Review of Ping Pong the Animation

Ping Pong the Animation was directed by Masaaki Yuasa who worked on anime such as Space Dandy & The Tatami Galaxy. Those anime were praised by fans of his works. The reason being is that his work relies on imaginative drawings and how these drawings inspire creativity. This anime was adapted based on the manga by Taiyo Matsumoto which became a successful hit in 1996 to 1997. This anime was like 8 years later in production. STORY (9): The story revolves around Peco & Smile who were good friends since childhood. They became talented ping pong players. The story actually took an interesting way of explaining how sportsisn't just about sports just like Haikyuu. Sports is all about determination and willpower. Just like in Ping Pong, the will to succeed is important than winning. As a player we go through ups and downs and emerge successful.

ART (8):

The animation used imaginative colours to match the mood of a situation like purple represents melancholic or romantic, yellow means energy and vibrant, blue is calm and serenity, etc... However the colour that was rarely used was red, which represents from the blood stream. Just like Idolmaster, the colours of the idols represent their personalities.

The animation also used drawings like flashbacks just like "Your Lie in April" did. By showing flashbacks in emotions.

SOUND (7):

The opening "Tada Hitori" was like a rockband song. However, this song didn't dwell on me that much.

I also did like the OST although I wasn't very pumped up to the music.

The ending was nice.

CHARACTER (7):

Peco & Smile didn't impress me that much as characters although I did like their camaraderie.

Butterfly Joe was named after a band name. However, Butterfly Joe is basically a coach who has an interesting personality with his silly behaviour however, sometimes he can be demanding and serious when it comes to matches. The OST for his theme does match the tone of a butterfly.

Manabu Sakuma AKA Demon has black uniform and the colour black which represents mystery especially self-control and having power. The colours actually represent the intimidating presence of Manabu Sakuma. Although I wasn't that intimidated by his presence. He was also quite interesting as a character.

The character Kong Wenge was in Chinese name. He is the most interesting character and if he has more material given to him then I would appreciate him more.

The rest of the characters didn't stand out in my opinion, although none of them ever showed me any annoying traits. I just wish they have more material to work with.

CONCLUSION (8):

Although this anime didn't surprise me that much and I have few problems with the show, I still enjoyed this anime regardless. I do not think this anime is amazing as most people think it is. However, I think this is a good anime about sports.

Sports isn't just about winning or losing, it is about the determination and skill.

I would give this anime an 8 out of 10. I wouldn't say this is the best anime of 2014 but for what it's worth it is definitely an anime that is worth watching.