The Prince of Tennis

Most anime feature a prodigy destined for greatness. The series would then follow the exploits of that character to his or her final quest. Yet most of those characters start off weak and in desperate need of a mentor, friends (who at first were enemies) and perhaps even a love interest who will inspire him or her to do great things.

Ryoma Echizen is a tennis prodigy, but he certainly does not start off as a weakling who needs practice and experience badly. Unlike most characters of his type too, he is not loud, obnoxious and someone you could easily make fun of. For those qualities alone, I consider Prince of Tennis the best anime I have seen to date.

The 42-volume manga was created by Takeshi Konomi. His work inspired a 178-episode TV series, animated and live-action movies, musicals (Tenimyu), more than a hundred songs, radio drama (Rajipuri) and video games. Whoever thought that a sport such a tennis that involves almost no physical contact with opponents and fast matches can be turned into a series like this one?

Ryoma has the makings of a great tennis player. The son of the legendary Samurai Nanjiro, he came to Seishun Gakuen to enhance his skills. The series started off slow at first and viewers might be blown-off by Ryoma's personality. It got more interesting when he meets Seigaku tennis club's regulars and defeated most of them. The story takes a turn as it becomes apparent that it is not just about the kid's journey to greatness but Seigaku's journey to the National Middle School Tennis Championship.

The Seigaku regulars, led by Tezuka Kunimitsu, have national-calibre talent. Tezuka himself is one of the the most feared and respected by his peers. Each one has a special skill that sets him apart from the rest. But will those skills be enough to take them to the Nationals?

The rest of Seigaku are listed below:

From left: Tezuka, Momo, Oishi, Kaidoh, Taka-san, Eiji, Fuji and Inui.
Front: Ryoma

1. Tezuka Kunimistu - team captain of Seigaku and considered by everyone, including their opponents, as the man to beat. His personality is quite similar to Ryoma in some ways. He is also a brilliant student.
2. Fuji Shusuke - considered a genius but he lacks the passion and purpose for playing tennis. He often goes into court to avenge a friend or teammate who lost.
3. Oishi Shuichiro - considered the 'mother' of Seigaku because he worries a lot about his teammates. This vice-captain is the other half of the famous Golden Pair and is known for his excellent ball control.
4. Kikumaru Eiji - the very athletic doubles partner of Oishi. Although bubbly and hyperactive on court, he has a weakness for long, endurance matches.
5. Kawamura Takashi - called Taka-san, he's the power player of Seigaku. He is very shy off-court but when he gets hold of a tennis racket his personality changes. Near the end of the series, Taka-san reveals that it's his last year as a tennis player.
6. Momoshiro Takeshi - considered as Ryoma's closest friend. Momo is also a power player and the rival of Kaidoh. He's very loud and often gets into silly fights and like Ryoma, he has a huge appetite.
7. Kaidoh Kaoru - passionate and often too serious, Kaidoh is an imposing presence on and off the court. He's also the most hardworking and physically fit in the team. Kaidoh is also the future team captain of Seigaku.
8. Inui Sadaharu - considered the brains of Seigaku, he uses Data Tennis to find the weakness of opponents. He also terrorizes fellow prayers from time to time with his deadly concoctions. He  also has an air of mystery in him because he never takes his glasses off.
9. Coach Ryuzaki Sumire - she's also the former coach of Echizen Nanjiroh. Grandmother of Sakuno who has a crush on Ryoma.

The other supporting characters will help the viewers understand the matches and the techniques used by players on the court. The reporter Inoue fills in that role when Inui or Fuji are not around to comment during the matches. The players on the court themselves do not talk about their techniques often unlike other series that involve matches or fighting.

Three freshmen are also among the supporting cast. Ryoma's mother will also be introduced in the series later. It featured her meeting with Nanjiroh.

The series is divided into different arcs according to Seigaku's progress towards a spot for the National tournament. The following is the list of arcs from each season of the series:

Season 1
1. Intraschool Ranking Arc
2. Tokyo District Preliminary Arc
3. Seigaku Training Arc
Season 2
4. St. Rudolph Arc
5. Seigaku Training II Arc
6. Tokyo Preliminary - Yamabuki Arc
7. Intraschool Ranking II Arc
Season 3
8. Kanto Tournamennt - Hyoutei Arc
9. Tezuka's Deaprture Arc
10. Kanto Tournament - Jyousei Shounan Arc
Season 4
11. Kanto Tournament - Jyousei SHounan II Arc
12. Recreation Arc
13. Kanto Semifinals - Rokkaku Arc
Season 5
14. Training to Defeat Rikkai Dai Arc
15. Kanto Finals - Rikkai Dai Arc
Season 6
16. Receartion II Arc
17. Junior Selection Camp arc
18. Junior Selection Team VS US Coast Team Arc
19. Recreation III Arc
Season 7
20. Intraschool Ranking III Arc
21. Start of Nationals Arc

The best players of the opposing teams helped improve Ryoma's skill. Among the most important players he faced was Akutsu Jin from Yamabuki. Their match spanned 4 episodes and Akutsu also plays a big role in easing Ryoma's doubts prior to the match against Rikkai Dai's Sanada Genichirou.

Talented though Seigaku may be, they are not perfect. Even the Golden Pair has lost several matches. Players of different teams will be introduced prior to the matches. They also have special techniques which Seigaku has to match and overcome.

The following is a list of the schools Seigaku has to beat:

The team captains

1. St. Rudolph - their best player is Fuji Shuusuke's younger brother, Yuuta. Their talent scout Mizuki uses data tennis as well.
2. Yamabuki - best player (at that time when they faced Seigaku) was Akutsu whose athleticism and various tactics Ryoma had to overcome.
3. Hyoutei - their tennis club has 200 members. Led by Atobe, the regulars are an even match against Segaku's talents. Among the teams listed here they are considered Seigaku's best rival.
4. Jyousei Shonan - their coach employs coordination training which enhances the players' talent. Ryoma faced Shinjou Reiji and withstood his unusual techniques.
5. Rokkaku - they also have a good freshman and captain, Aoi Kentaro, in their team. They consider Seigaku as their friends.
6. Rikkai Dai - reigning champions of the National Tournament, they are fighting for their injured team captain, Yukimura Seiichi. Their vice-captain, Sanada faced Ryoma in in episode 126.

Hyoutei has matched up against Segaku a few times in the series and it was Atobe who exposed the extent of Tezuka's injury during their match.

The Junior Selection Camp allowed Atobe and Sanada to match up as well as show one flaw in Ryoma's character. Althought the series showed him to be a very talented player who is able to adapt to any situation and defeat any type of player, the weakness he has shown here added a balance to his one-sided character.

One of the things I love about the series are the unforgettable characters the Seigaku team meet on their way to winning the championship. Atobe is probably the most unforgettable of them all because of his personality and his famous line.

I enjoyed most of the filler episodes as well. The chibi episodes in particular were very entertaining. The Junior Selection arcs are fillers too but as I have mentioned above, it helped add a balance to Ryoma's personality.

The series ended with Ryoma's departure prior to the Nationals. Seigaku's matches in the Nationals will be shown in the OVA.

Aside from Ryoma's characteristics, most critics say that Prince of Tennis is boring. It takes more than ten episodes before a viewer can finally see the direction the series is taking. Again, Ryoma's skills seemed a bit too much for his opponents even when he met his seniors from Seigaku for the first time. However, the focus will not be entirely on Ryoma but on the entire team. Viewers will finally see some drama when they realize that this is Seigaku's last shot for the championship together, especially when they realize that six of the players will be going to high school. Now that they have Ryoma, they have a better chance of fulfilling that dream they sought since Tezuka, Oishi and the rest were still freshmen. That part about Tezuka's freshmen years will be shown much later in the series.

Another positive quality of the series is that even if it's more than a hundred episods, the series clearly has a direction and a sure ending. There will be no excuses for having spin-offs that will stretch this into a never-ending series.

The series does not focus too much on women as well. It's one of the things I like about Prince of Tennis. The women, although they played big roles in shaping Seigaku's players, are not annoying and overpowering. There's a hint of romance between Ryoma and Ryuzaki Sakuno but it's not like other series where the protagonist's motivation for winning is a woman. If you're the type who hates cutesy girls who have mice-like voices or violent tsunderes, then this series is perfect for you. If you like an all-men series, I highly recommend this as well.

I recommend to anyone who wants to give this series a try to watch up to 30 episodes before they decide to drop it. It takes time to build up the story leading to the important matches. Also, the intraschool rankings will introduce the rest of Seigaku. It is as important to get to know Ryoma as well as his seniors.

I'm giving Prince of Tennis a 10 out of 10 rating.