Review of Ping Pong the Animation
“Some dance to remember, some dance to forget”-Hotel California, 1976 There are many philosophies when it comes to sport and competition. Do you play to win or do you play not to lose? Do you value winning over everything, or do you consider the relationships you build through competition and teamwork more important? Can effort win out over talent? It’s questions like these that Ping Pong the Animation revolves around. Based on the manga by Taiyou Matsumoto (Tekkon Kinkreet) and directed by the phenomenal Masaaki Yuasa (The Tatami Galaxy, Kaiba, Mind Game), Ping Pong the Animation aired during the Spring 2014 season and ran for 11episodes.
The story of Ping Pong the Animation revolves around the characters Yukata Hoshino and Makoto Tsukimoto, also known as "Peco" and "Smile" respectively. It tells the tale of not only their experience in competitive ping pong, but also the story of complex concepts like the burden of winning, the folly of wasted talent, and what it truly means to compete.
The characters of Ping Pong are very complex and represent the varying philosophical approaches to sporting, and also the values they hold. Smile represents technical prowess and the nihilistic approach to sporting. He plays table tennis to kill time. Peco represents talent and the speed approach to sporting. He relies on speed and energy, and plays only to win. Wenge is more of a dreamer, and represents the burdened approach to sporting. He seems to always be looking ahead, and plays for establishing social status. Kazama represents obsession and the burden of winning. He is so obsessed with table tennis that it basically consumes him, to the point where his victories feel hollow and all he feels from the sport is pain. Demon is the embodiment of pure effort, and represents the competitor who isn't talented but works harder than anyone to overcome his handicap. Lastly, there's Butterfly Jo. Jo represents the social side of sporting, valuing the relationships built through competition above winning or anything else.
Each character is explored and studied in incredible detail and each endures their own trial they have to overcome to grow as not only athletes, but as people. By the end of the show, the final match between Peco and Smile barely even matters. Peco's trainer says this herself, and she's completely right. In fact, they only show 2 points of the entire match. The sport itself was never the complete focus: it was about the people that make the sport what it is.
The art of Ping Pong is vivid, fluid, and bursting with energy. The character designs are fantastic and represent visually each character perfectly. Just like The Tatami Galaxy and Kaiba (Yuasa's other works), the art and animation of Ping Pong set it apart from everything else without being a distraction.
From the opening song to the ED, the music of Ping Pong is fantastic. The opening itself ("Tada Hitori" by Bakudan Johnny) embraces the fire of competition and spits it back out in a frenetic burst of energy. The soundtrack is filled to the brim with interesting and bizarre pieces, with perfect music placement present throughout the entire show.
Ping Pong the Animation is a masterpiece. From the brilliant character development and internalization of its themes to the clever symbolism and dynamic art style, Ping Pong is a landmark in the sports anime genre and yet another reason to count Yuasa among anime's greatest directors of all time. It's engaging, exciting, smart, and incredibly entertaining.
Ping Pong the Animation gets a 10/10.