Ping Pong [DVD]

One of my top ten favourite films of all time but barely anyone has seen this. It had a profound effect on me when i first happened to see it on late night tv once.It just means so much to me - anyone who has nostalgia for late 90s/early 00s and played table tennis as a kid - this is for you. The friendship theme hits so hard in the feels and some of the filming techniques used are really striking and beautiful. Plus it's just really funny.

Awesome, saw this at the Japanese film festival in Dublin a few years ago. One of my favourite movies since then

I would give it 3.5 stars if there was an option. This film is simply too long, too slow and in places has some very poor acting which led to me failing to connect with any of the principle characters.The whole concept of the speed of table tennis play, the need for almost faster than light reactions was, in my opinion, totally wasted. The effects were not good and did not fully capture the essential beauty of the arc of flight of the ball and that of the connecting bat. For that to happen the film-makers should have used bullet-time slow motion technology to emphasize the fact that all these things happen so quickly.There was far too much time spent listening to the characters bemoan their fates and not enough time spent watching the games. The only game that I felt even slightly captivated by was the last game shown between the baldy perfectionist (who unfortunately doesn't get a lot of screen time) and the cocky 'hero'. I did like the trick where they use a photo to tell you the result of the final between Smile and the winner of the previous quarter final (see I didn't spoil it), but I get the impression that they did this as they ran out of time/money to show the final which is what most sports films would do (and it is a formula that works, so why go against it).I would suggest that you only watch this if you like the work of this director and have seen similar films so you know what to expect in terms of the pace of story-telling. There is not much in this film to appeal to fans of table tennis and in fact you could easily substitute any sport into the story and end up with the same result. Once you see this film then imagine substituting American Pool as the sport and ask yourself whether this film works better than 'The Color of Money' in terms of atmosphere, narrative arc, entertainment and portraying the joy of playing a solo sport.

Quite well made, but is in Asian!!!

This film is so silly it's amazing. This tells the story of two friends with vastly different outlooks on life but to whom Ping Pong means everything.It's funny and visually beautiful, definitely recommend!

This is about diametrically opposing approaches to life. The common bond is the childhood friendship that continues into adulthood, galvanised and tested by a passion for ping-pong (table tennis). This is not `pitter-patter' table tennis. This is the real thing. As the film progresses, there are more and more playing sequences and reflections by the players; about themselves (the introverted stuff) and about their opponents (harsh sentiment at times). The point is that all have a passion for a passionate game (and for those of us who have played it seriously, we understand that notion). Peco is the precociously brilliant, extrovert player. Tsukimoto is his boyhood friend; the introspective player. Peco plays with aggressive and flamboyant 'top-spin'. Tsukimoto plays defensively, chopping each shot with heavy 'back-spin'. The increasingly prolonged playing sequences are poetic to watch. The film reaches a perfect crescendo, when these two meet in the final of a tournament. The question is, which perspective on life wins? Watch the film!

This film is oh-so slow, but suddenly it ends and you realise how powerful and how deep it was. A story of two friends. Wonderful.

The movie is great - definately a 3 or 4 star title. However the ICA dvd is awful. The english subtitles CANNOT be removed so if you know japanese - tough!! This kind of thing happened with the very early dvd's but even the cheaper dvd houses now make sure subtitles are removable. It's also a barebones release with no extras. I'd check out other regions to see if their copies are better than than this por release.

The movie is far better than expected, it is probably the best manga to movie adaption made. There is a 2011 anime that also is pretty good, but I feel the actors in this film give it an emotional edge.

This is about diametrically opposing approaches to life. The common bond is the childhood friendship that continues into adulthood, galvanised and tested by a passion for ping-pong (table tennis). This is not `pitter-patter' table tennis. This is the real thing. As the film progresses, there are more and more playing sequences and reflections by the players; about themselves (the introverted stuff) and about their opponents (harsh sentiment at times). The point is that all have a passion for a passionate game (and for those of us who have played it seriously, we understand that notion). Peco is the precociously brilliant, extrovert player. Tsukimoto is his boyhood friend; the introspective player. Peco plays with aggressive and flamboyant 'top-spin'. Tsukimoto plays defensively, chopping each shot with heavy 'back-spin'. The increasingly prolonged playing sequences are poetic to watch. The film reaches a perfect crescendo, when these two meet in the final of a tournament. The question is, which perspective on life wins? Watch the film!

Such a cute movie! My fiancé showed it to me when we were on a movie marathon in August. He is originally from Aichi, and we actually visited the bridge where Pecco jumped in enoshima! It’s a great live action movie (based off the manga according to my Fiancé!)

It was okay enought to keep watching till the end, but it can be better.Everything were mediocre. It's just not so good.Almost forgot...When the DVD finally arrived, I was so excited, but it turned me down as the disc one was not in the package.(It's supposed to have 2 discs) I emailed to the store, and they responded before long. They sent me another copy right way.

This is simply as clever and fun as can be. My students and family all enjoyed it. Be certain to clarify this began as a manga (comic book); that detail helps one understand the over-the-top comedy, action, and emotions. A great view into Japanese high school interests outside of academics (not everyone is college-bound) and a bit of the racial tensions between China and Japan.