Product Description

Based on Taiyo Matsumoto's highly successful manga of the same name. Ever since the day Peco (Yôsuke Kubozuka) rescued Smile (Arata) from a gang of bullies and introduced him to the game of table tennis, the pair have been inseparable friends. Now Peco is a peculiar teenager who wants no less than to be the best player in the world, but lacks the self-discipline to carry his plan through - while the withdrawn, slightly arrogant Smile probably has more natural talent than anyone, but just plays'to kill time' rather than to win, and his reluctance to see other players (especially Peco) humiliated makes him hold back in his own game, much to the annoyance of Ota, his coach (Naoto Takenaka). After Peco is sorely beaten in a tournament and quits the game, Smile continues his rise to the top, preparing the way for the return of his hero Peco, whom he is destined to meet in one last match.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #57883 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-09-04
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: Japanese
• Subtitled in: English
• Dubbed in: Japanese
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 114 minutes

Customer Reviews

Enter the Hero!
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."

A very distinctive and distinctively Japanese film about talent, drive, rivalry, heroism and friendship
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 the movie Rocky wanted to make!
Wow. This movie works on many different levels, for it is all of the following: Rocky pic, modern samurai movie, chop-sockie, gunfighter flick, coming of age tale, children's story, buddy movie, and adult drama; it even has aspects of a chick flick, all under the guise of a comedy (Our closest analogue would likely be the Pixar(?) Toy Story cartoons).

What makes the best Japanese movies great is their ability to capture a part of the essence of what is Japanese and communicate it universally. For instance, in this film, during one of the samurai ping pong matches opponents are elevated to a zen-like state of consciousness. Creating such an interlude would never occur to a western director but its zeitgeist is easily apparent from whatever angle one apprehends it. This movie contains numerous moments where this occurs and cause you to replay them more than once.
Having said that, there are quite a few things in this movie that will strike the western viewer as embarrassingly precious or slapstick. Such moments are rife in many other Japanese films I've seen, and are likely cultural quirks much like the obligatory gratuitous breast scene of American movies. It's easy to overlook these awkward bits in anticipation of the transcendent moments one hopes for.
Reading other reviews of this movie will likely tell you what you need to know about the plot: best friends with massive ping pong talent, now in high school playing varsity playing the best from rival schools; a hired gun from China and the captain of the Jock Squad.
The problem is that between our two protagonists we find one who is too big for his britches and another who couldn't care less about the game. Neither one seems to have what it takes to win. One from want of desire, the other from lack of will and so in a double entendre it takes a hero to make a hero.
Takashi Miike fans take note that the role of coach is played by takenaka whom you'll recognize from his yakuza films. As usual, he is great. The performance of the can't care less ping pong protagonist is also quite brilliant, as are the film choreography and soundtrack.
I had to laugh when I read the one star criticism issuing from what is obviously a ping pong player because I admit I was totally convinced that everybody in the film could play even though I knew that some of the shots were impossible and much of the play was choreographed.
Anyway, if it has never occurred to you that a ping pong table can be turned into the OK Corral, you should probably watch this movie. You'll be amazed.