Review of Ping Pong the Animation
(This review is 90% Spoiler free. The 10% isn't really significant. So... ) "Who cares where a 2.7 gram ball goes.." Refreshing and wonderful. First and foremost, it must be made clear that this show does not care much about the 2.7 gram ball. It is something more. It rises above it's name as well as the norm of the anime industry of today and manages to become something unorthodox yet beautiful. STORY: The story is one of coming-of-age. However, although the main focus is on the duo of Makoto Tsukimoto ("Smile") and Yutaka Hoshino( "Peco" ), the story encompasses a sort of coming-of-age for almost all the charactersinvolved. That is what sets it apart. You could call it a character driven story. But, it doesn't use one or two larger-than-life characters to achieve it. Instead, the story is more of a collection of stories of various characters and their lives. Ping pong merely acts as a common thread to glue them together. We usually jump from scenes involving one charcter(s) to another as they struggle with the challenges that their ping pong life has thrown at them. However, as incohorent as that sounds, it is not so. It's perfectly directed and paced. Whether it's a flashback in the middle of a game or a short scene showing a particular character's status quo, nothing is misplaced. It feels entirely natural and smooth and elegant.
And as mentioned before, ping pong is never in focus. Heck, they don't even spill out the rules or go through detailed explanations on the various aspects of the game. For eg: the intro goes like this, "Makoto Tsukimoto (Smile): Right Shakehand Grip, Pips-In Rubber on Both Sides, Attacking Chopper". Shakehand Grip? Pips-In Rubber? Chopper? What do they mean? A character doesn't suddenly start saying,"The right shakehand grip is a popular grip where...". NO! The show just says: If you want to know, just google it and let us focus on the characters instead. And in my opinion, that is how it should be. We as a viewer are inclined more towards questions like: why doesn't Makoto smile? What is Koizumi-sensei's motivation? Yes, it would be helpful to know a bit about the sport but if the time is better utilized on things like that then so be it.
Also, the amount of realism is commendable. This is evident even in simple things like the draw of the tournaments. Significant characters face off in the third round or even the second round and not in the closing stages as is common in other sports anime. That feels more real to me.
However, having said that, the realism doesn't kill the entertainment. Watching the games is never "boring", not by a long shot.
ART:
Honestly, 10 seconds into the anime, I was shocked. The animation is so different from the norm. It is scruffy and ragged and feels runny and edgy at the same time.
And the character design seems to have been made to look ugly. In fact, before I got used to it, they reminded me of certain titans of a certain show.
However, after the first 10-15 minutes, I got used to it and I think most viewers will do too. It is clearly evident that the creators were not going for a "realistic" look which is the usual alternative to the normal art style. Instead, they chose this unique, artistic look. On retrospect, if the art style wasn't like this, the unorthodox feel of the show would have been almost completely lost. So, kudos to them.
Sometimes, the screen is divided into panels in a manga-like manner (especially around match-times) for extra dramatic effect and it achieves that goal as well.
Also worth mentioning is the surrealistic art that is employed from time to time which feel very -for a lack of better term- "artistic". Abstract art is also used to depict the tide of the match instead of doing so through the gameplay. For eg: The size of an imposing player may be bloated out of proportions to establish the atmosphere of dominance. Or the art may convey the emotions of the players instead.
All in all, it's a perfect fit for this show.
CHARACTERS:
Ok. This is where it gets epic.
Almost every character is properly handled. And again in only 11 episodes: Not only the two main characters, every freaking one of the side characters is very well developed by the end of the series. And this development is so very natural and smooth that you only realize it's significance when looking back after finishing the show.
At the beginning, you have the mundane, emotionless, unmotivated and overly-considerate 'Robot' Smile, his best friend but complete opposite: the cocky and flamboyant Peco. And then, there is the Chinese Kong Wenge who needs to prove himself to end his exile from his homeland, the strict and focused Kazama Ryuuichi, the hardworking yet untalented Sakuma Manabu and many more characters who are molded in a certain way due to circumstances. They live in their own little worlds. Ping-pong is what brings those worlds together and makes them collide. As they interact with each other, whether it be as rivals, friends or acquaintances, they begin to change: as one by one they find their true self and come to accept the reality in front of them.
The other thing which is especially well-done is the portrayal of the characters themselves. The character development of the many characters creates a variety of feelings in the viewers regarding them. There are no characters tailor-made to be liked. You end up loving/hating each character almost equally. And so, you find yourself facing a dilemma whenever two of those characters face off in matches. You are well informed of both of their background, their motivation, their will to win and the work that they put into it. So, it is not as easy as simply rooting for the M.C as in other sports anime out there. In fact, in the beginning, I was seriously
annoyed at Peco, and wanted him to lose to Kong when they first faced off.
Sometimes, the match-up is between hard-work and talent. That also got me thinking about the point of working hard for those without the talent. Is it pointless? Is passion and will not enough? But that is just a secondary thought.
SOUND:
It was also surprisingly good. The sounds of dozens of bouncing balls in practice sesssions, the background music in matches, or silent mode for some converstations, all of them were good. The seiyuus did a fine job portraying the characters with their defining traits.
As for the opening and ending songs, they were perfect for this show. The opening gets you really pumped up for the show while the ending is also pretty decent. They also slot in perfectly with the art style.
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FINAL THOUGHTS
The creators must be commended for taking a relatively old and decent manga and doing such a fine job of creating a great work which ticks all the right boxes in all departments.
Highly recommended for anyone looking for something different/unique.
Finally, a part of the lyrics of the o/p:
"Maybe there's no job I'm the only man for, but
Will I fade away without doing anything?
Will I fade away without doing anything?
Like hell will I fade away without doing anything."
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(Feedbacks and comments (both +ve and -ve) would be highly appreciated.)