# Ping Pong the Animation (2014)

> Two childhood table tennis partners reach high school and discover their friendship and their reasons for playing are pulling them apart.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/54256

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 11
- Episode runtime: 23 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, drama
- Network: Fuji TV
- Cast: Koki Uchiyama, Fukujuro Katayama, Yousei Bun, Shunsuke Sakuya, Subaru Kimura, Yusaku Yara, Masako Nozawa, Airi Ohtsu
- TMDB rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3592032/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: introspective, sincere, intense, bittersweet

## What critics say

Acclaimed by audiences for its dynamic table tennis animation and its portrayal of friendship, rivalry and self-doubt among its young players.

## Synopsis

Ping Pong the Animation (2014) is a Japanese animated sports drama series created as an adaptation for Fuji TV, a Tatsunoko Production anime in the shonen-adjacent sports tradition. Reserved, naturally gifted Makoto 'Smile' Tsukimoto (voiced by Koki Uchiyama) and his brash childhood friend Yutaka 'Peco' Hoshino (voiced by Fukujuro Katayama) have played table tennis together since childhood, but as they enter high school their bond is tested by different ambitions. Peco burns to be the best in the world, while Smile carries little fighting spirit and refuses to win at the cost of others' happiness. The engine of the eleven episodes is their individual matches, training sessions and rivalries, each game a window into what the players really want and what drives them to keep playing. Wenge 'China' Kong (voiced by Yousei Bun) and Ryuuichi 'Dragon' Kazama (voiced by Shunsuke Sakuya) add rival and teammate pressure around them. The single season is a self-contained, character-driven arc with a contemplative, introspective register and a stylized, kinetic look during rallies. Fans of Haikyu!!, Hajime no Ippo and Kuroko's Basketball will find resonance here, in a story about youth, pride and the meaning of play.

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