Ping Pong

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Japanese: ピンポン

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 5

Chapters: 55

Status: Finished

Published: 1996 to 1997

Genres: Drama, Sports

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Big Comic Spirits

Authors: Matsumoto, Taiyou (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.55¹ (scored by 6,664 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #124²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #868

Members: 20,995

Favorites: 696

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Wikipedia

8.55

Ranked #124Popularity #868Members 20,995

MangaBig Comic SpiritsMatsumoto, Taiyou (Story & Art)

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Volumes: /5

Chapters: /55

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Synopsis

Makoto Tsukimoto (nicknamed Smile) is a quiet high schooler who's been friends with the loud and energetic Yutaka Hoshino (nicknamed Peco) since childhood. They're both in the local table tennis club and both have a natural talent for it, although Smile's personality always prevents him from winning against Peco. The club teacher, however, notices Smile's talent and tries to make him gain some sportive tenacity.

(Source: ANN, edited)

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Background

Ping Pong was published in French by Delcourt from November 2003 to November 2004 and in Spanish by ECC Comics from August to December 2016. It was published in English by VIZ Media under the VIZ Signature imprint as omnibus volumes from May 19, 2020 to September 15, 2020.

The manga was adapted to film in 2002 by director Fumihiko Sori, and released in Japan on July 20th of that year, under the same title. It was nominated for eight Japanese Academy Awards, with Shidou Nakamura winning the 'Newcomer of the Year' prize for his performance as Dragon.

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Related Manga

Adaptation:

Ping Pong the Animation

More characters
Characters

Hoshino, Yutaka

Main

Tsukimoto, Makoto

Main

Kong, Wenge

Supporting

Kazama, Ryuuichi

Supporting

Sakuma, Manabu

Supporting

Koizumi, Jou

Supporting

Tamura, Obaba

Supporting

Reviews

Nov 22, 2021

Jolly_is_here

Recommended

MAY HAVE SPOLIERS , BE AWARED !

Passion is something that can either change ur life for the great and good or lead u down into the destruction of life , a dead-end , a scary world that even worse than hell , a "homonuclus".

Nuture vs nature , a debate which has been delivered throughout this manga , that in the end , there is still not a clear answer . But there is one thing u know , that is "hard-working" because , if u don't practice , u don't learn , ur talent , ur passion will just die... that is why in the ... professional world , the players always have to trained all the time , otherwise , their skill will just... disappear.

This is of course , not ur ordinary slice of life , sport manga , this is not some kinds of cute stories about love , NO .

This is a journey of hardworking swordmanship , a trip where each characters exploring themselves from the past through the future , from having fun while doing passion to sacrificing for it , being serious about it but it the end... u need to really have fun in order to continue .

I feel happy when they are talking happily while training , i feel excited about every matches , i feel depressed when someone has to give up on their passion bc of the "limit" they have reached , because of harsh the world is to treating these players , they were once innocent kids , it is sad , it is haunted... especially when I read the last match , I'm hit... "yes , fly high" , after all , u play ping pong not because of ur TALENT , not because of ur PASSION but because FUN , U NEED TO HAVE FUN . I shed a tear reading that....

Deep-diving inrto the ocean of thoughts , feel lost in while a time is what our mc has tried... he has talent , yea , for sure , but he suddenly feel lost , and sad... because of his friend , because of the sport , he suddenly sees everyone becomes serious and no longer having fun on ping pong... they play just to "waste time" , they play just for "titles" , they play just for "money" , to "prove themselves" without having fun , they are killing their emotion , they are becoming "robots"... Throughout 55 chapters of the manga , u will see the mc is always trying to be happy because he surely plays ping pong because he finds FUN in it... and when he feels that , he just "lost" , grow hairs , smoking... and even trying to sucide... but when he gets rescued... he suddenly starts to notice... and he comes back the sport he has abandoned months ago.... he will teach every other players how to have FUN in sport through his gifted talent.

The art of this manga is realism , to use this art type , u really have to focus alot in developing story and characters , and ofc , they nail it by miles... this art reminds me of cubism , an abstract art type that was used frequently by Pablo Picasso , this art requires u need to dig deep in the objects that u are drawing , not only on the surface but also the materials while also expressing ur thought in it. This art surely so real that it captures the emotion of characters so good... it is so real that i feel like it is happening in my real life , it is so real that i feel hurt when the mc is "lost" in the "ocean of thought" ( in both meanings ), It feels so real that it is so fake... it makes right and wrong swapping each places all the time.. a vortex... a hurricane... a storm. Many predicts i have put while reading this manga are wrong and wrong again the longer the story goes.

This manga is either making people who loves will really love it and people hates it will hate it alot and mainly because of the art style which i find it silly , if u rate a manga just because of the art didn't fit ur taste , then sorry , u and I aren't in the same level and please avoiding me right away , people just really love "fake beautiful" art than "ugly truth" words , it is also the reason why art is considered as money laundering these days... Anyway , i'm in the "really love" it side because it cuts deep in humans , it cuts into Philosophy of different characters about what they are thinking while participating this so-called "passion".

In the end , every single great mangas are written base on human , every single things that humans are doing , behaving , expressing . Their emotions , their thinking ,their true nature... And if u forget that base , ur work is souless and deserve be thrown to an exhibition for alien , not humans . U will notice that once u read alot of works... it is all about humans , all about ourselves... I'm rating mangas mostly because of their story and characters , and humans are my base of rating , that is why , I adore this manga .

Anyway , I just want to say... I really , really , really suggest u guys who are interested in sport and slice of life gives it a try , u won't forget it , this experience may either becoming an unforgettable one or just a dust fly though ur face without u noticing it , It all depends in ur feeling so plz don't take my review too serious , take it as the small review at the last page of the novel.

Thx u for reading.

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Oct 28, 2020

Curiouswanderer

Recommended

Honestly what put me off first is the art like it isn't personally that great BUT I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN AND WHEN OPPONENTS WERE FACING OFF EACH OTHER, THE SCENES WERE LIT AF MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahem anyways I was very surprised that I thought this was a very moving manga since I'm not really a "Ping Pong " fan and the art was rather off (no offense to the artist). I really liked how we get to know each characters (Smile, Dragon, Peko, Granny, Wenga, and the old dude who I can't remember his name lol) like the character development in this was very good. I ...

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Jan 5, 2024

typewritermonkey

Mixed Feelings

Ping Pong is a philosophical exploration of what motivates people to undertake, well, anything. Some do it to kill time, some for the camaraderie, some chase after a romantic ideal, and some do it because they cannot bear failure, and so on. It starts off brilliantly, laying out the characters that exemplify this or that facet of competition, what they look like if mapped onto a spider chart, how they interact with each other, reconcile contradictions and mature.

However, as competitors drop out of the race and we approach the final reckoning, the manga also gradually becomes a slide show of flashbacks, action shots, symbolism, romantic ...

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