Review of Ping Pong the Animation

Story & Writing: 10/10 Watching Ping Pong The Animation is like being pegged by an Amsterdam prostitute while role-playing as a conservative MP in denial. It's an extremely unorthodox and bizarre experience, but you can't help but be enthralled, enchanted, mesmerized, and hypnotized by it. You keep coming back for more, unable to resist its beckons. You are glued to the screen; fixed to your chair by a strange energy that emanates from every frame of animation, from every sound effect, every music note. From the follicles of your hair to the soles of your feet you are filled with a strange emotion. It wells upwithin you, bleeds into your senses, and oozes out of your eyeballs. You cry not because you are sad, but you realize that Ping Pong The Animation is not actually an anime about ping pong at all. It is a parable; an anecdote about life.It chronicles the era of youthful self-discovery and exuberance that sleeps inside us all. Some might even call it a "perfect coming-of-age story," and while that is quite a fitting term to describe the true nature of this beautiful show, it does not even begin to encapsulate its artistic merit. I realize that I've literally said nothing concrete about the story, characters, or writing, but that's intentional. Go witness firsthand how relentlessly human and likeable these wonderful representations of real people are. Hero Kenzan. Hero Kenzan. Hero Kenzan.

Art: 10/10
Some might say that art is subjective, and while those very same people may call Ping Pong The Animation's artstyle "ugly," those people are objectively wrong. These are phillistines who understand nothing about artistic integrity and expression. Ping Pong's unorthodox artstyle doesn't make it look bad; it's the opposite. Each frame of animation is dynamic and expressive unlike any other. The characters break model quite often and quite liberally. This allows for some of the most interesting camera angles, screenplay, and directing I've seen in a while. The camerawork and choreography during the ping pong matches are nothing short of superb. It takes no small amount of skill and effort to make PING PONG, of all things, look absolutely exhilarating and breathtaking.

Sound: 10/10
The soundtrack is one of the best things about this series. Every single track fits amazingly well and kicks emotional highs into maximum overdrive. The ED is the single best track in all of the OST. Merengue is basically Japanese Owl City, and their song perfectly captures the energy and emotional core of this show.

Enjoyment: 10/10
It's been quite while since I was this completely enthralled by an anime series. Most shows don't excite me as much as they used to anymore, but Ping Pong managed to turn me into a beginner anime viewer all over again, glued to my seat, completely immersed and impressed by everything. Anime is not dead.

Overall: 10/10 masterpiece