WSJ throwing a bunch of sports series at the wall to see what will stick lol…
Ping Pong Peril
(Yoshiharu Kataoka)
July 2025 to November 2025
17 Chapters
What I Liked
- Mutsuki was pretty cool. And unusual for a WSJ heroine (high school boy with adult woman).
Where I Think Things Went Wrong
- The battles were quirky but not that interesting. The core mechanic didn’t really change I guess?
- ‘Ping Pong Contender of the Week’ meant that outside of Taira and Mutsuki, none of the other characters really mattered.
- The set-up (parents leaving kids in debt) is pretty old and overused
- The sister was pretty meaningless, just a plot reason for the main character to do-the-thing. Kinda reminds me of Aliens Area where the main character had two siblings who existed just to be protected.
- The set-up meant that it was kinda expected that Taira wouldn’t lose, in which case there is no suspense because the match conclusion is already known.
Conclusion
I guess I never really got invested in Taira’s journey. The alien thing didn’t feel that out there, it’s been done multiple times now in this very magazine (Super Smartphone, Dr Stone immediately spring to mind). I feel like for a sports series to find success in WSJ, it needs to be a team sport. Needs more ‘friendship’ out of ‘friendship, hard work and victory’ haha.
Categories: Simulpub Review
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