PING PONG THE ANIMATION |OT| ( `´)°(ò_ó )/
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CornBurrito
Member
Decent enough ending. Last episode was better. I feel dumb for not realizing the significance of "blood tastes like iron" until this episode rolled around.
Nemesis121
Member
I love ending like these,
years go by and we see how far the character have come...
ipitydatfu
Member
I'm surprised, they actually managed to deliver a finale worthy of the lofty standards the show set for itself. Except for a little cheapness in the beginning in terms of animation, it was flawless.
Matsumoto the god.
Matsumoto the god.
Ultimadrago
Member
Good stuff, Good stuff. Really enjoyed
. This anime came out of nowhere for me. I'm very pleased to have given it a shot.
Ryuichi's time with Tsukimoto in the time skip at the end
CornBurrito
Member
How old exactly was everyone? Juniors in high school?
And so Smile did use a strategy to fuck with Peco's knee, but Peco overcame it because he's the hero?
10th grade (by US standards), so around 16.
Smile did, at first, because he wanted to show that he was serious about playing Peco and wanted Peco to reciprocate that seriousness. This is something he's been waiting for the entire show, because he stopped enjoying ping pong around when Peco started slipping.
In Smile's eyes, "the Hero" is someone without weaknesses. If Peco had done something like ask Smile to take it easy on him because of his knee (like Koizumi's friend seemed to do), it would the same as Peco admitting he wasn't a Hero after all. Their entire relationship is based on on Peco being Smile's Hero and role mode. When Peco started slackening in ping pong, it was, to Smile, a huge betrayal. How could someone who claims to be the Hero chicken out when things got rough?
So when Smile aimed for the knee, he was asking Peco to prove that he was worthy of being called the Hero. In return, Peco sucked up the pain and played his best, and at his best, he's a better player than Smile. Whatever reason for the dip in his enthusiasm for ping pong, had nothing to do with skill, and probably everything to do with motivation. Smile usually plays methodically, like a robot. When Smile is pressured by someone stronger, however, he can let loose and his style starts to resemble Peco's. Organic, free-spirited, impulsive, reckless, because it was always his goal to be a player like Peco. But no one could drag the Peco side out him except Peco himself, no one else was strong enough to do so.
Then Smile quickly abandoned the leg attacking strategy, because he realized, from Peco's returns, that the leg thing will never bother him so long as the game is going, and there's no reason to stick to a strategy that offers no advantages. Moreover, I don't think Smile could even maintain it. It was pretty clear that Peco set the pace of the match, with Smile being forced to dance to Peco's tune.
In Smile's eyes, "the Hero" is someone without weaknesses. If Peco had done something like ask Smile to take it easy on him because of his knee (like Koizumi's friend seemed to do), it would the same as Peco admitting he wasn't a Hero after all. Their entire relationship is based on on Peco being Smile's Hero and role mode. When Peco started slackening in ping pong, it was, to Smile, a huge betrayal. How could someone who claims to be the Hero chicken out when things got rough?
So when Smile aimed for the knee, he was asking Peco to prove that he was worthy of being called the Hero. In return, Peco sucked up the pain and played his best, and at his best, he's a better player than Smile. Whatever reason for the dip in his enthusiasm for ping pong, had nothing to do with skill, and probably everything to do with motivation. Smile usually plays methodically, like a robot. When Smile is pressured by someone stronger, however, he can let loose and his style starts to resemble Peco's. Organic, free-spirited, impulsive, reckless, because it was always his goal to be a player like Peco. But no one could drag the Peco side out him except Peco himself, no one else was strong enough to do so.
Then Smile quickly abandoned the leg attacking strategy, because he realized, from Peco's returns, that the leg thing will never bother him so long as the game is going, and there's no reason to stick to a strategy that offers no advantages. Moreover, I don't think Smile could even maintain it. It was pretty clear that Peco set the pace of the match, with Smile being forced to dance to Peco's tune.
CornBurrito
Member
Ah I see.
Makes me a bit sad that
Smile quits Ping Pong. He could have faced people just as able to challenge him. Though he seems able to enjoy life doing what he's doing now.
I don't think that's why he quit, at least, that's not the impression I got.
I think he quit because he fulfilled his goal of becoming like Peco. That's the only reason he was playing ping pong in the first place, to become more like Peco. To capture some of his endless energy and optimism. Once he got it, he was done. He lacked both drive and competitiveness, as was established from the very start. And it would seem that, even in the end, despite being one of the top high school players in Japan, he never developed those two qualities. He was just trying to break out of his own shell.
His answer to the question of "Who do you play ping pong for?" is "himself". It's just a means to an end. Peco, on the other hand, plays to be the best at ping pong. For him, the game is its own reward.
I think he quit because he fulfilled his goal of becoming like Peco. That's the only reason he was playing ping pong in the first place, to become more like Peco. To capture some of his endless energy and optimism. Once he got it, he was done. He lacked both drive and competitiveness, as was established from the very start. And it would seem that, even in the end, despite being one of the top high school players in Japan, he never developed those two qualities. He was just trying to break out of his own shell.
His answer to the question of "Who do you play ping pong for?" is "himself". It's just a means to an end. Peco, on the other hand, plays to be the best at ping pong. For him, the game is its own reward.
Crossposting because I'm soooooooo lazy:
[00:24:08] <haly> you know
[00:24:09] <haly> ping pong
[00:24:13] <haly> gave me chills
[00:24:13] <haly> like
[00:24:17] <haly> at moments
[00:24:19] <haly> i was legit shook
[00:24:23] <haly> had to puase
[00:24:27] <haly> wait for the shakes to die off
[00:24:33] <haly> so amazing
CornBurrito
Member
Yeah I get that. He certainly got some energy and optimism in the end.
Also, who does Kazama really play for?
On a side note, I loved the blood tastes like iron bit. In episode two we get "your body is made of iron" and then the repetition of blood tasting like iron. The significance really became obvious this episode.
I'm not sure I have Kazama figured out yet. I never really cared for him much even though his storyline was executed very well.
Foxy Fox 39
Banned
Man what an amazing show.
Passive Assassin
Member
AOTY. delivered. naysayers be damned. now where's my takematsu zamurai and Number 5 adaptations?!
Episode 11 (END)
That. Was. Perfection. It's clear that one of the greatest strengths the show has is that it's adapted from really solid source material, but even then, let's not discount the effort it takes to adapt something good into a superb show. Yuasa's visual taste has always been pretty alternative, but what he brings to this series is an elevation of a great story into a visual paradise. The metaphors, themes, motifs, all come together in such a great way at the end that's it's really hard not to be in awe of what has been achieved.
Starting from the insert song all the way into the epilogue and the credits it felt like a flawless marriage of the culmination of character development and the unadulterated audio visual expression of freedom. The ending of the show is the transcendence of sports where the show embraces completely the running theme where Ping Pong in context of the story is simply just an analysis of what life is. How people live, what they live for, the choices they make, who they really are. These people discovered it all by playing the sport and by playing each other.
This will without a doubt be remembered as one of the anime greats. So. Fucking. Good.
That. Was. Perfection. It's clear that one of the greatest strengths the show has is that it's adapted from really solid source material, but even then, let's not discount the effort it takes to adapt something good into a superb show. Yuasa's visual taste has always been pretty alternative, but what he brings to this series is an elevation of a great story into a visual paradise. The metaphors, themes, motifs, all come together in such a great way at the end that's it's really hard not to be in awe of what has been achieved.
Starting from the insert song all the way into the epilogue and the credits it felt like a flawless marriage of the culmination of character development and the unadulterated audio visual expression of freedom. The ending of the show is the transcendence of sports where the show embraces completely the running theme where Ping Pong in context of the story is simply just an analysis of what life is. How people live, what they live for, the choices they make, who they really are. These people discovered it all by playing the sport and by playing each other.
This will without a doubt be remembered as one of the anime greats. So. Fucking. Good.
I got something else out of that in that
Smile started to have fun and sort of got lost in the match and wasn't playing in his most optimal fashion. He probably could have just hammered Peco's knee into oblivion but was just more interested in having a good match.
Yeah, I agree with that interpretation. The only reason I left it out was because I didn't want to think poorly of Smile, who has been my favorite character so far.
Talk about a soundtrack absolutely elevating the material. Jesus. That was a great final episode.
Overall, I thought Ping Pong was excellent. I'm a sucker for sports stories, especially underdog stories, and Ping Pong sits a notch above even the best sports films like Moneyball for me. The story is simple, low-key, maybe even a bit trite, but it feels grandiose in execution with its vast array of visual styles. When you see Tsukimoto finally open up in his match against Peko and how it's represented through the imagery of a robot shattering its metallic limbs and transforming into a blood pumping human, it does nothing short of taking your breath away. It's excellent direction. The soundtrack -- and it cannot be understated -- is phenomenal in how it amplifies key scenes.
Thanks to Yuasa, his team, and noitaminA for producing this great show. People who like to dog anime all the time will probably never see this show. They don't know what they're missing.
Overall, I thought Ping Pong was excellent. I'm a sucker for sports stories, especially underdog stories, and Ping Pong sits a notch above even the best sports films like Moneyball for me. The story is simple, low-key, maybe even a bit trite, but it feels grandiose in execution with its vast array of visual styles. When you see Tsukimoto finally open up in his match against Peko and how it's represented through the imagery of a robot shattering its metallic limbs and transforming into a blood pumping human, it does nothing short of taking your breath away. It's excellent direction. The soundtrack -- and it cannot be understated -- is phenomenal in how it amplifies key scenes.
Thanks to Yuasa, his team, and noitaminA for producing this great show. People who like to dog anime all the time will probably never see this show. They don't know what they're missing.
Ping Pong has been incredible its entire run, and this episode was no exception. The manga source lays strong groundwork for the show's success, but its the intelligent choices made in adapting it that elevate this anime so far above its contemporaries.
Anime has always been filled with adaptations of stories from other mediums, but so many of them don't do much beyond drawing what's already on the page and putting it in motion. There's certainly an art to doing that well, but the best adaptations recognize how to draw on the strengths of animation and film to make those existing stories come to life in new ways. Ping Pong is one of those adaptations, with Yuasa and his team weaving vibrant visual symbols into the tale from beginning to end, making the emotional connections between the characters that much more real. The climactic montages of the last two episodes draw on film's ability to blend disparate images with music and editing, and they're fantastic.
This is as special a series as Aku no Hana was last year, and it's encouraging to see people continuing to make anime that dares to innovate and strike out in directions that normally go unexplored by most shows today.
Anime has always been filled with adaptations of stories from other mediums, but so many of them don't do much beyond drawing what's already on the page and putting it in motion. There's certainly an art to doing that well, but the best adaptations recognize how to draw on the strengths of animation and film to make those existing stories come to life in new ways. Ping Pong is one of those adaptations, with Yuasa and his team weaving vibrant visual symbols into the tale from beginning to end, making the emotional connections between the characters that much more real. The climactic montages of the last two episodes draw on film's ability to blend disparate images with music and editing, and they're fantastic.
This is as special a series as Aku no Hana was last year, and it's encouraging to see people continuing to make anime that dares to innovate and strike out in directions that normally go unexplored by most shows today.
CornBurrito
Member
This is probably the one show I'd like to own physically. A box set won't ever be released in the US though will it?
CornBurrito
Member
Rereading this I'm not so sure I agree with the interpretation.
Becoming like Peco" can't be his major goal. He'd been able to capture Peco's optimism and energy long ago, as we see from flashbacks. I think that Smile continued to play both because it was a way for him to pass the time, and because he longed to see Peco as the hero and back on track to become the best in the world. I think that's his real reason for playing Ping Pong. This would explain why he quits soon after the tournament. Peco has become the hero, this time for good, and has regained his enthusiasm for becoming the world champ.
Though now I must admit that my interpretation ignores the "your blood tastes like iron" and the whole scene with his robotic coating coming off. The problem is that I can't fathom Smile not breaking out of his robotic shell in the past. He was called Smile by Peco because he smiled (and broke out of his shell) while playing Ping Pong in the past. Unless of course he regressed after Peco became sloppy, and then the series is about him getting back to where he was when everyone was a kid.
Though now I must admit that my interpretation ignores the "your blood tastes like iron" and the whole scene with his robotic coating coming off. The problem is that I can't fathom Smile not breaking out of his robotic shell in the past. He was called Smile by Peco because he smiled (and broke out of his shell) while playing Ping Pong in the past. Unless of course he regressed after Peco became sloppy, and then the series is about him getting back to where he was when everyone was a kid.
Side note: The live action movie for this series is downright awful. So the source material isn't impervious to being fucked up.
Yes, I think this is most important part of their relationship, and the problem that the story is attempting to resolve.
Also I'm not 100% on this but
Smile was not nicknamed Smile because he smiled when playing ping pong, this came after. It was probably an ironic nickname given to him by his bullies and schoolmates first, but Peco co-opted it once he introduced Smile to ping pong and turned it from a sarcastic/snide nickname to a genuine one, which happens after they befriend each other, when Smile was already called Smile and Peco was Peco.
That is another part of their character dynamic, how Peco turns the hurt and abuse Smile experiences into self-affirmation. He went from the Smile-who-never-smiles to Smile-who-smiled-playing-ping-pong, the Robot made of iron to the Human whose blood tastes like iron.
That is another part of their character dynamic, how Peco turns the hurt and abuse Smile experiences into self-affirmation. He went from the Smile-who-never-smiles to Smile-who-smiled-playing-ping-pong, the Robot made of iron to the Human whose blood tastes like iron.
Fuck I just got chills again how is Matsumoto so good.
This was awesome. After looking up who Yuasa was, I found out he also worked on The Tatami Galaxy which was another series I enjoyed.
The visual style and the juxtaposition of metaphors and recurring motifs were great. The ending was perfectly bittersweet.
So yeah, awesome anime. I can't think of anything this year that was better.
The visual style and the juxtaposition of metaphors and recurring motifs were great. The ending was perfectly bittersweet.
So yeah, awesome anime. I can't think of anything this year that was better.
CornBurrito
Member
Correct. Smile was ironically called Smile at first because he never smiled. But Peco mentions in episode 10 or so that "I didn't call him Smile because he never smiled, but because he smiled a lot when playing Ping Pong."
I would love to own it too. Funimation probably has the rights to it since they air all the noitaminA shows. There might be some hope but they also never brought out a set for Tatami Galaxy. They're really picky.
CornBurrito
Member
Yeah, I watched Tatami Galaxy on Funi's site too. I think both shows wouldn't turn a profit despite how good they were. Ping Pong is even better but it still isnt popular.
Maybe I can import a Japanese box set, and memorize the funimation subtitles by heart.
A home video release over here isn't hopeless. Funimation is putting up some T-shirts based on the series for sale on thier store. That could be a sign that it's doing well streaming. If that's the case, a Blu-Ray release may be in the cards; if we're lucky.
As for the last episode, it was everything I hoped for and more. The match itself was excellent, but the epilouge really made the episode for me. Everything got tied up perfectly. I can't wait to see what Yuasa does next!
As for the last episode, it was everything I hoped for and more. The match itself was excellent, but the epilouge really made the episode for me. Everything got tied up perfectly. I can't wait to see what Yuasa does next!
Ping Pong - END
I have some minor grievances with the show as a whole and this final episode (some stylistic choices became overused to the point of being more annoying than endearing for example) but frankly, the show overall is so good it won't detract it from what is likely my current AOTY spot. The way this show develops its characters in such a short period of time is quite commendable
I have some minor grievances with the show as a whole and this final episode (some stylistic choices became overused to the point of being more annoying than endearing for example) but frankly, the show overall is so good it won't detract it from what is likely my current AOTY spot. The way this show develops its characters in such a short period of time is quite commendable
Damn good. I would have liked more actual Ping Pong at the end, but I guess it really isn't about that.
What's your take on it?
Mr.Monitor
Member
Where'd you see this? I can't find anything about it. I'd kill for a Kaio jersey or pretty much any other object of clothing from the show. I hope the designs are more subtle, rather than loud, flashy ones with characters or large artwork on them like most anime shirts.
Sylverstone14
Member
Definitely my leading show for Anime of the Year.
Went from not being very enthused with the PVs, then slowly building up to just absolutely love this show.
Went from not being very enthused with the PVs, then slowly building up to just absolutely love this show.
This will go down as one of the best animes of all time for me. So sad it's over
Aishiteruze
One thing I also wanted to note was how similar to Butterfly Jo smile became in the end. The whole mentor dynamic was so good.
A second season would be an atrocity. I think that few series have reason to go over 13 eps.
Aishiteruze
One thing I also wanted to note was how similar to Butterfly Jo smile became in the end. The whole mentor dynamic was so good.
In my interpretation, smile could have kept aiming for the knee, but he didn't. He resolved to, at first, but then he realized that Peco would have kept playing and trying his hardest, no matter what, and that might have cost him his career. So he didn't, and quit shortly after, like Jo did, because he lacked the conviction to win at any cost. Meanwhile Peco (Kazama Sr.) went on to become world famous. Smile, like Jo, turns to coaching, and looks to become a middle school teacher, because he realized how much Jo had helped him, and because he just finds it more fulfilling
A second season would be an atrocity. I think that few series have reason to go over 13 eps.
Jex
Member
Hard to say more than what's been said here in terms of my immediate, visceral reaction. The ending, just like the series itself, was masterful, powerful and uplifting. This thread is filled with gushing praise and I think that's entirely deserved, this is definetenly a series I plan to purchase upon release.
I feel like to say anything more about the show I'd have to put in some serious work because the material is quite dense and I wouldn't want to sell it short with a lazy analysis.
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