eakamara

Ping Pong the Animation (2014)

One of the most interesting anime I've ever seen (and I've seen loads)

I had almost given up on anime when I found this little pearl hidden in the land of unknown anime. I dig serious, artistic, slightly philosophical anime- there aren't many of those. But Ping Pong: the Animation was a grande surprise for me.

First of all, I never thought I'd appreciate an 11 episode anime dedicated to Ping Pong. In general I do not like sports anime, but this anime made me want to grab a racket and play some table tennis. Maybe then I'd have those soul splitting experiences the protagonists have, or see my movements as gravity-free dances.

Storyline At first I thought it'd be one of those anime where someone wants to be the best and has to face all these obstacles (other super good players) in order to finally get the girl. Not here- in this anime we follow several talented Ping Pong players who all have different reasons to love/participate in the sports. It's encompassing, extremely realistic and evokes sympathy.

Visuals MAN WHAT VISUALS! It looks rotoscoped (still haven't found out whether this is the case or not) but doesn't feel as 'not there yet' as for example Aku no Hana. It reminds one of mixing comics with animation, more than a classical anime look. Most of the times they were stunning, especially during matches, and could easily be categorised as experimental.

Soundtrack Just one mention: that hero song (!)