Review of Ping Pong the Animation

Ping Pong the Animation upon my fourth viewing never ceases to amaze me with its profound themes about coming of age and romanization of not only table tennis and other sports alike, but life itself it seems. Similar to Hajime No Ippo, Ping Pong has the unique pleasure of being able to convey a sports story that focuses heavily on the characters presented simply by the nature of the sport being mano a mano: a direct competition between two individuals. It was a brilliant idea in my opinion for Taiyō Matsumoto to completely disregard the doubles aspect of table tennis and to emphasize solely on thesingles play. This decision in turn allows and provides critical characterization for each main player that the show spectacularly fleshes out to make the audience emphatic and relate to each player's trials and tribulations in regard to their way of playing table tennis.

While taking upon the traditional sports shounen formula, Ping Pong deviates from its contemporaries by presenting some distasteful statements and moral objections that seem to flip the core value of sports shounen on its head. Most sports anime value hard work and dedication to the craft, and while Ping Pong doesn't gloss over that trait, the show isn't afraid to claim that hard work isn't always enough to be the best, and that those born with gifted talents can crush those who were born with lesser talent but instead have worked to where they are. It's an unpleasing statement that one can disagree with on a moral stand, but can it really be disagreed in a realistic nature? In this case the show provides a pretty realist take but that does not make the show cynical or pessimistic in the slightest, it only furthers the main dichotomy of ambition and sacrifice versus talent and joyfulness.

The beautiful thing about Ping Pong is that these philosophical conflicts are battled out on the table, each character has a goal they are trying to obtain and it's satisfying visualizing their ideals through their play and style in the matches. Each player plays exactly how the audience would imagine they would play based on their personalties. The show's visual symbolism showcases a kind of magical realism that enhances the entertainment aspect of watching these matches, the audience feels that there is so much at stake each battle not in terms of whether a player wins or loses, but whether that player's relation to Ping Pong is true to them and propels them to perform their absolute best.

"Who do you play table tennis for"?

This quote seems very direct but throughout the show, it's a difficult question based on the past and motivations of these characters. It's such a brilliant ambiguous question that extends more to life itself: "Why do we do the things we do"? All of the players have some sort of sentimental attachment to table tennis. Some more punished than others, some more free and liberating. But that's the most beautiful part of the show, each player regardless of circumstance is here in the moment playing table tennis. Their personal ideals and methods concerning table tennis is neither right or wrong, the fact they are still playing is the whole point of the show and what it aims to execute: self discovery through what you love best.

I could write for days talking about other themes and tropes about this masterpiece of a show. Whether it's the complexity of friendships, the sacrifice of passion, or the facing of adversity, each viewing I am met with more lessons learned. To leave it off, I'll quote the hero's motif before one of his toughest battles that anyone can aspire to envelope themselves in when they're in a pinch:

"I can fly! I shine like a star!"