Review of Ping Pong the Animation

Ping Pong: The Animation appears (on its surface) to be like any other sports anime, apart from it's beautifully weird art style. I don't watch sports anime at all really, and did not expect to like this show as much as I did. I now consider it one of all time favorites, and a near perfect exploration of character development. I'll be honest, the intricacies of the sport are not the shining stars here, but rather how and why the characters wish to master them (as it should be, in my opinion). What makes this show so heartfelt and resonant is how heavily it expands uponits sympathetic cast, making their struggles feel like actual hardships that goes beyond petty rivalry.

Instead of one inhuman maniac playing against another inhuman maniac and the winner being the person that screams the loudest, each match in Ping Pong is carried by the tension between the characters' motivations. One problem that commonly arises in this and other action-y genres is the feeling that the story must constantly keep upping the ante. The techniques have to get crazier, the special moves have to get longer names, and the energy has to keep rising until it inevitably peaks and the story has nowhere else to go. While Ping Pong is occasionally susceptible to this, it avoids the bulk of this cliche by focusing on the characters' desires and backstories rather than the game itself.

Instead of having every shot centered on where the ball is going next, it is centered on the faces and movements of the players. The observers and sometimes characters who aren't even present for the match contribute just as much to the rhythm as the players. Along with this, imagery that relates to each character's thoughts or motivation commonly enters the shot and evolves as the match progresses. Then, once the match begins to reach its climax, we learn more about the character's backstory or something that adds to their personality. It's a great way to keep the matches, which take up a lot of this series, from feeling one-note and repetitive.

Ultimately though, Ping Pong is its most touching through the way it depicts defeat. The character's don't swear on their mother's grave that they'll come back twice as strong or anything pathetic like that. They are forced to face harsh realities that sometimes hit too close to home: thoughts of inferiority, debates about talent vs. experience, confusion about what exactly they're playing for, and even speculation that the sport has consumed them and made them lose sight of their own happiness. One side character gives up Ping Pong entirely and travels the world, yet even that fails to reinvigorate him. Only when he sees a very special match at the end of the series does he realize that there is beauty to the sport beyond self-satisfaction and discipline.

Ping Pong manages to be incredibly upbeat and feel-good while also juggling a few melancholy truths of existence. Even antagonists like Kazama are given understandable reasons to crave victory, some that have tragic roots in the past, yet they are presented in such a way that they feel realistic and natural. Anyone that seems flat and unlikable eventually grows to be a complex and amiable figure. Every game played is a stepping stone for the characters to develop and find out more about themselves, leading to some of the most moving and bittersweet moments that I've seen in anime. Ping Pong believes that everyone can "fly" in their own way, and that's a sentiment that rarely ever gets handled this well.

Seriously, watch it.