they suggested "a story about each character's childhood" or "if the members had never met tank driving...". In addition, Ibaraki Kotsu, which already operates two "Girls und Panzer" wrapped buses as route buses, unveiled the third bus, which runs as an express bus between Utsunomiya and Mito and between Haneda Airport and Tokyo, and even the interior is decorated with the artwork. The cast members' autographs and comments were also added after the stage. Below are the comments from the cast members.

Hiroka Iguchi
I hope that you will continue to love Galpan in the time until the movie version is released, and enjoy playing the smartphone game that was released today, watching the reruns, and many other things. Thank you very much for your time today.
Ikumi Nakagami
This year marks the third time the "Ankou Festival" has been held, and I am really happy about that because at first I did not think it would continue this long. The movie version will be released next summer, so we now have a goal, and I hope that more and more fans will join us in the meantime. I look forward to your continued support!
Mami Ozaki
In a good way, I always feel nervous on stage at "Ankosai," and it is rare to have such a relaxing event where I don't feel so nervous (laughs). This year was the third year for me, and I feel really happy to be able to participate in this fun festival with you all. Please look forward to the theater version as well!
Ai Chino
Some of you sat and waited for us since this morning, so thank you very much for today. I feel that this is a really warm event every year, and I get a warm feeling just looking at the fans. I am really looking forward to the theater version as well. I hope to see you all again in Oarai like this when it opens next summer!
Mai Fuchigami
I am happy to be here for the third year in a row, and to see so many fans supporting us for so long, I am truly happy to be involved in such a wonderful work. I hope that the wonderful work "Girls und Panzer" will continue for many, many years to come!

After the stage, the group went to "Oarai Isomae Shrine," which also appeared in the work, to pray for the hit of the movie version. This was the second time the voice actors had visited the shrine since the TV series was broadcast, and they looked nervous. The prayer ended with the dedication of an ema (votive votive tablet) drawn by each of the cast members. In addition, various events related to Galpan were held at various locations, such as a wrapped bus and a display of tanks made in Oarai in the shopping arcade, and sales of related products at the Maiwai Market. On the main stage, the Oarai High School Marching Band "BLUE-HAWKS" performed music from the anime, and the annual Anko (flying fish) hanging ceremony was held.