3ET: Ping Pong the Animation

The next person who complains about the visuals in this show gets a racket up their ass.

Studio: Tatsunoko

Director: Yuasa Masaki (Kemonozume, Tatami Galaxy)

Writer: Yuasa Masaki

Main Cast:

Uchiyama Kouki as Tsukimoto “Smile” Makoto

Katayama Fukujuurou as Hoshino “Peco” Yukata

Character Design: Itou Nobutake (Kemonozume, Kaiba)

Music: Ushio Kensuke

The first thing I noticed about Ping Pong is its distinctive art style. Anyone who has seen any of director Yuasa Masaki's works knows that he doesn't make anime that looks like "normal" anime. I put normal in quotation marks because I don't think there should be a "normal" anime style. Yes, there is a popular anime style, but animators should feel free to tell their stories in whatever way they can imagine. That is the beauty of animation as a medium, and the fewer arbitrary restrictions, the better. And for that reason alone, Ping Pong starts out on my good side.

However, even if an art style is unique, it still needs to be used effectively. And that is definitely the case here. The visuals are used to communicate what is going on in the table tennis matches, by way of good camera placement during the actions and using still shots to highlight what's important during the game. This helped to draw me into the matches and gave me a feel of the flow of momentum between the players, even though they are not shown in a methodical point-by-point manner. Also, even though the characters are a bit off-putting, they are still very expressive. Not only through their faces, but with their body language lets the audience know how they're feeling both in and out of the matches. There is a lot of information given visually in Ping Pong, a sign of an intelligent director making the best use of his medium.

Game. Glasses.

For such a well directed show, the story thus far leaves a some to be desired. "Smile" is a table tennis player who easily folds under any pressure, especially when he feels sorry for his opponent. This is in contrast to the brash and cocky style of his childhood friend "Peco". The early episodes focus on "Smile" and how he becomes more competitive and is able to compete on the level of an excellent Chinese player (who actually speaks Chinese; enjoy your subs, Japan) in a national tournament. It's quite compelling, especially "Smile's" match with his elderly coach in the second episode, but the type of story isn't exactly compelling. In fact, I actually felt more for the Chinese player, who was fighting to regain a place with the elite Chinese national team that he had lost in an unnamed incident. And I'm still waiting for "Peco" to do something to make me care about him.

Still, there is more than enough here for me to give Ping Pong a passing grade. Honestly, the visuals are so interesting and are used so well that I'd feel like I'm cheating myself if I didn't watch it. They are a "how-to" in direction. And in an anime landscape so packed with forgettable, cookie-cutter shows, something like Ping Pong deserves to be watched. I'm hoping that the story picks up in future episodes, but at least I know I'll stay engaged during the runtime.