Hmm? But I would think most of the real life players in any sport would want to be the best and if they need training they would train, I don't see two guys that don't want to train being more authentic than people that want to be the best, just different from the norm.
Well, funnily enough, Smile doesn't seem to be particularly competitive, although Peco obviously is.
But that's not really my point, of course people who play a particular sport seriously will need to train
and they need to have ambition to want to do better. But
formula dictates that your sports shounen series must start in the first episode with a character who has Big Dreams (usually complete with vision of them competing in a major, end of series event in a large venue) but little actual skill in their chosen field. You'll also notice that our lead is plucky and likeable with a a good heart and lots of enthusiasm to do better, they display great sporstmanship as well, but they're probably not that bright. Through Hard Work and Training Montages they will overcome their early deficiencies and surprise other players in said sport because, even though they're merely a novice, they some how have some Talent that sets them apart from the rest. They'll then engage in a big First Test of their talent that they might win or lose but it doesn't matter because they've done enough to impress the Coach/Captain and get them into the Team. Their teammates will be mostly likeable, although their may still be doubted they have to win over. They'll probably have also earned a Rival whose more experienced at the sport but can see their Raw Talent. From then on it's off to the races as they find challenges to over come and best, although they'll probably Lose Big early on to allow us to see that they aren't completely invincible. This is pretty much how your first few episodes are supposed to go. It's all extremely generic.
Now, in
Ping Pong, we apparently have two main characters, which is already a little weird. Smile is aloof and uncaring, with no apparent desire to play competitively. Peco is very competitive, but he doesn't seem to take the sport too seriously and he even plays for cash against weaker players and has no sense of sportsmanship. He and Smile have a weird relationship where they seem to be friends who share no affection for one another, except that Smile is secretly losing to Peco so as not to damage Peco's pride. Their relationship is fairly complicated and yet still rather understated. More over, both Peco and Smile are both pretty good at Ping Pong already and so there's no room for the traditional novice to pro arc that nearly all spots shows are based around.
Fundamentally, the focus on the show is actually on the characters and how they interact rather than solely on the sport itself. In every other show the characters usually just exist to play the sport OR to find a girl in their spare time.
