Ping Pong

"Enter the hero!"

2002 1h 54m JA

👍

7.1

SOLID

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★7.1TMDB · 64●59Metacritic★7IMDB · 3,528

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

As children, the introverted Smile was being bullied by a gang of kids until the brash Peco comes by and chases all of them them away. Peco then takes Smile under his wings and teaches him how to play the game of ping pong. From there a life long best friend relationship comes into existence between these two polar opposite kids.

“Enter the hero!”

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Cast

Yosuke Kubozuka
Yutaka "Peco" Hoshino
Arata Iura
Makoto "Smile" Tsukimoto
Sam Lee
Kong "China" Wenge
Shido Nakamura
Ryuichi "Dragon" Kazama
Koji Ohkura
Manabu "Demon" Sakuma
Naoto Takenaka
Butterfly Joe
Mari Natsuki
Obaba
Suzuki Matsuo
Police Officer on the Bridge

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Fumihiko Sori
Writers: Kankuro Kudo
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 24 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Fumihiko Sori, shot by Akira Sako. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mao. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Soichi Ueno shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Yosuke Kubozuka and Arata Iura and Sam Lee carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Enter the hero!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0328258 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 64 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Fumihiko Sori directs. Akira Sako behind the camera. Mao scores. Soichi Ueno cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 24 years ago.
2Directed by Fumihiko Sori, shot by Akira Sako. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Mao. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Soichi Ueno shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Yosuke Kubozuka and Arata Iura and Sam Lee carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Enter the hero!".
7IMDB entry: tt0328258 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 64 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.