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Article: 'Ping Pong' inviting to the young: Japanese manga inspires an engaging tale.
- Article from:
- Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL)
- Article date:
- April 27, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Chicago Tribune. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Michael Wilmington
Apr. 27--"Ping Pong" is based on a Japanese manga, or comic, about two best friends and longtime table tennis players who wind up competing against each other in a tournament. The manga inspiration here is a famous one in Japan, by the well-known artist Taiyo Matsumoto ("Black and White"); the movie has some of the feel of a good graphic novel and offers a lot of Japanese pop pleasures as well. The images are eye-catching and highly colorful, the pacing is fast, and the story and the characters are simple, grabby and archetypal.
The two buddies are flashy, egotistical showboat Peco (Yosuke Kubozuka) and his shyer, quieter pal ...