7.2/10
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Pinpon (2002)

| Comedy, Drama, Sport | 30 July 2004 (UK)
Pinpon Poster
The film traces the growth and friendship of two very different high-school ping-pong players. "Peco" Hoshino is a brash, arrogant player, determined to turn pro. He taught his quiet, nerdy... See full summary »

Director:

Fumihiko Sori

Writers:

Taiyô Matsumoto (comic), Kankurô Kudô (screenplay)

Stars:

Yôsuke Kubozuka, Arata Iura, Sam Lee | See full cast & crew »
59
Reviews
5 wins & 7 nominations. See more awards »

Photos

See all 50 photos »
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Cast

Credited cast:
Yôsuke Kubozuka ... Yutaka Hoshino / Peco
Arata Iura Arata Iura ... Makoto Tsukimoto / Smile (as Arata)
Sam Lee ... Kong Wenge / China
Shidô Nakamura ... Ryûichi Kazama / Dragon
Kôji Ohkura Kôji Ohkura ... Manabu Sakuma / Demon
Naoto Takenaka ... Butterfly Joe
Mari Natsuki Mari Natsuki ... Obaba
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yoshiyoshi Arakawa Yoshiyoshi Arakawa
Takahiro Hirano Takahiro Hirano
Mako Ishino Mako Ishino
Kôen Kondô
Erika Mabuchi Erika Mabuchi
Suzuki Matsuo Suzuki Matsuo ... Policeman
Asumi Miwa Asumi Miwa
Ayumu Moriyama Ayumu Moriyama
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

The film traces the growth and friendship of two very different high-school ping-pong players. "Peco" Hoshino is a brash, arrogant player, determined to turn pro. He taught his quiet, nerdy childhood friend "Smile" Tsukimoto. Smile frustrates his coach and rivals, who recognize his talent for the game since it is just a game to him. To teach him, his high-school coach learns that coaching is more than just training the students to be good ping-pong players. Ironically, as Smile begins to develop his game, Peco undergoes a severe crisis after his defeat by rival players and is unable to play well until he rediscovers the original reasons why he plays ping-pong. Written by nakataohana

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

ping pong | coach | high school | training | based on manga | See All (21) »

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Sport

Certificate:

See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
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Details

Official Sites:

Official Movie Website (Japanese)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese | Cantonese

Release Date:

30 July 2004 (UK) See more »

Also Known As:

Ping Pong See more »

Filming Locations:

Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
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Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$208,780 (Japan), 9 August 2002, Limited Release
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Asmik Ace Entertainment, Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Connections

Remade as Ping Pong the Animation (2014) See more »

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User Reviews

 
There will never be a better movie about ping pong
5 March 2005 | by please_save_yuri – See all my reviews

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.
20 of 23 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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