This is a true coming-of-age story with a set of likeable characters and characters you love to hate and then love to love. Almost every character is well developed, and that's saying a lot for 11 episodes. Many of the characters' progress meets in that unheard of median of being both natural and profound, the mark of amazing storytelling.
The art style is different, but I think it matches the sport of choice perfectly; and every now and then, the animation is super upgraded as you see the ball glancing off the paddle in full HD. You have to watch it to understand.
Just like when watching Olympic-level ping pong, you can't help but keep watching players grind into the ground and into each other in little quick turns of the body. It's a bit strange to say because the animation is hardly such, but this anime is extremely lifelike in this respect. This is definitely the feeling of ping pong. This gritty, real feeling is usually absent in sports anime, yet so beautifully portrayed here. I had to give this anime a 10. Even though I watched Ping Pong over a year ago, the imagery still resonates in my mind.
If you're hesitant to watch Ping Pong because of the sport, the genre, or the animation style, please don't be. You would only miss out on something surprisingly poetic and refreshing.
