Review of Ping Pong the Animation

At first glance, many may scoff at "Ping Pong The Animation" for its incredibly different art style. As understandable as this disdain is, it is only these people who judge too quickly that suffer. Released in the spring of 2014, the initial perceived shortcomings relating to its genre and art style quickly evaporated after its coming of age story gripped the hearts of many. With exceptional pacing, fantastic characters, and thought provoking themes, "Ping Pong The Animation" is a show that's hard to forget. The structure, the foundation, the frame; the story is an incredibly important part of any show. It provides the basisfor which the other elements can stand upon, without a story, there is no show. "Ping Pong The Animation" 's story a perfect example of this foundation, and it executes it incredibly well. The pacing was brilliant, with no dull moments. 11 episodes is not very many, but it feels like there are even less. Even important responsibilities of mine went by the wayside as I was so invested into the show. What really stands out with this story though is the way it is able to tell each character's arc. The overall structure allows for some great moments of character defining decisions that are so essential to complex and likable characters. Without a structure this strong, many aspects of the show may have fallen apart.

Next, the art, being one of its most divisive aspects, can be sometimes one of its biggest strengths, and other times its weakness. In some scenes, characters seen in the background are completely lifeless, and seem roughly sketched. Although this isn't the biggest of deals, it is incredibly distracting and I often found myself more fixated on how out of place everything in the background was instead of the main characters and their dialogue. All this being said, some of the most enjoyment I had out of the show also came from its animation. In its best moments, especially seen during the ping pong sequences, the characters seem so alive, and the energy is palatable. There are no shortcuts being taken, and every hit is understood, as well as felt. Combined with the split screen style to effectively show more of the action without quick cuts, I found myself being unable to stop smiling.

It wasn't just the animation that produced this pure glee though, it was also the sound design. Each hit of the ping pong ball had a clear and resonant pop, the sound of the gymnasium had a certain organized chaos, and the squeak of the sneakers evoked memories of high school gym class. The level of detail was so high, that I was able to tell, without looking, the style of a player entirely based off of the sound. In addition to sound design, the music was fantastic. The OP was a driving rock tune that excited with its melody, and also hinted at some of the shows deeper themes with its lyrics. The music played during the show itself was also great, matching the mood of each situation it played in. Overall, both the music and sound design were exceptional. The level of detail shown in each elevates the show to a level of quality I'm hard pressed to find in any medium.

Along with the sound design, what really elevates this show is the characters. Hoshino, Tsukimoto, Kong Wenge, Kazama, all incredibly complex characters that have relatable, dramatic arcs that both tug on our heart strings, and make us leap for joy. Hard Work vs. Talent, goals, selflessness, success, all themes shown through these incredible characters. They are flawed and broken, and what makes this show incredibly human is the way it expertly places these characters in situations to make them make decisions that either help them overcome these flaws, or succumb to them. Characterization isn't learned through exposition, it's learned through the characters themselves, and the choices they make. The side characters are fantastic as well, some serving as a foil to the main characters, and others even having some slight arcs of there own. Overall, this is a character based show, and the characters are incredible. Few characters in any medium have forged such an effective connection to me than these do. With deep themes, relatable attributes, and choice based characterization, I was able to both grin, and weep along with these characters

My enjoyment of this show can be described as nothing less than off the charts. Despite its slight flaws in animation quality at places, I was fully immersed in the characters and their actions through the all too short 11 episode run. The ping pong matches were exciting, the character moments were emotionally powerful, and the sound design kept me consistently impressed. I will never forget Peco, Smile, Kong, and Kazama, and I will never forget this show.