(L+CR) Ping Pong (NoitaminA)

[Kanon]

Holy crap, Kong is a good singer!! I was really impressed. His seiyuu is truly great. His Japanese pronunciation is pretty good.

So far, I find Kong and Wenge's story a lot more interesting than Tsukimoto's. Tsukimoto has become a boring character ever since he started training under the old man. He really is like a robot now. Hopefully, Peco will be able to bring him back to his senses. I have great expectations for Peco. He's naturally talented, all he needed to grow was to experience losing and get back up afterwards. He's finally managed to do that thanks to Sakuma (who is a really great guy after all). Now that he's seriously motivated, he may even become a match for Tsukimoto in the future.

I was happy to see Kong is getting along well with this Japanese teammates. I was afraid he would be isolated after his coach left, but he seems to be fitting in and fulfilling his role. Totally rooting for him to make a come back.

[cyth]

If you mean to say "he can stay in tune" by "good singer", then yes, he's a good singer.

[Haak]

Well he's definitely a better singer than me. XP

Kong is still my favourite character and the fact that this show hasn't shifted focus away from him yet gives me hope that he can still make a significant prescence in this story. But it's great to see that all the characters get such great focus. Even the guy who ran to the sea makes an appearance.

[SinsI]

Originally Posted by kuromitsu

As someone who has worked in the dubbing industry for quite long - it's not being lazy and cheap. It's just not as simple and easy as "hiring native speakers" when it comes to voice actors. It's not like there are many native speaker voice actors for "language X" around, you can't just grab foreigners from the street, definitely not for a main role, and flying people from their country to yours and paying for their stay there for who knows how long is simply not feasible on any budget and logistics (never mind the nightmare of holding a casting in another country even though the recording itself won't take place there).

Did something happen to Internet so that it is no longer available outside of Japan?
Why can't you do it through the Web?

[Guardian Enzo]

Yes, "good singer" is hardly what popped into mind. I actually was charmed that they let him sound so much like a dude who can't sing a lick singing karaoke. When the professional singer took over for the montage, you could really tell the difference.

[jeroz]

Originally Posted by Haak

Well he's definitely a better singer than me. XP

Kong is still my favourite character and the fact that this show hasn't shifted focus away from him yet gives me hope that he can still make a significant prescence in this story. But it's great to see that all the characters get such great focus. Even the guy who ran to the sea makes an appearance.

At the same time all his scenes past the tournament feels like a long epilogue, just like the guy who ran to the sea. Yes they builds his character so much but I doubt he will have much going on in the main story come the second half. Then again I'm grateful that there are as many scenes even after his defeat. He has reached a good ending in his own story arc.

[BloodyKitty]

Meet the VA of Kong Wenge

This guy not only he can speak Mandarin Chinese and Japanese, he can also speak Cantonese and English. Impressive.

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by cyth

If you mean to say "he can stay in tune" by "good singer", then yes, he's a good singer.

He's better than most people including quite a few seiyuu, especially when you consider he wasn't singing in his native language. I didn't say he was great, just good, and it was enough to impress me because I thought he was going to sound absolutely terrible

[kuromitsu]

Jesus, this episode was the best so far, and the previous ones were already awesome. Just where is this show going?!

1) CHINA AND HIS MOM. Let's just say I needed a tissue.
1a) CHINA IS MAKING FRIENDS AND DEVELOPING A LIFE. He's a fictional 2D character and I just can't help being so happy for him. At least finally he's on the right track. Even if playing ping pong doesn't work out for him, he still has something to fall back on. His mom, and even when they're apart he now has the Tsujidou team as sort-of friends, a kind of social net he can fall back on, and also a ray of positivity in his life. If he manages to make a comeback as an athlete it's awesome; if he doesn't it doesn't matter because he has other things that matter, right at his hand. Working with the Tsujidou team. Helping those guys who will probably never be great players but have great fun while playing. And so on.

Btw:

Originally Posted by jeroz

At the same time all his scenes past the tournament feels like a long epilogue, just like the guy who ran to the sea. Yes they builds his character so much but I doubt he will have much going on in the main story come the second half.

I don't think China's scenes (or Akuma's, btw) are like an epilogue. I think all characters became really interesting the moment they lost on that tournament, and the fun of the series is to see where they go from that point. Maybe for some it's nothing really catharctic (like China or Akuma) but I think watching them trying to find their way and figure out what they want from life is as interesting as watching Smile and Peko who have more dramatic character paths. The point is not how much they have "going on", it's the character building.

2) Akuma is my hero. And I loved the "lol, such youth, so seishun" moment (reminded me of a similar scene in Honey and Clover, when Morita and Takemoto fight, only to realize that a bunch of old men are watching them with sparkly eyes ).

3) Captain Weirdhair is also my hero. Like with Sanada in Kaiou, in Katase it's him who holds the team together (for what it's worth).

4) Kazama and Yurie. OUCH. Poor girl. Kazama, you're an asshole. :/

4) Peko is back, heh. It's taken him some time, a near-death experience, and Akuma telling him unpleasant stuff, but finally he's back on the right track. Also, it's interesting to note that he didn't just say he wanted to get better, he said he wanted to defeat China (and then become king of the ping pong world). I guess China beating him effortlessly left a larger scar than one would've thought. I suppose he could defeat China effortlessly now that China himself doesn't seem to be practicing with anyone on his level (and with his coach gone).

5) Smile.
5a) Some people have been complaining about Smile's toy having changed from a Rubik's cube to a video game. I think at this point it's obvious why, and while I can see what a Rubik's cube can infer re: his character, I can't help but like the video game better. Robot metaphors aside, it's clear that Smile is now playing ping pong like he played the game: methodically, mechanically, only caring about leveling up, getting one more win, one more point.
5b) At this point it's also obvious, to me at least, that as far as Smile is concerned this is not as much about ping pong, as it's about Peko. He held Peko on a pedestal, idolized him, deferred to him, lived through him, clung to him for safety and friendship. Peko was what Smile sorta wanted to be. Now this Peko is no more, and Smile has been relying on Peko for so long that he can't cope. The hero is gone so Smile retreats into the robot persona for safety and comfort, except of course it's not doing him any good.

I absolutely love the evil robot vs hero imagery, and I'm pretty sure now that the big final match will be Smile vs Peko, because Peko needs to "stop" Smile, and Smile needs to find Peko again and re-evaluate their relationship into something less unhealthy and more comfortable before he can move on with his life.

[RoboMambo]

It's good to see how everyone took on the fallout of these last episodes. The montage with China's karaoke was really emotional. The image of Smile alone at home was a strong one.

Curious to see that the more messed up characters are the ones that actually came on top when it came to ping pong, Smile and Dragon. Meanwhile the rest more or less rediscovered themselves, China and Akuma find themselve a new place in life, and Peco realises that sometimes you have to put effort in the things that matter.

I'm wondering how much will Dragon end up losing because of his ego tripping and tunnel vision. He might just lose in the surely coming tourney and come to his sense, like the other did, or could lose his gf and his team, and he'd had it coming.

[MeoTwister5]

My jaw just fell on the floor with a loud thud and I think I kicked it under my bed.

[jeroz]

Originally Posted by RoboMambo

I'm wondering how much will Dragon end up losing because of his ego tripping and tunnel vision. He might just lose in the surely coming tourney and come to his sense, like the other did, or could lose his gf and his team, and he'd had it coming.

I wouldn't call it ego tripping. He certainly shoulders the responsibility and expectation of being the best, but yes his tunnel vision blocking everything in his life will surely lead to him losing them.

[cleo]

That was awesome. China's mum came! That whole karaoke-scene was such fun and heartwarming to see him bonding with his team-mates. Made me a bit misty-eyed,
This is what I call good characterization. He started out interesting, though not all that likeable. But thanks to those flashbacks and the interactions with his coach, he's now a character that I love and has me rooting for his happiness. Very well done.

I agree with kuromitsu on Smile. Peco has gone, and now that he has decided to go for the win, instead of considering the feelings of others, he's out of his comfort-zone. Becoming a robot again is a logical step to cope right now.
And yes, I think Peco will be the key to turning Smile human again.

And am I the only one not hating Kazama? I feel somewhat sorry for him, burdened under all that pressure. Especially during that scene in the toilet, right before the tournament.

[cupumanager]

Originally Posted by kuromitsu

Jesus, this episode was the best so far, and the previous ones were already awesome. Just where is this show going?!

1) CHINA AND HIS MOM. Let's just say I needed a tissue.
1a) CHINA IS MAKING FRIENDS AND DEVELOPING A LIFE. He's a fictional 2D character and I just can't help being so happy for him. At least finally he's on the right track. Even if playing ping pong doesn't work out for him, he still has something to fall back on. His mom, and even when they're apart he now has the Tsujidou team as sort-of friends, a kind of social net he can fall back on, and also a ray of positivity in his life. If he manages to make a comeback as an athlete it's awesome; if he doesn't it doesn't matter because he has other things that matter, right at his hand. Working with the Tsujidou team. Helping those guys who will probably never be great players but have great fun while playing. And so on.

Those scenes just make me feel warmth in my heart, and I can't help but made a smile that I could'nt wipe out even well after the episode is over.

And not only our main characters that tried to find their own way...Someone searched a mountain, to set his eyes to the lands abroad...

[kuromitsu]

Originally Posted by cleo1

And am I the only one not hating Kazama? I feel somewhat sorry for him, burdened under all that pressure. Especially during that scene in the toilet, right before the tournament.

I don't hate Dragon either but let's face it, he was an asshole in this ep. :/ That poor girl.

That said, yes, I also feel sorry for him, for having to carry all that responsibility and the pressure that comes with it. I wonder if it'll break him eventually, and if yes, how. When, during the tournament, some players joked about Kazama looking like he's a murderer it was funny, but in hindsight, we see just what makes him look like that...

[jeroz]

Don't forget that Dragon has to go into a quiet place before every match to psyche himself up. If anything he could be the most mentally stressed out of all 5. You can fault him for neglecting his girl, but you can't accuse him of lacking dedication in the field which he excels at.

[HandofFate]

wow, what an episode.
TBH, the early episode 1-4, I didn't enjoy it as much as others, and felt people were just being run away by the unique animation style, and that's it.

But the character development this and previous episode was very good.
Lots of character scenes in 06.
My favorite was probably China bonding with his team-mates.

[Sixth]

Just watched episode 1, and I was freaking impressed that CHINA actually spoke CHINESE instead of Japanese like every anime foreigner did. +1 for the animator.

So, is CHINA going to speak CHINESE for entire series?

[HandofFate]

Originally Posted by noobita

Just watched episode 1, and I was freaking impressed that CHINA actually spoke CHINESE instead of Japanese like every anime foreigner did. +1 for the animator.

So, is CHINA going to speak CHINESE for entire series?

yes so far

[kuromitsu]

Originally Posted by HandofFate

yes so far

He spoke Japanese in episodes 5 and 6.