The first thing anyone will notice about the anime is its artwork. This ugly, rough, and messy style with minimal shading. It's unconventional and definitely not from this era but it carries so much emotion. The shifts of angles, the swing of the pedal, the motion of the muscles, this art show them gracefully. I'm certainly not an art expert,but there's a reason why people value Picasso's weird characters over images of handsomely drawn humans. It's emotion and messages are what really what sets apart Ping Pong The Animation from other works. The art is not weird for the sake of being unique but it is weird because it has to fit and project the unique plot it was drawn for.
Ping pong is really not the main focus of the anime, even though the title might suggest otherwise. The focus of this show is on its characters and what they consider important. And coincidentally, what all of these characters have in common is their passion for ping pong. Think from the perspective of an average person. Why do they play sports? To pass time, to establish image, to stay fit or because they love the sport. Most sports anime will shred this view and shrink it to 15 characters who ALL love the sports, whether it is tennis, baseball, or swimming. But Ping Pong sticks to reality and shows the varying motives of players: their little reasons for living, their daily lives, and the source of their inspiration to play ping pong.
The biggest reason for me to praise this show is its desire to stick to its characters than its plot. People forget what athletes are: humans. Take away their skills, and an athlete is just another average person. There's life before a game and there's a life after the game. There's a beginning and there's an ending. And this true portrayal of sports is what makes the plot so satisfying. You can watch this show few times and you may still wonder who the real protagonist is because how closely this show develop its characters. It shows the rise and fall of monsters, the dazzling beginning and disappointing ending of stars, and it shows the true difference between talent and hard work.
I am not going to insult the characters by describing them. It's an experience that needs to be seen first-hand. But I can say comfortably that different people choose to live different ways. And it's not uncommon for some to stay in the closet, for some to chase fame, for some to be pretentious, and for some to compete. Ping Pong is a blend and blessing of all kinds of personalities who are tied by a single thread: need for victory.
"OH YEAH" is how the opening starts. The music is satisfying. Turn up the beats, and watch the matches, and you'll enjoy the scenes. It's a great experience. The best instance where the music shines is when Mr.Tsukimoto hums this annoying tune. It's so off and tone deaf humming, it's annoying. But you don't understand its true meaning until the last two episodes, where the real instrumental is played in background and you're watching the most intense duel of the masters. Simply, what I am saying is that the music builds up, slowly, like the voice acting and the art..it becomes perfect.
Ping Pong The Animation is a combination. It's an unique combination of simple art, music, plot, and characters. But it builds from there. The last episode is a crucial part of the series, a valid conclusion that is satisfying if you have sat through the dramatic events of the series. The show has no set say in its protagonist(s) and it certainly doesn't point to a single theme. It brings many things from many other things and it shows how they all fall in a singular place. And portraying such ideas in such unconventional, gradual way with a touch of realism and maturity is what makes this show exquisite. Ping Pong The Animation approaches what can be considered a "masterpiece" or perhaps what they call a "magnum opus" of the creators. It's perfect in so many ways and I believe a score of 9 is better than giving it a 10.
