Ping Pong The Animation

Childhood best friends Tsukimoto Makoto and Hoshino Yutaka have a passion for table tennis. Tsukimoto is nicknamed Smile, the complete opposite of his cool and calm personality. Hoshino or Peko on the other hand is carefree and confident. The coach of the Katase High School table tennis team, Koizumi “Butterfly Joe” Jou, took an interest in the unpolished talent of Smile. Smile was not interested however. He just wants to play but has no dreams of doing competitive table tennis. Butterfly Joe was able to convince Smile later on and a lot players and coaches looked forward to matches with him. Peko slowly faded into the background although he initially started as the best player in the Katase team. His nonchalant attitude towards training and competition resulted in a loss against the Chinese student Kong Wenge. Instead of training harder, Peko decided to spend his time eating junk food and skipping practice matches.

Best friends Tsukimoto Makoto and Hoshino Yutaka

Tsukimoto "Smile" Makoto with coach Koizumi Jou

Hoshino "Peco" Yutaka

Kong Wenge

Kazam Ryuuichi

While the story seems to revolve on Smile overcoming his psychological barrier, his attitude was revealed to have stemmed from an event in the past. His love for the game was connected to his best friend Peco’s passion for table tennis.

The series was able to show how it was like for the talented and passionate players to lose and then find the courage to keep going. The effect of the intense competition goes beyond just numbers and spectacular moves, like most sports anime series focus on. It was not about techniques or the desire to win in the nationals alone. It was about the losers and winners. A naturally talented athlete like Peko is contrasted with Smile who works harder than his best friend. At first it seemed that Peko was jealous of his best friend, but the silent competition changed both boys for the better. It’s touching because they brought the athletes down to a level where I can understand their feelings. They were not superhumans with amazing abilities only found in fiction. That was what made the ending even more touching.

If you’re looking for a different approach to sports, I recommend this 11-episode series. Not only is it a treat for the eyes because of the beautiful animation, but the characters are unforgettable as well.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10