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Substance 4/5
Execution 4/5
Overall 8/10
By the end, Ping Pong has become more of just a sports anime, but a colorful exploration of the human spirit. Portrayed with such unconventional visual direction, the show has the ability to expresses itself in the most raw form possible- https://twitter.com/AmeToYuutsu/status/1274332976164114432
Execution 4/5
Overall 8/10
By the end, Ping Pong has become more of just a sports anime, but a colorful exploration of the human spirit. Portrayed with such unconventional visual direction, the show has the ability to expresses itself in the most raw form possible- https://twitter.com/AmeToYuutsu/status/1274332976164114432
-but it can also be a double-edged sword. While the show does have its incredible moments that showcase the fullest extent of its unorthodox visuals, most of the time when it's not in its peak it falls flat. PPTA commits to a trade-off for flexibility over visual consistency,
and with something like this which favors movement over stillness, a lot of the moments that don't have much animation going for them feel bland and sometimes even unappealing. And this is something that is especially apparent with its use of "panelling".
I mostly dislike it for when they excessively use it in matches. While the concept of having these manga-esque freeze frame panels does sound cool, it just doesn't work very well with Ping Pong. Most of the time the frames they use aren't very interesting to look at,
and it divides the screen in such a way that restricts motion, which is counter-intuitive to what it wants to achieve in the first place. Ping Pong is a fast-paced sport with lots of movement, and the amount of energy between these matches just gets lost with the panelling style.
Later matches however aren't as problematic. Episode 10's match in particular finds a good use for the panelling by keeping it tightly timed with the tempo of the match and not lingering on the screen for an extended period of time, which keeps it interesting start to finish.
As for the narrative and the characters especially, what it achieves in just 11 episodes is quite impressive. Ping Pong is actually quite simple, but its characters are layered with a lot of depth to them that the show explores with just the right amount of subtlety.
It just doesn't come off to me as something extremely profound. Perhaps I just don't find its impact cathartic enough, but nevertheless I think it's great. I also feel the need to praise the sound design and OST, Kensuke Ushio just never misses. One of the stronges points of PP.
Overall I hope I've given enough justice to how I scored it, and for the Ping Pong fans to not kill me lol. I love y'all.
