Ping Pong the Animation

This is one of the most underrated anime . Don't go by the name. It is less about Ping Pong and more about life as you get older. The character development was very unique. Most of the people avoid this masterpiece because of it's unappealing animation. For me, even the animation was more like sketches brought to life. The animation works perfectly for the Ping Pong action and our imagination.While some of you may be turned off by the animation, I challenge you to give it a try nevertheless. It would be a shame to miss out on an anime as well done as this just because of artistic reasons. The music was excellent too, specially the ending song. I assure you that you will be surprised after finishing this chef-d'oeuvre.

This anime is not just for anime lovers. Anybody can and should watch it. It is an education. And a funny, heartwarming sort that won't leave you soon.

Ping Pong is something my kids would be forced to watch. It doesn't bleat about ambition or success. Instead, it humanizes growing up and living life - through the lens of four ping pong players. And no matter that you don't play the sport or know anything about it. It more about life than about Ping Pong.

This is also a story with one of the best endings I have ever watched. It isn't pseudo intellectual but it is also not predictable. It makes you wonder about choices you have made/will make - and that is one of the greatest things art does. A new state of awareness.

For the anime lovers reading this, note that it is another collaborative effort by Masaaki Yuasa and Taiyo Matsumoto so it is genius.

I had almost given up on anime when I found this little pearl hidden in the land of unknown anime. I dig serious, artistic, slightly philosophical anime- there aren't many of those. But Ping Pong: the Animation was a grande surprise for me.

First of all, I never thought I'd appreciate an 11 episode anime dedicated to Ping Pong. In general I do not like sports anime, but this anime made me want to grab a racket and play some table tennis. Maybe then I'd have those soul splitting experiences the protagonists have, or see my movements as gravity-free dances.

Storyline At first I thought it'd be one of those anime where someone wants to be the best and has to face all these obstacles (other super good players) in order to finally get the girl. Not here- in this anime we follow several talented Ping Pong players who all have different reasons to love/participate in the sports. It's encompassing, extremely realistic and evokes sympathy.

Visuals MAN WHAT VISUALS! It looks rotoscoped (still haven't found out whether this is the case or not) but doesn't feel as 'not there yet' as for example Aku no Hana. It reminds one of mixing comics with animation, more than a classical anime look. Most of the times they were stunning, especially during matches, and could easily be categorised as experimental.

Soundtrack Just one mention: that hero song (!)

The anime is based on a manga which I had read two years back and remember loving it, didn't remember the details so thought it was perfect time to watch the anime version. It's as good as the manga and totally faithful to it even the unique art is carried to the anime. The animation artwork is different from other shows in being more paint type, it's more cartoonist and at the same time very stylish, some may feel its low budget artwork but it's like that to add its one charm and pulls it off nicely. The artwork is beautiful and has intensity especially when the ping pong games are showcased. The use of pop up boxes and split screen adds to the charm.

The story seems simple but is in fact very deep, covers the adolescence age of the main characters, how different they are and how they cope with the world around them. There are lots of buried emotions which come pouring out as the series progress. Loved the way they drew parallels of stories between the supporting trainer characters and the main ones.

The sound and music is probably the best of its kind I have come across in an anime, the use of music for showing intensity or concentration, the intro music for Kong (the Chinese) it were all perfect, in fact they were able to make the noise of playing ping pong captivating.

The anime also has a bit humor along with the drama to keep things light. It teaches one life lesson, the importance and difference between talent, hard work & enjoyment at work. Would recommend it to any mature anime fans.

This is a must watch anime for anime fans,its animation can be a bit unothodox for the newer fans but with time you will realize the animations fluidity and the amazing visuals that its able to create.