Ping Pong the Animation: Complete Series [Blu-ray]

I have been getting into sports anime for a while. I recently saw a preview of Ping Pong and I really liked the animation they used (from the makers of TekkonKinkreet). It was stupid expensive. Like, ridiculously priced, but I dug deep and got it. It has a good storyline.The main character is a douchebag initially and not very likeable but after a while he softens and becomes kind of a hero of sorts.For something different, it's a pretty dope show.

Not to be confused with The Ping-Pong Club (Ike! Ina-chuu Takkyuubu), this Ping Pong is based on Taiyou Matsumoto’s five volume manga series. Unlike the gag series Takkyuubu, Matsumoto’s Ping Pong takes a serious look into the world of high school table tennis while exploring themes of friendship, motivation, and competition. Opposites in everything but their love of table tennis, the friendship between free spirited Peco and reserved Smile faces new challenges when the competition heats up and the team’s coach seeks to unleash Smile’s hidden potential.Ping Pong is a realistic story that lacks the flash and exaggeration of most sports series. Instead of constant competition, I love that the plot revolves around character exploration and interaction. One of the most fun aspects of the series is getting to know its characters little by little, like real people. And though Ping Pong features a popping bgm, it often relies on atmospheric sounds, like bouncing ping pong balls in the gym, to help accentuate its real world feel. Matsumoto’s distorted art style is the show’s most unrealistic aspect. Although I’m a big fan, it will definitely turn off some viewers.Given its narrative style, Ping Pong The Animation‘s whole will end up greater than the sum of its parts, so please remain over the long haul. Nevertheless, Ping Pong‘s visuals, soundtrack, and realism make it the most refreshing series to come along in a while.

This is my favorite anime ever, and I am very glad I got this on blu ray. The price was excellent too, since it probably didn't sell very well. You even get the DVDs! The only reason to rate this down would be the abysmal English dub (which it defaults to). The Japanese voice actors give incredible performances that really nail the characters, while the English ones feel as though the actors were rushed into a room with a script and told to read, without heed to what makes each character unique. For bonus features, you get some TV spots for the show which is really neat to see, although there is no director commentary, just some commentary by the English voice actors. Please avoid this. They just kind of ramble on and don't say anything interesting, since they weren't directly involved with the initial creation of the show.

I haven't watched anime for a long time since I grew up but this show pulled me back. The story is nothing new yet keeps a good tempo, smooth but exciting. Character buildings are great, the development of each character is convincing and steady, I believe all the five guys on the poster found the life they want at the end. The art style of the show is a little bit weird but it actually quite fits the whole atmosphere, the music is no doubt top-notch.The only reason I gave this product a four star is because the ridiculous chinese dub in the english audio. Kong (a chinese player in the show) and his coach speak perfect mandarin in the original japanese audio, yet somehow Funimation found two voice actors to redo these chinese lines in the english audio. I swear what they said cannot be called chinese and it's definitely not cantonese, I can barely understand it even with the help of subtitles. I don't understand why Funimation would bother translating chinese into chinese but they surely blew it this time.

Ping Pong is an amazing series with breathtaking animation. It's the weirdest art style I've ever seen animated but it holds true to the original work. It's incredibly jarring how incredibly animated this show is. Overall, it's a true expression of the medium and is a must watch for many reasons. The blu-ray is great quality with tons of extra content on all the disks including two extra disks with only extra content. The sound quality is also amazing in both English and Japanese.

This series was very inspiring.The theme of the show is essentially about pushing yourself to get better at the things you enjoy doing and care about most of all. Every character is pretty well written and charming to boot.There are no loose ends by the finale, and there are only seven episodes.Masaaki Yuasa is also a very talented director and writer, and I recommend his works as well.

Probably the greatest anime series I have ever watched. Fascinating characters, a rich and dense narrative, and incredibly poetic imagery and animation.This is a mature, flawlessly executed series about a group of high school kids who play ping pong... but this isn't an underdog sports anime. It's much more a study of these characters, their flaws, and how the game of ping pong represents their position in life, their philosophies, their struggles, and so on.Please buy this and watch it. If you're a fan of anime, or if you simply love excellent stories well told, this is a must buy.

This is not your ordinary anime. The art and animation are bonkers--in the best way! Admittedly, sometimes it is "ugly," but the stylized nature of the character design really comes to life in motion. And the motion adds so much to the story-telling. This is "haute shonen" for lack of a better term: it's got lots of action, but it's artfully done. I absolutely loved this series, and cannot recommend it enough. Also, the blu-ray looks waaaaaay better than the version available for streaming. Totally worth it.

A great anime and a satisfying conclusion as well. I thoroughly enjoyed this show about these high school kids going through life focused on competition and what winning means, through the sport of ... ping pong. The characters are developed so well. However, I didn't fully understand the relationship between one of the characters and his female cousin. Also, I didn't fully understand what was going on with that character's family history.The art style and character designs may turn some people off. Great music throughout. Created by the same person as Tekkon Kinkreet (which I did not like at all).

It is still the same show I watched on Crunchyroll (before it got removed). So to see a collection of both DVD and blue-ray with an English dub for only 28 CSD is amazing to hear.

EL producto llego en buen estado y en tiempo.Sobre el anime; Obra destacable en cuanto a historia y calidad de animación... Top 10

Excellent story, excellent animation, excellent music, excellent price! I love this show.

星4の理由は、Blu-ray再生時のChinaの台詞に日本語字幕がないことです。DVDはまだ未視聴なので確認しておりません。代わりに英語字幕がついてくるのですが、これを直訳~意訳しないとChinaの言っている台詞がわからないのが難点。まあ会話表現の練習だと思えばいいのですが(^^;;Dが2枚、Bが2枚の計4枚収録です。Dの方は確か字幕表示切り替えできると書いてあったと思うのですが、たぶんこちらはChinaの日本語字幕はあると思われ。Bの方は強制字幕ですが、Chinaの台詞と卓球用語の勉強にもなるので私は字幕切り替えについては別にどちらでも構わないのですが、やはり強制字幕よりは切り替え可能な方がいいですよね。あと、テレビ放送時では1〜3話（2話までだったかな？）までは未完成OP映像だったのですが、こちらのBlu-rayでは1話の最初から完成OPが流れました。正直完成OPの方が好きなので嬉しいっちゃ嬉しいのですが、未完成OPも味のある作りで気に入っていたのでそこは残念無念。DVDも視聴したところコンウェンガ（China）の台詞にはしっかりと英語字幕のみでした。まあ、でも喋り方なんかで大体の意味は通じるので目を瞑りましょう…ちなみに英語字幕は両方とも強制でした。