Customer Reviews

Ping Pong

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This film is just great, easily one of my favorite modern Japanese flicks, and goes to show that the best of a countries films are not always readily exported. While on one hand a spectacularly visual sports film, with super-speed ping pong matches and dynamic characters, it is also a deeply introspective look at friendship, and the role of a hero and what that is supposed to mean.

Based on a five-volume manga by Matsumoto Taiyo, "Ping Pong" is the story of two best friends and their love of the sport of Ping Pong. Nicknamed "Peco" and "Smile," they are a study of contrasts. Peco (the popular Kubozuka Yosuke from "Go") is brash, flashy and smug, always taunting his opponents and singing his own praises as the best player around. Smile, given the name because he never smiles, is a quiet, self-effacing boy whose calm demeanour is the absolute opposite of Peco. Since childhood, they have practiced at a local hangout run by Obaba/Granny (Natsuki Mari from "Samurai Fiction") who has trained and nurtured the kids character and talent. Now in high school, they are on the ping pong team coached by former champion "Butterfly Joe" (played by the always great Takenaka Naoto.) Peco is Smile's hero, and the natural order of their friendship has been maintained for years. There is only one problem. Smile is better than Peco, and has been purposely loosing to him so as not to topple his hero. Smile prefers to be second place, in deference to his skills. This revelation crushes Peco, and he must discover his own actual strength, and learn what it means to be a hero.

Into this mix are an amazing cast of characters each with a unique name and personality. "Dragon," the harsh and serious leader of a rival school, who cannot stand Peco's humor and silliness while playing. "Akuma" ("Devil") who tries to live up to Dragon's standards, but must recognize his own weaknesses. "China," a Chinese player, is the neutral voice who is able to stand aside and see the inner struggles played out before him.

Much more than just a sports film, or an uplifting "feel good" flick, it is amazing that "Ping Pong" is so-far the only film from director Sori Fumihiko. Sori is a computer graphics expert by trade, and the use of CGI is almost seamless, as the players play a game with no ball which was later added in. The actors are all dedicated to there role, and show a profound depth. Takenaka Naoto ("Butterfly Joe") is both his usual clownish self, as well as someone with a hidden melancholy from a secret past.

It does drag a bit in the middle, and sometimes you wonder when the payoff is going to come. When it does come, however, it is not exactly what you expected, and better than you imagined.

"He is playing against someone who is playing for the sheer fun of it. To face such an opponent is...fantastic."

I said this is typical because this movie has the elements that are so abundant in Japanese dramas and movies, and even animation; very introspective, and its about sports and friendship.

Additionally, it has a very "innocent" perspective of high school sports, and the spirit of competition.

The movie is good for the fact that it revolves around ping pong or table tennis, which itself is a misunderstood, under appreciated, and sometime unfairly made fun of, sports, especially over here in US. I blamed that on ignorance.

Its fun, and lighthearted, and it teaches good values, give it a try, and I am sure you'll like it.

I Thought that this movie was slow at the begining and at the end but over all funny, and different you can really tell that some of these characters are based off of manga characters(hopefully some of these people dont have a real life counter part.)

Ping Pong is a lot of fun, with an intriguing cast of characters, a very unique style and an exciting theme. The film really catches you off guard, because while the characters can be a bit silly and over the top they are never less than unique individuals who very quickly captured my attention and empathy. Smile never smiles and seemed destined to be an outcast until the cocky young ping pong player Paco took him under his wing and taught him to play. After that they were inseparable, and the only hang up is that Smile has the greater talent, and holds back in order to let Paco win. Everyone can see this except for them. What struck me most about the film is that it is distinctively Japanese -- that this is not a film designed for export but that makes it all the more refreshing and revelatory -- and as a sports film doesn't fall prey to any (or many) of the cliches that are part of the American sports film genre. There is of course the obligatory "rising to the challenge" montage -- when the two main characters take their sport seriously and we see them being pushed through a series of exercises by their coaches -- but even that felt distinctive and amusing. The film is not really about winning but about the ways in which friends can become heroes for each other. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

This is a fun (and often funny) film that revolves around the unique world of High School Ping Pong (in Japan). It's a sports movie that grows to be a little more than a sports movie... while managing to not become too over-the-top (like too many mainstream high school sports movies are). The great thing about this film is the fact that there are no bad guys, and you get to watch just about every character change and grow through the course of the film. Great performances from the entire cast, too.

This film is just great, easily one of my favorite modern Japanese flicks, and goes to show that the best of a countries films are not always readily exported. While on one hand a spectacularly visual sports film, with super-speed ping pong matches and dynamic characters, it is also a deeply introspective look at friendship, and the role of a hero and what that is supposed to mean.

Based on a five-volume manga by Matsumoto Taiyo, "Ping Pong" is the story of two best friends and their love of the sport of Ping Pong. Nicknamed "Peco" and "Smile," they are a study of contrasts. Peco (the popular Kubozuka Yosuke from "Go") is brash, flashy and smug, always taunting his opponents and singing his own praises as the best player around. Smile, given the name because he never smiles, is a quiet, self-effacing boy whose calm demeanour is the absolute opposite of Peco. Since childhood, they have practiced at a local hangout run by Obaba/Granny (Natsuki Mari from "Samurai Fiction") who has trained and nurtured the kids character and talent. Now in high school, they are on the ping pong team coached by former champion "Butterfly Joe" (played by the always great Takenaka Naoto.) Peco is Smile's hero, and the natural order of their friendship has been maintained for years. There is only one problem. Smile is better than Peco, and has been purposely loosing to him so as not to topple his hero. Smile prefers to be second place, in deference to his skills. This revelation crushes Peco, and he must discover his own actual strength, and learn what it means to be a hero.

Into this mix are an amazing cast of characters each with a unique name and personality. "Dragon," the harsh and serious leader of a rival school, who cannot stand Peco's humor and silliness while playing. "Akuma" ("Devil") who tries to live up to Dragon's standards, but must recognize his own weaknesses. "China," a Chinese player, is the neutral voice who is able to stand aside and see the inner struggles played out before him.

Much more than just a sports film, or an uplifting "feel good" flick, it is amazing that "Ping Pong" is so-far the only film from director Sori Fumihiko. Sori is a computer graphics expert by trade, and the use of CGI is almost seamless, as the players play a game with no ball which was later added in. The actors are all dedicated to there role, and show a profound depth. Takenaka Naoto ("Butterfly Joe") is both his usual clownish self, as well as someone with a hidden melancholy from a secret past.

It does drag a bit in the middle, and sometimes you wonder when the payoff is going to come. When it does come, however, it is not exactly what you expected, and better than you imagined.

"He is playing against someone who is playing for the sheer fun of it. To face such an opponent is...fantastic."

This movie is one of my all time favorites. That's not to say everyone will love its odd Japanese humor and random, theatrical characters, but this anime-based movie keeps me entertained and moved from beginning to end. I have had no problems with the disc; plays like a charm.

This is a film about two heroes, one who lost his way and other that doesn't want to demonstrate how good he is. If you want to believe in someone, to find the hero inside you this is the films for you.

Enjoy Peco and Smile adventures looking for each other, trying to get the bliss of a hero.

Enter the hero.

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!

Ian Hunter.
Author of `e-Love'.

From manga to anime to literature to film, one thing Japanese art does undeniably better than any other country's is the sports story. The individual's drive to be the best is presented in this film well, and the character of Smile introduces a rarely seen character model for this genre: the reluctant star.

As mentioned in other reviews, the film also has a deep undercurrent of what it means to be a friend, and a hero to those you love most. The erratic Peco and the reserved Smile are the perfect definition of the similarities opposites can have. Smile waits for the Peco he idolizes to rise above his own shadowy arrogance and bring him out of the despair he feels, while Peco wrestles with a need for a hero of his own, and coming to terms with the fact that it is not a bad thing to need a helping hand. The depth of the emotional story is wholly unexpected going into the film, but by the end of it one feels as if one has witnessed a new type of emotion, a new way to be a friend.

Fumihiko Sori soars with this film, his first--it is not a surprise that he was nominated for Best Director at the Japanese Academy Awards because of it. He certainly knows how to work his way around an action scene, and there are three or four scenes that are so artistically innovative they overshadow many aspects of the film and leave the viewer awestruck.

It is a sad thing that more people in the English-speaking world have not had a chance to enjoy this film. It is without a doubt a shining example of modern Japanese cinema. While the character's drive to success is not as strongly presented in this film as in other Japanese stories, like Hikaru no Go, Hajime no Ippo or Prince of Tennis, the depth of emotion presented and the amazing directorial approach work together to make this a film worth owning.