ピンポン

PING PONG

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
5
RELEASE
June 23, 1997
CHAPTERS
55

DESCRIPTION

Makoto “Smile” Tsukimoto and his friend Yutaka “Peco” Hoshino have been playing table tennis since they were kids, but as they enter high school, they find that the game has changed. Seeing potential in them that they themselves don’t fully realize, the coach recruits them for the school team. Bringing out their best will mean challenging the top players from rival schools in the summer tournament, including an ace Chinese exchange student who almost made the Olympic team. With the pressure on, can Smile and Peco take the heat and make it into the finals?

(Source: Viz Media)

CAST

Yutaka Hoshino
Makoto Tsukimoto
Wenge Kong
Ryuichi Kazama
Manabu Sakuma
Jou Koizumi
Obaba
Kong no Coach
Ota
Kong no Haha
Michio Tamura

CHAPTERS

RELATED TO PING PONG

ANIME DramaPing Pong THE ANIMATION

REVIEWS

HagridLow

100/100

Appreciate the life you're living, and live it to the fullest.

__Ping Pong by Taiyou Matsumoto__



The art style itself is something Matsumoto is known for, since it's so unlike the standard for sports mangas and mangas in general. But then again, pretty much every aspect of Ping Pong is like that - the characterization, the overall portrayal of the sport, the manga itself, even. If you've read anything by Taiyo Matsumoto before then you know to expect nothing less than absolutely superb art that gives off a level of energy like no other.

 Matsumoto's art is very unique - his lines are often wobbly, the scale of things can sometimes be unclear and his shading is minimal while his inking is high. You won't find many sketchy effects usually associated with manga in Taiyo Matsumoto's works either, but what he does offer is something totally fresh and just as interesting - that being outstanding line art. A huge amount of detail is put into every single panel and during the ping pong matches the energy behind his art perfectly catches the nature and pace of the game.

If you're into sports anime like I am, don't expect the typical experience that most of these manga's give you. Every match that was played in this manga could be heard even though you're reading a manga book.

~~<img width='440' src='https://i.pinimg.com/originals/71/e6/11/71e611a7316a0802a18b159fc63e488b.jpg'>~~

Where as in most sports manga, a single match/game can last for several volumes, whereas Ping Pong finishes entire tournaments within single volumes. And the style is different, obviously, so that shows a lot in the matches as well. There's a lot of splicing, a lot of implied action, which is the opposite of what most people think of when they think sports anime/manga. 

Same with the characters; the story is less about their journey with ping pong and more about their personalities, and growing into themselves. A lot of sports anime has some element of that, because it's necessary in any media, but character development plays a much larger role in Ping Pong than most other shows of the same genre.

The Synergy and charisma between the two main characters in Ping Pong is marvelous. I don't want to leave spoilers, but it's such a role reversal of most sports anime protagonists so it's really refreshing to watch and by the end of it, you don't even care who wins. You're just proud of how much they've grown.<center>

</center><img width='440' src='https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DClQnveVoAAIONr.jpg'><center>

</center>I could go on, but I feel like I'm already rambling so I'll leave it at that. This manga and show is criminally underrated, and I think everyone should read/watch it. It's got something for everybody. Plus, it's not too long, so you can read most of the manga in a day or two. Matsumoto is a genius when it comes to sending a message through art or storytelling, and yet again he did not miss with this Manga either. <center>

</center>Give this a read 
( or watch the 11episode anime )
you won't regret it trust me. 
__10 / 10 (Masterpiece)__~~~

Continue on AniList