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‘Ping Pong’ Recap: ‘The Hero Appears’ (Ep. 8)
Peco catches everyone off guard at the High School Championship Qualifiers with his newfound skills, skunking Kong in a reversal of the events of the previous championship.
#Masaaki Yuasa
‘Ping Pong’ Recap: ‘Yes, My Coach’ (Ep. 7)
Kaio finally tries to poach Smile, Peco gets into the National Training Center with a little help from the old lady, and we learn about coach Koizumi’s storied past. This episode was largely devoted to character development, and finally brought into focus just what a complicated web of character interrelations Yuasa has woven out of the original source material, much as he did in Mind Game. There was no single major driving plot element, but rather various themes and plotlines gradually converging. By this point it feels like what we are seeing is more Yuasa than Matsumoto.
‘Ping Pong’ Recap: ‘You Love This Sport More Than Anyone’ (Ep. 6)
Half a year on from the events of the previous episode, it’s a winter of the soul for the various protagonists. We see just how much has changed in the intervening months through the kaleidoscopic lens of one Christmas Eve.
‘Ping Pong’ Recap: ‘Where Did I Go Wrong?’ (Ep. 5)
Ryuichi Kazama continues his victorious streak with a singles win at the Youth Olympics, while Sakuma and Peco realize they aren’t cut out for the sport after witnessing Smile’s continued improvement. At the halfway point in the story, we seem to be in a transitional stage in which the relationships of the players to one another and their attitude towards the sport are changing. The episode didn’t have much tension to it partly as a result of that. There was no strong driving narrative force. That made it one of the less memorable episodes so far.
‘Ping Pong’ Recap: ‘The Only Way to Be Sure You Won’t Lose is to Not Fight’ (Ep. 4)
The championship grinds on. After Smile’s defeat at the hands of Kong, the tables are turned and the elite players of Kaio Academy come …
‘Ping Pong’ Recap: ‘Staking Your Life On Table Tennis is Revolting’ (Ep. 3)
Tensions run high during the high school championships, and all eyes are on the showdown between Kong and Smile. The third episode jumps abruptly from Smile’s training in episode 2 right to the championships, and to a Smile who has begun to gain the confidence to show his true potential.
Preview: Masaaki Yuasa-Directed ‘Adventure Time’ Episode
The most fascinating bit of news out of WonderCon last weekend? Japanese director Masaaki Yuasa (“Mind Game”) has storyboarded and directed an upcoming episode of “Adventure Time.”
‘Ping Pong’ Recap: ‘Smile is a Robot’
Determined to unleash Smile’s potential, Coach Koizumi devises a relentless schedule of training that culminates in a death match pitting old veteran versus young hopeful. Smile’s resistance finally cracks under the pressure, and he begins to get serious. Meanwhile, the appearance of a new rival – the tough-looking Ryuichi Kazama – sets the stage for a later showdown.
Masaaki Yuasa’s ‘Ping Pong’ Will Be Recapped on Cartoon Brew
When we started offering recaps of Steven Universe last November, we were uncertain how readers would respond. Your feedback turned out …
‘Ping Pong’ Recap: ‘The Wind Makes It Too Hard to Hear’
A recap of the first episode of Masaaki Yuasa’s new series “Ping Pong.”
Masaaki Yuasa’s ‘Ping Pong’ Series Looks Incredible
Table tennis sounds like just about the last thing that needs an animated series, but leave it to the Japanese to make the sport as exciting as a superhero action-adventure series. This is our first extended look at “Ping Pong,” a new 11-episode animated series by Japanese director Masaaki Yuasa (“Mind Game,” “The Tatami Galaxy”) that will debut April 10th on Fuji TV’s late-night noitaminA block.
Per-Minute Production Rates Are Climbing on Kickstarter [UPDATED]
Transparency in the crowdfunding community is highly valued, and animators tend to be most successful when they are upfront about the …
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