Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume

In the world of Japanese ping pong, a mighty king has fallen. An underdog team suddenly breaks the indomitable Oudou Academy's nine year winning streak, creating a power vacuum as players everywhere are given hope that they too can reach the national tournament.

Suzumegahara Middle School is home to a small-time team: Hanabi Tenka, who has a rapid attack style; Hokuto Itsumo, who can predict the ball's most likely path; Agari Kamiya, famous for her signature backhand smash; vice-captain Mune Oomune, who has an aggressive playstyle; and team captain Kiruka Ushirode, who possesses an impenetrable defense. Despite their skill at ping pong, the team has never made it further than the local city tournaments.

But everything changes when transfer student Koyori Tsumujikaze arrives in town. Filled with an intense love of the game, she quickly makes a name for herself as another top player on the team. Koyori's positive attitude towards ping pong lights a fire in each of the girls' competitive hearts, and together they embark on a mission to win the national tournament.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Tsumujikaze, Koyori Main

Hanamori, Yumiri Japanese

Itsumo, Hokuto Main

Kuwahara, Yuuki Japanese

Kamiya, Agari Main

Tanaka, Minami Japanese

Ushirode, Kiruka Main

Toujou, Hisako Japanese

Tenka, Hanabi Main

Kouno, Marika Japanese

Oomune, Mune Main

Imamura, Ayaka Japanese

Futamaru, Kururi Supporting

Izawa, Shiori Japanese

Tsukinowa, Kumami Supporting

Ueda, Reina Japanese

Zashikiwarashi, Zakuro Supporting

Furuki, Nozomi Japanese

Yuragi, Yura Supporting

Aoyama, Yoshino Japanese

Beniya, Yoshikazu Producer

Ibira, Takaya Producer

Fukuda, Jun Producer

Ogasawara, Muneki Producer, Planning

Reviews

Dec 20, 2016

overlyotaku

Recommended

A pleasant surprise. After marathoning the whole series in a night, I have to say I really enjoyed myself. The characters are all fun and have their own little quirks. I felt they went together in the series well. The show is pretty much all about ping pong too, hardly any filler at all. Surprisingly little fanservice too, considering it's full of girls getting sweaty and moving around a bunch. I was actually hooked on the dramatic moments in each episode, and never felt like fanservice was being crammed down my throat for the sake of selling a product. Not a masterpiece, but worth your ... time, and worth buying to put on my shelf. If you want a show with a deep, involved story and great character development, maybe you shouldn't watch a show about ping pong.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Dec 19, 2016

Stark700

Mixed Feelings

Confession time. I have to admit, when I first heard of the anime adaptation about this series, I paused and thought “girls playing ping pong…what can be so exciting about this?” Coming into this show, my expectations were rather low. I didn’t read much of the original source material either so venturing into this series is like walking into the world of the unknown.

As H.P. Lovecraft once said:
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown”.

Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an over exaggeration. However, what this show ended up being ... was a pleasant surprise.
Adapting the manga of the same name, the story follows middle school students Koyori Tsumujikaze and Agari Kamiya. They get involved with ping pong, a sport played between players on a hard table divided by a net. On the surface, there probably not much to expect from this show. That’s no surprise considering the simple premise and casual storytelling. However, this show is able to capitalize on several concepts that makes it quite entertaining.

First, it’s the characters. The show has a colorful cast of characters of different personalities. From friendly Koyori to the sarcastic third year captain Kiruka Ushirode, there’s something that will always grabs your attention about these characters. Some of the background storytelling are also extensive that expands beyond childhood memories. The series’ attempts at making character roles’ relevant also becomes quite entertaining because every character has a reason to play ping pong. As a sport, the show also introduces rivals so expect the show to evolve with some competitive elements. In essence, character chemistry is likeable especially between friends, Koyori and Agari.

Second, there’s the humor. While this show can initially feel like a “cute girls doing cute things” on paper, the comedy can easily be appreciated from the character reactions to their personalities. Take Kururui Futamaru for instance. She has the sort of look that gives off a yandere-like vibe and her behavior in the show is contagiously addictive to watch. The captain of Suzumegahara is also known for her love of teasing her team. Every episode has a balanced feel of humor that doesn’t overextend itself. Even at times when it feels like dumb comedy, it doesn’t drag the show down.

Third, what we have is the overall tone of the show. Often these days, sports shows is portrayed as overly serious. Soccer, football, basketball, you name it. There’s the pressure put onto players so drama is inevitable both on and off the field. However, this show portrays ping pong as a more casual sport even with its competitive nature. With that being said, it’s more or less popcorn entertainment. There’s no stress in being disappointed on who will win or lose. At the end of the day, the emphasis on the show is to craft fun from ping pong, something that it effectively achieves. While there are some characters that are obviously more skilled than others, it doesn’t spend too much time focusing on them at the expense of others or the other way around.

Still, if you’re looking into a show about creative storytelling, then it’s the wrong place. The storytelling is simple, perhaps way too casual. There’s not much to remember besides the show’s characters and humor. When it come storytelling, the show suffers from development and in general, it isn’t interested in going anywhere new. When watching this, it’ll feel like every episode is nearly the same with its pacing. The final two episodes are also I describe as quite underwhelming compared to the mid-season.

Adapted by Kinema Citrus, the anime visual quality is decent at best. The character designs emphasizes on cuteness as the girls (especially the moe eyes) look just like kids. Even the captain has her childish personality being expressed visually with her facial features. The ping pong matches focuses a lot on body movements and camera angles to present its action. Is it good though? Personally, I feel like it works sometimes while other times feels dragged down. Fan service does exists in the show as well although it doesn’t venture beyond onsen scenes.

On the other hand, the soundtrack surprisingly creates a perfect storm of expression. It’s spot-on aim with fast pacing and instrumental choreography. Character voice mannerism will probably appeal to fans who are used to shows with cute girls. If you’re not used to this type of show, then it’ll probably feel like a disappointment. There’s nothing else to say besides that. It’s either you’re into it or out.

This show can pretty much be recommended to anyone. It’s one of those series where you shouldn’t really expect too much. At its core, the series delivers a satisfying comedy and is hilariously worthy for a sports show. Just watching cute girls playing ping pong and trying to make a name of themselves, you know? That makes me feel like a kid again.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Dec 19, 2016

Tozzy

Not Recommended

Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume (Scorching Ping Pong Girls) is a textbook case of 'I should have known better'. This anime from studio Kinema Citrus - following the trials and tribulations of a middle school girls table tennis team - had the potential to be an interesting experience but the warning signs were there from the opening episodes. What unfolded was a by-the-numbers moe-sports hybrid. You've seen this before: New girl has skill, makes number one player jealous and the pair work hard to overcome their faults and step up their game. Is there at least interesting characters or twists to the story to make ... this predictable formula exciting? Don't get your hopes up. Annoying mannerisms from the cast, bland character design and a drab narrative all play their part in making Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume a show I'd backhand off the table in a hurry.

Our main character is Koyori Tsumujikaze, a shy transfer student who finds the perfect place to seek excitement thanks to the Suzumegahara Middle School table tennis club. It's there she runs into the number one player, Agari Kamiya, a confident but jealous girl. Koyori is in search of the player who can bring out the best in her, and Agari fits the bill. Agari has never been greatly tested by the rest of the club but when the talented Koyori shows up things start to change.

It feels kind of wrong to hate on such a light-spirited show but when its characters sound and act like fingernails on chalkboard then it's hard not to. To counter this I've come up with a way to make watching Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume somewhat bearable. It's "Tozzy's Scorching Ping Pong Girls Drinking Game", and the rules are simple. Grab a bottle of your favourite spirit - the kind that makes your head throb harder than Koyori's heart - and make sure you key in the emergency number on your phone beforehand, just in case. Then take a shot every time Koyori mentions the excitable state of her heart, Hokuto converses with a character not by name but by the colour or composition of their underwear, Kiruka decides to nest her noggin in Mune's comically large chest, Hanabi squeezes or fiddles with someone's hair or one of the first-years need the game explained to them during the middle of a point. It's not so much that there's anything wrong with these things, it's just that their repetition reinforces little surprises Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume is willing to throw the viewers way. The show is built upon characters who act a particular way, and one way only. Sweet, jealous, insecure, creepy, quiet or loud. The end result? No curveballs. Little development. Rarely entertaining.

If you've followed through my drinking game I apologise in advance. I assume by the point you've made it through the 12 episodes adhering to these rules then you're in trouble. Regardless if you're staring down an empty bottle or into your soul contemplating why you watched this show there's one thing that's clear to see - Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume is no different from the last moe dribble you watched. It's sickeningly sacchrine and painfully dull. All these faults, cliches and annoying characters are actually disappointing because there's the odd moment of glorious animation in this show but it's not worth slogging through the remainder of the series to witness it. Some of the table tennis scenes (the main reason I watched this show) look fantastic, at least when the characters decide to shut up and let the game unfold, that is.

Thanks to a one-dimensional cast and a story that ends at an awkward moment Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume earns three heartbeats out of 10. Someone get me a defibrillator and make my heart race again.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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