Ace high school table tennis players push their passion to the limit in this story of self-discovery, told by Eisner Award winner Taiyo Matsumoto. Makoto "Smile" Tsukimoto doesn’t smile even though he’s got a natural talent for playing ping pong. As one of the best players in school, all hopes are on him to win the regional high school tournament, but winning is not what Smile really wants to do. Will the fierce competition to be number one bring out his best or drive him away from the game? Ping Pong is Taiyo Matsumoto’s masterwork reflection on friendship and self-discovery, presented here in two volumes, featuring color art, the bonus story Tamura and an afterward by the original Japanese series editor. Translated by Michael Arias, director of Tekkonkinkreet.

いよいよインターハイの予選会が始まった。順調にいけば、月本は3回戦で孔と、星野は準々で佐久間と当たるというカードだった。駅前の卓球場タムラ時代からペコになかなか勝つことができなかった佐久間は、星野との対戦に闘志を燃やす。

スマイルが姿を消した。コーチ小泉との関係が、そして自分の実力と周囲、特にペコへの複雑な感情が、彼の神経を参らせていた。オババのもとを訪れた小泉は「愛が足りない」といわれてしまう。スマイルは、一晩中走り、力尽きて夜中に学校に戻ると、そこには小泉が待っていた。

Ace high school table tennis players push their passion to the limit in this story of self-discovery, told by Eisner Award winner Taiyo Matsumoto. Makoto “Smile” Tsukimoto doesn’t smile even though he’s got a natural talent for playing ping pong. As one of the best players in school, all hopes are on him to win the regional high school tournament, but winning is not what Smile really wants to do. Will the fierce competition to be number one bring out his best or drive him away from the game? Ping Pong is Taiyo Matsumoto’s masterwork reflection on friendship and self-discovery, presented here in two volumes, featuring color art, the bonus story "Tamura" and an afterward by the original Japanese series editor. Translated by Michael Arias, director of Tekkonkinkreet. Makoto “Smile” Tsukimoto and his friend Yutaka “Peco” Hoshino have been playing table tennis since they were kids, but as they enter high school, they find that the game has changed. Seeing potential in them that they themselves don’t fully realize, the coach recruits them for the school team. Bringing out their best will mean challenging the top players from rival schools in the summer tournament, including an ace Chinese exchange student who almost made the Olympic team. With the pressure on, can Smile and Peco take the heat and make it into the finals?