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Hey guys I just wanted to write a small recommendation thread for one of my favourite animes. I think Ping Pong is looked down upon because of its art style but there is more than meets the eyes. What makes Ping Pong so good?
Ping Pong centers around five distinctly different ping pong players, coming from different walks of life. From the "exiled" Chinese ping pong player Kong Wenge, to Ryuuichi "Dragon" Kazama, an almost "final boss" type figure for all other players, every one of the five characters has their own distinct traits. The writing for the characters makes you empathize and root for them all, as they progress on their journey of self discovery. The way the characters were written make them seem almost human. None of the main five are archetypes or "cardboard cutouts". Each one of them has their own faults, their own mountains to climb and overtake. They fight each other on the battlefield that is ping pong, and help each other grow.
While Ping Pong is about ping pong, you can't really call Ping Pong an anime focused on ping pong. Basically, Ping Pong is an unorthodox sports anime. Each character's development isn't driven by the game, it's driven by the other four characters. Ping pong is merely a plot device, or means to the end. Unlike something like Haikyuu!!, Slam Dunk or Kuroko's Basketball, winning isn't important. It's about playing a sport you're passionate about, and knowing more about yourself as a result of playing the sport. The specific sport isn't important. Hell, you can replace ping pong in Pong Pong with another sport like volleyball or basketball, change nothing else, and have the characters turn out the same way, with the show retaining the same motifs.
Each of the VAs fit their character perfectly, and help to bring another dimension to each of the characters, making them more human. I paid particular attention to the VA for Kong Wenge, who was especially good, due to the raw emotions he evoked when Kong said his monologue in episode 1. You can hear his frustration, his anger at being sent to Japan. As for the soundtrack to Ping Pong, it's superb. The OP, Tada Hitori, is a punk rock song that just hypes you up for awesome episode you're about to watch. It's fast, and basically the epitome of exhilarating. As for the OST itself, there are many standout tracks. Overall the electronic feel of the tracks blends well with the animation, thus creating pieces like "Hero Theme", "Like a Dance" (Wenge's theme), "Childhood", and more that fit perfectly with Ping Pong. As for the ED, Bokura ni Tisuite, it's certainly no slacker itself. It starts off slow, with an autotuned voice that's actually nice to listen to, but quickly picks up and becomes a song with an almost hopeful tone to it.
The biggest barrier to watching Ping Pong for some people is the artwork. While some people might find it "ugly", I feel that Ping Pong would not be the same without its unique art style. The way the anime is animated makes the ping pong scenes seem to explode at times. Like a previous Yuasa work, The Tatami Galaxy, Ping Pong has interesting sequences, where it shows the viewers a unique point of view, not used in many other anime. While I can't force you to watch Ping Pong if you don't like the artwork, just know that you're definitely missing out. Even if artwork is a con for you (it isn't for me), I personally feel that the other components to Ping Pong outweigh the con. I encourage everyone to give Ping Pong a chance, it can truly be a life changing anime with poignant messages.
Links for the interested
TL;DR: Watch it. Real TL;DR: Ping Pong is masterpiece, that ignores the layout of conventional sports anime to create a character driven story with great visuals and sound. It's definitely worth your time.
I hope I can get atleast one person to try watching it. I guarantee you will enjoy it
Edited by Exodian, 24 July 2015 - 05:12 PM.
Ping Pong centers around five distinctly different ping pong players, coming from different walks of life. From the "exiled" Chinese ping pong player Kong Wenge, to Ryuuichi "Dragon" Kazama, an almost "final boss" type figure for all other players, every one of the five characters has their own distinct traits. The writing for the characters makes you empathize and root for them all, as they progress on their journey of self discovery. The way the characters were written make them seem almost human. None of the main five are archetypes or "cardboard cutouts". Each one of them has their own faults, their own mountains to climb and overtake. They fight each other on the battlefield that is ping pong, and help each other grow.
While Ping Pong is about ping pong, you can't really call Ping Pong an anime focused on ping pong. Basically, Ping Pong is an unorthodox sports anime. Each character's development isn't driven by the game, it's driven by the other four characters. Ping pong is merely a plot device, or means to the end. Unlike something like Haikyuu!!, Slam Dunk or Kuroko's Basketball, winning isn't important. It's about playing a sport you're passionate about, and knowing more about yourself as a result of playing the sport. The specific sport isn't important. Hell, you can replace ping pong in Pong Pong with another sport like volleyball or basketball, change nothing else, and have the characters turn out the same way, with the show retaining the same motifs.
Each of the VAs fit their character perfectly, and help to bring another dimension to each of the characters, making them more human. I paid particular attention to the VA for Kong Wenge, who was especially good, due to the raw emotions he evoked when Kong said his monologue in episode 1. You can hear his frustration, his anger at being sent to Japan. As for the soundtrack to Ping Pong, it's superb. The OP, Tada Hitori, is a punk rock song that just hypes you up for awesome episode you're about to watch. It's fast, and basically the epitome of exhilarating. As for the OST itself, there are many standout tracks. Overall the electronic feel of the tracks blends well with the animation, thus creating pieces like "Hero Theme", "Like a Dance" (Wenge's theme), "Childhood", and more that fit perfectly with Ping Pong. As for the ED, Bokura ni Tisuite, it's certainly no slacker itself. It starts off slow, with an autotuned voice that's actually nice to listen to, but quickly picks up and becomes a song with an almost hopeful tone to it.
The biggest barrier to watching Ping Pong for some people is the artwork. While some people might find it "ugly", I feel that Ping Pong would not be the same without its unique art style. The way the anime is animated makes the ping pong scenes seem to explode at times. Like a previous Yuasa work, The Tatami Galaxy, Ping Pong has interesting sequences, where it shows the viewers a unique point of view, not used in many other anime. While I can't force you to watch Ping Pong if you don't like the artwork, just know that you're definitely missing out. Even if artwork is a con for you (it isn't for me), I personally feel that the other components to Ping Pong outweigh the con. I encourage everyone to give Ping Pong a chance, it can truly be a life changing anime with poignant messages.
Links for the interested
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myanimelist.net
I hope I can get atleast one person to try watching it. I guarantee you will enjoy it
Edited by Exodian, 24 July 2015 - 05:12 PM.