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Ping Pong The Animation, originally created by Matsumoto Taiyou, is more than what one would call unique, even more so if you just look at sports Anime.

The story of Ping Pong The Animation is unexpectedly complex while simple at the same time. It's not a light-hearted watch but nor is it deep enough to drown. The story follows multiple characters, highlighting Peco and Smile, while developing them all in amazing ways. There is always something to look forward to, whether there's a cliffhanger or not. Ping Pong The Animation feels like such a smooth watch; there are no bumps along the way. Doubts were had ... by many people before it started airing, but those were all cleared in the first episode. Not once did the story break down. It was solid throughout it's duration and left us on an incredibly strong ending. Unfortunately, it's an ending that leaves you begging for more even though there is no more that can be done. It leaves a somewhat small void.

The art and animation is the highlight of this Anime for me. If I had to point at one show with the nicest look, it would be this. No less would be expected Masaaki Yuasa. The Anime strives and succeeds in looking like its source material, and does a grand job in doing so. Ping Pong wouldn't be the same without the unique style it has. This style I mention isn't restricted just to art, but to every single part of the Anime. Some parts look absolutely outstanding, especially in flashbacks or when the Anime is tackling the psychology of a character. The opening and ending look magnificent and really do capture the essence of what is Ping Pong.

The sound in Ping Pong doesn't fall short compared to its other strong points. The sound a ball being hit, the sound of movement on mats, the music featured; it's all amazingly well done. The OST is one of the most surprising things in this Anime. It manages to strengthen every scene. A good OST for a sports Anime is one that gets your blood pumping, one that allows to you to follow what's happening even more closely with ease; that's what Ping Pong's OST does. The seiyuus do an amazing job as well, and the it's no surprise with the seiyuu being who they are. Smile's voice captures that of an emotionless robot which enhances the metaphor constantly used throughout the Anime. Peco is the opposite. He's a quirky, spirited character who's voice is also captured perfectly.

The characters in Ping Pong are phenomenal. No one is just there for the sake of being there. Most characters have their mentality explored in some way even if they only explore once. This is one of my most favourite things about Ping Pong. No one is left out in the dark. Ping Pong fleshes out the characters perfectly with flashbacks and a inner monologue here and there. It sounds like a simple thing to do, but not many series do it well. In addition, the characters feel like magnets; I'm attached to all of them. There's always one character that you're rooting for. There's always one you'll want to see more of. Each character is done justice by the time the series end.

I enjoyed this a whole lot, which is already obvious. Overall, this is an incredibly strong dent built in to the sports genre. Every single element in this Anime helps another to be something amazing. Each element is nothing without the others. The characters are accompanied greatly by the art, which is boosted up by the music, which is held up by the atmosphere. Everything comes together to create something that is a must watch for a unique, but great experience in the world of Anime.

Recommendation: If you haven't already, and you want more Anime of this level, I suggest you go and check out Tatami Galaxy, which is directed by Masaaki Yuasa.

Never before have I felt so 'in-touch' or so understanding of characters in Anime. I could really relate to some of what occurred. I could really understand and relate to what the characters were thinking.

Story, 7/10 - Harmonie's story isn't exactly a large scale phenomenon. I didn't expect it to be. I mean, it is a movie, right? And a short one at that. While I definitely didn't get anything huge, I definitely got more than I expected. The plot was good; a small build up between two students and the events that happen between them. That's what this is. It never gets past the ... point of 'good', and while it is not deconstruction material, it is definitely unique compared to your typical highschool setting today.

Art and Animation, 8/10 - This, like the story, is also unique. It felt like I was watching something made by Makoto Shinkai's son, or 'kouhai' of the like. The character designs were great. Even the characters who only spoke a couple lines or even the ones who had none at all could be easily distinguished from each other. The camera angles, the shots taken, the detail in everything; all of it is great and contributes to the already great movie.

Sound, 6/10 - The less impressive part, mainly because of the OST. None of it is really memorable, which doesn't mean it's bad, but nor is it good. It's timed well, though. The voice acting, however, is what keeps this at a 6 rather than a 4. Hell, I'm even tempted with a 7. The voice acting is great and really enables emotion to come through. Not to mention one of my favourite seiyuu stars in this movie.

Character, 7/10 - Less than half an hour of running time, but yet... I feel like I know them so well! We have your typical otaku male with your typical attractive on the outside, wounded on the inside female. Now, how does this diverge from the usual set-up? It doesn't, and that's the good part! It sticks with these character elements and using them as a plot device to advance the interactions, events and emotion all shared in this movie. The main character, Akio, is a guy who I can totally relate to. His friendship group is something I long for, however.

Enjoyment, 9/10 - I loved this. The idea of mixing fantasy with slice and life is brilliant, yet it's so underdone or not done well enough. Like everything, it could have been better. Some series make you think it could have been better, but also make you want to stay away from future releases. This made me want more. I need more of this. The strong messages in people's dreams is something I love yet have seen so little of.

Overall, 9/10 - I am inclined to give this a 10, but can't due to there not being enough of everything. If this was longer, it would have no problem achieving a 10.

Recommendations:

For the idea of awkward MCs: WataMote, Welcome to the NHK

For a more romantice take of things, although not very similar: Kimi no Todoke

Although I can't speak for it, Paprika is said to also explore dreams, so it might be good for you if you want more!

Mou Hitotsu no Mirai wo. is a short created by Production I.G. It is about time travel, time communication and a very nice message.

Story, 6/10 - There isn't much of one. This Anime is more about the message. Additionally, it achieves that message without a plot.

Art and Animation, 6/10 - Good. Addictive. Unique compared to I.G.'s other works. It wasn't anything amazing but the scenes with the blue haired girl were really nice.

Sound, 6/10 - Voice acting is nothing special. However, the sound effects and OST were amazing and even made some scenes emotional and intense.

Character, 5/10 - Again, we don't learn much. It's rather ... about what they do than who they are.

Enjoyment, 7/10 - I enjoyed this a lot for what it was. It good have done great things if only just a little longer.

Overall, 7/10 - I liked it a lot. I found this Anime to be wonderful and would recommend it to others seeking a short but fun Anime. It left me thinking about the future a lot.

A similar Anime I would recommend would be Steins;Gate because it takes time travel and communications further in a good way.

EDIT, 13/06/2014. This is a old review. It was also my first. I am leaving it here for nostalgia's sake. I may remaster it because the grammar here is horrific. Thanks for reading!

This will be a review for Mirai Nikki Redial and WILL contain spoilers.

Mirai Nikki Redial is about a few seconds over 30 minutes long. This OVA seems to focus mainly on Gasai Yuno as well as other loved characters. In this OVA, we see almost every character living a happy life, apart from Eleventh who plays the roll as a villain of comedic value and Eighth who we do not see.

Redial is not ... anything of great status on it's own. However, after watching Mirai Nikki, it was extremely refreshing to hear all the wonderful voices of wonderful characters.

I have always asked my self a question about Mirai Nikki. Is Yuno really insane? To answer that question for myself, I think not. She is just a shy girl who wants nothing more than Yuki's love. This is proved by her strong will to remember. In the first few minutes of Redial, she turned to see Akise and thought it was Yukiteru.

I see this as two halves. The first half of Redial was a beautiful part of various scenes containing small hints of fanservice, which can always be nice. It also serves as a comedic use in which we see many funny moments between characters like Mao and Twelfth.

The second half focuses on a more serious subject and seems to be main point of Redial. Yuno is trying to reach of certain person. She does not know whom she is trying to reach until she regains her memories due to receiving something from Murumuru.

The story ends nicely with Yuno finally finding Yuki and re-uniting beautifully. The last few moments really got me when she said she wanted to see the stars with him.

After all those good points, there is one bad thing about Redial. It left me wanting to see more Mirai Nikki and left me in a sad mood.

In conclusion, Mirai Nikki Redial is definitely worth the time and achieved many thing. Happiness, Sadness, Laughter. Redial made all those things happen.