The Prince of Tennis

Aa amazing story comes to us from overseas once again in anime form. The Prince of Tennis is everything an anime should be, an awesome plot an in depth main characters and lots of action! The show is based on the popular sport of Tennis, and many people don't understand exactly how that sports genera could move to the action packed world of anime but the Prince of Tennis delivers on all fronts! It's not your typical anime for sure, there are no strange adventures or creatures from other dimensions or galaxies but there are a wide variety of characters to keep your attention, and the music is amazing!

The Prince of Tennis focuses on a young seventh grade student in Japan named Ryoma Echizan. We fist meet our hero as he rides a train to a Tennis tournament. While on the train he overhears some cocky high-school kids bragging about their Tennis skills. Then they kids start to pick on a small girl Ryoma's age. Ryoma steps in and points out the flaws of their Tennis technique, irritating the students but before further confrontation the train stops and the players exit. Eventually Ryoma meets these students again and a challenge is issued in the form of a Tennis match.

The entire match is one sided as Ryomo crushes his opponent. Then as the match is about halfway over, the high-school kid freaking out as it is, we learn a secret Ryoma hides. Ryoma uses his right hand in all his matches, but in reality it's only because he needs a challenge, Ryoma Echizen is a South Paul, a left handed Tennis player! The match is won and we are left with an amazing show stuck in our minds The beginning and ending of the show also leave us with a catchy rock and roll instrumental balled that opens and closes out this show in an explosive way.

Rayoma is they key focus on the show, and unfortunately you are only briefly introduced to other characters on his team. Rayoma ends up playing for team Seigaku and becomes the youngest player to ever make the team. We also find out that Rayoma has no intent on going pro, and his father was also a tennis star. Other interesting characters are Momoshiro, who is like Rayoma's rival, and Kaidoh who is very stoic and known for his technique calling it the snake shot, and Kaidoh himself tries to resemble and act like a snake on the court.

The Tennis action in the show really brings the game to life like the pro's wish they could. We watch each move on the edge of our seats hoping our player will pull through for team Seigaku. Each shot from one side of the court is drawn out in classic anime style making everything seem more dramatic and exciting. A set may only last four or five returns but it feels like so much more.

The moves showcased in the show are real strategies and techniques used in the professional circuit, like top spins, slices and so on, and there are also those moves that we question that seem all too likely. The Spot, is a move used by alternating top spins and slices causing your opponents muscles to move in opposite directions inevitably causing muscle spasms that your opponent can't control. Also the Sake shot is a top spin hit a certain way causing the ball to bounce in the opposite direction when it hits the ground. There is just so much info in each episode it's great, like having a 30 minuet tennis lesson each time you watch.

The Prince of Tennis may sound like a boring anime but ask anyone who watches the show and they'll t ell you it's anything but. The show has done so well that it has produced 178 full length episodes in Japan, over 100 music CD's, several games, and multiple live action musicals. This proves the popularity of this great show, and now Americans are getting a taste of the anime as it has come to Cartoon Networks Saturday night line up of cartoons known as Toonami. Starting February 24th 2007 the series will start from square one with the first episode of The Prince of Tennis, hopefully bringing a large American fan base to the show.