What did you think of this episode?
5Loved it!
58.1%
532
4Liked it!
28.9%
264
3It was OK
8.7%
80
2Disliked it
1.4%
13
1Hated it
2.8%
26
Average 4.4
915 votes
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| THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE. ---------------------------------------- That was glorious. I loved the style of the ping pong play. OST seemed okay I guess, might take a little time to take use to. Still, the ping pong play was pretty fun to watch. The Engrish was fun :p. That guy should have a little more confidence in himself though. Anyways, pretty creative anime imo so far. I love ping pong. There were a lot of Mandarian spoken in the first episode which I thought was neat. Seems like money was invested on one of the guys. Anyways, good episode. Nice ED too. AOTY. Mod edit: Episode Discussion is meant to talk about the episode. It's not meant to tell others you dropped the anime because you disliked the animation style. |
AversaApr 13, 2014 12:45 PM
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| Didn't like it as much as I wanted to. The scenes with the Chinese player were good though. |
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| Not bad, seems interesting so far. Not a big fan of the sloppy animation, though. |
| That ping pong match was interesting. This was an okay episode. |
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| looked good. decent soundtrack, too. i look forward to more of the showdowns. i could do without all the 'bakayaro' delinquent growl voices though, too many of them... |
| Nice episode I got a feeling that this anime will be interesting to watch. The ending song was very nice as well. |
| That was way easier to adapt to than I thought. Ofc I would've loved it if the art and animation was better but I guess this is following the original art so I can't really complain ^^; After getting used to the art everything else is really good. OST is great and VAing too. Uchiyama did a great job with Smile. Nice to see he's holding back. Peco got owned there. Loving Wenge. He's BA! I feel pretty bad for him already getting stuck in a place with losers like that. Loved the scene when he and his Translator (Coach?) were listening to Smile vs Peco and analyzing the match from the roof O_O Holy SHIT! That was pretty epic hehe. Well nice start. Good thing I was ready for the art from the pv unlike Aku no Hana (Which I couldn't follow ^^;) |
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| Incredible, no other words. |
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| This is really good, but it's got some shitty animation tho. Oh yeah I love how the main chars have nicknames. |
Masserati_ said: Ye I saw some pics of the manga and I know it's intentional, but ugh... it'll take time to get used to.dragonlight said: This is really good, but it's got some shitty animation tho. The animation is totally intentional actually. It's deliberately choppy and weird looking, it's a very accurate representation of the manga. |
dragonlight said: This is really good, but it's got some shitty animation tho. ok my first impression of this was pretty harsh but my eyes have adapted to it and i think the art is still below average (from anime watcher perspective..dunno if manga art is the same) but the animation really isnt that bad. its just different and we dont see this animation style that often. the episode itself is pretty cool. i played table tennis in a club ages ago when i was like 16 and i probably will follow this. |
| Yuasa's unique artstyle is instantly recognizable though it seems he's working on a busier schedule than usual (as demonstrated by the unfinished OP) which seems to have become Tatsunoko Productions' trademark over the past few seasons. The beautifully animated ED by Eunyoung Choi (who also helmed the ninth episode of Space Dandy which features aesthetics similar to this show btw) is simply beautiful. The animation is very dynamic and expressive and shows that you don't necessarily need on-model characters or aesthetically pleasing character designs to make for a great watching experience. Actually that's part of the show's charm along with the vibrant colour palette which makes it feel like a breath of fresh air. And seriously, people need to stop with the Aku no Hana comparisons since they aren't similar in any way or form, neither in animation technique, general atmosphere, pacing nor genre. For anyone who has watched Kaiba, the Tatami Galaxy or Mind Game this style should hardly be new. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visuals aside I was quite pleased with the storytelling. The cast's characteristics are not told through internal monologues or voice-overs but rather through interactions between each member on-screen that also makes for more complex characterization as many of their traits only become apparent after thinking about them in retrospect. Sure, "Peco" Hoshino exclaims that he would like his best friend Tsukimoto to change since they're "not kids anymore", but isn't he in fact the more immature one, provocating club mates and other people, ostentatiously asserting his superiority, only to start bawling like a child after getting defeated by a stronger opponent? In fact despite his exuberant and outgoing appearance he seems rather vulnerable as someone who tries to build up confidence with his sport skills. "Smile" Tsukimoto is the complete opposite, a reserved and apathetic person, and while he claims he isn't Peco's keeper and doesn't care about his friend's attendance at the club yet he goes to inform him nevertheless and even holds back during their matches, presumably in order to protect Peco's ego. His lack of combativeness reinforces that unlike his friend he doesn't need to win at this sport to assert himself as a person though we will see whether that stays that way with "China" Wenge shaking up the status quo. Speaking of the latter, Wenge proves himself as a rather interesting character as well. Highly competitive and confident in his own skills he quickly dismisses the local players as inferior which his mentor tries to cover up with very loose translations which is pretty amusing to watch and which speaks for the low-key humour this show is going for. Having trained in this sport since his childhood (and successfully so) he holds a lot of pride in this matter so he couldn't be more hurt by being "exiled" to "the eastern end of the Earth". He could come across as a very unlikable individuum but the fact that he can back up his confident with skills and his genuine anger about the technical shortcomings of the people he was sent to train with softens the blow. Frankly, i'm swooning about how spot-on the Chinese VA is, though the voice-acting in this show is great in general, very natural and life-like. Overall the sound direction and cinematography in regard to the matches just feels very sublime and personally there's a certain nostalgic quality that really draws me in. I'm simply smitten with this show. |
EudaimoniaApr 11, 2014 3:04 AM
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| So is this show actually good or are people just being sarcastic? I really can't tell anymore. |
| It's amazing how they maintain Matsumoto's art in this anime. + Yuasa is the director !! This can't get any more based, is it ? Anime of the year |
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| Once I got used to the art style, I enjoyed the episode a lot more than I was expecting to! The voice acting and directing were solid, and I really loved the ED. I just hope the OP eventually gets some proper animation. I can see this series getting a lot of undeserved hate based on the art alone, but I think those who stick with it will be in for a real treat! :> |
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| Is the whole Aku No Hana thing all over again, isn't it? Anyways, am looking forward to more matches. |
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BadassKatana said: Is the whole Aku No Hana thing all over again, isn't it? Anyways, am looking forward to more matches. no, it's nothing like aku no hana (Rotoscoping actual people) Ping Pong seems to be entirely animated without tracing live action videos I didn't expect this show to be received well from the standard anime viewer, but it still irks me to read some of these comments regarding the art style. What, you can't fap to it so it's ugly? Anyways, - The humor is low key and I love it, nothing shoved in your face like some of the standard animes we see every single season - I love that they actually got people who can speak chinese, especially Kong's father (coach?) who can speak both languages fluently so it doesn't break the narrative - Art and music are a breath of fresh air. It feels like I'm actually watching something NEW (unlike all these crappy LN adaptations that all plagued by pandering and sale driven production). In short, if you want a unique experience out of anime this season, I wouldn't miss Ping Pong. |
Eudaimonia said: Yuasa's unique artstyle is instantly recognizable though it seems he's working on a busier schedule than usual (as demonstrated by the unfinished OP) which seems to have become Tatsunoko Productions' trademark over the past few seasons. The beautifully animated ED by Eunyoung Choi (who also helmed the ninth episode of Space Dandy which features aesthetics similar to this show btw) is simply beautiful. The animation is very dynamic and expressive and shows that you don't necessarily need on-model characters or aesthetically pleasing character designs to make for a great watching experience. Actually that's part of the show's charm along with the vibrant colour palette which makes it feel like a breath of fresh air. And seriously, people need to stop with the Aku no Hana comparisons since they aren't similar in any way or form, neither in animation technique, general atmosphere, pacing nor genre. For anyone who has watched Kaiba, the Tatami Galaxy or Mind Game this style should hardly be new. Exactly. Ping Pong is - as expected - one of the few memorable anime this season, along with mushishi and Jojo SC. The characters look complex, the visuals are dynamic and the overall adaption looks excellently directed. Thanks Yuasa for giving us another reason to embrace you as one of the best directors in anime today. It's just a shame that the general anime viewer seems - and I will be honest here - too dumb and narrowminded to appreciate animation that does not feature giant eyeballs and generic designs/visuals. |
| Jojolion anime when? |
| I don't know. IMO the animation style fits during the matches, but it's really weird in other scenes. Hope to have China playing our MC soon. You can't blame for not liking an artstyle. I sense a huge flamewar incoming. |
JoksPacifistApr 10, 2014 12:03 PM
| This is awesome in any level possible. |
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Nidhoeggr said: It's just a shame that the general anime viewer seems - and I will be honest here - too dumb and narrowminded to appreciate animation that does not feature giant eyeballs and generic designs/visuals. It really is strange to me when people tend to look at anime as an alternative form of mindless television, when personally what drew me into anime in the first place was the ART. When the art turns into something that is mindlessly churned out by the industry ie. when multiple shows have characters that have identical faces with different color hair, it becomes less about art and more about entertainment and sales. It is what it is I guess. |
Barion-Zara said: That was way easier to adapt to than I thought. Ofc I would've loved it if the art and animation was better but I guess this is following the original art so I can't really complain ^^; After getting used to the art everything else is really good. OST is great and VAing too. Uchiyama did a great job with Smile. Nice to see he's holding back. Peco got owned there. Loving Wenge. He's BA! I feel pretty bad for him already getting stuck in a place with losers like that. Loved the scene when he and his Translator (Coach?) were listening to Smile vs Peco and analyzing the match from the roof O_O Holy SHIT! That was pretty epic hehe. Well nice start. Good thing I was ready for the art from the pv unlike Aku no Hana (Which I couldn't follow ^^;) Same here, I understand that the want to go with the art of the manga but damn, it is horrible. Even then I really liked this first episode, nice pacing, liked the characters, I think this will be one of the series I'll enjoy this season. |
Currently watching everything that comes out to avoid missing something good... |
| I've only read the first volume of the manga but this was the show I was most hyped for after Mushishi and JoJo. I like the unique art style of the manga and the way they animated it. Seriously, all the hate this show is getting for it seems to be too harsh, though I was a bit disappointed they were reusing scenes for the OP. The voice acting and soundtrack are great, I especially liked the ending, and the Chinese guy's VA gave a pretty good performance. Since I haven't read the manga much beyond this point I'm interested to see where the story is going, I have a lot of hope for this. I'm also curious to find out if Smile will ever smile. |
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| I loved that blood type B joke, dunno why. |
| It was an alright episode for the beginning. It needs to get into it's grove and introduce the two remaining characters before it can swing into it's full pace. The animation did a great job at maintaining Matsumoto's original art style while stile having the Yuasa flair. It essentially looks like Yuasa used the manga as a coloring book. It seems that there is going to be a lot of reused animation which is a shame but I suppose it can't be helped considering their resources for this project are limited. Just within the first episode, China manages to steal the spotlight (just as he did in the manga) with such a great introduction. It was a brilliant idea to have his speaking in Chinese throughout the show and his monologue during the match with Peco gave a great insight into his character with the montage of Chinese cityscapes and children playing ping pong. The OP was very underwhelming but the ED really did shine. The OST was great as well from the few tracks in this episode. This is by no means a show for everyone and this is going to get heavily overlooked and shitted on by mainstream anime viewers. However, if there is anyone who has not read the manga and finds some interest in the show, I'm sure they're in for an enjoyable ride. |
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| I really enjoyed the first episode...it was very refreshing. The art,the animation...the authentic Chinese...it's nice to see different things. I expected people to whine about the art but still lol...... |
| I felt it was so short, I enjoyed every second of it. The animation was exellent. China is already one of my favourite characters of this season. ^^ |
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sayami said: I felt it was so short, I enjoyed every second of it. The animation was exellent. China is already one of my favourite characters of this season. ^^ It's so refreshing to have the characters speak more than one language. China is very intriguing. |
| Jojolion anime when? |
| Good first episode. Really looking forward to this. |
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| We've found the new "Love it , or Hate it" anime of the season. |
| Gib [img] plz |
| Amazing episode. Loved the ED song. |
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| I really like the style. But that's about it. |
jimjameswhatever said: BadassKatana said: Is the whole Aku No Hana thing all over again, isn't it? Anyways, am looking forward to more matches. no, it's nothing like aku no hana (Rotoscoping actual people) Ping Pong seems to be entirely animated without tracing live action videos I didn't expect this show to be received well from the standard anime viewer, but it still irks me to read some of these comments regarding the art style. What, you can't fap to it so it's ugly? Anyways, - The humor is low key and I love it, nothing shoved in your face like some of the standard animes we see every single season - I love that they actually got people who can speak chinese, especially Kong's father (coach?) who can speak both languages fluently so it doesn't break the narrative - Art and music are a breath of fresh air. It feels like I'm actually watching something NEW (unlike all these crappy LN adaptations that all plagued by pandering and sale driven production). In short, if you want a unique experience out of anime this season, I wouldn't miss Ping Pong. I know that the animation is nothing like Aku No Hana, just referring to it, since both of them get negative reactions for their artwork and animation. Besides, prefer something different then your typical moe blob. Plus am also watching due to the fact am more interested in sports anime (thank you kuroko no basket) |
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| Wow I liked this way more than I thought I would! I like the low key humor, as mentioned by someone else, it's definitely refreshing when humor is not shoved in your face (and half of the time those type of comedic scenes aren't even funny to me). I like the unique art style too, I tried to read the manga before but it didn't grab my attention like this first episode did. The bgm was nice and I like the ED. The character interactions was entertaining to watch as well, I like seeing Smile and Peco's friendship, it just feels very natural. And lastly, it's nice that they used a Chinese VA for the Wenge, I didn't have to look at the subtitles for once :D |
| You've all made me very sad. I hope you're happy. Also, this was fucking amazing. Yuasa x Matsumoto OTP. I do think Matsumoto's art still loses a little something in motion, but this was a fantastic compromise. Really great adaptation so far. My ludicrously high expectations for this show have been met and maybe exceeded. |
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| While watching this episode I just KNEW the discussion thread was gonna be like this lol, but honestly let the mainstream kiddy's drop this, they won't value this kind of work for what it's worth anyway. I personally LIKE something that finally stands out again and doesn't look like any other anime, that being said, I DID find it hard to see what's going on a couple of times during a match, which obviously isn't the main focus of the anime but I still like me some good old table tennis action ;) |
| This was baller as fuck, yeah the art style is weird but I don't think the animation itself is bad. Of course people will lose their shit over it and call it horrendous but Kill la Kill sits 89th on this site because shit taste rules all. |
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| That was really amazing. The animation doesn't bother me in the slightest , it's actually really realistic looking. Looking forward to more. Also don't even dare to complain about it guys because compared to Aku no Hana this had a lot of PVs released before starting to air so you guys knew what to expect. |
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| Actually reminds me a bit of Beck, had to get used to that artstyle in the beginning a lot too, but also a frikken awesome good story anime |
| So many anime scrubs got eye-raped in their first time against Masaki Yuasa`s visual art. Yuasa-dono please, carry on. |
| After I finished the episode, I expected the score on the site to be 8.60. Then I see this... People are calling the animation bad... It's a very unique style, but it really doesn't look bad in my eyes, it's even quite beautiful. I know the designs are very unorthodox compared to what we see in anime nowadays, but this style is very nice looking to me, high quality, unique and quirky, reminds me of Kemonozume only much more modern looking as expected from an anime done in 2014. There was some CGI, but it looked really good compared to CGI I see in a lot of other anime. The characters look interesting, they will surely have a chock full of character development, they will grow etc... I look forward to watching that. The setting is so close to life, I mean in the ending Peco asked Smile what station on the bus they should drop off... Aside from that, you feel the characters aren't super human or something, but Smile has a great talent that will be developed in the series. Yuasa Masaaki is an amazing director, he makes some of the most interesting anime around. Ping Pong is another brilliant work by him, but I guess people will only appreciate it later. Let people drop it at the first episode because it's so different, then the fans will stay and will be rewarded with this great show in the making. :) I know a series is so good that after the first episode I felt like marathoning the whole series, but then there are no more episodes out yet. That makes me a sad panda. ): |
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| Amazin epsode! Best part is Wenge's moe hairstyle :3 |
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| Played table tennis competition for 5 years and loving the story. It would be cool if they delve more into the sport itself though. I haven't read the manga so the art style does seem distorted but I can get used to it. Watching it. |
| Peco is pretty fuckin moe you guys. 4/5 |
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