jim pyke Of course this is just my opinion, and you are free to disagree with it as you please :) The phrase "Hiro kenzan" (ヒーロー 見参) which translates to "enter: the hero" - as in a stage direction in a script - pretty much sums up this movie. This phrase is repeated throughout the film, and becomes a sort of mantra. I'm marking this as containing a spoiler, because some people might rather come to their own understanding of the use of this phrase in the film before reading my explanation of it.What I love so very very much about this film is that it takes something (the game of ping pong) which is to me relatively insignificant (in the same way that many of the things that play an important role in my life would seem insignificant to you who are reading this now), and uses it to create an extended meditation on life choices and their after-effects; relationships of mentoring, friendship, and competition (in the best sense of that perhaps loaded word); and the very idea of what it means to be a hero - both to oneself and to others.There is a hero that dwells in each of us. That hero is released by our taking charge of our own choices and our own lives. That hero is released by being true to ourselves, and when that hero "enters," the lives of others around us cannot help but be deeply touched and improved by such "self actualization." I hope that people who see this movie can come to feel the presence of that hero within themselves (and the others around them) in whatever small or large way.

krusty_the_baker I've never seen a film about table tennis before, and this sheds a whole new light on the game by using it as a stage on which to illustrate ideas about the nature of friendship, honour and respect, both for oneself and others. This alone is ambitious, and well realised, as the relationships between the characters develop over the course of the film, but the game itself, and sport in general, are also shown in a very positive light. Dramatic cinematography of play, illustration of training techniques and acknowledgement of the roles of coaches, mentors and team-mates, wrapped with the importance of enjoyment of 'the game' being a crucial motive for those who compete in sport at the very highest levels, gave me a new respect for a game / sport about which I know virtually nothing, and for its champions. I think I probably missed something for seeing it subtitled - I was aware of ambivalence in some of the text, which understanding the spoken word, especially intonation, would have solved - but this is ever a debate when watching non-English language films. It isn't a massive problem, I was still able to empathise with credibly cast actors in consequently credible characters. This is a lovely film.

Upi Dipi I watched this movie the first time last summer and I really liked it. Now after seeing it the second time I absolutely adore it. The ending almost got me into tears and that's really something.Ping Pong is about friendship and well, table tennis. I really don't think you can call this a normal sport film because that's kind of a lame term. And this isn't a lame film.The directing is good and acting too and the whole mood of this flick is stunning, especially in the end. I got the shivers.Too bad that this is, at least for most people, really hard to find. I'm glad my friend went to Japan and by mistake got this film and then gave this to me. A weird coincidence.

yojimbo999 a terrific movie. i was surprised by how good and mature the screenplay was. the movie takes place in the world of high school ping pong, but really it's more of a human story about friendship and hero worshipping, and not living life like it's a curse. a good movie, highly recommended, even if you don't know a lick about ping pong (which pretty much sums up my experience).