Prince of Tennis: The National Tournament

Seigaku's journey to the Nationals continue in three short OAVs. The final episode from the main series showed Ryoma leaving Japan for a tournament in the U.S. In the first episode of Prince of Tennis: The National Tournament, Ryoma went to visit his seniors to cheer them on, but because Oishi's injury got worse, the vice-captain decided to let Ryoma play in his stead. This OVA consists of 13 episodes and shows Seigaku's matches against Higa and then Hyoutei.


Warning: Spoilers!

These are some of the highlights of each episode:

 Episode 1: Seigaku cheered for Rokkaku but the team could not beat Higa's players. Oji was attacked by one of the players too.

 Episode 2: Seigaku's first match with Higa. Ryoma plays against Tanishi. Although Ryoma appeared like he was losing, he was actually doing it on purpose.

Episode 3: Fuji (teamed up with Taka-san for the doubles) revealed his Fourth Counter - Kagerou Zutsumi.

Episode 4: Eiji was still upset by Oishi's decision. He decided to play singles this time. At the end of the match though, he told everyone he realized he's better at playing doubles with Oishi.

Episode 5: Inui lets Kaidoh test his limits in a doubles match. Kaidoh wanted to try if he can win a match without using his Snake.

Episode 6: Tezuka reveals his technique called Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami in a match against Kite. Seigaku proceed to the Quarter Finals.

Episode 7: A must-watch episode featuring players from Seigaku and Rokkaku playing beach volleyball. 

Episode 8: Prelude to Seigaku's rematch with Hyotei.

Episode 9: Momo's battle with Oshitari. Momo showed a skill he has learned during his training with Taka-san in the mountains - Instinctive Tennis.

Episode 10: New opening and ending songs. Inui and Kaidoh's match against Hiyoshi and Gakuto. The opponents tried to win a fast match but they did not know they were playing at Kaidoh's pace all along. Tezuka will be facing Kabaji in the next match.

Episode 11: Part of this episode showed a different Tezuka. Kabaji's ability to imitate a player's moves trapped Tezuka in a match with himself.

Episode 12: The Golden Pair versus Shishido and Choutarou. The Hyotei pair showed some resilience but the Golden Pair's chemistry was better. However Eiji and Oishi lost the game when the former stopped the latter's shot. Eiji must have felt (through the Synchronization) that Oishi was at his limit.

Episode 13: Ryoma proves his worth against Atobe. After beating Atobe's technique, the game later turned out to be an endurance match, which Ryoma won.

Seigaku proceed to the Semi-finals.

 ***

The story has a faster pace than the main series. The viewer has to pay closer attention to the dialogue and the comments by the spectators. Inui and Fuji are not the only players who will explain the techniques this time. Everyone will contribute.

I'm glad to see a rematch with Hyotei in the second round. Both teams have shown that they improved.

The beach volleyball episode was hilarious so I advise the viewers to not skip it.

I liked the part where they explored part of Kaidoh's tennis. I've been wondering before how he would manage to win a game without using his famous technique. On the other hand, episode 11 has shocked me. I was happy to see different expressions on Tezuka's face for the first time but it felt so out of character. I did not think it was possible for him to have a weakness like that. Then again, he always keeps to himself and he has to carry the team's problems alone.

I'm giving this a 10 out of 10 rating.

Anyone who likes Prince of Tennis has to watch this. I mean, why shouldn't you?