Yuasa and his animators really went all out with the camera movement for this finale. The video below is only the warm up. It starts with a medium shot of Smile and Peco in their stance to establish the anticipation. Then cuts to a close-up and extreme close-up that ratchet up the tension as the match begins. Around the 00:13 mark there's a steady-cam like movement where the camera rotates behind Smile then zooms into the ping pong ball. At 00:31 mark we see a really quick push-in shot on Smile which cuts to a reverse tracking shot as Peco slams the ball. This was a frantic combination of camera movements and quick cuts that creates the initial excitement.
This frenzied start was a quick glimpse of Smile being brought out of his shell by Peco. A long-awaited moment. This feeling of fulfillment is encapsulated by the last shot, a close-up of Smile smiling as the camera pulls away to show him absorbing the moment, the cheers of the crowd and the fun that is Ping Pong.
The next video is where the camera movement and animation really shine. It begins with the imagery of Smile finally breaking out of his robot shell, as excitement and emotions overwhelm him. From the 00:29 to 00:37 mark, the hectic exchange between Smile and Peco seems to have been done in one shot but it wasn't. Close-ups of their paddles and quick left and right lateral tracking covered up the cuts and cleverly created a seamless exchange. At the 00:40 mark we finally get a full shot of the competitors. The constant pushing and pulling of the camera accentuates the exchanges between the two and engages the audience to the intense match.
Again it ends with Smile smiling. The desaturated image of him enveloped with light gives a calming sense of self realization. He's not a robot, he's human, he feels, he sweats, and he bleeds. Poignantly he then says "My blood tastes like iron."
Images of the beach were spread throughout the finale. I believe it's an image to express the feeling of calmness as all the characters, at some level, found peace within themselves. Although in the end scene Kazama feels uncertain about his life, the big difference now is he's expressing this uncertainty instead of bottling it up.
As the match starts between Peco and Kazama the scene begins with the camera panning up from Peco's hand getting ready to serve to a view of Kazama being swallowed by darkness. It then cuts to a panning close up shot of Kazama. The black uniform, the dark background, and the shadowing on Kazama's intense face brings a presence of an imposing and joyless force. Next we see Peco surrounded by a wavering white light, the color of the hero. But he's overwhelmed by Kazama's presence as evident by the faintness of the light and the darkness slowly swallowing it. The panning extreme close up shot of Peco and his hero mask show that despite Kazama's overwhelming presence he's committed to playing for fun and with his childhood hero persona.
The scene then ends with a really cool shot of Peco that starts at a high angle, pushes into an extreme close up of his eye (with Kazama's reflection) and then pulls back to a low angle. Everything about this camera work exudes the willingness of a hero to accept such a huge challenge
This whole scene also lays the thematic ground work for the rest of the match. Light vs. dark, playing for fun vs. the cold drive for victory and hero vs. anti-hero. I also love the use of the vertical panning shots for constant thematic transitions.
As the match continues Kazama's dark aura proved to be too overwhelming for Peco. Kazama viewed his father as a hero, losing him and hearing his grandfather belittle him shook this core belief. With that pillar of strength gone, he relied solely on his ability to play Ping Pong as a form of strength. This led to his play to be strongly driven by the pressure to win, to fulfill his grandfather's lofty expectations, and the painful fear of defeat. These rather negative reasons for playing has taken the joy out of the sport and led to emotional isolation. This grim and painful approach has made him a brutal and domineering player which is reflected by the darkness that surrounds him and that eventually engulfs Peco.
As Peco further gets dominated by Kazama he starts losing confidence. In the background he hears Smile's humming. Peco imagines Smile telling him to find the fun out of playing such a tough opponent which improves Peco's play. As Peco gains momentum the background becomes white, the overall setting seems brighter, and the darkness surrounding Kazama slowly dissipates. The play has a more jubilant vibe and atmosphere.
Kazama's background is now light blue, reinforcing that Peco's more positive aura is dominating the match
Notice the competition number on Peco's back acting as a cape. There are multiple full shots like this one in this part of the match that demonstrates Peco's childlike hero persona. __________________________________________________________________________
The use of imagery to represent the characters' personality and their development is very much present in this episode and excellently so. The reoccurring image is flight, which symbolizes freedom. Peco's hero persona has adopted this image and it's reinforced by his unrestricted and flighty play-style. Kazama's style while strong and imposing is also restricted and burdened. This is reflected by the imagery of constantly struggling to climb a cliff with the fear of falling into the dark abyss below him.
An extreme close up of Kazama's eye seeing the image of Peco taking flight.
The imagery of Kazama's constant struggle but now looking to break out of it.
As Peco makes Kazama realize the joy of Ping Pong the pressure and burden are unloaded. He's now free to just enjoy the sport and fly away from isolation.
Peco and Kazama taking flight together as they put on a fun match.
Another extreme close up of Kazama's eye, this time seeing Peco flying away where he can't reach him, a realization that Peco will win the match.
This Kazama flash back sequence beautifully used cinematography to portray the purity and innocence of a kid's admiration of his father.
A close up of Kazama in the bathroom stall. Deep in thought and has a look of a person revisiting a cherished memory.
A shot of lilies with the child version of Kazama in the background admiring it.
A close up of the lilies. These shots of the lilies show that Kazama loved flowers the same way his father (a florist) did. This suggest he strongly viewed his father as a role model.
A low angle long shot of Kazama's father. This shot gives an impression of a person looking up to someone in admiration.
A medium shot of Kazama's father to further drive the point that he's a man that deeply influenced him. The man he plays ping pong for, his hero.
The sequence also has great storyboarding. There were shots of Kazama's father struggling with the flower business. The sequence intertwine Kazama's heroic view of his father and the troubled man behind the hero.
A medium-long shot of Peco. Without the head in view the audience's eyes focus on the injured knee. An injured Peco asking for his racket really plays up his hero persona.
A close up of the racket being handed to Peco. A hero accepting the challenge despite an injury.
Another use of a low angle shot to give a heroic depiction of a person. The light shining on Peco really complement that depiction.
The use of imagery to create analogies for characterization is something Ping Pong have excelled at.
A close up of Kazama contemplating about Yurie's advice to play Ping Pong for himself.
The camera then pans to "The Thinker" statue. An imagery of Kazama deep in thought.
An extreme close up of a plane reflection on Kong's sunglasses. The plane has been the symbol for Kong's self exile and desire to come home. The imagery and the character it represents being in the same shot really drives this point home.
The camera then pulls back to reveal his coach/friend who asks if he's homesick.
Kong answers "You could say that" but the imagery of China on his coach's back and the plane in the background is a better reflection of how Kong feels.
The next images show the use of closeups of Ping Pong balls to represent the characters and establish a tone.
A closeup of a spinning ball to open up the scene.
It then cuts to a medium shot of Smile.
A closeup again, this time following Smile's line of sight. This is a simple scene but it shows how meticulous Smile is with Ping Pong balls to a robotic degree.
With Kong, closeups of Ping Pong balls were used to express intimidation.
A couple of more closeups with an intense looking Kong in the background really establish the tone of the match.
A nice use of the push/pull effect from the low angle. It gives the feeling of discouragement which the outmatched opponent was feeling.
Another set of plane imagery but this time with different symbolism.
The juxtaposition of the plane and Kong's teammates. This illustrates that the plane now represents what he has gained in Japan, which are supportive teammates and friends.
This closeup shows Kong's intensity despite knowing he's going to lose. This is a contrast from his look of desperation in his matches against Kazama and Smile. To him Ping Pong is now more than just winning and losing.
The scene begins with an extreme close-up. The camera reverse tracks to introduce the main character and then the rest of the foreground characters. Camera pulls all the way to a slightly deep focus shot. This gives the effect of the main character's aloofness which is further accentuated with a high angle shot.
Starts with a high angle shot to establish the setting. Cuts to a long shot and reverse tracks to show other players.
