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ピンポン [Ping Pong] #Omnibus 2
Ping Pong, Vol. 2
Smile non sorride mai e, nonostante il suo talento, vincere a ping pong non gli interessa. Peco, invece, sorride sempre ed è abituato a vincere fin da piccolo. Con uno stile travolgente e frenetico come una partita tra professionisti, Taiyo Matsumoto fa esplodere sulla pagina tutto il dinamismo del ping pong in questo capolavoro del manga.
550 pages, Paperback
Published October 31, 2023
22 people are currently reading
239 people want to read
About the author
Taiyo Matsumoto
166 books623 followersSee also: 松本大洋 and 松本 大洋
Although Taiyo Matsumoto desired a career as a professional soccerplayer at first, he eventually chose an artistic profession. He gained his first success through the Comic Open contest, held by the magazine Comic Morning, which allowed him to make his professional debut. He started out with 'Straight', a comic about basketball players. Sports remain his main influence in his next comic, 'Zéro', a story about a boxer.
In 1993 Matsumoto started the 'Tekkonkinkurito' trilogy in Big Spirits magazine, which was even adapted to a theatre play. He continued his comics exploits with several short stories for the Comic Aré magazine, which are collected in the book 'Nihon no Kyodai'. Again for Big Spirits, Taiyo Matsumoto started the series 'Ping Pong' in 1996. 'Number Five' followed in 2001, published by Shogakukan.
Source: Lambiek website bio .
Although Taiyo Matsumoto desired a career as a professional soccerplayer at first, he eventually chose an artistic profession. He gained his first success through the Comic Open contest, held by the magazine Comic Morning, which allowed him to make his professional debut. He started out with 'Straight', a comic about basketball players. Sports remain his main influence in his next comic, 'Zéro', a story about a boxer.
In 1993 Matsumoto started the 'Tekkonkinkurito' trilogy in Big Spirits magazine, which was even adapted to a theatre play. He continued his comics exploits with several short stories for the Comic Aré magazine, which are collected in the book 'Nihon no Kyodai'. Again for Big Spirits, Taiyo Matsumoto started the series 'Ping Pong' in 1996. 'Number Five' followed in 2001, published by Shogakukan.
Source: Lambiek website bio .
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
March 9, 2021
This is one of the best comic books I've ever read. The art is so kinetic and captures the characters while still being somewhat surreal - the character designs change to accentuate the emotional impact of each scene and the panel layouts (especially for the ping pong games) are unique. There are so many tiny and oddly shaped panels that reading the page gives the impression of the incredibly fast back and forth combat of a high level ping pong rally. But then in moments of repose the layouts expand and take in the larger seaside landscape. It's really amazing artistic technique.
But it's not just about the art. This is a story about success and talent and what the things are in our past that spur us on in different directions. It focuses on three very talented young Japanese ping pong players, all of whom have different personalities, motivations, play styles, and reactions to stress. Seeing what pushes each to play and succeed, how each reacts to adversity, and what ends up happening to them is a fascinating character study. This is not your typical sports story.
The two volumes of this set are just amazing. Well worth reading either in digital or hard copy (I went out and got both!).
**Thanks to the artist, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
But it's not just about the art. This is a story about success and talent and what the things are in our past that spur us on in different directions. It focuses on three very talented young Japanese ping pong players, all of whom have different personalities, motivations, play styles, and reactions to stress. Seeing what pushes each to play and succeed, how each reacts to adversity, and what ends up happening to them is a fascinating character study. This is not your typical sports story.
The two volumes of this set are just amazing. Well worth reading either in digital or hard copy (I went out and got both!).
**Thanks to the artist, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
October 8, 2020
What I particularly loved about Ping Pong is how it subverts the usual sports story about the focus on winning over performance. Logical Smile is the stereotypical 'technician' and emotive Peco the 'performer'—though neither of their play styles fit into those completely—but Peco is the one who focuses only on winning, while Smile often seems like he couldn't care less. And those attitudes don't get them to where you'd expect from a traditional sports story. If you haven't seen or read Ping Pong, I won't tell you what happens. The journey they take and the finale should both be richly savored, and these two omnibus editions are the perfect way to do just that.
Full review (of both volumes) here: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/revi...
Full review (of both volumes) here: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/revi...
January 23, 2024
te amo ping pong te amo smile te amo peco te amo concepto de abordar la competencia con verdadero amor por la actividad, wish you were real😔
January 16, 2021
This is the real deal. A masterpiece of memory, friendship, intense moments that echo through a life.
And ping pong. I found myself making little PIK PAK ping pong sounds during the matches, and could hear the SKWEE of the trainers sliding across the floors.
When I read Taiyo Matsumoto I feel kind of lost for a while until the intent of the story, and its emotional weight, become clear.
He's a master, this is easily one of the best comics I've read in recent years.
Ping Pong volumes 1 and 2 by Taiyo Matsumoto.
#comicbooks #comics #manga #taiyomatsumoto @vizmedia
And ping pong. I found myself making little PIK PAK ping pong sounds during the matches, and could hear the SKWEE of the trainers sliding across the floors.
When I read Taiyo Matsumoto I feel kind of lost for a while until the intent of the story, and its emotional weight, become clear.
He's a master, this is easily one of the best comics I've read in recent years.
Ping Pong volumes 1 and 2 by Taiyo Matsumoto.
#comicbooks #comics #manga #taiyomatsumoto @vizmedia
March 26, 2023
serie eccezionale, stupenda storia d'amicizia
January 15, 2023
The second in a two volume manga set that I received for Christmas, this is simply excellent.
The dynamism of the inking, the equally energetic paneling? Excellent. The vibrant, organic character of Matsumoto's style, which is both technically sophisticated and impressionistic at turns? Excellent. The narrative itself, of the increasing success of one of two friends who are utterly absorbed in the world of competitive ping pong? Sure, some of it is familiar. But it's all lovingly crafted, with a cast of well realized characters and believable relationships.
And the ending, which I will not spoil, is so...subtle. For all of the wild energy and engrossing character of the story, it ends in a way that is both surprising and sublimely right.
Utterly engrossing, and...taken with the first volume as a single narrative...one of the most mature and satisfying graphic novels I've read.
The dynamism of the inking, the equally energetic paneling? Excellent. The vibrant, organic character of Matsumoto's style, which is both technically sophisticated and impressionistic at turns? Excellent. The narrative itself, of the increasing success of one of two friends who are utterly absorbed in the world of competitive ping pong? Sure, some of it is familiar. But it's all lovingly crafted, with a cast of well realized characters and believable relationships.
And the ending, which I will not spoil, is so...subtle. For all of the wild energy and engrossing character of the story, it ends in a way that is both surprising and sublimely right.
Utterly engrossing, and...taken with the first volume as a single narrative...one of the most mature and satisfying graphic novels I've read.
January 3, 2021
An absolute perfect conclusion to one of the best comics ever made. Some intensely perfect action scenes, carried out with some of the best characters ever written. So glad I took this journey and I’m ready to push others to take it too.
May 30, 2025
Hoshino (Peko) picks up the pace and resumes intensive training before taking part in a tournament featuring Kon, Kazama and of course Tsukimoto (Smile).
And believe it or not, it's love that will win the tournament.
Aside from the intensity of the matches and the emotions, Matsumoto puts an absolutely demential intensity into his storytelling and drawing to deliver a breathtaking vision of ping pong.
Will this man ever stop surprising me?
And believe it or not, it's love that will win the tournament.
Aside from the intensity of the matches and the emotions, Matsumoto puts an absolutely demential intensity into his storytelling and drawing to deliver a breathtaking vision of ping pong.
Will this man ever stop surprising me?
Read
November 22, 2020I thought the second volume was cool too! I loved how it both leaned into and also subverted expectations about sports manga plotlines. My only issue was that the Chinese character really got short shrift in the end. :'(
See my remarks on the first volume that also apply to this one - http://www.bogireadstheworld.com/comi...
(Also, minor but annoying issue - the publisher should really have asked a first language German speaker to proofread the German text in the final chapter.)
_____
Source of the book: Lawrence Public Library
See my remarks on the first volume that also apply to this one - http://www.bogireadstheworld.com/comi...
(Also, minor but annoying issue - the publisher should really have asked a first language German speaker to proofread the German text in the final chapter.)
_____
Source of the book: Lawrence Public Library
August 18, 2021
Matsumoto is a manga god and it only takes a single frame to recognise his signature style. What makes this series so good is the way it simplifies Shonen to the core. There's no special moves or enormous cut scene backstories, there's no melodrama. It's just two boys trying to be come great Ping Pong players. Matsumoto always does so much with so little. This is a bildungsroman on par with any literary attempt I've read. It's probably too quirky to get non fans into manga but it's a must read for existing fans.
May 13, 2022
A great finale. The art mostly sings (but when it fails, it really fails) and the characterization is even better, but it lacks the sense of fun that makes sports media work. Still, the action and pacing are fantastic. Highly recommended
April 14, 2024
This conventional hero's quest transcends even the deepest cynicism. Why do we play? it asks, frankly. Answering this isn't an easy task and yet, through a mirror of flash-in-the-pan authenticity, journeys of self-discovery are initiated, linking memory with the present.
Ping Pong isn't a story about sport, so much as it's a tale of the kind of friendship that's fostered outside the world of transactionality. Through fluid animation, visceral intensity, and a hearty slice of fun in the face of adversity, the sustained role of connection is etched.
Phenomenal and timeless.
Ping Pong isn't a story about sport, so much as it's a tale of the kind of friendship that's fostered outside the world of transactionality. Through fluid animation, visceral intensity, and a hearty slice of fun in the face of adversity, the sustained role of connection is etched.
Phenomenal and timeless.
May 19, 2025
e io piango, piango come un bambino
October 28, 2023
Amazing, incredible depth and character arcs. It was a revelation for me.
October 25, 2024
Definitely not as good as the first, but Taiyou Matsumoto’s weakest is better than most author’s best, so it’s hard to judge it too harshly
September 14, 2021
One of the best manga I have ever read. All of it. Every page.
November 21, 2025
Queste mie lacrime vanno agli eroi.
November 15, 2021
if you like this review, i now have website: www.michaelkamakana.com
210715: excellent sports manga by matsumoto. when i was in secondary several students (not jocks) played this uncool sport table tennis, in hallway. i had always liked racket sports, found my skills transferable, some chinese exchange students introduced us to the 'pen holder grip'... and we were off! jocks never knew what they were missing. this manga fondly recalls that time for me...
artwork captures motion, expressive attitudes, action, with images of everyday japan, with the intertwined stories of players ranging from the unconscious savant to the dedicated demon to the fallen greatness of one player. there is backstory of the coach, there is the gramma who runs the neighbourhood table tennis gym, but the central relationship is between a boy who could be great but maybe fears losing himself in it, and another boy who is so great in playing for joy he will never lose...
now i have read enough/rated enough to comment on my own process of evaluation. when first beginning goodreads in 2010 i read a lot of books that were 'ok', that served as basis, history, for the genres that interested me, so the average rating was probably low threes. in time, over the years, there has been some average increase partly because i then had a better idea of what i wanted to read, partly through natural inflation, recognition that i must have at least 'liked' so many works to read them...
my editor told me a three counted as 'algorithmically negative' so soon i found myself giving out fours. i do not want to be negative. and so discovered more and more works i could honestly assess as four. in time, it became clear to me that virtually every book i wanted to read was somewhere between three and four and even rare fives. distinction came only according to which books it followed and their ratings, genre expectations met or subverted, surprise or disappointment, any engaging stylistic or meta textual aspects etc. most books are read 'according to' their genre and i rate them according to that, not to some hypothetical 'universal book'...
it is not difficult for me to rate work four: i really like to read, i read all the time, i have wide-ranging tastes. in nonfiction most work start off automatically four, after all i know what it is about, i know what i want to read. this is certainly the case in most all the philosophy i have read. fiction is another case. here i am guided by previous readings, reputations, word of mouth, recommendations, but all the same i can be pleasantly surprised or shocked and dismayed. on the other hand, i have come to rarely give out twos anymore because if the work is just 'ok', there are so many more i want to read...
as far as reviews go, i try to give reviews to anything i rate a five and sometimes a four. it surprises me i have written so many reviews, particularly philosophy, but however amateur they are quite sincere and product of a lot of independent thinking. i have not studied philosophy in years (decades...) but certainly have read a lot. i never wanted to be 'captured' by one or the other way of particular thinkers, but have in the eventual been drawn to continental thinkers and more recently to Indic thought...
of the now 5 003 books of all sorts read, this includes not only the non-fiction (philosophy, art, literature), the graphic (novels, art, comics), and the fiction (novels, poetry, plays) with some overlap, but mostly 1 356 nonfiction, 3 647 fiction...
210715: excellent sports manga by matsumoto. when i was in secondary several students (not jocks) played this uncool sport table tennis, in hallway. i had always liked racket sports, found my skills transferable, some chinese exchange students introduced us to the 'pen holder grip'... and we were off! jocks never knew what they were missing. this manga fondly recalls that time for me...
artwork captures motion, expressive attitudes, action, with images of everyday japan, with the intertwined stories of players ranging from the unconscious savant to the dedicated demon to the fallen greatness of one player. there is backstory of the coach, there is the gramma who runs the neighbourhood table tennis gym, but the central relationship is between a boy who could be great but maybe fears losing himself in it, and another boy who is so great in playing for joy he will never lose...
now i have read enough/rated enough to comment on my own process of evaluation. when first beginning goodreads in 2010 i read a lot of books that were 'ok', that served as basis, history, for the genres that interested me, so the average rating was probably low threes. in time, over the years, there has been some average increase partly because i then had a better idea of what i wanted to read, partly through natural inflation, recognition that i must have at least 'liked' so many works to read them...
my editor told me a three counted as 'algorithmically negative' so soon i found myself giving out fours. i do not want to be negative. and so discovered more and more works i could honestly assess as four. in time, it became clear to me that virtually every book i wanted to read was somewhere between three and four and even rare fives. distinction came only according to which books it followed and their ratings, genre expectations met or subverted, surprise or disappointment, any engaging stylistic or meta textual aspects etc. most books are read 'according to' their genre and i rate them according to that, not to some hypothetical 'universal book'...
it is not difficult for me to rate work four: i really like to read, i read all the time, i have wide-ranging tastes. in nonfiction most work start off automatically four, after all i know what it is about, i know what i want to read. this is certainly the case in most all the philosophy i have read. fiction is another case. here i am guided by previous readings, reputations, word of mouth, recommendations, but all the same i can be pleasantly surprised or shocked and dismayed. on the other hand, i have come to rarely give out twos anymore because if the work is just 'ok', there are so many more i want to read...
as far as reviews go, i try to give reviews to anything i rate a five and sometimes a four. it surprises me i have written so many reviews, particularly philosophy, but however amateur they are quite sincere and product of a lot of independent thinking. i have not studied philosophy in years (decades...) but certainly have read a lot. i never wanted to be 'captured' by one or the other way of particular thinkers, but have in the eventual been drawn to continental thinkers and more recently to Indic thought...
of the now 5 003 books of all sorts read, this includes not only the non-fiction (philosophy, art, literature), the graphic (novels, art, comics), and the fiction (novels, poetry, plays) with some overlap, but mostly 1 356 nonfiction, 3 647 fiction...
November 22, 2025
i love ya, Peco :')
February 6, 2025
Un secondo volume incredibile, che porta al massimo tutto ciò che era presente nel primo. Tutti i pregi del precedente libro qui sono presenti e migliorati. I personaggi vengono sviscerati più a fondo e scopriamo di più sul loro conto. La storia diventa sempre più avvincente pagina dopo pagina. I temi raggiungono il loro apice, sopratutto quello dell’amicizia.
Un secondo volume che eleva ancor di più questa serie.
4.5
Un secondo volume che eleva ancor di più questa serie.
4.5
Read
October 30, 2022We identify as our bodies in doing sports. And in competition this identification becomes existential. Brutal. Is it worth pursuing something that only values the best and most promising? Matsumoto's manga follows the tropes of the sports genre, but with enough levity in his art and dialogue to celebrate every moment of this experience.
May 11, 2021
An all-timer. While I miss the deeper subplots of the anime adaptation (especially the additional material with Kong, which is only hinted at in the manga), the tight focus on the two main characters really lets their arcs breathe. Not your typical shonen sports manga; instead, a poignant, grounded story about games, competition, love, and the multifaceted struggle of childhood talent as it butts up against the expectations of adulthood. A manga you can, and should, give to anyone.
February 16, 2021
I cannot think of a better artist and storyteller than Taiyo Matsumoto. The illustration is so dynamic and the action so clear and fierce it’s truly humbling. A masterwork.
June 14, 2024
enter the hero
April 2, 2025
Esse mangá foi uma leitura interessante. Ele é um mangá de esporte como o Haikyuu, mas ao mesmo tempo bem diferente. Começando pelos desenhos. Os desenhos em Ping-Pong são esquisitos. Não chega a ser ruim, mas também não são bonitos. Ao mesmo tempo, tem muita expressividade. Em Haikyuu o tom é mais épico. Não tem poder ou nome de golpe, mas é mais lúdico. Aqui também é bastante didático como no mangá de vôlei, mas o tom é bem mais mundano. No primeiro volume mostra a amizade improvável do Smile com o Peco. O Peco é o melhor jogador de Tênis de Mesa da sua escola, e ele sabe disso, e apesar dele dizer não ligar muito, ele vive pelo Tênis de Mesa. Então a derrota logo no começo no primeiro torneio acabou com ele, a ponto dele não querer saber mais de jogar ou treinar. Enquanto a derrota do Smile só fez ele treinar cada vez mais. Então esse segundo volume mostra a preparação dos dois amigos, tão diferentes entre si, mas com a paixão pelo Tênis de Mesa em comum. A final do segundo torneio entre os dois pode parecer clichê, mas foi o caminho natural desse mangá. Tanto que ele nem precisou mostrar a partida pra ter um final excelente. O pulo de 5 anos também foi uma grande sacada (com o perdão do trocadilho). Mostrar como aqueles personagens seguiram e no que se tornaram foi um grande epílogo pra história.
October 15, 2024
Enquanto o primeiro volume meio que "subverte" e gira alguns tropos comuns do gênero de mangás de esporte, esse aqui vira e só faz eles mesmo assim, executando-os com uma precisão cirúrgica e uma visão única.
Paco se torna o herói esforçado e subestimado que se puxa das cinzas, enquanto Smile se vê como o vilão genial que luta sem paixão. O confronto final entre eles não é (como em muitos outros) uma humilhação ou uma lição de moral ao oponente, mas sim um ato de reconciliação e amor, tanto que no final das contas o JOGO mais elétrico da série é Paco vs Kazama, enquanto nem mostram a final do jogo contra Smile.
E o Paco ganha, pois, além de ser o herói, ele joga com amor pelo jogo e pelo seu oponente, ao contrário das tendências de isolamento e auto-destruição do dragon e do Smile. No final, vemos Smile sorrir de novo, pois mesmo perdendo ele achou algum tipo de paz interior com ele mesmo e com o jogo.
Ping Pong é um mangá lindo em vários sentidos, e é (até onde sei) meu mangá de esportes preferido. Recomendo qualquer um com um mínimo interesse no gênero de ler.
Paco se torna o herói esforçado e subestimado que se puxa das cinzas, enquanto Smile se vê como o vilão genial que luta sem paixão. O confronto final entre eles não é (como em muitos outros) uma humilhação ou uma lição de moral ao oponente, mas sim um ato de reconciliação e amor, tanto que no final das contas o JOGO mais elétrico da série é Paco vs Kazama, enquanto nem mostram a final do jogo contra Smile.
E o Paco ganha, pois, além de ser o herói, ele joga com amor pelo jogo e pelo seu oponente, ao contrário das tendências de isolamento e auto-destruição do dragon e do Smile. No final, vemos Smile sorrir de novo, pois mesmo perdendo ele achou algum tipo de paz interior com ele mesmo e com o jogo.
Ping Pong é um mangá lindo em vários sentidos, e é (até onde sei) meu mangá de esportes preferido. Recomendo qualquer um com um mínimo interesse no gênero de ler.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2025
Yo, my guys. This is one of the best graphics you'll ever read. Two massive (and affordable!) volumes of manga that go by in a flash. For real, blink and you'll miss it. Ping Pong is a breathtaking sports drama, fiery and offbeat, with awesome rallies, rich settings, and striking characters.
I'd turn this review into a personal essay or something about how my life feels like a ping pong rally, a grueling battle of piks and poks in which I'm the ball and the players are my b12 deficiency and my ankle injury, both vying to smack me harder than the other, but honestly i spent all of my energy writing a couple of movie reviews last week and the tank is still empty. I dont even have any jokes to share. Anyway, happy new year. My resolution is to be funnier (and to buy new ping pong rackets).
I'd turn this review into a personal essay or something about how my life feels like a ping pong rally, a grueling battle of piks and poks in which I'm the ball and the players are my b12 deficiency and my ankle injury, both vying to smack me harder than the other, but honestly i spent all of my energy writing a couple of movie reviews last week and the tank is still empty. I dont even have any jokes to share. Anyway, happy new year. My resolution is to be funnier (and to buy new ping pong rackets).
September 20, 2021
The second volume of Taiyo Matusmoto's Ping Pong wraps up the story in unexpected ways, and defies some expectations established in the first volume. If volume 1 was all about the awkward journey of adolescent athletes, this concluding volume introduces notes of impending maturity, as central protagonists Peco and Smile figure out how to balance talent, ambition, and the vicissitudes of a competitive sport.
What makes the story really work is that the protagonists never let go of the demands of friendship, and always rank those social obligations above their personal desire to excel. If it's not my favorite work by the amazingly talented Matusmoto, it's still an awfully good read.
What makes the story really work is that the protagonists never let go of the demands of friendship, and always rank those social obligations above their personal desire to excel. If it's not my favorite work by the amazingly talented Matusmoto, it's still an awfully good read.
May 29, 2025
glad to finally have read the source material after loving the anime series for so long and, to be expected, Ping Pong is phenomenal here too. Matsumoto knows where to draw the eye and how to squash and stretch panels to make characters feel tiny or like immovable objects. every match is dynamic and even the stretches without a game are rich with moments that let these characters shine, always rendered in that sketchy art style that shifts between doodles and semi-realistic portraits. i love the many ways we see these characters navigate their relationships with talent, skill, and their love for the sport, growing complicated and feeling earth-shattering in its urgency because they're in high school. For them, ping pong is their lives. i love this series!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews