2freensel I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

Sabah Hensley This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Wyatt There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

bigverybadtom The "comic book adaptation" may tend to scare people off, but this one at least made a good movie. The story is about a Japanese Ping-Pong league and the different generations of people involved in it, and how they relate to each other and how said relationships change over time.One teenage boy is a devoted serious player, but his friend only views it as a way to kill time. There is also a highly skilled player from China who seeks his fortune in Japan after he had failed at home. There are older competitors, and a onetime former master who now serves as an ad-hoc coach. You also see their superstitions (one player has a habit of hiding in toilet stalls) and how they have no real life outside of Ping-Pong. One player even drops out only to come back because he has nothing else.There are important matches, of course, but the real interest is what happens outside of them.

KineticSeoul Who knew ping pong players took that sport seriously, and this is what the movie is about ping pong players that take the game too seriously. The main point is though is that the movie is very entertaining and engaging, I even caught myself taking the game a bit seriously while watching this. The direction is comic book like but it's a good thing for this movie, plus it's a manga adaptation. Every one of the cast did a good job, Yôsuke Kubozuka being one of them. Mainly because he sort of reminds me of a Japanese version of Joseph Gordon-Levitt sort of. I seen this movie a few years ago and just had to see it again, since it was probably the most entertaining Japanese movie when I first saw it a few years ago. I liked how every character had their own background and agenda, so most of the characters aren't put to waste. The story revolves around the competition of ping pong of course, but is overcoming struggles and having heroes and friendship like some reviewers are claiming. For a movie based on a manga this is a very well crafted film that will make you want to watch it again someday after it's finished.8.4/10

Albertownsjoo Ping pong truly is one of those rare movies that come along once a decade. I confess i was forced into buying this movie and watching it, ended up watching it over and over again.Once i found out it was based on a separate manga, i immediately gave up on the story, to the contrary, within the limit of the two hours, the movie splendidly and beautifully told all there is to tell, after the two hours, movie viewers will be on equal footing with manga readers. Whereas most will say the story was the strongest part of the movie, don't leave out the humour and the casting.Characters portrayed so well, bittersweet moments did leave me in tears for one or two moments.The only downside would be that if you came to this movie in hopes of a tasteless comical movie with no story you will be disappointed. The morals, philosophies of the movie and its characters leave one thinking. Not many times has a movie left me with so much self-reflection and noggin-scratching. Easy to see where its won Eight Japanese Academy Awards in 2003.

please_save_yuri I watched this movie in Japan, in the theater, twice. At $25 a shot. But it was worth every dollar. And this was without understanding much of the dialogue, because I don't speak Japanese. When the DVD was released with English subtitles, I purchased it immediately. And again, it was worth every dollar.This movie is fantastic. On the surface, it's a movie about sports and competition. Beneath this, it's a movie about heroes and friendship. There's no clear-cut "bad guy". Every character has depth, motive and pain.In short, the filming is great, the story is fabulous, and the actors are well-cast. Even watching it in Japanese, the acting was good enough to convey the general story without me understanding what was being said.I love this movie. In fact, whenever I meet someone who hasn't seen it, I make them watch it.