Ping Pong the Animation: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Ping Pong the Animation: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 23, 2015

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.

Two of the main characters are high school buddies Peco and Smile, both of them advanced ping pong players. Peco is good enough that he’s already on the radar of national scouts, and it looks like the kid has a good shot of going pro. Smile, on the other hand, is a bit more introspective and reserved (his nickname is ironic), and, while talented, seems to be missing the magic spark that has come to define Peco’s tournament play. But suddenly Smile starts receiving notice for some of his moves, and there’s a feeling on the team, and especially among its coaching staff, that Smile has a lot more potential than even he realizes.

While ping pong is the underlying element knitting the characters together, the shōnen element is perhaps the more overriding emotional element that gives Ping Pong the Animation its peculiar charm. We see the gaggle of kids mature over a relatively long span of time, and seeing them change, sometimes in rather radically unexpected ways, is what provides the series with the bulk of its dramatic (and comedic) momentum. There are a ton of great little character bits here, many of them seeming emotionally “right” for this age group. Peco, for example, pretty much gives up when his “Golden Boy” status is challenged and he actually has to work to win. Smile, meanwhile, has to decide if he wants to work, at least harder than he has, especially after people start noticing his obvious talents.

Two other supporting characters have their own issues to deal with. One of them, Ryuichi, is even more of a Golden Boy than Peco could have ever hoped to be. Ryuichi has already grabbed the brass ring and won several championships, and he’s a god to the younger kids. The anime peels back that heroic veneer to detail a somewhat more precipitously roiling emotional state wreaking havoc just underneath Ryuichi’s exterior. Over and over again Ping Pong the Animation deals rather artfully with the disconnect between perception and reality, all within the unlikely context of tournament table tennis.

As unusual as the setting of Ping Pong the Animation is, what will probably instantly set this anime apart from the pack is in fact its animation style. This is one of the most distinctive looking anime in recent memory, though it’s not a florid visual presentation in the style of, say, series like Hozuki's Coolheadedness: Complete Collection or franchises like the One Piece outing Strong World. Instead this like a collection of pencil drawings brought to life, sometimes in (at times pale) color and at other times in black and white. Ratcheted markings on facings can even give the appearance of this being something like an etching at times, but this is not a series that goes overboard providing a wealth of detail. Objects and characters change size and shape at the drop of a hat (and/or ping pong ball) and at times are almost on the surreal side they become so abstract. It’s a gambit that may throw some longtime anime aficionados for a loop, but it’s one of Ping Pong the Animation’s most defining characteristics.

Ping Pong the Animation: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Ping Pong the Animation: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One:

• Episode 1 Commentary features Christopher Bevins, Micah Solusod, Mark Stoddard and Alan Chow.

Disc Two:

• Episode 11 Commentary features Christopher Bevins, Aaron Dismuke, Marcus Stimac and Anthony Bowling.


• Japanese Box Set Commercials (1080i; 1:08)


• TV Spots (1080p; 1:23) offers five character specific promos.


• Original Trailer (1080p; 00:32)


• Next Episode Previews (1080p; 2:50)


• Promotional Video (1080p; 1:37)


• Textless Songs:

  Textless Opening Song - Tadahitori (1080p; 1:31)

  Textless Closing Song - [Bokurani Tsuite] (1080p; 1:32)

• U.S. Trailer (1080p; 1:43)

Ping Pong the Animation: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.