Ping Pong the Animation

I remember a few years back, when I was discussing anime with someone in a year above mine at my school, that the discussion had turned to what we believed was the worst anime of all time. We discussed the usual that everybody brings up. Mars of Destruction, Boku no Pico as well as the then recently released second season of Tokyo Ghoul. As we kept discussing this topic, the other person, let's call him, "Light Novel Trash Lover" (as he kept telling me Infinite Stratos and SAO were the best anime ever made and he even came to school cosplaying Kirito a couple of ... times, complete with the dual swords and everything; how the hell he was let in was beyond me) then brought up Ping Pong: The Animation as being one of the worst anime ever. Struck with both surprise and curiosity I asked him his reasons why, for, at the time, I had only seen three episodes and had really liked what I had seen. Light Novel Trash Lover then told me that, "Ping Pong is the worst anime of all time because the animation and art style is terrible!". And this little story sums up why I believe Ping Pong The Animation is so overlooked within the anime community, which is a shame too, since many are missing out on perhaps one of the greatest sports anime of all time, and one of the best in this past decade of anime. Of course, disliking an anime's art style is not inherently bad, but dismissing the entire show as being bad, based on the art style seems pretty silly.

Regardless of such, Ping Pong, The Animation has recently become one of my favourite anime ever! It's a show less concerned about the sport, and more so a character study of its cast, filled to the brim with interesting and clever allegorical writing and symbolism, from one of the most critically acclaimed and respected directors working today, Masaaki Yusa! So let's grab our ping-pong bats, taste some of our blood (as it tastes like iron, y'know) and allow me to explain why I believe this show to be a masterpiece!

"The hero comes. The hero comes. The hero comes. Chant these words in your mind, and I'll surely come to you..."

Reciting these lines in his mind, one of our protagonists, nicknamed Smile, fights on in each and every one of his ping-pong matches, along with his friend, nicknamed Peco. Both boys have grown up together, bonding ever more closely over their shared passion for ping pong and, after growing older and reaching high school, both begin to play in tournament matches. The show sees them both grow, not only in their ping-pong abilities and skills but also more so as people as well, as they influence the players who go against them, who, in turn, also have their own mental hang-ups.

Ping Pong's narrative, if anything, will not surprise you with any grand plot twists, and is, at its most fundamental level, a standard sports narrative. However, what makes the show shine so much is its well-developed cast of characters, symbolism and amazing directing. Another thing that helps to make Ping Pong so much fun to watch from an entertainment perspective alone is how well paced the entire show actually is. The narrative is always pushing forward in some way, introducing new plot threads and mental dilemmas for its characters while also wrapping up several older ones at the same time, keeping the anime fresh and interesting. Another thing that makes this otherwise standard story so great is the how attached we become to both Peco and Smile as characters, generating intrigue from the audience, and many of the ping pong matches are exciting to watch since the narrative does a good job at creating narrative stakes and tension. The best example of this is the match between Weng and Kazama, where, if Weng loses this match, he will not be able to return to his home country of China, which makes the proceeding absolute beatdown of his character in the match all the more emotionally gripping. The entire show is just very tightly written, with visual symbolism and motifs as well as well developed themes and ideas, used in many cases in order to convey more about the characters and what they're feeling without the use of dialogue to masterful effect, which I will be getting more into in a moment.

The crux of the show is certainly the relationship between Peco and Smile, and how each one of them develops throughout the course of the show. What's particularly interesting about their relationship is the juxtaposition of their personalities. Peco is rather upbeat, cocky and is highly motivated to become the best in ping pong while Smile is much quieter and is referred to as being a robot with no emotions by his peers and the people who go against him in matches. In fact, his name, Smile, was given due to him rarely smiling (which we later learn was actually given to him by Peco after seeing how much Peco enjoyed playing ping pong as a kid).

Smile's character is all about learning how to enjoy the game of Ping Pong once again and break away from the robotic play style and mould he has been using for many years. The reason as to how Smile achieves this is through Peco's involvement in his life. Thus Peco is Smile's hero; the salvation he needs to enjoy the sport he holds so dearly once again, which results in some fantastic cathartic pay off at the end of the series. The motif of the hero, as well as the idea of flight, is a consistent theme in the show and is used often to convey how characters are feeling too, with the depiction of a hero with wings being the representation of Peco. During the final match between Peco and Smile, as Smile begins to break free from his robotic play style, we see an image of a bird flying freely through the sky, representative of Smile's newly gained freedom.

Peco's energetic play style and massive love for ping pong end up being the salvation of other players too, in particular, to Kazama, who had devoted his entire life to a strict training regime in order to win at ping pong and to further his career. However, his constant winning also leaves him isolated and secluded, as he frequently finds comfort in hiding in bathrooms before playing a game. In the penultimate episode of the show, we see visual imagery of the hero, in other words, Peco, extend a hand to Kazama, before taking it back and smiling at him. Kazama then grows wings himself, and flies after the hero, looking down at the bathroom he used to hide in signalling that his character has indeed grown, and he is now able to enjoy ping pong once again, reflected in his changed attitude in the game he is playing.

More evidence that Peco is indeed Smile's hero comes from the line "Iron tastes like blood" which I referenced a little earlier in this review. The idea is that iron and blood are two juxtaposing elements, both representative of the contrast in personalities between the two characters. Blood is something that is alive, something that is moving, representing life, thereby linking into the idea that Peco is a hero and plays ping pong because he loves it, while the iron, which is associated as being cold and metallic is representative of Smile's character and play style. The idea that Peco tells Smile that "Iron tastes like blood" could be seen that Peco is trying to make Smile see that he is more human than Smile, and everyone else, believes. Another piece of symbolism used to contrast their characters are the use of the star and the moon, both typically found on each respective person's item of clothing or on their ping-pong bats. The star is used to represent Peco, always full of life and shining brilliantly, illuminating everyone around him, fitting into the hero motif, while the moon is used to represent Smile, an object that has two sides to it: the dark side and the light side, representing the change that is going to take place in his character.

Some clever visual imagery is used in regards to Peco's character when he throws his bat into a river, which has the star symbol on it, signifying that Peco's light and ambition is now no more. And there are plenty of these visual motifs in this show, all of which are used to showcase or add onto characterisation, making for some of the most interesting characters I've seen before in any show, most of which are rather relatable which drives the emotional weight of the characters even more. Each theme and motif in ping pong is integrated into the narrative in order for us to learn more about the characters. Take, for example, the motif of the butterfly in regards to Smile's coach, Koizumi, or the theme hard work being crushed under natural talent in the case of Sakuma in his match against Smile.

Ping Pong also has one of my all-time favourite soundtracks with each track fitting the theme and personality of a character perfectly. The opening is damn great and never fails to get me pumped up while, at the same time, sprinkling in some lyrics relating to the motif of flying in the show. Peco's theme is fast paced, frantic and fun, mirroring his character and the motif of a hero, and is used to fantastic effect during his match with Kazama. In contrast, Kazama's theme is foreboding and powerful, representing Kazama's strength, which is used amazingly during his match with Weng, that I briefly touched upon before.

I'd also like to use this match as an example of how great and imaginative the animation can be at times too. As previously mentioned, this match has a lot of narrative stakes since it is the final chance for Weng to get back into China after being kicked off the Chinese team, so as an audience, we sympathise more so with him, and want him to succeed. However, what follows, is an utterly hopeless beat down, and the entire match feels helpless. Just as much as Weng is feeling desperate, so do we an audience member, and the anime conveys this feeling of helplessness with fantastic visuals of Kazama towering over Weng, signifying their difference in skills and talent, as the ping pong table itself stretches out, emphasising this idea. Not only that but every time Kazama hits the ball, a streak of purple lighting is used to convey the power and lighting fast reflexes Kazama retains. In addition, we also see him depicted as being a giant, again, referencing his raw strength, but also the colour used is important as well: purple. In Ping Pong, the colour purple is used to represent those respected in the world of ping pong, as both teachers of Peco and Smile frequently wear shirts with some shade of purple and the highly influential academy Kazama attends is also largely purple.

Taking this idea of purple, and applying it to this situation, makes for an interesting idea when we see Kazama transform into a giant purple dragon. Dragons are typically associated with Chinese culture, the place where Weng is trying to get back to, and having Kazama transform into a dragon is symbolic of his team who turned their back on them and the idea that he will never reach them ever again. The use of the purple signifies that they're respected in the world of ping pong, and the lack of any purple on Weng represents the idea that he will never get there again.

The entire show is loaded with this much visual imagery and creative metaphors and is so insanely dense that it would be impossible to talk about it all, which is what makes the show so insanely well crafted and interesting to watch for anyone who loves creative animation. The animation as a whole is incredibly fluid and, at times, rather bouncy and energetic. I also love the art style too, albeit, if it can sometimes look jarring or wonky at times; it was never enough to pull me out of the overall experience, however.

When it comes down to it, Ping Pong is a hard series to summarise and talk about because of how dense and how well constructed everything is. I could go on forever about what I personally think the show is trying to say and what each element represents, but I believe part of the fun of this show is trying to piece and make sense of everything for yourself, and if there is anything of what I said, you think is misinterpreted or just flat out wrong, please feel free to tell me. After all, all the analysis is just from my mind. Ping Pong The Animation is a marvel. A great example of what can be accomplished in animation and a true testament that a simple idea can become a wonderful show. Its characters are very well developed and the allegorical meaning behind what each represents are interesting, the music is fantastic, and overall, this is one of the best experiences I've had with a show ever. With that all said and done, thank you for taking the time to read my review, and I'll leave you with my favourite quote from the show:

"We're alive, and that's why we're happy..."

(This has been adapted from my reddit thread)

Heroes are the stuff of legend. They can prevent natural disasters to protect the Earth, fight giant monsters to defend a city, and even rescue people from unsightly doom. Heroes are who we call for when the going gets tough. They do what nobody else can, and that is, simply put, save. And it doesn't have to come from stopping an earthquake or beating up evil; what they do better than almost anyone else is instill hope. That, no matter what may come next, there is still a chance. And sometimes -- very rarely -- the heroes are ... the ones who need saving. With this in mind, Ping Pong The Animation becomes an anime that goes down in history as one of the best.

STORY

Ping Pong stars two high school table tennis players, "Smile" and "Peco." One day, their club's coach sees latent potential in Smile, and begins to nurse him into the type of player he can assuredly be.

One of Ping Pong's greatest story elements, like the paddles the cast wield, is double-sided. It weaves in and out of the lives they live and the matches they play. That is, the characterization comes from their normal, everyday routines, but their development explodes from the battles they share. It's a constant turnover of seeing the characters adapt or react to the victory or loss they experience. It makes everyone involved incredibly dynamic and real. Watching Smile hold back due to misplaced drive, seeing Dragon dominate the playing field because of unimaginable practice, viewing Akuma as he faces reality; these few instances are tense and filled with drama. But it doesn't stop there. Because what happens afterwards is just as important: Smile becoming ruthless, Dragon remaining isolated, and Akuma correcting his path. In short, every match counts. The winners and the losers never leave the mats unscathed, and Ping Pong demonstrates this beautifully.

An interesting theme that the anime runs with early is the idea that "there is always someone better." A normal mindset looks at this adage as dealing with victory and defeat only; that being "better" is restricted to whatever topic is at hand. For Ping Pong, it elaborates beyond just winning and losing. For example, Yurie has two loves, but follows the one that brings her the comfort she desires. Koizumi is given a distinct opportunity, and leans towards the more moral path. Being better than someone isn't always about who earned the most or least points. Here, it comes from the actions -- not the numbers -- that the characters make. Kong training others or Akuma physically and mentally saving Peco make them "better" than the cold Smile or distant Dragon, despite the latter being "better" themselves.

Which links back to the introduction. Who is a hero? The word is used frequently, and is attributed to a fantastical creature with a strange gesture and elegant wings. Does it have to be some fictional entity? Like the story-telling and superiority discussed earlier, Ping Pong thinks outside of the box. A hero is the best friend, a rival, or some passing stranger. A hero is a coach or family member. A hero is one's self. That is, everyone is a hero. People have the opportunities to be the savior that somebody needs. And a lot of the time, they cannot always be capitalized on. Ping Pong shows this with Yurie and Dragon, or even Kong and his teacher. But when the hero does show up, it both figuratively and literally changes the game. He or she doesn't have to necessarily enact some elaborate plan. Whether it is training someone day and night or giving a small piece of wisdom, there is and always will be a hero in all of us.

ANIMATION

The most controversial topic when it comes to Ping Pong is in the art and animation department. And it is crucial to make a distinction between the two.

From the outset, the art is, bluntly put, ugly. It's literally rough around the edges and characters can have misshapen figures at any given time. But this is part of the allure, the "charm," that it exudes. Over time, one gets used to seeing the characters looking wonky or the backdrops lacking detail. Essentially it is the only barrier keeping the audience away. If anything, it's extremely unique -- at least, within the realm of anime.

To alleviate some of these issues, Ping Pong takes on two rather clever approaches. The first is presenting everything in a comic book style. Shots are segmented in such a way as to "show motion without motion." Many scenes are broken up into panels: just a character's head, his feet planting, then an arm being swung, etc. But it's more than just cutting down on animation; it actually ties back into the themes of the show itself. It's a story containing heroes. And so what one is getting isn't just an anime, but a moving, talking comic book.

Another of its brilliant artistic choices is similar to the previous style. Table tennis is a personal game. Like chess or wrestling, it's a one-on-one test of skill. To this end, Ping Pong loves to place its characters in two separate, large panels when they are having a conversation. It mirrors the give-and-take of the sport they all play. And this doesn't just happen during the matches; it also occurs during their daily life, demonstrating how great of an influence the game has had on the lot of them.

The character designs are nicely done, and help to exemplify what each man represents: calm, sly, fun, cool, and strong. Smile with his plain looks and glasses, Akuma with his slanted eyes, Peco and his bowl-cut, Kong with his slick hair and shades, and Dragon's stoic facial details. Each player looks, and plays, the part.

As for the actual animation, Ping Pong is all over the place. At times, it flows nicely, and at other moments, it dips dangerously low. Again, the composition of the shots helps to relieve some of the more blatant issues, giving the anime an all-around average showing in movement.

CHARACTERS

Ping Pong contains a strong cast of characters, some of the best in a long while.

Akuma is a member of the Kaio Academy table tennis club. His rough attitude and unfriendliness makes him a difficult person to approach. As a child, he looked at Peco as an inspiration, and as a teenager, the mighty Dragon. He saw these great figures before him, and his goal was set: to become the kind of player his heroes had been known to be. But he faced a harsh reality, that sometimes, despite how hard one works, it just isn't enough. A certain amount of talent is needed to make the transition from good to masterful, and Akuma learns this the hard way. But his experience allows him to flourish. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, he becomes a savior for the people he had always looked up to. And eventually he realizes that just because his life may not have gone down the initial path he walked, there is still more out there to cherish and love even when the future looks bleak.

Kong Wenge -- also known as "China" -- hails from the land of the same name as the moniker given to him. Being foreign, cocky, and good at the game depicts him as a powerful opponent for anyone to face. More so than anyone else, he had to meet expectations. Representing his home country, abandoning his mother, making his coach proud, and getting back to his former glory are all pressures exerted on him. He succumbs to them, but he takes defeat not as a final judgment, but as a means to start anew. He reconnects with his family, he adopts a nicer personality, and he starts to coach -- starts to be the hero -- for his own club. He discovers that it isn't just about pleasing others; it's also about pleasing yourself.

As the champion of the mats, Dragon is a ferocious monster when it comes to table tennis. His only goal is to win; he cares about nobody and nothing on his way to the top. Growing up, he was subject to mental abuse, that he was only worth as much as the trophies he earned. Losing his father and being essentially ostracized, he became isolated. Lonely and afraid, his only comfort came from the stalls in which he would dwell. Crushing player after player, he decides that there are no heroes, that the only person that truly matters is yourself. But in a stunning performance, he learns the truth. That there exist people who can do the impossible, who can reach the skies. That people really can fly.

Smile is so aptly named because he never smiles. As a child, he was often bullied, ridiculed for his robotic nature and the video games he played. But he always believed that a hero would save him, would reach out and take him to a place of happiness. As a teenager, Smile's robotic play-style and obvious talent made him into a fearsome juggernaut, whose rise through the ranks was unparalleled. Going from uncaring to stubborn in his determination, Smile uncharacteristically begins to play with unfettered will. However, it is all for a purpose: to repay the hero of his past.

Finally, no discussion about the anime can be had without Peco. Always looking to have fun and eating way too many sweets, he prides himself on how good of a player he has always been. But what quickly comes to light is that he is no match for everyone around him, specifically Akuma, Kong, Dragon, and Smile. He finds himself everywhere emotionally, from soaring highs to drowning lows. But in the end, it is Peco who is the ultimate hero. Because he alone influences each of the cast. To Akuma, he was the kid everyone wanted to be; to Kong, he shows that people can improve; to Dragon, he signifies that heroes do exist; and most of all, to Smile, he proves that Smile is alive, is human, that Smile's "blood tastes like iron." Peco touches the hearts and minds of these men in one way or another, giving them all the opportunity to become the type of people they always wanted to be.

SOUND

The OP is quite good. With the yelling and whistling, the fast paced lyrics, and rock-n-roll instruments, it's not only very catchy but gets you quickly pumped up.

The ED takes some time to grow, but once it does, it is very powerful. It starts off soft, with the clapping and wavy, up-and-down sound effects. When the beat kicks in, it turns into both a happy and hopeful piece. And it ends like the birds in the sky: out of reach and free.

The soundtrack for the anime is amazing. "Peco" perfectly captures Peco's passion and love for the game with its flute and peppy feel. "Butterfly Joe" is sorrowful, with the violin and piano being emotionally resounding. The best track is easily "Dragon," with its choir chanting, thunder, and hard drums; it is both incredibly mysterious and strikingly powerful. Every track either fits where needed or leaves a lasting impression.

Voice acting sees above-average work for everyone involved, with each cast member bringing about a splendid performance. Special shout-outs go to Fukujurou Katayama in his first VA role as Peco, Yousei Bun as Kong for the Chinese dialogue, and Shunsuke Sakuya as Dragon.

ENJOYMENT

There were so many events, and entire episodes, that were momentous to see. Kong versus Dragon of episode four, the Christmas Eve depiction of episode six, and all of episode ten were fantastic experiences that I can still picture in my mind. The development of the characters, the art direction, and the story itself; there are so many instances within the show that are memorable.

And that speaks nothing of the writing, too. Smile telling Kong, "It'll only end in defeat," Peco screaming out, "I'm fly--" only to hit the water before finishing his sentence, or Smile telling his coach that, "Heroes have no weaknesses." There are so many great lines that can be pulled out from the anime, all of which not only sound cool out of context, but have such huge connections to the themes of the show itself.

Ping Pong The Animation has it all. A heartfelt story, a unique and purposeful art style, unbelievable characters, top-notch sound-work, and more enjoyment than one will know what to do with. This anime serves as testament to the idea that ping pong isn't just a sport; it's a way of life.

SUMMARY

Story: Great, ping pong affects both the match and the personal, with strong themes of being better and being the hero

Animation: Great, unique art style and direction, good character designs, varying animation quality

Characters: Great, Akuma, China, Dragon, Smile, and Peco are heroes to and for each other

Sound: Great, good OP, good ED, great soundtrack, good VA work

Enjoyment: Great, memorable instances and writing the whole way through

Final Score: 10/10

'Ping Pong the Animation' is an absolute masterful work within its animation medium. When taken out of context, this statement is bound to sound silly. What kind of story, that is based around table tennis, would people consider 'masterful'? Quite honestly, I saw little potential when reading the synopsis. And boy was I proven so very, very wrong.

I was fully aware that Yuasa Masaaki is the director, the man responsible for Tatami Galaxy, Kaiba and several other creative works. Admittedly, I have not read any of Matsumoto's work despite knowing his solid reputation, so my expectations were more so lost than low. But low nevertheless. ... And for those of you who are put off to watch this, don't be. It looks to be several guys playing table tennis for the heck of it, but it's a mountain more than that.

Ping Pong isn't really about ping pong - rather the sport is used as a driving sport for characterization than the central concept. It's why people don't consider this as a 'actual sports anime', even though it actually is. It's just not your typical one, and a very non-conventional one at that. I don't particularly refer to the abstract art, which does indeed play a role, instead I refer to the careful yet unique approach towards several characters' development in a mere eleven episodes, by the means of ping pong itself.

For example, the foreshadowing at the beginning of episode one presents the quotes:
"Call me when you're in a pinch!"
"Say it thrice in your heart!
"Enter the hero!" "Enter the hero!" "Enter the hero!"
"Do that and I'll be there!"
In which the known 'hero' then sprouts out his wings and proceeds to fly in the air. Foreshadowing occurs a lot during the show, in various forms like symbolism, metaphors and actual events. But they aren't merely references to their past events. They reference the motivational drives and resolve the characters keep within them, which adds weight and depth to their character that connect table tennis to their lives. These moments of past references generally occurs in the actual table tennis matches, hence the efficiency to develop more than five characters in eleven episodes.

Why are they playing table tennis, and what for? The reasonings vary for player to player. Perhaps its the anxiety of losing reputation to merely passing on time. Or from misery in confinement to overcoming talent with effort. Each of the main characters have their ambitions and fears that molds the stages they go through. Majority of these characters' resolutions changes in the duration of the anime, but not in a morally typical way. The events attaches seemingly unrelated characters, and clashes their ideals to each other, similar or not, which changes the other player's mindset for the better or worst.

There's certainly more than one theme in Ping Pong, and thanks to the presentation that makes the anime so relatable to a lot of the audience. It deals with the balance of effort and talent within people. The bullying aspect is dealt in a fine manner that connects to humanity and equality. And then there's the metaphors, the central ones from heroes and birds flying, to the more straight-forward ones like dragons and robots. The most pronounced one though is, in Yuasa's words, "the best thing to do is enjoy yourself."

Ping Pong is commendable for adapting the entire manga into eleven episodes as a complete product, rather than animation advertisement like LNs. It hardly feels messy or convoluted, but this does lead to some unfortunate sacrifices. At times, it feels like characters change very suddenly, despite being justified. Other scenes are dragged out, specifically the texting scene in the last episode. The pacing is rapid and feels jumpy at times, but it is definitely solid and does not feel rushed to ruin the story at all.

The coming-of-age aspects of the writing also leaves an unfortunate cause. Some characters begins unlikable due to their nature. Smile starts out stuck up and, with intentional irony, never actually smiles. Peco starts out pretty cocky whose only purpose is to win, and cries or goes drunk when things doesn't his way. Later on though, the entire cast develops and grows into better people, having their resolves and inspirations changed or realized that both justifies their previous actions and changes them into players that are admirable by the end. It feels simply satisfying to watch these characters grow and blossom with depth, themes and characterization.

The writing is not exactly straight-forward, and without convolution too. You are subjected to 'think' when watching the show; by, what the internet would like to say, 'turning off your brain', you'd be missing out a LOT of depth the animation has. You do need to figure out the inner themes and piece together the puzzles in order to fully appreciate the characters. And it's completely worth it. The anime uses lots of psychology and subtle symbolism, even though some themes are put forward more than others like the blood aspect and robotic feature. But it's because of this amount of depth the anime underlies that makes it so especially relatable and exquisite.

Animation is brilliant, and yet it's not. Art style is definitely non-conventional because of its abstract nature. This may be close doors for some, but open doors for others. The scheduling and budget, mostly the former, had hit a dead end. It's evidential to some bad 'quality' shots scattered around, some more apparent than others. Frame rate feels low and cluttered at times, but thankfully the prioritized matches and symbolism towards the end is given more fluidity and budget. If you can easily adapt to the abstract art style that heavily resembles the manga, then you are in for a real treat.

Both Yuasa's and Matsumoto's style absolutely stands out here. The problem with most adaptations nowadays is that they forget that anime and manga are two VERY different mediums, but Yuasa realizes this. With faithfulness, a lot of manga paneling is cleverly used in animation fashion. Other techniques include the velocity of pacing in matches - since anime is a set-timed medium and manga is not, expressionism in subtle symbolism and characters' body language, the ability to blend both realism and cartoon nature and so on. The exotic animation style allows accessibility to be creative, thus creating a product that goes all out in every single scene.

Table tennis matches are an absolute blast to watch at times. Simply because they look like table tennis matches, instead of shounen fest smashing attacks. The techniques, power and accuracy of every hit and miss makes it apparent that the animators has done their research into the sport. And, referencing what I mentioned earlier, the matches don't merely rely on the animation, but also the amount of depth and importance each win or lost has.

Sound direction also enhances the experience to a new level. From feet scratching to balls bouncing, every single sound effect creates an atmosphere that is both light lifting yet heavily substantial in its matches. The soundtrack is solid, bringing in tones from uplifting to intensity, and from the depths of hell to heavenly paradise. Every voice actor expresses their characters and brings the life out of them with the correct personality and tone. Cast includes Kouki Uchiyama to some new VAs, and a proper Chinese Mandarin VA to LotGH's narrator.

Overall, I loved Ping Pong the Animation. It's more personal love due to its relatable themes hitting close to home, and its 'show, don't tell' execution being most excellent throughout the course of the animation. This isn't merely a sports anime. It's one that pinpoints the nature and psychology of human beings, questioning the purpose of their lives and what WE can do to make the most of ours. Ultimately, the story shows us that life does indeed have a meaning, that instead of stressing ourselves to achieve something, we should strive to enjoy the sports, careers or hobbies we do that defines us.

愛してるぜ (Aishiteruze)

Ping Pong the Animation is certainly an underdog-style show. I went into this anime not expecting much. It had a bizarre art style and was adapted from a manga that's around twenty years old now. Yet this show quickly became one of my favorites this season and proved that it was probably this season's biggest underdog next to some of the more hyped shows. That actually fits this show perfectly since it's the story of an underdog. However, being an underdog in most people's eyes doesn't mean you're not the hero in someone else's.

It's pretty much impossible to talk about the story in this ... heavily character-driven sports anime without talking about the characters instead. The show begins with a couple of disorderly ping pong players at a high school with no reputation in the sport. Smile and Peco seem like the strangest pair of friends you'll ever meet. Smile never smiles and Peco's a ball of energy with no off-switch. They're pretty much exact opposites no matter how you look at them. While I didn't find either of them to be very likable right off the bat, the show develops both of them incredibly through many flashbacks to their childhood as well as displaying their motivations in the present. The rest of the side characters are also well developed throughout the show. My favorite is the Chinese player Kong Wenge. This is one of the only shows I've ever seen actually use non-Japanese voice actors for foreign characters and it was a pleasure to hear. Kazama Ryuuichi is the favored player throughout the show and has garnered fame through his playing and his family. Despite his determination to get better at the sport and be the best, he doesn't really enjoy playing ping pong. The development everyone in this series experiences whether they are high school players, a coach, or other side characters is incredible. They do have faults especially in the beginning, but this character cast definitely shined bright at the end.

Now for the most controversial part of the show: the animation. This show uses a very experimental style which ranges from working perfectly with the feel of the story to just being awkward at times. For the most part it works excellently, but, especially during the ping pong matches early in the show, the animation is just distracting and poorly done. As the show goes on and the matches become more important, the animation improves, however some of the earlier matches consist of one repeated rally with nothing else shown. As for the many flashbacks, the show utilizes it's animation very well to give them an emotional feeling and to build up why you should care for these characters. While some of the flashbacks are used a little too much, they still have an amazing impact on the show and build the foundation for the characters. Especially for Smile and Peco, these flashbacks are really well executed.

The soundtrack for the most part is just there to set the mood and not much else. At first it mainly consists of background sounds and some instrumental tracks to go along with the more emotional and dramatic moments. Towards the end with some of the final ping pong matches, the soundtrack really stands out, especially in the second to last match played in the show. The ED theme is also something I'll mention since it is one of my favorite songs from any anime this season.

Ping Pong the Animation is the underdog anime of the season and with this exceptional character cast of heroes, underdogs, and fallen heroes, it really fits the show unintentionally well. I'm not really a big fan of sports anime, and if you are, you may not actually like how this show is done. That's not fact of course, I'm just mentioning it since this is more of a character-driven psychological friendship story than your typical sports anime. If you're looking for a show that focuses on the sport and the special techniques of it that most shows in this genre use, then you'll probably be dissatisfied. However, if you're just looking for something that gets inside of the characters' heads and analyzes their reasons for playing a sport and their motivations that drive them to continue, then this is something you'll probably enjoy.

“There's no shortcut to victory. You have to climb that steep mountain one step at a time. There's an abyss down below and it never ends. Your only choice is to keep climbing!”
-Ryuuichi Kazama

I’m constantly impressed at Japanese anime writer’s abilities to bring life to any subject matter. Whether it’s Go in Hikaru no Go or in the case of Ping Pong- The Animation, any game can turn from calculated and boring to an intense emotional battle between two opponents. This anime was a coming of age story, displaying the very different lives of several table tennis players as they battled their own ... inner demons while aspiring to rise to the top of their sport. I was thoroughly entertained throughout the entire series, and I was left with a great sense of fulfillment and joy at its conclusion.

The story in this anime is actually quite simple; two best friends Yutaka Hoshino(Peco) and Makoto Tsukimoto(Smile) are in high school together on the table tennis team. Hoshino is the typical outspoken and bombastic teenager, and normally the dominant one at table tennis. But all it takes is for a Chinese transfer student named Wenge Kong to recognize Tsukimoto’s superior skill and how he often holds back for the sake of Hoshino, and the whole story explodes open. You end up following over the shoulders of six different high school students, all devoting their free time to table tennis, trying to become the best and win the Inter High tournament. Between the superior Kazama and finding who he really played ping pong for, to Kong and his desires to reclaim his country’s respect by excelling abroad, each story tied in nicely together.

The amount of morals present in Ping Pong is uplifting to say the least. As aforementioned in the opening quote, table tennis exists as a medium for the various characters to discover themselves and further their ventures as a teenager. Whether it’s through a brutal butt-whooping in a match or by training or just learning to be free and love the game they devote so much time to, each story is unique in its own way. I loved the relationship existing between Hoshino and Tsukimoto. Hoshino was always there to stick up for his pal when they were younger, so Tsukimoto often held back when playing matches against him. Eventually realizing he wasn’t invincible, Hoshino slumped into a state of “finding himself”, convinced that he was fine without playing table tennis, and it wasn’t until he talked to an old and wise owner of his frequented spot that he snapped out of it. It was such a profound transformation of character and an exciting one to watch unfold.

Ping Pong- The Animation creates more character development in 11 episodes that most animes can muster in three times the length. It was absolutely remarkable. Yukata Hoshino is one of the most refreshing characters I’ve come across in awhile. His demeanor was so pompous but he had such a strong love for his sport that it was almost warranted. The way he always stuck up for Tsukimoto was admirable, which made you develop an understanding for his personality. Tsukimoto, being the calm and calculated nerd that he was, viewed table tennis as nothing more than one of his games he’d play on the subway each day. The way he would adapt to other player’s style just to crush them in the second game made his aura robotic. I love that he was referred to as “Smile” because it’s the one thing no one ever saw him do… that is, unless he was playing with Peco. Unlike some interactions between MCs, Peco and Smile’s dialogue always felt natural… almost like the entire conversation was improv’d.

Kong was an interesting character as well, being that he came off as such an arrogant, uptight foreigner. However, as he lost his edge you began to feel sorry for him. I didn’t want to see him go back to his country a loser, but in the end I think he achieved a mountain of wisdom through his enlightening experience in Japan. Kazama was kind of similar in the regard that you kind of feel sorry for him for giving his all to the sport, but he never really played it for himself. Playing with Peco near the end of the series I think snapped him out of his internal dilemma and made him fall in love with the sport all over again. It was a very humbling experience.

Of course, the art may be something that would critically receive a low score on most reviewers’ charts. On the contrary, I feel that it fit the overall vibe of the anime quite well. The sloppy, lazy drawings reminded me a bit of Mike Judge cartoons mixed with Shin Chan. It added to the humor significantly, especially when the characters were far away. Some of the action scenes were really well done, especially when it paned shots of the characters together. I really loved the art in the opening though, the black and white effects in the beginning were cool to look at. The music was fantastic as well. The OP got me pumped up, and I actually never skipped past in throughout the series. Some of the sequences involving the ping pong ball noises cascading over each other reminded me of being on drumline. The sound editing was top notch. When I was finished watching the anime, I looked up Peco’s voice actor, Fukujurou Katayama and was astonished that it was his first voice acting role. GET THIS GUY SOME MORE PARTS. He was incredible. The ED was nothing special, I found myself skipping it most of the time just because I was trying to binge watch the show faster.

This show kept me engaged from start to finish with its over-the-top action and diverse, interesting characters. It was a “fun” show, and one that made me laugh on multiple occasions. I loved the reoccurring line from Peco, “it’s three centuries too soon for you to challenge me!” It illustrated his confident nature very well. I’m actually kind of glad it was only 11 episodes too, it didn’t allow for me to think too far into its meaning or get bored.

Ping Pong was hands down the best sports anime I’ve ever seen. The writers took what is seemingly a dull and repetitive sport to a whole new level of exciting. It made me laugh at times, and think deeply intellectual at others. No dialogue seemed wasted, and the character development was some of the best I’ve ever seen. I can’t recommend it enough! Thanks for reading!

This is not a traditional sports show. If you're looking for a generic shounen sports anime, don't bother with Ping Pong. It transcends the genre, almost to the point of a deconstruction. Instead of focusing on the sport itself and the main character's fight to the top in said sport, it focuses on the playing of the sport itself, who plays it, why they play it, and what their motives and ultimate goals are. It also demonstrates a magnificent amount of personal crisis and searching for the understanding of one's self within the sport. Ping Pong the Animation is a fucking masterpiece.

If you don't play ... sports, you may not understand the intricacies of the issues these characters deal with (not to say you won't), but if you do, you're in for a hell of a show.

Story:

The story is basically about a group of high school athletes from different schools, different backgrounds, different environments all competing to be the best at Ping Pong. This show is about each character's struggle to the top and how they find success. The story is heavily reliant on characters and seeing as not much happens that isn't spoiler, this is all the analysis you're gonna get.

The finale to this show is so good that I cried from the sheer magnitude of emotion emanating from each character. One of the best I've ever seen.

Sound:

Excellent. The OP is incredible. The best of the year by far. The entire soundtrack is pretty much equally solid and always fits the mood perfectly.

Art/Animation:

If you want an idea of what the series is like, watch the OP and look at how much detail it contains. It is extremely unconventional, but it works.

The main gripe people have with the show right here. I don't understand the complaints at all. The animation is incredibly expressive, makes each character stand out in their own way, and hell, if nothing else, makes the series feel all the more unique than it already is. It makes everything look real and look like controlled chaos, very much what sports is for the most part. It's the perfect choice for the anime, there is absolutely nothing I wish changed in it.

Characters: (Warning, spoilers)

Now for the real meat of the show, the reason it's so fucking good. The characters. Not a single main or secondary character felt recycled. Each had their own distinct personality and look so you never confuse any of the characters with each other.

Our main character, Tsukimoto, is very quiet, reclusive, and introverted. He really only has one friend, Peco, and he seems to not have a lot of passion about the sport whatsoever. This is problematic because he has the most potential out of any character introduced. His coach doesn't want to let him waste this potential so he tries to inspire him using any method possible. This ultimately leads to Tsukimoto agreeing to enter the high school championships where he hopes to face Peco and take him on in the finals. The imagery used with him is phenomenal. At one point he's locked himself in a classroom and you're given a still, black and white shot of him with these magnificently large, vibrant, orange butterfly wings demonstrating how his true potential is beginning to blossom from inside of him. Tsukimoto goes through incredible development, you can just feel the difference in his personality by the end of the show and you can see in how he plays his final match that he's truly better off than when he began. Peco is his literal hero who saves him. It is unclear to anyone what Tsukimoto truly wants and that's one of the most interesting things about him.

Now on to Peco. He's one of those kids that doesn't take anything seriously, goofs off a lot, plays to have fun, etc. But here's the catch: he hates to lose. He puts on a farce about not caring how he does, but when he gets floored by Kong Wenge, he shuts down and sinks into a shell of what he used to be, too depressed to play. He then struggles the entire series with a personal comeback, intensive trainer, and a character reform. He ends up overtraining and hurting his knee before the final match against Tsukimoto (Karate Kid style) and has to deal with added challenges that put him to the test. Throughout the series, Peco always struggles with wanting to be the best of all time, but not wanting to do what it takes to get there.

And now to Kong Wenge. He's the Chinese exchange student, sent to Japan because he wasn't good enough to make the Chinese national team. He's disgusted when he shows up to find that everyone their isn't very good (except Tsukimoto who refuses to play him), and has to deal with the fact that he's saddled to a bunch of losers for a year. He eventually gets beaten by Kazama and has to face the fact that he may never make it back to China and play ping pong ever again. He works his ass off to get back for the national championships to get back to China. His main motive is to go home and play for the national team.

Kazama Ryuuichi. The dragon. The unbeatable. The local hero. He's seemingly untouchable throughout the entire series, yet near the end, you start to realize how truly vulnerable of a character he is. He locks himself in the bathroom in the search of complete solitude before every tournament, he deals with not really wanting to be the best, but not really wanting to lose because it's the only form of respect he receives. He views ping pong as a cage in which he cannot escape.

And here we have the last character I am going to talk about, Kekota. He's always lived under Peco's shadow, always looked up to him, but despised the way he never takes anything he does seriously. He works the hardest out of anyone, but never seems to get the results he desires. Tsukimoto has to break it to him that he's inherently bad at ping pong. It doesn't matter how hard he tries, he's never going to win because he's just not talented enough. He struggles to come to terms with this, but when he does, he's a completely different person. Everyone who plays sports or band knows someone like this. Someone who works so hard, but just sucks and it's genuinely depressing to watch, but it's put in an optimistic way so that the viewer never truly feels like they're watching someone's life shatter in front of their eyes (even though that's basically what happens).

Entertainment:

This was honestly one of the most profound, impactful shows I've ever watched and one of three to make me cry (Zankyou no Terror episode 9 and Steins;Gate's entire second half lmao), but not due to sadness, due to pure understanding and revelation. Ping Pong is probably the most accurate representation of the realities of sports ever created.

Overall:

If you haven't watched it yet, just please do so. You can watch it for free, legally on YouTube, so start now, please.

As always, leave me some feedback on my review. Feel free to criticize, I won't care one bit.

(This review is 90% Spoiler free. The 10% isn't really significant. So... )

"Who cares where a 2.7 gram ball goes.."

Refreshing and wonderful.

First and foremost, it must be made clear that this show does not care much about the 2.7 gram ball. It is something more. It rises above it's name as well as the norm of the anime industry of today and manages to become something unorthodox yet beautiful.

STORY:
The story is one of coming-of-age. However, although the main focus is on the duo of Makoto Tsukimoto ("Smile") and Yutaka Hoshino( "Peco" ), the story encompasses a sort of coming-of-age for almost all the characters ... involved. That is what sets it apart. You could call it a character driven story. But, it doesn't use one or two larger-than-life characters to achieve it. Instead, the story is more of a collection of stories of various characters and their lives. Ping pong merely acts as a common thread to glue them together. We usually jump from scenes involving one charcter(s) to another as they struggle with the challenges that their ping pong life has thrown at them. However, as incohorent as that sounds, it is not so. It's perfectly directed and paced. Whether it's a flashback in the middle of a game or a short scene showing a particular character's status quo, nothing is misplaced. It feels entirely natural and smooth and elegant.

And as mentioned before, ping pong is never in focus. Heck, they don't even spill out the rules or go through detailed explanations on the various aspects of the game. For eg: the intro goes like this, "Makoto Tsukimoto (Smile): Right Shakehand Grip, Pips-In Rubber on Both Sides, Attacking Chopper". Shakehand Grip? Pips-In Rubber? Chopper? What do they mean? A character doesn't suddenly start saying,"The right shakehand grip is a popular grip where...". NO! The show just says: If you want to know, just google it and let us focus on the characters instead. And in my opinion, that is how it should be. We as a viewer are inclined more towards questions like: why doesn't Makoto smile? What is Koizumi-sensei's motivation? Yes, it would be helpful to know a bit about the sport but if the time is better utilized on things like that then so be it.

Also, the amount of realism is commendable. This is evident even in simple things like the draw of the tournaments. Significant characters face off in the third round or even the second round and not in the closing stages as is common in other sports anime. That feels more real to me.
However, having said that, the realism doesn't kill the entertainment. Watching the games is never "boring", not by a long shot.

ART:
Honestly, 10 seconds into the anime, I was shocked. The animation is so different from the norm. It is scruffy and ragged and feels runny and edgy at the same time.
And the character design seems to have been made to look ugly. In fact, before I got used to it, they reminded me of certain titans of a certain show.

However, after the first 10-15 minutes, I got used to it and I think most viewers will do too. It is clearly evident that the creators were not going for a "realistic" look which is the usual alternative to the normal art style. Instead, they chose this unique, artistic look. On retrospect, if the art style wasn't like this, the unorthodox feel of the show would have been almost completely lost. So, kudos to them.

Sometimes, the screen is divided into panels in a manga-like manner (especially around match-times) for extra dramatic effect and it achieves that goal as well.
Also worth mentioning is the surrealistic art that is employed from time to time which feel very -for a lack of better term- "artistic". Abstract art is also used to depict the tide of the match instead of doing so through the gameplay. For eg: The size of an imposing player may be bloated out of proportions to establish the atmosphere of dominance. Or the art may convey the emotions of the players instead.
All in all, it's a perfect fit for this show.

CHARACTERS:
Ok. This is where it gets epic.

Almost every character is properly handled. And again in only 11 episodes: Not only the two main characters, every freaking one of the side characters is very well developed by the end of the series. And this development is so very natural and smooth that you only realize it's significance when looking back after finishing the show.

At the beginning, you have the mundane, emotionless, unmotivated and overly-considerate 'Robot' Smile, his best friend but complete opposite: the cocky and flamboyant Peco. And then, there is the Chinese Kong Wenge who needs to prove himself to end his exile from his homeland, the strict and focused Kazama Ryuuichi, the hardworking yet untalented Sakuma Manabu and many more characters who are molded in a certain way due to circumstances. They live in their own little worlds. Ping-pong is what brings those worlds together and makes them collide. As they interact with each other, whether it be as rivals, friends or acquaintances, they begin to change: as one by one they find their true self and come to accept the reality in front of them.

The other thing which is especially well-done is the portrayal of the characters themselves. The character development of the many characters creates a variety of feelings in the viewers regarding them. There are no characters tailor-made to be liked. You end up loving/hating each character almost equally. And so, you find yourself facing a dilemma whenever two of those characters face off in matches. You are well informed of both of their background, their motivation, their will to win and the work that they put into it. So, it is not as easy as simply rooting for the M.C as in other sports anime out there. In fact, in the beginning, I was seriously
annoyed at Peco, and wanted him to lose to Kong when they first faced off.
Sometimes, the match-up is between hard-work and talent. That also got me thinking about the point of working hard for those without the talent. Is it pointless? Is passion and will not enough? But that is just a secondary thought.

SOUND:
It was also surprisingly good. The sounds of dozens of bouncing balls in practice sesssions, the background music in matches, or silent mode for some converstations, all of them were good. The seiyuus did a fine job portraying the characters with their defining traits.
As for the opening and ending songs, they were perfect for this show. The opening gets you really pumped up for the show while the ending is also pretty decent. They also slot in perfectly with the art style.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

The creators must be commended for taking a relatively old and decent manga and doing such a fine job of creating a great work which ticks all the right boxes in all departments.
Highly recommended for anyone looking for something different/unique.

Finally, a part of the lyrics of the o/p:
"Maybe there's no job I'm the only man for, but
Will I fade away without doing anything?
Will I fade away without doing anything?
Like hell will I fade away without doing anything."
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(Feedbacks and comments (both +ve and -ve) would be highly appreciated.)

Ping Pong: The Animation is one of the most astonishing anime I’ve ever seen. It’s something that could only come out of passion and devotion from an eccentric auteur who prides himself in the unique and extraordinary. Only masters and madmen could produce works as tight and uniquely crafted as this. It’s easy to see why this show is regarded as a masterpiece. Frankly, this anime deserves all the praise it gets.

That’s not to say it will appeal to everyone. The art style is rough. There’s no denying that. It’s so rough that some may call it ugly, ignoring the stellar, often cinematic presentation and ... wonderful comic book style Yuasa mastered in the process. Some will forego praising the character designs because of the artwork, unable to appreciate how deliberately presented the matches are and how lovely the colors and imagery can be. No two matches are ever the same, and the last two are particularly stunning. They may even write off the show as badly animated despite how well-animated everything is, simply because they don’t like the drawings and because there’s some CGI (a lot of which you may not even notice) and missing faces every now and then. It’s a shame, but even if you find this Tatsunoko Production show ugly, I’d implore you to endure it for the wonderful writing and adrenaline-pumping displays of games and drama permeating each episode. It looks better than you’d expect, and better than many give it credit for.

Accompanying the often-electrifying matches is the show’s OST composed by Kensuke Ushio. There are several engaging tracks that highlight the immense pressure each game instills on its players and the audience, effectively becoming memorable battle themes in the process. I’m also a fan of the one electronic track that appears in some moments of preparation and speculation in the tournaments, as it adds to the anticipation the show already delivers in spades. The only other memorable song outside of a fun karaoke track in episode 6 and another insert song in the finale, would be the opening. "Tada Hitori" by Bakudan Johnny is a raw and fun track that encapsulates the determination and passion the show’s characters have for the game. The keyboard works perfectly with the guitar, drums, and manly vocals.

Now to get to what you’re really here for. Ping Pong: The Animation’s character writing is frighteningly good. The show juggles several different character arcs in each episode, with said arcs and characters influencing and interacting with each other in meaningful and standout ways. This happens even when one character’s arc concludes, such as with Manabu the “Demon” who helps a former rival out of his downward spiral after being forced to re-examine himself and his own jealousy. The best part is that all of this is done in the span of 11 22-minute episodes. With such a tight story length and brisk pace, you’d think these character arcs would feel rushed or incomplete. Most of them do not and even those that do feel a tad rushed in places have such minor slip-ups that most people won’t notice or care. You can always see a logical start and end with every single point in each character’s arc, whether that be Wenge Kong’s arrogance and desperation to prove himself to get back on his former team, or Smile’s change from a reserved, almost nihilistic drone playing to pass the time and find some fun in Ping Pong, to a tremendous machine whose ice is gradually thawed. This isn’t even going over Peco’s or Kazuma the Dragon’s arcs, which culminate in one of the best penultimate episodes I have ever seen.

Additionally, we learn about each character’s playstyle and training regimens. Their backstories are presented with a certain amount of flair even early on before certain players suffer major losses. It avoids the pitfall of explaining everything about a character’s backstory at a life or career-threatening moment, as we learn about them way before their most critical games expand on their backstories once and for all. On top of that, their character dynamics are filled with such vibrancy that these people would take on a life of their own through that alone. They’re all incredibly well-realized and tactile, so their journeys are electrifying. The way their arcs are delicately woven together adds even more chemistry and life to these characters, making their arcs all the more rewarding. It’s because of this that the revelations and conclusions regarding each character in the back half are able to become some of the most hype moments I’ve witnessed all year. Every time a character resigns to his fate, it’s as powerful as a hero’s special move. Fitting given the motif that defines our main leads. I dare not say more. Just know that you’re getting a lot out of this cast in such a short period of time, and that the big matches this anime presents are as moving as some of the best anime fights out there. That’s why the writing’s so daunting and impressive.

Another aspect of this show that is incredibly intricate and tactile is the world. Exposition dumps about the major schools of Ping Pong are presented through advertisements and through characters trying to encourage our main protagonist “Smile” to join their school. We get to see their training regimens, colors, ethos, and more through careful sprinkles of information or dazzling displays. Characters also often remark on strange fads and trends regarding delicacies like the sudden thinning of soda carbonation or these chocolate bar gimmicks that make the general populous unable to appreciate the basic $1 bar. Even minor characters that get defeated in one episode often get noticeable characterization to them to make this world become even more alive. My favorite example is this one character who is constantly looking for a place where he belongs. Long after he loses his match and he declares his next destination, you see him shifting from ping pong to the beach and then to the mountains, and so on. These are all small details, little touches that make this already vibrant anime even more lively. Nitpicks like the scores not accurately depicting what the anime is conveying regarding certain games, and a few character beats feeling rushed, aren’t enough to take that away from this show.

Ping Pong is an anime that soars like few ever could. Assuming you’re not averse to the visuals or a quirky style, it’s hard not to get sucked into a show this rich and explosive. It’s daunting how this show can cram so much without feeling bloated. It’s commendable on that aspect alone, but the payoffs to our incredible characters’ arcs make for some of the most glorious and rewarding experiences I’ve had with anime all year. You’ve probably already made your judgment on whether or not to take this anime into consideration long before my meager self stepped into the fray, and there are several more talented writers and reviewers that have sung the praises of this anime to hell and back. However, if you’ve never considered watching this anime before, then I hope this review inspires even one person to do so. I’ll stand among those who have adored this anime, so here’s an invitation to join us.

Written and Edited by: CodeBlazeFate
Proofread by: Peregrine

The story is well weaved together, never a dull moment. It's imbued with a deep meaning as the animator shows us the glimpse of life and the beautiful side of it.

The art is very unique and the style is not your common Anime that you'll find, it's fresh, it's quick, it's packs a punch, all because it's retro style!

The sound and the ambience sfx fits the overall tone of the anime, perfectly matching the emotions and what is going on as the story move along.

The characters's development are well paced, nothing over the top, all are very genuine and expresses themselves very ... well. It's gets better and better as one steps into the shoes of the characters and try to understand where they are coming from.

I'm a sucker for sports anime so it's bias, however this anime got the action and it demonstrates it in a unique art form which makes it unique comparing to the other sports anime.

Overall, I will give it a 10 out of 10 because it made me misty-eyed a lot of the times by portraying the deeper side of life and the relationships between doing what you love and being the best that you can be. Very inspiring anime!

Every once in a blue moon a show comes around that completely floors me in every aspect. Ping pong is that show. It is a living and breathing entity, a moving mural and testament to the depth and beauty of the human mind. One thing is for certain: this show is about much more than just table tennis. The artwork is truly remarkable, and I don't think the show would be nearly as good without the unique tone it sets. For anyone who has a problem with it, don't worry, there are thousands of cookie-cutter shows with animation that ... I'm sure will satisfy you. It's shows like this that breathe new life into the medium in times when it seems there isn't anything of substance available to see. There is no fan service to be seen here other than the entirety of the show itself. It is an epic tale of love, self-acceptance and friendship amazingly condensed into just 11 short episodes without compromising anything at all.


This, THIS is why I watch anime.

"Chant these words three times in your mind! A HERO APPEARS! A HERO APPEARS! A HERO APPEARS! Do that, and I'll come to you!"

How does Masaaki Yuasa live up to the near perfect masterpiece that was Tatami Galaxy? By making what is undeniably to me one of the most perfect anime series ever created. I can't say it any other way. I loved Ping Pong. It is one of my favorite shows of all time. It is what I consider the single best anime of the 2010's.

And it may very well be what I consider to be the single most perfect anime series ... I've ever seen.

STORY: 10/10
Ping Pong is not really about ping pong. Rather, it focuses on the players themselves outside of the sport. Their personal lives, their passions, their backstories, their motivations. It is raw and real, while the narrative itself is very artistic, impressionistic, and experimental. The anime follows four ping pong players all intertwined by fate who ultimately confront each other in two grand national tournaments, one at the beginning and one at the end. The characters change throughout the middle, and these changes ultimately impact the second tournament and make it leap bounds above the first in both thematic and stylistic ways.

ART: 10/10
Ping Pong's artstyle is unique. Many will brush it off as being "terrible" and it's very, very easy to see why. I believe it is a masterwork of animation. The animation itself is not crap. It is extremely fluid and dynamic, and hardly ever resorts to still images. The art perfectly replicates the style that is found in the manga it's based on. This dedication makes Ping Pong one of the most perfect manga adaptations to grace the medium.

SOUND : 10/10
Ping Pong's soundtrack is a masterpiece of itself. Such tracks like A Hero Appears and Dragon are among my favorite songs in anime, and others like Ping Pong Phase are in my running for among the greatest songs I've ever listened to. The OST is one of the few anime soundtracks I listened from beginning to end in one sitting, and is even one I'd buy a physical copy of. It is without a doubt one of the greatest soundtracks these ears have experienced.

The voice acting is also top notch. Each performance is raw and believable, and Kudos to Kong's VA for speaking Mandarin AND Japanese.

CHARACTERS: 10/10
It is utterly impossible still to me to believe that in only 11 episodes the cast of Ping Pong was so well developed. Hell, I'd even say it's the most developed cast of characters I've ever seen in a 26 episode or shorter anime series. Everyone is pitch perfect, and while they adhere to certain cliche stereotypes at first, it turns out that, like real people, there's more to them than their first impression. As the viewer spends time with these characters, a very real sense of growth is felt as they mingle with each other on the thread of destiny. I will never forget the angst and tribulations of Smile, Peco, China, Akuma, and Kazuma. I feel like I've known them my whole life, and that's the best compliment I can give for characterization.

ENJOYMENT: 10/10
When I can say an anime changed my perspective on life, you better know damn well that means I enjoyed it. While being touching and emotional, the anime is also hype as shit and has some truly adrenaline pumping action moments. Who knew ping pong could be so badass? On top of that, the series is laced with some mild subtle humor, but don't let that make you think this is a tongue in cheek comedy. The humor is there to make the series not a complete downer. It is a very serious and grave personal story about the lives on individuals with one of the most satisfying conclusions I've seen.

OVERALL: 10/10
I can't praise Ping Pong more than I have already. Perfect characterization, perfect chemistry, perfect development, perfect OST, and an art style to die for, Ping Pong the Animation transcends beyond its genre constriction as a sports anime. ping Pong is about much more than the titular sport. It is about life. It is about growing up. It is about finding, losing, and regaining your place in the world. It is about attitude, brotherhood, confidence, cooperation, dedication, discipline, respect, courtesy, honor, spirit, focus, integrity, courage, quality. The art style will throw many viewers away, but those willing to get entranced by it will not be disappointed with this ultimate coming of age epic. One of the greatest stories and experiences I've ever had in a storytelling medium.

If I had to describe Ping Pong the Animation in one word, it would be "sincere". It's a show without the pretence of presenting itself in the extremes of anything in the spectrum of positive and negative. Rather, it's more like an extract of several people's lives practicing the sport ping pong. While this sounds incredibly dull, there's no way I meant that as critique to the show. If anything, it's one of the biggest plus of this particular story. It simply doesn't waver to not please biggest denominator. It's not scared to compete with other shows with a low threshold, because it's not even ... trying to participate in the same league. It just does whatever it's supposed to do in the first place: being true to the writer's intentions and stealing the viewers' hearts while doing so. All this goodness packed in a mere sports theme that is incredibly attractive to your average viewer.

The following paragraph doesn't do the show any justice, but it's a short description to have a grasp on the story.

A young man called Makoto Tsukimoto and his best friend Yutaka Hoshino participate in their local high school ping pong club. Due to certain circumstances, their coach discovers an unlimited amount of potential in Tsukimoto, in spite of his lack of the desire to win. In order to awaken this desire, the coach focuses his attention on this ping pong prodigy. In doing so, Tsukimoto gained famed in the competitive scene. Meanwhile, his friend Hoshino witnesses how he loses his place as the former best player in the district. As a prodigy himself, it's undoubtedly a hard pill to swallow. As the story progresses, he tries to find new ways to deal with this defeat.

As for the presentation, the one thing that immediately stood out is, without a doubt, the unusual style. The amount of critique on the net is palpable, but doesn't that just show how extraordinary Ping Pong the Animation is? By deviating from the normal standards, it chooses an unconventional style that is by no means bad. No, the apt word would be "different". One of the most common critique would be the deformation and the anatomical "incorrectness" of the characters, which is simply negligible. The problem does not so much lie within the graphical capabilities of the artist. No, it's the human inability to accept anything that is different. Truth be told, anime is -ironically- already a style heavily based on deformation. This particular show's aesthetics is not based on how beautiful a person should look (as opposed to the anime cliché), rather the interpretation of the artist of said characters.

Worth mentioning is the animation. The action scenes are astonishing. The expressive interpretation of personalities lead to some interesting stylistic choices. From the exaggeration of one's physique, to the portrayal of one's mental state, it all looks rather fresh and epic. There's always something happening on screen, even if it is just splitting the screen in multiple section to enhance the dynamic from still shots.

As mentioned before, sincerity is a big feat in Ping Pong. This anime does not feature deus ex machina, nor doomsday scenarios, it's just life as it is: coping with the ups and downs. It doesn't feel like the script is being manufactured in order to manipulate our feelings, or to elevate the scale of the plot. It just flows like water and takes us to a destination unknown; though you might have some clue to where it's leading. Isn't that the same reason why life is so interesting?

It's remarkable how the motivation of the protagonists come before their achievements. Understandably; because who cares about any topic if there's no good motivation behind them? In this particular case, how can the viewer be interested in ping pong if there's nothing meaning behind it? This story shows us how different kinds of people look for different meanings in life. It just happen to be so that their way to comprehend life is through ping pong. A mere coincidence, if you will.

The insignificance of the physical deed being ping pong is reflected in the editing as well. Whenever there's a match going on, only the essence of said match would be shown. There's hardly any real-time footage of the game, with points being scored individually each time and all that. Instead, some relevant flashbacks would be shown in between the games and only the decisive moments of the match are being shown. Peculiarly, sometimes the match point isn't even shown. This kind of narrative leads the viewer to focus more on the internal conflicts than the physical hardships. It's a fascinating tour for a sports anime to take. A functioning one, that is.

The emotions are eerily convincing in this show. The balance of being blatantly obvious and being subtle is a very hard feat to achieve in film. Conceal too much from the viewers and you'll lose them. Show too much, you'll risk being blatantly literal, not to mention that we're back to the usual anime trope. Just like normal human beings, they show their emotions in a way that's acceptable, noticeable, yet subtle at the same time. That's because people are inconsistent, we change throughout our lives, we do hide our emotions every now and then. That's how social interaction in real life is, and that's how the writer approached the scenario. The result is the credibility of the personalities.

A noteworthy mention is the implementation of side characters. Some of them don't do anything significant at all, which again, feels incredibly sincere. They are not just some throw-away characters, they are not inferior to the main character in any single aspect, they weren't brought to life just to do the protagonist a service, to be a stepping stone. No, in fact, they're people, just like the our main protagonists Hoshino and Tsukimoto. The only difference is the focus, which doesn't necessarily mean they're less fleshed out. In fact, they are sufficiently fleshed out, but they just don't happen to have screen-time to show their growth.
After finishing this series, I realized how much of a rut the entertainment industry is in. It's been a long time since I felt real fascination in watching a show, simply because it has became a routine for me. Ping Pong the Animation dragged me out of this routine and showed me that there are no boundaries in animation. This medium is still maturing and we shouldn't hold this process by stigmatizing unusual shows like Ping Pong. If anything, it's our responsibility to prove originality is appreciated. Believe in heroes!


!!!Don't read this last paragraph if you haven't finished the show!!!






[spoilers]
The ending got me thinking. While I rooted for Tsukimoto during the entire show, Hoshino actually won the championship. The surprising thing is, I realized I was, and should feel happy for Tsukimoto. The anime isn't so much about ping pong, but finding happiness in ping pong. Tsukimoto openly stated how he admires unremarkable players and how he admired Hoshino and his alter-ego, the Hero. He found his happiness in -not necessarily winning the finals, but in retrieving a long lost friend and a significant rival.
[/spoilers]

The premise of Ping Pong: The Animation is to provide an insight into the lives of a group of young Ping Pong players who play at the highest level of competition for their age group. The show’s protagonist, Tsukimoto, who bears the nickname Smile due to his unfriendly and joyless disposition is reluctantly put through a harsh training regime by an old veteran of the sport; Butterfly Jo. Charming, well-paced and clichéd in all the right ways (see classic reluctant relationship between mentor and pupil) whilst still feeling original and packed full of well-developed and relatable characters, Ping Pong offers a very rewarding journey to ... its viewers.

Although there are various 'battle' sequences which are beautifully stylistic and engaging in themselves, Ping Pong is nonetheless first and foremost a coming-of-age drama. Although each of the main characters we are introduced to are somewhat unhealthily obsessed with Ping Pong, the sport itself is a transferable plot device. Whether it is Ping Pong or any other sport or shared interest between the characters, the purpose of Ping Pong in the narrative is to highlight each of their own personal struggles and conflicts of interest between them. Matches give way to elaborate abstract visual poems played out to a soundtrack of each of the players’ competing soliloquies and associated musical themes, such as Smile’s recurring 'Hero' theme song.

Alongside the naturalistic dialogue and engaging character arcs, Ping Pong also exhibits a distinctive art style and at times segmented comic book style editing much like that seen in FLCL, only less manic in its pacing. The rough-edged, back to basics art style may be somewhat jarring to anime fans who have become accustomed to certain generic conventions in animation but it is not without its charm and it feels highly appropriate for this series and the realist, grounded tone it adopts in its story-telling. The unconventional animation and varied soundtrack; which seamlessly oscillates between electronic, rock and orchestral depending on characters and setting, are always in keeping with the tone of the show at any given moment.

Each of the show’s main characters have chosen Ping Pong as their form of release and self-expression. During a game, a character’s style of play can communicate the character’s personality and state of mind to the audience. Playing as a chopper suits Smile down to the ground. His style of play revolves around giving up the initiative to the opponent and responding to rather than instigating attacks. This chosen style of play may be considered symbolic of Smile’s approach to life, in which he is carried along by others, finding himself pushed into a competitive approach to Ping Pong he never truly desired for himself. He plays Ping Pong for the fun of it and is initially devoid of all fighting spirit, making it hard to imagine him performing an aggressive drive or pressing himself close to the table or attempting to psyche out an opponent. Smile is completely artless and without charm, which is what makes him ‘wonderful’ in the eyes of some and a refreshingly downbeat protagonist for viewers of the show.

Peco is Smile’s closest friend and also his complete opposite; as both a person and an athlete. Peco is joyful and flamboyant in his play. He is an attacking player and loves to win almost as much as he hates to lose. Peco and Smile’s matches against each other paint an accurate portrait of their friendship. Peco leads as is natural for him, and Smile follows as is his nature. However the irrepressible rise in Smile’s talent doesn’t go unnoticed for long. As such, one of the major themes of Ping Pong is the changing dynamic in Peco and Smile’s relationship as both of them grow up and how they reconcile a potential challenge to the established status quo between them.

One of the show’s most interesting supporting characters in Sakuma or ‘Demon’. The match between Peco and Demon reflects the inner turmoil felt by Demon. His own anxieties regards his lack of prodigious talent come to the fore during their match. Whilst Ping Pong may be a fun pastime for Peco where victory is a natural by-product, for Demon, to defeat Peco is an opportunity to prove something to himself; that he can overcome those with greater natural advantages than himself by solely relying on effort and determination. Peco accuses of Demon of being ‘cheap’ and relying on ‘lobs and blocks’. Demon’s response of ‘Table Tennis is evolving’ is reflective of his meticulous nature and obsessive personality which are in turn reflected in his chosen style of play. Demon has worked tirelessly to evolve to a point where he can challenge Peco; someone whom he admires and also envies.

Kazama and Kong, another two of the show’s supporting characters, are both shown to be motivated by family. Kazama’s obsession with victory, the restoration of his father’s honour and the prosperity of his family’s business all link themselves inextricably with his indomitable style of play. His shaven head, relentless practice regime and refusal to even visit his own mother are all products of his iron-cast will to prove himself and validate his immediate family’s position in the Kazama clan. Kong has family motivations also. He wants to pay his mother back for her support and rectify previous failures in his homeland which led to his subsequent ‘exile’ in Japan. Each of the major characters of Ping Pong encounter each other at various points as their character arcs intertwine. The changing relationships between characters magnify their personal development and the strikingly natural and realistic dialogue between the show’s major players make each of these scenes a pleasure to watch.

Smile announces to us early on in the story that ‘I just quietly do as I’m told, like a robot’. This robot conceit is carried throughout the series in the form of abstract sequences in which Smile, known for both his robotic personality and style of play, calls out for a ‘hero’. As the story of Ping Pong gradually unfolds we witness Smile learn the lesson that ‘hot blood flows through (his) body’, the same as everyone else. Smile’s love of Ping Pong allows him his opportunity for both escapism and self-expression and as the story progresses the lessons he learns from his rise in the sport help form him into the Smile we see at the end of the story.

I generally look for "BAD" Anime to watch based on my first impressions. Why do I look for them? because I want to watch "time wasters" and those stuff literally waste my time. OK that's not the actual reason but honestly I don't understand it myself I know I'm going into a "BAD" anime and I won't enjoy it but I can't stop myself from watching the first Episode every time I see them and I think I have a mental disorder that won't let me calm down until I finish it honestly my 'Dropped' list is more like 'On Hold' list.

Now that that's done ... I don't actually read reviews to determine what "BAD" anime to watch I go by instinct and it's pretty easy to find "BAD" Anime anyway. So I saw Ping Pong and It's art style plus it's Ping Pong how good can something like that be I imagined Prince of Tennis stuff that break rackets and whatnot plus the unusual style. I was like HOW GOOD CAN IT BE and then I clicked First Episode.

Then I was hit by Ping Pong the Animation.
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TALENT and EFFORT

The way it was portrayed in this series was GREAT.
It had one theme and it focused on this.
The characters felt real and alive.
Animation was fluid which was unexpected.
Never thought Ping Pong could be used like THIS.


The Characters don't just have back stories for the sake of it.
They are connected and it really feels like their decision led them to where there are now. This is quite the achievement considering it's only 11 episodes most Anime suffer from lack of development because they're too short. But Ping Pong got the number right.


The animations are good and lively and the expressions are pretty well done.
The Sound fits perfectly and the Songs match the Anime quite well.


The ART STYLE is something people will avoid this for or get people to watch it. But I don't think I understand Art that much since I don't appreciate paintings that are supposed to be "LEGENDARY" or "NEW".


EXPECTATIONS BLOWN AWAY!

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On the Face

Ping Pong The Animation is, in my opinion, the best anime ever created. It's a show whose main point is the drama and interactions between characters, where Ping Pong is often used as a medium to depict those interactions, instead of being the main focus of the show. That's why I think that it's disingenuous to call Ping Pong The Animation a sports anime.

The first thing you might notice when watching Ping Pong is probably it's art-style and animation. It's extremely unrealistic and unorthodox. A lot of people might see it and think that's it's an ugly show, but I would highly advise giving it ... a chance. You get used to the odd art-style very quickly, and when you do, you start to appreciate the often stellar animation and amazing direction.

The whole series is carried by it's incredible characters. Every character gets developed, and even those with little screen-time become incredibly interesting by the end of the series. There is no obvious "hero" or "villain", as every character has a backstory and motivation for their actions, making them all unique and intriguing. After every match you can't help feeling bad for the losers, while at the same time being glad for the guy who won, which shows you that this series' writing really sets it apart from most anime these days.

The Opening is really energetic and gets you pumped for the episode, while the Ending is kind of relaxing and more emotional, and adds to the feeling of closure which the episode gives.

Overall, I can safely say that I've never seen a better anime, and I honestly doubt that I will any time soon. I've seen Ping Pong multiple times, each time enjoying it more than the last, which has promptly placed it as one of my favourite pieces of media ever. Everyone should watch this show, regardless of their preferred genres.

I watched Ping Pong the Animation as it aired, since the first episode. I almost dropped it after seeing the first episode, because of the art style. It's extremely unconventional, to a ridiculous degree. Technically I actually did drop it. However, the next week when I thought about it I decided to give it another shot, and that was when I realized that I really enjoyed it.

The character relationships are very modest and feel real. No single personality is similar in any way, not even amongst background characters. They also saw to it that each and every character was developed throughout the series.

In terms of ... the sports side of it, I suppose it's up to interpretation. If you don't find the art style growing on you, you may not enjoy the scenes where they play matches. However, if the art style does grow on you, you'll get seriously pumped up for it. The art style may be madly unconventional and the characters may seem to be the main draw, but this is a sports anime at heart and maaaaan do they play sports. Every single match is more awesome than the last.

The soundtrack is pretty great, as well. I find myself listening to the OP in my free time. Every song they use matches the mood of the show and the attitude of the scene perfectly.

I am baffled at the fact that I, the anti-sportsperson, the epitome of sloth, someone that has always prided themselves on their ultimate rejection of and indifference towards sport in general, have given the most perfect score I have ever given to any anime to a sports anime, let alone a sports anime about... Ping Pong? I have tried to talk myself out of it to fulfill this tiresome element of my personality to no avail. I cannot find fault with Ping Pong the Animation. I am not exaggerating. I am not being sarcastic. I am genuinely taken aback.

Ping Pong the Animation features some of ... the most dynamic characters I have ever seen in an anime, a unique art style that, betraying my expectations, was fluid, evocative and flawless, a soundtrack that created an atmosphere that made my chest swell. It followed a realistic, fulfilling and totally satisfying course. There was not a single point in watching this anime at which I felt bored or disinterested in what was going on. I would never have expected that I could watch two characters play sport with such attentiveness.

I feel like this anime is on another level. The other series I have rated 10/10, I had words for what they made me feel and how they affected me. Somehow, the right words elude me here. I am so impressed.

To someone who doesn't play sport and therefor cannot relate this show as literally to myself as someone who does play sport might, I still found that Ping Pong contained messages about life, passion and loneliness that apply to us all. The characters each express the different ways in which people find purpose and meaning in their lives and validate their identities, yet without the characters being forced, abstract and/or tropes. They are so human it's almost tangible.

Trying to describe what this series evokes in me is useless. All I can say is that it is joyful, deeply beautiful and profound.

This review may contain some very mild possible spoilers so beware.

When two geniuses meet you can have either pretty messy thing or a masterpiece. Thankfully for us Ping Pong The Animation is the later.

Story: The original story of Taiyo Matsumoto's Ping Pong is one of the best sports manga ever created. It uses ping pong as a medium for characters to interact and express themselfs. The complexity of plot threads and use of symbolism is outstanding.

Art: Here is where people seem to have a problem. Taiyo Matsumoto's artstyle is definitively different from the mainstream manga artists. It's not "bad" it's just different. The ... animation itself is good. It's fluid and use of panels like in the manga is effective. The art is usually highly subjective topic so take it as you will but from a production point of view the animation is good.

Sound: Incredible. Absolutely incredible. The sound effects are sharp, the voice acting is perfect. The music is ...well it's breathtaking. Personaly for me Ping Pong The Animation has one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard. I'll be looking forward to more of Kensuke Ushio's work because what he did with his music is just straight up amazing. What's also great is the fact that he uses ping pongs as instruments in some of the songs. And it works!

Character: This is probably best part of Ping Pong The Animation. The development of characters is amazing. Some of the best development I've seen. It almost rivals development of characters from the manga REAL which has in my mind the best development in the manga. I don't want to spoil anything but the fact that each of the 5 "main" characters come full circle from the point of despair to the point of hope is amazing. Coming in terms with understanding who they are, and individualy helping each other to access this understanding. It's beautiful. This is an anime that has no losers. Everybody wins.

Enjoyment: For me personaly it was a blast. The ping pong matches themself are fun and energetic, the characters are enjoyable, the music is great, and the anime has no real filler moments.

Overall: This is my most favourite anime of all time, and is one of the few anime that made me cry. So this review may be biased. However Ping Pong The Animation deserves all praise and all attention it got and should be praised much more. What Taiyo Matsumoto created and Masaaki Yuasa with his staff put on the screen is something that everybody should watch in their life. As it is very inspirational,beautiful and overall nothing short of a masterpiece.

Favourite quote from the anime: "People can fly."

Regarding Anime genres, after a certain point it is difficult to constantly find new titles to pique one's interest. I was avoiding Ping Pong the Animation for the longest time, because I really did not want to suffer through another Masaaki Yuasa overrated mess. But given the lack of any interesting sports anime (on my radar at least), the high rating, and the NoitaminA length, I decided to give it a go. On hindsight, maybe I should've tried to get into the Mahou Shoujo genre.

I already can hear the opposition arguing that this is not a sports anime. Well, we have high-school sports clubs, ... rivals, mentors, training montages, and tournaments. So, yeah, it is a sports anime. Maybe it transcends the genre you say? Failing the aspects that make the genre great does not imply transcendence. Not sure what the right word is, but it is not transcendence.

Let us examine why. Firstly, there are no stakes in Ping Pong the Animation. There is zero interest for the outcome of the matches. And as a side-note, the outcome of each one is painfully predictable. The sports genre has been successful, for at least 35 years, in creating stakes using as simple a device as “Zettai Koshien”. Simply disregarding that characteristic takes away much of the flavor. Even the various skill levels and the closing of the skill gap is presented without consistency and logic, making the matches even less interesting (and I repeat, they are already predictable). A final note on the subject of the matches, I dare you to try to handle the cheese of the semi-finals.

You would think that since the sports facet is not emphasized, the characters would be well written and a coming of age story would emerge. It does not. The characters are a collection of over-the-top scenes that highlight their traits, and then, we receive neither substance nor development. Ok, I guess Wenge Kong, even though he started as a caricature, had an interesting story, but he is only a minor character.

That lack of substance is the major problem; no matter how many times you repeat “The hero comes” and “Blood tastes like iron”, no matter how artsy you make the image while you repeat it, if you fail to attach any meaning to it, it's just pretentious and hollow. I would rather hear “Katsu! Katsu! Zettai katsu!” for the millionth time from a character I care about, than this pointless drivel.

To be fair, there are some interesting psychological ideas present in the beginning, but they are not worth mentioning because they are immediately dropped in favor of the pointlessness and the pretentiousness. Even Battery, a later NoitaminA addition which the consensus (rightfully I think) judged as a failure, tried harder to get away from the typical genre tropes and touched more mature psychological subjects with better care.

I should say something about the weird art style.I do not even mind it. I think in general it is good to experiment with different art styles, especially when the CGI dominance is upon us, but the style was not something special. It had some artistic moments, but nothing that could come even close to saving the train-wreck.

I wrote too many words where one would suffice to describe Ping Pong the Animation. That word is insipid. My suggestion is also brief: Do not watch it. I know that taste is relative and “To each his own” is a very important axiom to me, but I think the Anime/Manga community should not fall so easily for blatant pretentiousness and/or hype. 3.5/10.

"No man so good, but another may be as good as he."

There are many good lines out there in this anime that it's hard to put them all out there, but this one stuck to me the most. In life there will always be someone who will better than you. It's how you handle that reality, and better yourself in the process that will make you shine in what you are pursuing.

This anime is a sports anime. Yes. But this sports anime will teach you NOT just merely about friendship, but of life as well. And when teaching about life, one has to know the ... harsh reality it brings. Many sports anime nowadays seem to concern on beating the enemy with a super power up that has been formulated with effort and considerable dreaming. Not that it makes it any less fun, but sometimes, the truth and meaning of reality is taken away. Ping Pong the Animation does not sugarcoat that aspect. It stays true to the sport. It stays true to the messages it bring.

We have two friends, Tsukimoto and Hoshino a.k.a. Smile and Peco respectively, play table tennis at their current high school table tennis club. Peco here is our protagonist who is what you may categorize as a light-- always shining and always loves what he loves best-- table tennis. Smile on the other hand is our shadow-- he never outshines our light. You get the idea. Until one event overturns this balance, and it will start the gears of Ping Pong in full throttle.

It's not only the dynamics of this duo and how they trust in their friendship through table tennis that drive this anime, but how every character in this anime have love for the sport and this pushes them to continue fighting and believing in what they can contribute and achieve to the field. Kazama, the old lady of Tamura, Poseidon's president, etc-- they all have different back stories which PPtA helps show and make us understand what they're going through; that not all people are meant for greatness on that field, but still can find what they want if they try hard enough; that fully realizing your dreams is all about effort and tenacity to stand up even when you fall so hard; guiding the young in their adversities and troubles; and that having fun while pursuing your dream is never a sin, but a privilege only a few will understand.

The reason the animation is what it is is because they are following the manga's style, not because it sucks or that animators are lazy to begin with. It is what it is. Most new to anime will prolly be turned off by this anime's style, but I assure you that if you go past that you will surely see a gem that's totally worth your time. The OSTs are really catchy and their lyrics really hit the mark to this anime's themes, and I really am hooked listening to them; the sound effects are crisp and right on the mark, giving off very realistic sounds to the anime which you will undoubtedly enjoy.

Honestly, this anime will make you root for ALL of the characters. Whether you suck at sports or not, you will surely want to FEEL what they have. That's the effect of this masterpiece. And surely, nothing will happen if you don't take the first step-- that is, by watching its first episode.

Have fun.