The preliminary matches have all been concluded, and the record stands at two matches to our brave and gallant heroes, and two matches for our fiendish, nefarious villains. After their enemies ruthlessly cut down Hokuto and Hanabi, Suzumegahara’s heroes rallied back with Mune and Kiruka’s doubles match, followed by Agari’s close win against Mozuyami’s captain Zakuro. Now, with Koyori’s faith in her own play having been restored by Agari’s victory, it’s time for the true battle. You folks ready for battle!? You folks ready for BLOOD?!?!?
I’m pretty excited personally, if you hadn’t guessed. But I don’t think I’m alone here – this series has literally spent two-thirds of its running time hyping up this particular match, with Kururi having been framed as the “true threat” of Mozuyami from the very start. Additionally, Scorching Ping Pong Girls’ core theme is “finding a positive, fulfilling reason to play,” and Kururi represents the most unhealthy negative articulation of that theme. Early on in the season, the show’s central emotional conflict was Agari learning to play for the joy of play itself, instead of the brittle comfort of having her skills validated. The moment that conflict was resolved, the narrative essentially introduced Kururi as a super-Agari, someone even more invested in table tennis as a source of validation, rather than personal joy. Will Koyori’s joyful play and inherent puppy-ness convince Kururi to play for her own sake, and realize that seeking her own happiness is also the best way to make Zakuro happy? I mean, probably, but I still wanna see how we get there. LET’S GET TO IT!
Episode 10
We open with a reprise of Kururi’s opening serve. I really love the loose, almost “billowing” animation for her limbs; it makes her seem less human, and also like she’s casting some sort of spell
Kururi’s powers are represented as a tornado that sends the ball spinning out of bounds. This show is pretty darn good at turning “different ways of applying spin to the ball” into like fifty distinct JoJo powers
The tornado desaturates the world around into a sort of muted green verging on greyscale, echoing both Kururi’s hair color, as well as this show’s consistent use of muted colors to represent characters’ unhappy initial selves
This is Kururi’s “curve drive”
“My Brand of Table Tennis,” with red and green arrows slowly converging. I assume this show’s consistent symbology was carried over from the manga; either way, it’s a really smart choice
Koyori’s getting crushed. She loses the first game off-screen, and is already 0-6 in the second
Agari takes commentary duty, explaining Kururi’s stroke in response to the baffled cries of her juniors. Kururi’s curve drive has both top and counter-clockwise spin, meaning it’s essentially charged with inherent spin that sends it reeling off the opponent’s racket and hard to the left
Presenting Kururi as a “tornado that can’t be reached” works in both tactical and emotional terms. Diagrams and explanations clarify exactly what Koyori needs to overcome strategy-wise, and meanwhile, this match’s emotional conflict is all about “breaking through Kururi’s wall” and teaching her to find her own joy in table tennis
This is also a good counter for Koyori’s smash, since it uses the opponent’s energy against them
“All the opponents I’ve overwhelmed with this technique lost their will to fight. I’m sure you’re wearing a look of despair, too.” Kururi, you do not know your opponent
Yeah, Koyori’s just having the greatest time. Her only fear in terms of losing is “I won’t be able to make your heart race, too!”
A clever rhetorical trick to shift the momentum of battle. Instead of framing her dominance in purely tactical terms, her choice of “I will destroy your will to fight” frames this battle around Koyori’s most fundamental strength – her unerring love of table tennis. It’s a good trick to keep in mind when writing conflicts; sometimes you need to have the villain set up the hero for a strong return (or vice versa) by framing their current dominance in terms of something their opponent excels at. Remember: all writers are liars, all stories are magic tricks
Kururi takes game two, but seems mentally downcast. Meanwhile, Koyori is just gushing about how cool Kururi’s shot is
Apparently Agari and Koyori had previously practiced returning shots using the “sweet spot” of the racket, the central point where the ball bounces off with more strength and control
This is a smart way to tie Agari and Koyori’s relationship into this match, and make it more of a victory for both of them. Agari reaching out to Koyori to pay her back for her own inspiration directly informs Koyori’s eventual comeback
Searching for the sweet spot also works well for Koyori’s style of play, since her play is entirely driven by “what feels good,” and the defining feature of hitting a shot on the sweet spot is the satisfying feeling of full connection it provides, like hitting a ball straight in the center of the bat. Having played a fair amount of tennis as a teen, I can confirm there really is a remarkable tactile difference in terms of where you hit the ball
“She shows me the greatest smile when I win in table tennis.” As always, Kururi can’t really parse the true reason for Zakuro’s smile. I’m guessing this match will end on the discovery of an even greater smile, the smile Zakuro offers when she sees Kururi herself is having fun
Zakuro’s tornado and even her dismissive turn away from her opponent all carry naturally from the physical mechanics of her signature stroke. It’s a long, looping strike that starts far to her right, but which is yanked hard left, creating that counter-clockwise spin on the ball and simultaneously spinning Zakuro herself entirely around. You can tell this author really considered how to most dramatically represent the tactical and physical mechanics of this curve spin
And Koyori gets her first return. “I’m happy. At last, you looked my way”
Right, Kururi’s turn-around also stands as a neat little metaphor for her own priorities – with every signature shot, she turns to catch Zakuro’s reaction, instead of looking at her opponent
Oh man, goddamn amazing animation for Kururi’s desperate follow-up drive. I love the fluidity and erratic energy of the smoke coming off the ball
Koyori’s response is extremely true to her personality, as Kiruka points out. “I guess I’ll just smash it harder and faster, then”
Very cool wipe cut here, as Kururi desperately swings across the screen, and carries an actual scene transition with her
It was Zakuro who initially suggested Kururi learn the curve drive. No wonder she’s so attached to it
Like Agari once was, Kururi is not propelled by her love of play – she’s propelled by her fear of losing. And also like Agari, the moment it seems like she’ll lose, her confidence evaporates, and table tennis becomes a painful experience
“I’ll be worthless if I don’t win. Zakuro will leave me!” In spite of her cackling villain act, Kururi has been so obviously and deeply insecure this whole time that this actually cuts pretty deep. She’s always been desperate for what she sees as frighteningly conditional love and support
And Zakuro at last comes to her aid. “Don’t worry. Win or lose, you’ll still be yourself. So stick to your brand of table tennis all the way. The brand of table tennis I love so much.” Zakuro loves her table tennis because it’s Kururi’s table tennis, not because she always wins. THE ULTIMATE CONFESSION OF SPORTS DRAMA LOVE
Aw man, there’s the beat. THERE’S THE SYNTH. IT BEGINS
And so, instead of desperately trying to win every point, Kururi hones in on her curve drive, accepting a bunch of losses in order to perfect an unreturnable angle
Kururi almost goes fully horizontal, spinning with her whole body in order to make the ball arrive at Koyori’s court with an almost fully perpendicular angle. And at last, she smiles, embracing the table tennis she loves
“How will you respond to my racing heart!?” Sports anime are so good
Goddamn amazing animation for the response, with thick, sketchy linework conveying the brutal impact of Koyori’s return, and fluidly dancing flames all around her
Koyori wins the match, and both girlfriends rush to their players’ sides
Zakuro says it was a great game, and all of Kururi’s teammates are behind her. Aw jeez, her tearful eyes are so adorable
“Let’s make our hearts race even more, in the tournament this time!” Oh right, this was somehow all a practice match
And Done
Whooohoooo! Ahaha man, yep, that was the good stuff. Scorching Ping Pong Girls has been building towards this match all through its second half, and it did not disappoint. On an aesthetic level, this episode had some of the most beautiful and richly animated sequences of the show so far, with the animators doing everything they could to bring Kururi’s intimidating style of play to life. I was dazzled by the terrific effects animation for both contenders, but I think my favorite part of the animation was how it captured Kururi’s inhumanly fluid body movements, through cuts that clearly conveyed how she threw her whole body into each curve drive.
And on the narrative front, all of this show’s character and thematic conflicts fused neatly into this dramatic capstone, as Koyori taught her opponent the same lessons she once shared with Agari. The character acting was great, I loved how Kururi’s physical movements reflected both her powers and her mental preoccupations, the fight escalated and shifted its momentum with tremendous grace… there was just too much to enjoy in this terrific battle, a match that exemplified the many appeals of sports drama, and the formidable strength of Scorching Ping Pong Girls specifically. What a fun show this is.
This article was made possible by reader support. Thank you all for all that you do.