Ping Pong (manga)
Ping Pong is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Taiyō Matsumoto about table tennis. It was serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazine Big Comic Spirits from 1996 to 1997 and collected in five volumes. The story follows high schoolers and childhood friends Peco and Smile, as they compete in the national table tennis tournament where they face talented players from all over the country.
It was adapted into a 2002 live-action film. An anime television series adaptation produced by Tatsunoko Production and directed by Masaaki Yuasa was aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina block between April and June 2014. In North America, Funimation licensed the series in 2014. Viz Media released the manga in 2020.
Premise
Despite having drastically different personalities, high school boys Peco and Smile have been friends since childhood. Now, they are both talented members of table tennis club of Katase High School. Peco gets decisively defeated by a Chinese student and thus becomes so devastated that he quits practicing. Meanwhile, Smile's personality always prevents him from winning against Peco. Coach Jō, however, discovers Smile's potential and tries to motivate him to overcome his psychological obstacle.Characters
;Makoto Tsukimoto/"Smile";Yutaka Hoshino/"Peco"
;Ryūichi Kazama/"Dragon"
;Manabu Sakuma/"Demon"
;Kong Wenge/"China"
;Jō Koizumi/"Butterfly Joe"
;Obaba
;Ota
;Masayuki Sanada
;Shuji Nekota
;Ryū Kazama
;Taku Kazama
;Yurie
;Michio Tamura
;Egami
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Taiyō Matsumoto, Ping Pong was serialized in Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits from 1996 to 1997. The chapters were collected in five volumes, released from July 30, 1996, to August 30, 1997. The manga was re-released and reformatted into three volumes between July 14, 2012, and August 10, 2012. Shogakukan re-released a two-volume edition, Ping Pong: Full Game, on April 1, 2014.In North America, Viz Media announced in May 2020 that they have licensed the manga for English language release. The two volumes, based on the "Full Game" edition, were released on May 19 and September 15, 2020.
Live-action film
A live-action film adaptation directed by Japanese filmmaker Fumihiko Sori was released in 2002.Anime
An anime television series adaptation produced by Tatsunoko Production and directed by Masaaki Yuasa was broadcast from April 11 to June 20, 2014, on Fuji TV's Noitamina block. The opening theme is "Tada Hitori" by Bakudan Johnny and ending theme is "Bokura ni Tsuite" by Merengue. In North America, the anime series has been licensed by Funimation.Reception
Manga
In 2021, the manga received an Eisner Award nomination in the category Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia.Critical reception
Rose Bridges from Anime News Network praised the two omnibus editions of the manga, in particularly its characters and story giving it an A, and stated "The real story is about Smile and Peco's relationship with each other. This ultimately becomes the catalyst that sets forth their futures, and understanding that relationship is key to understanding the manga's ending—which may come out of nowhere if you're not paying careful attention. It's even more the story of how his friendship with Peco changes Smile, becoming something like his emotional lifeline. Reading Ping Pong 25 years after it wrapped, it's easy to see where it's been so influential. The series changed how sports manga was created, and that's obvious: so many modern-day sports anime clearly have Ping Pong in their DNA. If you haven't seen or read Ping Pong, I won't tell you what happens. The journey they take and the finale should both be richly savored, and these two omnibus editions are the perfect way to do just that. Deservedly one of the classics of sports manga; does a great job juggling the excitement and details of the sport, and building rewarding and layered story and characters; flowing art style that perfectly fits frenetic match scenes; rewards active, deep reading".Anime
In 2015, Ping Pong the Animation received the Grand Prize award for Television Animation of the Year at the Tokyo Anime Awards Festival. The anime series was part of the Jury Selections at the 18th Japan Media Arts Festival in the Animation category in 2014. In November 2019, Polygon named Ping Pong the Animation as one of the best anime of the 2010s, and Crunchyroll listed it in their "Top 25 best anime of the 2010s". IGN also listed Ping Pong the Animation among the best anime series of the 2010s.Critical reception
Nick Creamer from Anime News Network praised the anime adaptation and consider it to be a great anime with excellent character design and development, as well as magnificent soundtrack with great animation and story. And describes it as "The show only finds time for all this character development because absolutely zero scenes are wasted. This doesn't mean the show feels rushed - it simply means every line tells you something about a character, and every confrontation between two players changes something in both of them. Ping Pongs characters care about winning, but the show itself rises to make points beyond the field of battle. Failure is actually necessary and welcome in Ping Pong, as it is through failure that we grow, and become more than what we were. The show's music and sound design aren't just good, they're indispensable - they are a critical part of the show's aesthetic whole, rollicking opening song and contemplative ending included. Overall, Ping Pong is a triumph of artistry and treasure of storytelling. It's one of the shows I'd recommend to really demonstrate what anime is capable of, and yet it's light and engaging enough to be enjoyed by almost anyone. Highly recommended for all fans of anime as an art form, or just fans of good stories told well. Poignant storytelling, creative art design, propulsive direction, and resonant sound design come together in a brilliant, can't-miss package".Nicole MacLean from THEM Anime Reviews gave it a 5 out of 5, and describes the anime as not the most beautiful one compare to other animes directed by Masaaki Yuasa like Kaiba, but the show stands out by its wonderful development and storytelling. Andy Hanley from UK Anime Network also gave a positive review of the anime series and gave it a 9 out of 10, calling it "Its visuals won't appeal to everyone but its story and handling of its characters are almost flawless, resulting in a compelling package that will live long in the memory. Less divisive will be the rest of Ping Pongs presentation - its soundtrack is utterly superb and fits the series perfectly, and the voice cast all do a good job of representing their characters in a way which is never overstated and again slots nicely into everything that the show is trying to achieve. Its thanks to Yuasa's take on both the story and how it's presented that this series is more than just another sports anime - it's a pitch-perfect examination of growing up, sporting endeavour and plenty more besides. No matter your take on its animation style, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better character study in animated series".