The Japanese dubbed version of "Table Tennis Girl: Beyond the Flash", the first original animation by the up-and-coming animation studio "Gaomai Video", which was established in the summer of 2019 in China, will be released as an animated movie on May 16th. It will be released as an animated movie that compiles all three episodes that have already been distributed in China into one. In the Japanese dubbed version, the role of Ding Xiao, a talented player who could be said to be loved by the god of table tennis, is played by popular voice actress Haruka Tomatsu.
◇Actually, I'm not good at ball games
The story is about Zhang Ruoi, who was born into a family of table tennis players but had drifted away from the sport, who decides to attend a high school in Hangzhou, far from his home in northeastern China, to start a new life. After meeting Wang Lu, an honor student who excels in both academics and sports, Li Xintong, a bright table tennis nerd, and Ding Xiao, a free-spirited troublemaker, Luoi picks up his racket again. The teaser PV released in 2021 became a hot topic, with over 1.8 million views on Bilibili. The Japanese dubbed version will also feature voice actors Shiina Natsukawa as Zhang Ruoi, Sora Amamiya as Wang Lu, and Momo Asakura as Li Xintong.
China is known as the "kingdom of table tennis." The anime depicts the passion of high school students for table tennis.
"I have the impression that China is very strong at table tennis. It's a familiar sport in Japan, and I felt that this anime was enjoyable even if you don't really know the rules of table tennis. There were times when I thought, "This is just a high school club, right? Seeing the players playing with the same passion as a professional sports team, I really did get the feeling that table tennis is popular in China."
By the way, Tomatsu revealed, "I don't have much experience with table tennis," and "Actually, I'm not very good at ball games."
"When I was in elementary school, I tried playing at a table tennis club and played with friends, but I don't have much experience. I'm really not good at ball games in general. It feels like my mind and body don't match up. I was fast on my feet, though... But I do like watching ball games. Last year, I saw a tennis and basketball match live for the first time."
Ding Xiao, played by Tomatsu, has not received basic training like Jiang Ruoi, and prefers street matches and free play. Not only is he a free-spirited player in table tennis, but he is also treated as a problem child at school.
"She stands out in both a good and bad way, and gets away with anything she does. She's such a bold character that I'm a little envious of her (laughs). Having her there completely changes the atmosphere of the table tennis club, and I think she's a real genius. It's not that she doesn't put in effort, but she just has a knack for it, and she's not the type to get depressed or keep things to herself. In sports, mental health is important, so I think having a personality like that makes you strong."
◇ Working with Shiina Natsukawa, Sora Amamiya, and Momo Asakura was "refreshing"
Since it was dubbing, we decided to record while listening to the Chinese cast's performances.
"On set, we were told to aim for something somewhere between dubbing and anime dubbing. I tried not to be too conscious of the fact that it was a dub, but since the length was fixed, I was careful to match where I could. The person who played Ding Xiao in the original voice acted freely, so I used that as a reference, but I tried to give him a carefree feeling and highlight his personality as a genius. The other characters are quite stoic, and there are serious scenes, but he is the only one with a different atmosphere. Even when he is scolded, he doesn't get too depressed. I tried to bring out a light-heartedness in a good way. Everyone else takes on the heavy parts, and he's basically a playful guy."
Another thing that piques my interest is that it's "somewhere between dubbing and anime dubbing."
"I don't have much experience dubbing anime, so I didn't know how close I should get to the original voice or how much ad-lib to include until I tried it, but I was given direction to include ad-lib and reactions, so I acted in a style close to that of an anime dubbing. The original voice clearly expressed the parts that expressed emotion, so I used that as reference to see if it was okay to go this far. When I heard the original voice, it was close to the image of the voice quality I had in mind, so it was very easy to do."
He said that the recording was done with a large number of people, and recalled, "We recorded with nearly 30 people. It was the first time we've had such a large number of people since the end of the coronavirus pandemic, and we were able to interact with each other and it was a lot of fun."
Regarding co-starring with Natsukawa, Amemiya, and Asakura, he said, "I've worked with each of them before, but it was refreshing to work with all three of us together. They were a perfect fit for the image of each character."
As Tomatsu says, "Of course, people with experience in table tennis will enjoy it, and even those without much experience will feel that table tennis looks fun and want to try it. There are many characters, but each one has a different level of stoicism, so I think there are things you can root for and sympathize with. I'd like to see what happens next." The unique table tennis girls will face table tennis with their own thoughts in mind. How will the free-spirited Ding Xiao perform? Please keep an eye on it.
