Forum - View topicPing Pong (TV).
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Stark700
 Posts: 11762 Location: Earth |
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Ping Pong Genres: tournament Themes: sports Plot Summary: Makoto Tsukimoto (nicknamed Smile) is a quiet high-schooler who's been friends with the loud and energetic Yukata 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 enables him from winning against Peco. The club teacher, however, notices Smile's talent and tries to make him gain some sportive tenacity. Episode 1: That was pretty fun to watch imo. The animation style might take a little while to get used to though. Still, the OST was neat and I loved the way they spoke spoiler[Mandarin] since I have some experience in it. It was a great episode overall imo and I really liked some of the ping pong play. The OST was awesome too. spoiler[As for the episode itself, I think there is potential as even one of the characters whom originally came there had doubt but after playing one of the players seems to be encouraged afterwards. Decent ED song too. Great start imo to this show.][/i] |
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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You know, I think it's really interesting how Yuasa's visual style has developed over the years. Mind Game and Kemonozume had a much scratchier, rough look. Tons of little lines and details. Super abstract, sketchy stuff with little in the way of clear, defined edges. Then Kaiba came along. It kept the same very abstract visuals but instead grounded them in rock solid, clearly defined outlines for everything. And Tatami Galaxy took that look even further. Whereas Kaiba's color pallet is very muted, Tatami was all about the bright, bold, block colors with only thin, reserved outlines. It gave the whole thing a very deliberately two dimensional look. And now there's Ping Pong. In some ways Yuasa has gone full circle as this show probably has the most in common with his early work. I think it would be more accurate to say it's a little bit of a blend of all three earlier styles though. A synthesis of the best of both worlds.
See, there's tons of little details like his early stuff. It's the antithesis of the clean, minimalist Kaiba or Tatami Galaxy. But there's also a very distinct heaviness in the line work that Kemonozume lacked. As much as it embodies the squiggly, rough feel, it also feels extremely controlled and deliberate. Not at all sketchy. There's a ton of nice variation in line thickness too that's pretty new for Yuasa. Little to no actual shading, but the lines themselves are strategically thickened to create that effect. It's really fantastic actually. It still really seems to allow for a lot of fluidity and motion which was one of the strengths of Kemonozume but the heavier outlines give it a lot more pop. It feels like the antithesis of Tatami's or to a lesser extent Kaiba's 2D flatness. Not that that was a bad thing in those shows. It just wouldn't work as well here. Anyway, in terms of story, I'm also quite pleased. Part of the issue I have with most sports shows is that they're based on team sports which just aren't that suited to being presented as a dramatic narrative. Ping Pong really lends itself well to this kind of story though. It allows them to ramp up the drama into these super intense, one on one contests and there's such depth of technique that they can really have a lot of variety and stuff happening without resorting to shounen special attack nonsense. And the character writing here is quite immediately appealing. Lots of interesting dynamics. From Peco, the arrogant natural who spoiler[is crushed to learn he's only a big fish in an astoundingly little pond.] To the melancholy Smile who spoiler[appears to lack all drive despite his natural ability]. And I really like the antagonist. He's super intense and rather that feel like just another arrogant jerk, his situation seems a bit more understandable. It will be interesting to learn what exactly his past is and spoiler[what he did to wind up here playing with these amateurs.] |
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danilo07
 Posts: 1580 |
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That was definitely best first episode this season ...of a non-sequel .Going into the first episode, I was afraid that Masaaki's directorial flare would get lost.After all not only is he adapting a manga for the first time,but he is adapting Matsumoto's manga,whose works always have impeccable paneling and leave very little space for improvement.In first 4 seconds some of fears were obliterated.The camera moves swiftly,closes up on Smile who is indifferently listening to his colleagues,his colleagues are all reflected in his glasses.Not only does it show social isolation Smile is imposing on himself,but we also get how the other people interact.This shot was impressively done,and it was not present in the manga which made me really confident about the rest of the episode.One other thing that was also impressive were the matches.In the film adaption,during matches the camera is locked in mid-distant shot following characters who are moving in slow motion(you had no idea about the position of characters,their distance from the table,their distance from the other player etc.). Here we get a completely different picture,the camera utilizes so many unique angles that define the spacial relation amazingly well.During matches perspectives get changed a lot,for example we have a lot of tracking shots following the ball.All of these tricks exist,so we could not only feel as if we are witnessing a game but to also make us feel as if we are actively playing it.That was the intent of the manga and it achieved the best it could within the limitations of it's medium.But in animation those limitations don't exist and Masaaki is taking advantage of that.One thing that they smartly kept from the manga are scattered panels.When playing table tennis,many aspects come into play.Your footwork,position of your body,the way you swing your arm etc.Great thing about those scattered panels is that you show all of these elements in single shot,one after another so we as the viewers realize their importance.
The writing will truly shine in it's second half,but as far as set up is concerned this episode had done a great job.The intimacy between Peco and Smile is evident .The way they talk about random matters in relaxed,monotonous way captures their closeness perfectly.The VAs were also good,especially the Chinese one. |
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yuna49
 Posts: 3804 |
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Well, I'll just express what may be a minority opinion, but the character models make my eyes bleed. I wondered what I was watching until I saw the director was Yuasa. I guess I missed all the things that so excited the posters above, but then I haven't liked his other works either.
Wonder if they'll mention the Senkakus/Diaoyus or the Yasukuni Shrine? Given the tensions in the western Pacific these days, a show where a Chinese character confronts Japanese characters carries some heavy political overtones. I wonder if Japanese viewers have the same feelings. Any guesses as to why Funimation chose to license this? It certainly doesn't look like the type of show that would have broad appeal to Western viewers outside of fans of Yuasa and ping pong. I don't follow licensing decisions all that closely, but did Funi license any other Tatsunoko shows recently? Last I saw they had a deal with Sentai, but that only covered eleven, mostly older shows. Last edited by yuna49 on Fri Apr 11, 2014 4:07 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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ookamigirl
 Posts: 2274 Location: Croatia |
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The animation was a shocker.
I seriously didn't expect something like this. Guess it's a sports anime, but why did they do this to it. Don't know what manga looks like, but I hope the drawings are better. I just can't see past the animation. Dropping it. |
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Megiddo
 Posts: 8360 Location: IL |
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Good, good.
I'm loving the animation, direction, and so far the interplay between Smile, Peco, and China have drawn me in. Definitely will be following this. |
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leatherhead333
 Posts: 1187 Location: Kansas |
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Upon watching the first few seconds of this show I got immediate scenery deprivation.
I'd say the content is probably good but i just couldn't get through it without wanting to gouge my eyes out. I guess this art style just doesn't appeal to me but everything just looked so silly and awkward that i couldn't take anything seriously. |
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Errinundra
Moderator
 Posts: 6583 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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I am seriously pissed off, you know. Here in Australia - the country that licensed The Tatami Galaxy, Kaiba AND Mind Game - there's no way to stream Ping Pong. Strewth! And I thought my torrenting days were pretty much behind me.
Anywho, adding to ikillchicken's post, I think something has been lost in Yuasa's animation style. Or should I say styles? Mind Game and Kemonozume were notable for their wild blending of disparate techniques, colour palettes and styles. In both cases, once I got over the shock, I found the sudden changes enhanced the moods and themes of the scenes. At the very least they kept indifference at bay. Perhaps the discipline required in adapting from another format is cramping his style? Perhaps as he develops as an auteur he's finding less need for flamboyance? Other things wound back are his former fluidity of line and variability of facial features. Still, his faces are fascinating, thankfully entirely avoiding the production line sameness that so infests anime these days. So, happily, the artwork and animation is pure Yuasa, and I love it, despite the loss of extravagance. I think, of all anime directors, he has the greatest sense of motion and timing, attributes that make him a perfect director for sports anime. More than than any other TV anime director, he moves the camera point of view, making for more complex and interesting scene presentations. While Yuasa has imposed his visual signature on the series I wonder whether, by adapting someone else's story, he can impose his storytelling vision as well. I guess we'll see. Despite his penchant for grotesque, erotic and - paradoxically - infantile images and themes, there's always been something warm and, dare I say, wholesome, at the heart of his stories. (And more conventional than you might think at first.) As I said, I guess we'll see. And to those people - yuna49 excepted, as I know you like things outside the norm - who find the Yuasa style confronting, you are symptomatic of everything that's wrong with current western popular culture. All you want is the same old, same old. As with our modern diet, all you want to consume is huge doses of bloated, sugary, highly processed take-away garbage. No wonder Australians and Americans are the fattest people on earth. Instead of yet another burger, find yourself a genuine South Indian restaurant (not, the regular Punjabi style) and try a cuisine that explores the sour or bitter part of the palette. You may find new forms of beauty you never knew existed. The same with anime. Vive la différence! Last edited by Errinundra on Sat Apr 12, 2014 10:56 am; edited 1 time in total |
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One-Eye
 Posts: 2267 |
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I was hesitant at first to watch this show. Aside for a few exceptions I'm not a giant fan of sports manga or anime. However, by the end of this first episode I felt...kinda thrilled.
The art style only took me a few minutes to adjust to and instead of it being a visual impediment, as it might have been for others, I found it brave and it enhanced for me the actual ping pong play. The dialogue also felt distinctive to each character and had some snap. The whole episode for me was fairly tight. It didn't feel too rushed nor too slow. It introduced the main characters and their personalities. We got a feel for the relationship of Peco and Smile. It sort of book-ended the episode with 2 ping pong matches that also told you something about the characters as individuals. I must say I'm really hooked and I can't wait to see where they go from here. |
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leatherhead333
Posts: 1187 Location: Kansas |
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Ah, so because i don't like looking at what is pretty much vomit inducing art imo that makes me a stupid American? How classy of you 
You seem to have just made a giant generalization that is not only unfounded but incorrect. I always appreciate artists going the extra mile to make their work stand out from the rest. But this is a style i could never get used too. The characters lack detail in many shots and just look like creepy Chinese Slendermen . And they just look TOO realistic to me. It feels less like i'm watching an anime and more like a choppy rotoscoped movie. To add to that everyone just looks.......ugly and they sometimes have horribly deformed faces for no reason. But wait....I'm sorry for not being able to completely embrace something that i find visually jarring and thus that makes me an idiotic American! Sheez I really ought to have learned out things work around here 
Point is just because someone doesn't like a particular art style doesn't mean they don't want change. That's just a foolish arbitrary assumption. Personally i hate many of the recycled character designs I see today but they still have a certain charm to them if used properly. I'll give it to them for trying something new but I don't think it is quite polished enough. Does it work for other folks? Yes. More power to them. But it's pretty arrogant and snobby to make such broad statements just because someone doesn't like what you like. We've all grown past those sort of childish things haven't we?
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Errinundra
Moderator
Posts: 6583 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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And I'm a stupid Australian.
But, that aside, did you really vomit? You may find this odd, but I thoroughly enjoyed the visuals. To me they were unsettling, intriguing, fascinating. Unlike much other TV anime, which is fairly static, Masaaki Yuasa's animation is alive - constantly twitching, convulsing, transforming. And, yes as you say, it makes it seem more realistic in a paradoxical way. Life is most interesting when my expectations are upended. Beauty is found in variety, not in conformity. Most other anime conforms and, by this reckoning, can be judged ugly. So, I guess that just shows that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some people like sourkraut; some people think durians are a gift from the gods; some people love vegemite; some people like processed white bread. I just think the world's a duller place when there's a McDonalds wherever you go. |
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Merida
 Posts: 1946 |
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The first ep. left me interested but not exactly excited but after ep. 2 i'm definitely sold. I Love the dry humor, Smile is a very unique MC for a "sports series" and the coach is awesome.
I'm not familiar with the manga this is based on, so i have no idea how close the anime artwork is to the source material, but i don't think it's "ugly" but rather refreshing. Looking forward to more! |
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danilo07
Posts: 1580 |
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Not sure how to feel about this episode.In the manga ,the "transformation"spoiler[of Smile wasn't played as this grand self realization act and there wasn't any of the build up with he flashback scenes.The anime made Smile's characterization clearer,but it also kinda made it more typical.It worked well for this episode,but it might introduce some issues later on.]
The match was static,the lack of animation really bothered me.those should disappear in the next episode though.BahiJD said he animated a couple of cuts for the next episode and he previously mentioned how they were hard. |
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Stark700
Posts: 11762 Location: Earth |
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Another solid episode. I was hoping China would of gotten more screen time but that's okay because Smile gets some spotlight. I also love the way the spoiler[robot motifs] were done to illustrate a power of ping pong. The way it's done greatly enhances the experience to transform a simple table tennis game into entertainment I am enjoying.
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Errinundra
Moderator
Posts: 6583 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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My favourite thing in episode 2 was Smile's 72 year old "virgo" coach finally arriving at the springtime of his life. Being somewhat closer to the coach's age than Smile's I think I related more to the former. It cut to the bone but was the funniest thing I've seen for a while.
It's typical of Yuasa to eroticise moments like this but, here, it worked as the coach's intentions were entirely for Smile's benefit and the treatment highlighted the physicality of the sport and the coach's intensely emotional commitment to the game and his protégé. Further, Smile is also very highly strung, although he suppresses it. Great episode. |
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