With a June 23rd, 2015 release date previously set for the Ping Pong DVD/BD combo release from FUNimation, the company has announced the English language details for the series. Priced at $59.98 and not getting a limited edition/heavy chipboard box, the release will have the full 11 episode run, but it’s still not had its slate of extras revealed for it, which is definitely unusual. The English language adaptation is directed by Christopher Bevins and will star:
- Yutaka Hoshino/Peco – Aaron Dismuke
- Makoto Tsukimoto/Smile – Micah Solusod
- Jo Koizumi/Butterfly Joe – Mark Stoddard
- Ryuichi Kazama/Dragon – Marcus D. Stimac
- Manabu Sakuma/Demon- Anthony Bowling
- Kong Wenge/China – Alan Chow
- Ota – Tyson Rinehart
- Masayuki Sanada – Ian Sinclair
- Shuji Nekota – Clifford Chapin
- Yurie – Lindsay Seidel
- Egami – Eric Vale
- Michio – Jeremy Inman
Check out our full series review here from Kory.
The series is based on the manga that ran for five volumes between 1996 and 1997. The original manga came from Taiyou Matsumoto, which spawned a 2002 live action film as well, and Tatsunoko Productions brought this anime form in the spring of 2014 with Masaaki Yuasa directing it.
Plot concept: Smile and Peco. Peco and Smile. Besties from the beginning, both with a badass backhand. Peco is known for his arrogance on the table tennis court, and Smile for his silence. But with a new school year and a new high school table tennis team, both boys are in for a challenge, on–and off–the court. Peco’s slacker ways are hurting his game, and after getting crushed in a tournament, he decides to quit. Smile is finally learning to harness his natural talents, but can he squash his sympathy for his opponents enough to beat them
