7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Makoto Tsukimoto (nicknamed Smile) is a quiet high-schooler who's been friends with the loud and energetic Yutaka Hoshino (nicknamed Peco) since childhood. They're both in the local table tennis club and both have a natural talent for it, although Smile's personality always prevents him from winning against Peco. The club teacher, however, notices Smile's talent and tries to make him gain some sportive tenacity.
Starring: Kôki Uchiyama, Masako Nozawa, Shunsuke Sakuya, Subaru Kimura, Fukujurou KatayamaForeign | 100% |
Anime | 93% |
Sport | 1% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Four-disc set (2 BDs, 2 DVDs)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Ping pong is one of those activities which some folks resolutely refuse to characterize as an actual “sport,” falling into the same “pretend” category that some (some, mind you) also attempt to try to stuff golf into. And yet if you ever watch a tournament of table tennis champions battling each other for the glory of first place, it’s hard not to admit that there is a fair amount of athleticism involved in the most intense matches. In an anime universe that often tends to rehash the same ideas and plotlines over and over (and over) again, Ping Pong the Animation is something like its titular sport in the eyes of some detractors—an “odd man out” that doesn’t really fit into proscribed categories. There’s a shōnen aspect to this visually arresting anime, but it does in fact focus rather relentlessly on ping pong, as several kids work up their ball bashing mojo in order to become world champions. It’s a seemingly fairly flimsy premise, but perhaps surprisingly, Ping Pong the Animation, while slight, is never less than engaging and is often quite compelling. While the series perhaps never quite attains requisite focus, at times ping ponging itself between a gaggle of characters and a lot of tournament play, Ping Pong the Animation is one of the more clever and unusual anime offerings of the past several years, and fans who are on the hunt for something out of the ordinary may well want to check it out.
Ping Pong the Animation is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. As mentioned above in the main body of the review, this is one incredibly distinctive looking anime, though my hunch is the style of this outing may well divide fans into two camps, with some loving the minimalist, sketch-like ambience of the series and others preferring a more "mainstream" approach. While this high definition presentation benefits from strong long detail and overall excellent clarity, the very minimalism of the animation means there's not a lot of traditional high definition "pop" to this. A lot of the anime plays out in tones of white and light blue, so even the palette doesn't get a heavy workout. My advice is to peruse the screencaptures accompanying this review not just to help assess the video quality of this release, but to give a better idea of just how this anime actually looks.
Ping Pong the Animation features an English dub presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1, and the original Japanese language track presented in Dolby TrueHD 2.0. The tournament play (which is a regular feature in virtually every episode) provides boisterous opportunity for the surround track to indulge in nice placement of sound effects, including some convincing panning effects as balls zing back and forth. Dialogue is very cleanly presented and well prioritized, even in some of the noisier match sequences. Fidelity is excellent and dynamic range fairly wide.
Disc One:
- Textless Opening Song - Tadahitori (1080p; 1:31)
- Textless Closing Song - [Bokurani Tsuite] (1080p; 1:32)
Ping Pong the Animation pretty much instantly grabbed my fancy simply due to its completely unique animation style, but by the end of the first episode, I was rather nicely enamored of the cast of characters and all around ambience of the series. There's nothing earth shattering here, but in its own quiet, gentle way, Ping Pong the Animation actually manages to deliver a few fairly profound truths. The characters are very real feeling and the emotional interactions between them are well wrought and convincing. The animation style may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I'd encourage those who are tired of the "same old, same old" in anime to consider checking out this sweet little show. Technical merits are generally very strong, and Ping Pong the Animation comes Highly recommended.
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