Seriously the art…took us SOME episodes of warming up to…
& the story…seems a little fast-forwarded in SOME aspects…
Especially so…in the department of character developments…
Be they physical…psychological or emotional developments…
Takes a lot of attentiveness…empathy & maturity then…for one to understand & appreciate all that is not spelled out - expressed in neither words nor illustrations~
But at the heart of all the unconventionality seems to be an unique approach to the storytelling…which is significantly different from other sports anime…& which has a realistic side of life as its focus…discounting raw action & intensity in general…
From childhood to adolescence to young adulthood to old adulthood…the story features the personal growth & developmental changes of individuals with different personalities heavily involved in Ping Pong as a sport at some point in time~
Also…several significant psychological perspectives are offered…& reflected in the series as the story unfolds…especially through the exposure of various roots & effects of pride…competitiveness…sportsmanship & disappointment…on individuals & their haves & have-nots…of a variety of universally-perceived keys to victory…including talent…desire…passion…drive…motivation…perseverance & hard work…
Well…it feels pretty cultured & accomplished for just a short 11-episode series~
Piece of the Day: Hero Appears - Kensuke Ushio 牛尾憲輔
