Ping Pong which is the work of Taiyo Matsumoto is popular among many people. The latest anime release for AUKN took place in July 2016. It was the time when the previous Rio Olympics took place. Now that the world was supposed to get ready for the next Olympics, the original manga has been released in 2020 but sadly Tokyo games have been canceled due to current situation.
Originally Ping Pong came out in 1996 and consists of 5 Volumes that have been translated in English and are brought by VIZ Media which is compiled in two books that also include some colored pages. Although there are no extra pages in the end with translation notes but some information is mentioned in the spaces between the panels.
The manga series is about two school students who are the part of table tennis team of the school. Makato Tsukimoto, who is nick named as ”Smile” is a great sportsman but does not any motivation to gain victory, while his friend, Yutaka Hoshino, who is nicknamed as “Peco” is rather hasty and is known to be one of the great players of in the team.
Things don’t remain same as the story moves forward. Peco loses multiples time which discourages him and he loses hope and stops playing table tennis or even practicing. On the other hand, Smile grabs coach’s attention, named Jo Koizumi. He sees potential in Smile and give him some motivation who then become the best player of the team.
One of the reasons why the anime was distinctive from other sports anime was the animation and the visuals which was quite different from other sports anime. As most of the sports anime are rather crisp and shows cute portrayal of the sportsmen, the animation of Ping Pong is a little rough and so is the manga.
For those who like characters in sports anime like we saw in Free! Or Yuri!!! on Ice, you might not like the look of athletes in this series. They are not cute like them. The art style of Taiyo Matsumoto is sharp and rough. For instance, the eyes of the characters are quite distinctive when it comes size. The action in the series is fast paced and hysterical especially when the players jumps around the table to hit the ball.
The sport which is focused in the series ha also changed in all these years. The manga wa ended in late 90s and after few years the managing authorities of able tennis changed some rules according to TV. For example, the size of the ball was increased to decrease the pace of the game, to make it easier for those watching on their TVs. The score to win the game was also brought to 11 from 21.
Although the manga is outdated and feel old now but it is actually more enjoyable to watch the game like the way it used to play back then in the fast speed rather than the slow pace that we watch these days.
You won’t find many long dialogues in the manga as it is packed with actions which makes this sports series more thrilling. The translator of the manga is Michael Arias who is the director of the movie of Matsumoto’s Tekkonkinkreet and is a well-known translator and has previously worked for many other manga released by VIZ.
The translation including the lettering is good and understandable. As I have read the digital copy that does not include the names of people in the staff, I have no idea who did the lettering but they have done a good job. You can easily differentiate between the dialogues and other text. In addition to the colored pages, there are also some extra pages that include an extra story from Matsumoto after the story ends.
For all the sports series fans, Ping Pong has a lot to offer which also stands out from other sports manga on many grounds, so it is highly recommended to sports enthusiasts.
