-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!
