Prince of Tennis, Overview.

[7veilsphaedra.livejournal.com]

Let's make some sense of the spectacle called Prince of Tennis, or as it is known in fandom: Tenipuri or PoT! [Compiled for the crack_van fiction-rec community.]

• Prince of Tennis (テニスの王子様, Tenisu no Ōjisama) first appeared in "Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine", in July 1999 and has continued every week ever since, excluding a 3-month hiatus in 2006 while its creator recovered from an accident injury. The story is scheduled to end this month (December 2007.) It currently stands at close to 370 chapters or "Genius." ETA (4 March, 2008): The final chapter of Prince of Tennis, Genius 379, which features the decisive moments of the Nationals battle between Seigaku’s, Echizen Ryouma, and Rikkaidai’s, Yukimura Seiichi, was released in the final week of February, 2008.


• PoT was produced into a 178-episode anime series, 17 OVAs and still counting at the time of this entry, a live-action television movie, and 16 musicals to date which started in 2003 and are still going strong.


• It's mangaka, Konomi Takeshi, is one of the top taxpayers in the Japanese entertainment industry --- so, hugely successful.

"Why --?!" the reader must now be asking, "Why would anyone watch 178 anime episodes or read 370 chapters of manga about boys playing tennis, let alone write stories or create pictures for it?"

Firstly, it isn't necessary to read or watch the series in order to enjoy the best examples of writing from its fans. Certain episodes are helpful in order to understand the dynamics and character relationships, but a good story stands on its own merits. Sports stories are about conflict, both engaging in battles and learning how to fight them. What makes the stories fresh and new is the individuality of the characters and the extent to which they transcend their limitations. In Prince of Tennis, a huge part of the attraction is that it is a team sport, but one in which each character must stand strong on their individual merits because the team depends on them. If it was like professional tennis, where individuals fight for their own personal glory, it wouldn't be half as interesting or as complex.

The strangely addictive PoT series is centered around the games, training and adventures of a small, tight-knit group of characters known as the Seigaku Regulars, essentially the Touring and Competition members of a modern-day era tennis club at Seishun Gakuen Middle School in Tokyo. The starting line is their qualification matches for placement in the school team. The goal and grand finale is the victory cup at the All-Japan Nationals Tennis Championship. To get there, they must win over 19 other teams.

Credits: Most of the scanlations are courtesy of Fruity Explosive Translations (linked at the bottom of the page) and rycolaa’s sports manga scans. The screencaps are courtesy of Anime Otakus.



It’s a beautiful afternoon at Tokyo Fokuoka Stadium as we gather to watch the Seigaku Regulars battle for the position of first place amongst a cast of a kajillion-trillion!



The Seigaku Regulars


Konomi Takeshi, Prince of Tennis Fanbook, pages 118-119


For sheer quantity of characters, this popular and long-running series rivals the very population of Tokyo, itself, and almost all of it in glorious, well-toned, lightly dressed, athletic, young ...

Was I about to say men?

Technically, they aren’t. Technically, they are middle-school students --- that's “junior high school” to North Americans --- who range from 12 - 14 years of age, but only a handful of them look, sound and behave like young boys. The rest look, speak and, for the most part, demonstrate the physical, emotional, and mental prowess of fully grown, responsible, socially conscious college undergraduates.In other words, the racier Prince of Tennis fanfiction and fanart on Livejournal requires an age-bump disclaimer. It isn't just the way that the characters are drawn, or the talented Seiyū who give them --- for the most part --- such mature voices; it's the nature of the subject itself: challenges, growth, loyalty, rivalry, personal sacrifice, loss, pain, inspiration, healing, overcoming adversity, victory and so on, mixed in with a hefty dose of silliness, the absurd and sheer joy of life. All sports stories may have an element of Bildungsroman in them or even a touch of Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey, but it's always more fun with crack. If you read further, spoilers will abound, so without further ado ...

Here’s the line-up:

Echizen Ryoma:







Echizen:
is the star of this show, a 12-year-old tennis ace, returning for his first year of studies and team tennis at Seishun Gakuen Middle School after a prolonged stint in the United States which included junior championship level tennis training and competition.


has a number of advantages --- physiological, psychological, socio-economical --- that contribute to making him an accomplished athlete, not just in tennis.


is the second son of Echizen "Samurai" Nanjiroh, a retired Grand Slam Master and Buddhist monk. He lives with his father, mother, cousin and an adorable Himalayan cat named Karupin. Father and son have access to an old Buddhist temple with a clay tennis court where Nanjiroh works their game fairly regularly. Prince of Tennis is full of interesting Japanese cultural references.


clearly wants to be the star at tennis, and won't let anyone or anything obstruct him. He taunts and goads other tennis players, no matter if they are his seniors, with the catch-phrase "Mada, mada dane" which roughly translates to "you still have a lot to learn." He loves to show up a bully or a tough-talker. Nor does he feel any need to pander to adult agendas. He wins against almost all his opponents with a couple of notable exceptions. Those who do manage to beat him usually lose on their second match. Otherwise, he is fairly quiet and serious.


is extremely respectful of Seiguka Regular's team captain, Tezuka Kunimitzu, not only because of his formidable tennis-playing skills, but because of his leadership qualities and personality. Tezuka asks Echizen to carry on the leadership role as Seishun Gakuen's next captain and become "a pillar of support" for the team. Tezuka also cuts him from the line-up for the Japan-American Invitational Tournament when he feels that he takes his talent for granted and has started to stagnate, giving the boy a much needed shake-up.


enjoys a buddy relationship with senior, Momoshiro Takeshi, whose easy-going, good-natured charm and bravado provides a nice counterpoint to Ryoma's immature and awkward side.


pretends to ignore his fan-girls and fan-boys, except to give Ryuzake Sakuna the occasional critique on her tennis form or compliment her on some sort of equipment. He will step forward to defend them from bullies if they're threatened. In one instance, he takes out the whole team of a rival tennis school on court. And, yes! --- it is one of his endearing qualities.

Tezuka Kunimitzu:

Tezuka Kunimitzu, Captain Anime Version: as soft as his expression ever gets until almost the last scene.	Sparkles + Male Anime/Manga Character = Charisma




Tezuka:


• is the charismatic Captain (Buchou) of the Seigaku Regulars Competitive Tennis Team.



• projects the aura of a fully self-realized and socially responsible adult male, dedicated to leading his team to victory in the All-Japan National Junior Tennis Championship, no matter what the personal cost. Tezuka is a very serious, stoic young man who refuses to get enmeshed in personality struggles. His protests to teammate, Fuji Syusuke, that nothing matters to him but winning (Anime episode 175: Seriousness in the Third Year), are in direct contradiction with his nature and actions: he does not have an egocentric, individualistic personality and will jeopardize his physical health, not to mention his potential career as a professional athlete, and even his own personal victories in order to benefit his team (Anime Episode 67: End of the Ball), which he does repeatedly (Manga Chapter 352: "Certain Expectations.") A major part of the series concerns his absence from the team as he rehabilitates his injury (in Germany, according to the anime, or Kyuushu, in the manga.)


• showed his commitment to lead Seigaku to the Nationals from the start. His dedication put him at odds with some of the senior-ranked students in the tennis team who considered him an upstart. A group of these students attacked him one day after practice. This has had longterm ramifications, not the least of which is how overcompensation leaves him vulnerable to new injuries.


• takes PoT's brand of Magical Mystery Tennis and explodes it into a quasi-mystical celebration of hallucinatory proportions. Forget tennis that follows the laws of physics.


This is Cosmic Tennis !!!



When Tezuka Kunimitzu squares off with his friend and rival, Shitenhouji's Chitose Senri, in Nationals semi-finals chapters, 333 - 337, tennis enters the plane of Muga. Ooooh! What is Muga? Erm ... while Konomi does a good job, especially in the earlier episodes, of showing real tennis techniques and devotes entire stories to effective training, providing plenty of material which might actually work, this is something else.

Muga seems to have surpassed Paradise, Nirvana, Buddhi, and the Tao about 40 chapters previously. When Tezuka fights his final battle against Rikkai Dai's, Sanada Genichirou, in 346 - 353, it shakes the very foundations of Heaven and Earth. It's a bit short on plot, but showcases Konomi's real artistic power which is beautifully rendered images of the male athlete's body in motion and impressive euphemisms for magic tennis moves which show up as waves of energy, lightning bolts, tornadoes and lots and lots of shouting.

Every seasoned player must have their cache of stories where, conceivably, their opponent seemed to split into three, or the ball disappeared, or flew up at a right angle in front of their face, or got pulled into their "Zone" like it was some kind of magnetic suction vortex --- things like that. It is as though such tall tales and sports legends have been lovingly gathered into the PoT and served up in a tasty tribute.

Oishi Shuichiro:





Anime Episode 33: Tie Break.



Weekly Shonen Jump, V. 7, Ch. 58, p. 141


Oishi:


• is the Vice-Captain of the Seigaku Regulars.



• has a gentle, nurturing personality and is often called "the Mother of Seigaku" by his teammates. His nurturing quality can also turn anxious and fretful, and he is prone to getting stressed. Where Tezuka works to maintain the Spirit of their team, it could be said that Oishi tends to their Soul. He looks for ways to bring them closer together, for example, by suggesting outings which are not competitive in nature, or trying to psychoanalyze them. The results are mixed, but usually his good heart prevails and everything turns out well.



• is one-half of The Golden Pair doubles team with Kikumaru Eiji. He is such a formidable player that he can often hold the ground against an opposing doubles team when Kikamaru is debilitated during a game. Most of the episodes which feature Oishi in a central position directly deal with his relationship with Kikamaru. He is like the solid foundation on which their partnership is built.



• Konomi has said that Oishi is Tezuka's superior in mathematics.


Sadaharu Inui:
















Anime Episode 174: "Tezuka Kunimitzu vs. Fuji Syuusuke"








"Weekly Shonen Jump", Chapter 113, page 152- 153


Inui:

• has a computer-like memory able to access incalculable minutiae of random information and spout them at will. Therefore, he specializes in data tennis, the accumulation of detailed knowledge about his opponents' patterns and physical capabilities that allows him to analyze techniques, calculate the odds of particular moves and strategize a favourable outcome. He cannot predict outcomes for teammates Echizen Ryoma, Fuji Syusuke, or Tezuka Kunimitzu.


• is placed in charge of coordinating the physical training for the team. His ability to analyze their weaknesses makes him well-suited for this task. He, himself, is no slouch as is revealed in several matches.


• "Inui Juice" is Konomi's chance to poke fun at the stereotypical hatred teenaged boys harbour for all healthy foods, especially vegetables. It also lets him bring out the manaical mad scientist in the data-tennis player. No one but Inui knows the actual ingredients that go into his glowing, unnaturally coloured drinks, but they are rumoured to contain things like vegetable juices, sardines, and in the crackier episodes, Japanese Rhinoceros Beetles or sea-turtle collagen, a satirical poke at snake-oils peddled to gullible sports supplement consumers. The results are such that his drinks are considered mandatory as a negative reinforcement technique for slackers.


• is a nurturing, supportive friend and mentor to fellow teammate, Kaidoh Kaoru, cautioning the boy when he overdoes it and personalizing his exercise routine to make better use of his talents. Together they become a powerful doubles team which fandom refers to as
The Emerald Pair.

• tends to spy on his teammates and, with his cell-phone enlists the others in ill-fated rescue missions which turn out oddly because he garbles his gossip. Tezuka usually hangs up on him when he calls.


Momoshiro Takeshi:







Anime Episode 71: It's a Date!
"Weekly Shonen Jump"

Momochan:


• is loud, brash, gregarious, fun-loving, impulsive and magnanimous. He can also be bombastic, resentful, hotheaded and a bit of a loose cannon. In the hierarchical structure of Japanese schools and clubs, he is a good "Sempai" --- an older student who supports the younger ones, makes them feel welcome and comfortable, free to ask for help. He is also quick to take offense, although he prefers to settle his disputes on the courts, not with his fists.


• practices a type of tennis which is both powerful and instinctive, which he hones, not only through practice and many impromptu "street tennis" matches, but with meditation in nature. His Zen style of training allows him to intuit his opponents' moves and utilize natural forces in their defeat. In the Nationals semifinals, his ability is blocked by an unusual technique utilized by Oshitari Yuushi.


• is Echizen's loyal friend. He's always encouraging Ryoma to have fun and be a kid, to join him for lunch at the burger joint or noodle house,or take part in rowdy street tennis matches. The episode where they try to set themselves up as a doubles team is a priceless revelation about strong egos. When Echizen loses his memories in an accident during the Nationals, Momochan dedicates his efforts to the rescue and restoration.


• bickers and snarks with teammate, Kaidoh Kaoru. Their rivalry spurs them to become better players since they each refuse to let the other have the upper hand. He also gets into a similar pattern with Kamio from Fudomine. Ultimately, there is an underlying respect in spite of their differences.


• was so unhappy with being cut from the Regulars lineup that he failed to show up for practice for three days. This offended Tezuka. He returns after Tachibana An needles him into playing as her doubles partner in a street tennis match. Momo enjoys a nice friendship with her.

Kikumaru Eiji:















Anime Episode 33: Tie Break





"Weekly Shonen Jump," ch. 365, p. 8-9


Kikumaru:

• utilizes his flexibility and gymnastics background in his games, with lots of springing, aerial flips and unpredictable moves. He is very quick, agile and keen of sight. This particular style uses a lot of energy, and one of his recurring threads in the series is about the limitations of his endurance.


• is the other half of The Golden Pair or Golden Combo, with Oishi.


• is one of the most positive and upbeat characters on the team, with a signature bouncing greeting "Hoi! Hoi!" He also calls Echizen "O-Chibi." On the other hand, when he feels slighted, he can be very resentful and sulky, and sometimes he takes things personally which were never intended to cause him injury. Whatever his teammates do, they better not steal his Chocolates kisses!


• is sometimes characterized either as a "racoon" or a "cat" --- two of the Shinto nature spirits which are said to be able to assume human form, and which have certain characteristics which some humans mimic: the raccoon "plays possum" or "plays dead" and the cat is extraordinarily agile. That's it for the reference, however; nothing more is implied.


• has some the most unbelievable and trippy Magic Tennis moves in the series. One involves moving so fast that his opponents are confused by double and even triple after-images of him. The Synchronization style he achieves with Oishi involves a lot of floating in midair like Peter Pan. Check that out at the next Masters!


Fuji Syusuke (sometimes spelled “Shusuke”):


Anime Episode: Hakugei.




Prince of Tennis Fanbook 3.0, p. 82-83













Fuji:

• is referred to as the tensai, or prodigy --- a natural genius at tennis. His style of play is counterpunching, in which he turns the force of his opponent's strikes against them. His moves, especially his signature triple-counters, seem to draw on themes which appear in nature and even the wind itself.


• has gentle mannerisms, speaks softly and wears a serene smile which reveals nothing of his thoughts or feelings. The only time this changes is when he "wakes up" and calls up all his considerable talents in order to achieve a decisive victory. Then his eyes open wide. In the anime, this is brought out with the ringing sound effect of a knife or sword being unsheathed, signifying ... sharpness or danger, I suppose.


• is not inspired to play tennis with a competitive spirit. After his match with Ryoma is called off due to a downpour, he admits to Tezuka that his main inspiration for playing the game is not to win, but to bring the best out of his opponents and, if this was a problem, he should be taken off the team.


• will only play his best when others are being hurt. It is only when he is angered by his opponent's ill-usage, disrespect or treatment of others, such as when his brother, Yuuta's, wellbeing is threatened by St. Rudolph's Mizuki Hajime, humiliated by Hyotei's Akutagaya Jiroh, or when Tachibana Kissei and Echizen Ryoma are injured by the violent tactics of Rikkai Dai's, Kirihara Akaya, that his impressive courage and fighting spirit emerges. Although he will endure grueling punishment on courts, he usually turns it around as a lesson to his opponent without indulging in violent retaliation; so he is not sadistic. Nor is he a masochist, in spite of taking on such abusive opponents for, in the end, he teaches them a sharp lesson. This compassionate nature also comes to the fore when he is commandeered by a presumptuous younger girl into service as her boyfriend until problems with her sister are worked out. It is a mistake to underestimate this character.


• has a sister named Yumiko who reads tarot cards, and a brother named Yuuta who is tired of being compared unfavourably against Syusuke and is determined to surpass him. He even leaves Seigaku to achieve this objective. His father never appears in the series, although it is said he works in a foreign country.


• is one of Tezuka's best and most supportive friends. They are shown sitting together in class, toasting the latest win at Kawamura's Sushi (Kawamura Takashi is Fuji's partner during doubles matches), meeting outside the hospital. The issue of playing against Tezuka as a rival is one of the main threads which pertain to Fuji.


• seems to accumulate the most White Day Chocolate of all the Regulars.


Kawamura Takashi:



Nationals OVA 17


















"Weekly Shonen Jump" (That's the way it's drawn.)




Taka-San:

• has a split personality. Normally, he is very gentle, mild and self-effacing. Put a racquet in his hand and he becomes a passionate, fiery and strong power player. His signature line is to shout, at the top of his lungs, "Burning! Burning!" (in English.) Be thankful for small mercies that at least it's not "Flaming! Flaming!" This trait is satirized in the show. Whenever the team needs Kawamura to stop being reticent and start being intimidating and strong, such as in the purse-snatching episode, they stick a tennis racquet in his hand.


• is a power-player through and through. He specializes in two heavy strokes, the Hadoukyuu and the one-handed Hadoukyuu which is said to destroy the shoulder if it is hit too often.


• enjoys a great relationship with his father, the head chef at Kawamura's Sushi Restaurant. He has made a commitment to throw himself 100% into training for the restaurant when his stint with the Seigaku Regulars is over. In the meantime, he throws himself into tennis with the same passion so that, when he leaves middle school, he has no regrets. Kawamura's Sushi House is a popular spot with the Regulars for all their celebrations.


• has an interesting relationship with the violent Akutsu of rival team Yamabuki.


Kaidoh Kaoru





















Prince of Tennis Fanbook, p. 84-85

Kaidoh:


• detests his nickname, "The Viper" (Romanji: Mamushi), given to him on account of his specialty shot, "the snake." He also has snake-like mannerisms such as a loud, hissing exhale and a somewhat beady-eyed look, which freshman consider scary. It may also refer to the swaying stance, in which he stands low on his center of gravity and shifts the balance between his right and left feet very much like the snake-style of martial arts, in preparation for his buggy-whip shots.


• looks and sounds fearsome, and has a ferociously bad-tempered way of snapping at people who offend him, but is also chivalrous, bashful and finds it difficult to express things verbally, even if simply to ask for clarification when he is confused, for example, in anime episodes 22: Kaoru's Misfortune, where his training puts him in a collision course with efforts to apprehend a purse-snatcher, and 71: It's a Date! --- where Inui's garbled gossip has him wondering exactly what is the nature of their relationship.


• is a friend and sometimes doubles partner of his senior, data-tennis player, Inui Sadaharu.


• has extraordinary levels of intrinsic motivation and perseverance with a brutal, self-imposed training regimen. Inui uses his knowledge of physiology and sports training to help him fine-tune his training.


• does not suffer fools and clowns. This puts him in an adversarial position with his classmate, Momoshiro, who likes to joke around and break the ice with informality.


• has a younger brother named Kazue and enjoys a great relationship with his parents.

Peripheral Characters:

Segaku Regulars Coach, Ryuzake Sumire-Sensai.

Seiguku coach, Ryuzake Sumire, who seems to conform to the cultural stereotype that, if she's post-menopausal, she's earned the right to be a fire-breather.



Seigaku Coach, Ryuzaki Sumire-Sensei, bursts a blood vessel.


Ryuzake-Sensei:


• takes a fairly hands-off approach in order that the team-members develop their skills from intrinsic desire --- in other words, to grow up and be self-responsible --- and this includes allowing them to make mistakes. Once in awhile, she intervenes, calling off the Fuji-Echizen practice that was developing into a serious match in a downpour, for example. Her style is usually a lot more subtle --- offering choices,but never pressuring her students to decide in a particular direction,such as in the episode when she shows Tezuka some brochures to the latest, most comprehensive Sports Medicine and Physiotherapy Centers in the world, thusly prompting his trip to Germany.


• lacks the all-consuming need to dominate that makes other coaches or tournament organizers use Mediaeval tactics on their students. Ryuzake wants her team to win, but not at any cost.


• has a granddaughter who attends Seishun Gakuen as a freshman. The girl also plays tennis and harbours a crush on Echizen.


• teaches senior level mathematics.

The Three Kohai:
Horio Satoshi, Kato Kachiro, Katsuo Mizuno.


These boys are Kohai (freshman students), at Seishun Gakuen, the same year as Echizen Ryoma, and members of the Tennis Club, although not of the prestigious Regulars. They distinguish themselves by reaching out in friendship to Ryoma on his first day, and supporting him as his own private team of fanboys throughout the story. In fact, their main function appears to be that of a Greek Chorus, providing commentary on the action and drawing out explanations of the Magic Tennis Canon from the experts.

Katsuo and Kato are the hardest to remember of the trio because their personalities are interchangeable, and they look and dress so much alike. I think Katsuo is the tall one, but I'm not sure. Horio represents the self-styled expert which is to say, the irritating kid with the loud, grating voice who took a couple years of tennis and now knows all about it --- ahem, *blushes*. His appraisals are usually wildly off-base, but he is so enthusiastic and wholeheartedly in love with the game that, apart from correcting him, no one has the heart to crush him completely. The dynamic between the three boys is part of a Japanese comedy tradition called Manzai. Horio's role is the boke, or clown, and Katsuo and Kato equally play the role of the tsukkomi, or straight man. Usually, the role calls for the boke to let out a steady stream of bad jokes and misinformation which causes tension to build in the tsukkomi, and the audience holds its breath in anticipation of when the tsukkomi finally explode from the pressure.

The Sports Journalists:
Writer, Inoue Mamoru, and Photographer,Shiba Saori.

Shiba and Inoue

This pair are the duo of a sports writer and sports photographer for the periodical "Tennis Monthly." They also serve as the Greek Chorus for background material that extends beyond the boundaries of the school, for example, rumours with regards to other school teams and the story of Echizen Nanjiroh.


Echizen "Samurai" Nanjiroh:



Echizen's father, a former tennis championship who gave up his pro career to become a Buddhist monk and raise his family, Nanjiroh is unbeaten and represents the standard against which Ryoma strives. He enjoys soft-core porn and tries to spy on Echizen's games in (easily penetrated) disguise. At the end of the Nationals arc, he challenges Ryoma to play for the enjoyment of the sport, not merely to win, which results in the mysterious accident where Ryoma loses his memories.

Masashi Arai:



Arai seems to represent the spirit of poor sportsmanship and mediocrity, a barrier or obstacle of sorts set up by conventional people, the sort who think that disrespect for the convention is the same as disrespect for them. Echizen dispenses with him very quickly at the school level. Konomi also does a good job of developing Arai's character into something more interesting as the series progresses, especially when he tries to intercept Yamabuchi's violent Akutsu Jin during a rampage through Seishun Gakuen.

The Fangirls:
Ryuzake Sakuno and Osakada Tamoko:

PoT creator, Takeshi Konomi, is not so great with the female characters. For the most part, they are invisible and, when they do surface, they tend to be infatuated cheerleaders, as you can see from the following excerpt where exuberant fangirl #2, Osakada Tamoko, chides shy fangirl #1, Ryuzake Sakuno, positions determined by order of appearance in storyline alone:






Even when they are supposed to be capable, adult women ---







Jyosei Shonen Coach, Aoi Hanamura-Sensei, begs Echizen Ryoma to let her be of service
in Anime Episode 76, "Seigaku's Regulars vs. Jyousei Shonan"



--- with the singular exception of the one-shot appearance of a German physiotherapist/former Olympian tennis star. In the face of so much testosterone, even Shiba is turned into a quivering bundle of athlete-crazed goo:





Since this is about a Japanese cartoon, however, and not a dissertation on postmodern Feminist theory, fans overlook this in favour of lots and lots of boys playing games with their balls and offering each other friendly, sporting advice:







Seigaku Regular, Momoshiro Takeshi asserts his position over fellow teammate, Kaidoh Kaoru (bottom).




Here are the primary story arcs for Konomi Takeshi's manga and anime series, The Prince of Tennis:


[Click on the links for more detailed information about each arc. The information isn't completely compiled yet, so I will edit and update as, in the Nationals series, they become available or where I simply haven't had time to get to them yet.]

First Season:
Introduction and Intra-School Ranking Arc:

Anime Episodes 1 - 10
Manga Volumes 1 - 3, genius (chapters) 1 - 16


Echizen Ryoma


The Regulars:Buchou, Tezuka Kunimitzu; Tensai, Fuji Syusuke; Vice-Captain and Precision Play Specialist, Oishi Shuuichirou; Acrobat, Kikamaru Eiji; Data Tennis Player, Inui Sadaharu; Snake Artist, Kaidoh Kaoru, Intuitive Power Player, Momoshiro Takashi; Power Player, Kawamura Takeshi.

Where we are introduced to Ryoma and the Seigaku Regulars.


The District Tournament Story Arc: Seigaku vs. Fudomine:


Fudomine Chugakko, Prince of Tennis Artbook 30.5, p. 20-21.

Anime Episodes 11 - 21
Manga Volumes, 3 - 5, genius 17 - 42.

Where we are introduced to the Fudomine team and Ryoma plays in his first tournament with the Seigaku Regulars against another school.

Seigaku Trains for the Tokyo Prefectural Tournament Finals:

Anime Episodes 22 - 26
Manga Volumes 5 - 7, Genius 41 - 52


Second Season:
Tokyo Prefectural Tournament 1: Seigaku Regulars vs. St. Rudolph:

Anime Episodes 27 -36
Manga Volumes 7, genius 53 - Volume 9, genius 76


St. Rudolph Gakuen, Prince of Tennis Fanbook 30.5, p. 22

This arc hones in on the issue of school sports espionage and scouting.


Tokyo Prefectural Tournament 2: Seigaku vs. Yamabuki

Anime Episodes 41 -48 with some foreshadowing in training arc episode 38.
Manga Volumes 10 - 13.

Yamabuki Chuugakku Prince of Tennis Artbook 30.5, p. 25

The most remarkable feature of this particular arc is rebel, Akutsu Jin's combined violence, contempt for others, and brilliance, and the trickster, Sengoku Kiyosami's dependence on psyche-out tactics. Coach Banda "Banji" Mikiya hopes to channel Akutsu's rage into a world-class athlete. The main theme, however, is that what distinguishes a winner and a winning team is the intrinsic desire to win and ability to evolve when faced with adversity and an overwhelming opponent.


Third Season: Kantou Regional Semi-Final Tournament 1.
Fifth Season: Training Camp to prepare Seigaku to meet Rikkaidai.
Nationals Semi-Finals OVA 8 - 13:

Seigaku Regulars vs. Hyoutei Gakuen:

Anime Episodes 55 - 68, 110 - 114, and Nationals OVA 8 - 13.
Manga Chapters, Vol. 14, Genius 122 - Vol. 18, Genius 157.

Hyotei Gakuen, Prince of Tennis Artbook 30.5, p. 31

An odd combination of rivalry and support, admiration and the desire to learn from and, thusly, overmaster each other builds up between the two different schools, so that they meet again and again in competition. Third Season: Kantou Regional Semi-Final Tournament.



Seigaku Regulars vs. Midoriyama:

Manga, Vol. 19, Genius 162 - 165.
This series was never animated.


Midoriyama Regulars (all second year students.) In terms of the two doubles pairs: Takase Masato is to the right of Kitamura Wataru, and Minamoto Takuma is to the right of Habu Itto.

Shiba (photographer, Tennis Monthly) introduces herself to the Midoriyama Team and discovers their attitude toward the upcoming match with Seigaku to be rude and conceited, such that they don't believe the matches to be worth their effort now that Tezuka is in rehabilitation. Much of their playing style is based on the pro circuit experiences of their coach.


Midoriyama Coach, Kirakou Taizou, former pro tennis player and four-time consecutive Japanese Champion.
It seems that Kirakou and Echizen Nanjiroh have a history. The doubles teams of Inui/Kaidoh and Kikamaru/Momoshiro and the singles match with Echizen Ryouma teach Midoriyama sharp lessons in underestimating opponents and not putting forward the necessary effort to win.


Seigaku Regulars vs. Jyosei Shonen:

Anime Episodes, 76 - 85.
This series did not occur in the Manga. In the manga, Seigaku played against the Midoriyama School.


L-R: Captain, Kajimoto Takahisa; Wakato Hiroshi; Shinjo Reiji;Doubles 2: Kouhei and Youhei Tanaka; Doubles 1, Oota Kakeru and Kiriyama Daichi; Coach, Aoi Hanamura.

Jyosei Shonen prides itself on its state-of-the-art sport programs, and it's students love their coach, Aoi Hanamura, who calls them "her masterpieces."


Seigaku Regulars vs. Rokkaku:

Anime Episodes, 91 -97.
Manga Volumes 20 - 21, Genius 168 - 182.
Rokkaku Chuugaku, Prince of Tennis Artbook 30.5, p. 26.

The Rokkaku Chuugaku team in Chiba, northeast of Tokyo, are the friendliest team on the league and it's clear its members love the sport of tennis. Playing tennis with them isn't only competition, but a lot of fun for the Seigaku team as well.


East Coast - West Coast Invitational Tournament
Kantou Regional Junior Invitational Team vs. American West Coast Junior Invitational Team:
Anime Episodes, 147-160.
This series did not appear in the Manga.



L-R: Richard Baker, Coach for the American West Coast Junior Invitational Team on tour in Japan; Mr. Nakamura, Promoter and Agent for the team in Japan; Miss Takayama, Marketing & Development Manager for a corporation which may sponsor the American team in Japan; and Steve Myers, Executive Officer for the American Junior High School Tennis Association.


American West Coast Junior Invitational Tournament Team: Billy Cassidy, Michael Lee, Tom and Terry Griffey, Bobby Max, Arnold Ignashov, Kevin Smith.
Kantou Regional Invitational Tournament Team: Atobe Keigo, Sanada Genichirou, Kikamaru Eiji, Oshitari Yuushi, Sengoku Kiyosami, Fuji Syusuke, Kirihara Akaya, Echizen Ryoma.

This arc is about the clash between big business and amateur sports. It shows both the difficulties and advantages of cultivating good athletes when the focus is upon sponsorship as opposed to developing sportsmanship.


Nationals Semifinals
Seigaku Regulars vs. Higa:

OVA Episodes, 2 - 6.
Manga Chapters, Shonen Jump Weekly, .




Higa, Prince of Tennis Fanbook 40.5

Higa School from Okinawa has the most belligerent and arrogant students in the tennis league. Their cheering section is the epitome of poor sportsmanship. Their Regulars are more than willing to provoke a fight or jump in at the slightest opportunity. Nor do they seem to respect or honour the principles of fair play. At first it is implied that this might have to do with their background in Okinawan martial arts, but it may have more to do with their coach, Saotome Harumi, who advises his "boys" to fight dirty.


Nationals Semifinals
Seigaku Regulars vs. Shitenhouji:

OVA
Manga Genius 306 - 340.


Shitenhouji, Prince of Tennis Fanbook 40.5

There are a lot of similarities between the tennis team from Shitenhouji and Rokkaku, in terms of good cheer and goofiness. Ultimately this arc seems to deal with how even inner attainments in tennis, such as wisdom have to abide in a state of openness toward all possibility, or they change into something different, something less effective.


Kantou Regional Finals.
Nationals Finals

Seigaku Regulars vs. Rikkaidai.

Kantou Regional Finals: Anime Episodes, 104-105, 116-128.
Manga, Volumes 22 - 27, Genius 186 - 237.

National Finals: OVA, currently in production.
Manga, Genius 345 - 367, unfinished at present.
Rikkaidai, Prince of Tennis Artbook 30.5, p. 32.

Rikkai Daigaku Fuzaku dominated the Japan National Tournament for the past two years, with their unbeatable line-up, and Seigaku barely manages to defeat them during the Kantou Regional semifinals.


Fandom Resources:

Please purchase the manga through Viz Media and Shounen Jump magazine. It is superior to anything else you will find online and encourages companies to publish mangas.

Official Prince of Tennis Musicals site.
Latest Manga Scanlations for Online Reading, English only.
Earlier Chapters of Manga Scanlations for download. (I'm not sure about this, but you may have to join the free_manga community in order to access this. Please credit mienai_hoshi.) ETA: The latest scanlations at the Free Manga comm can be found here. They are also available through Rycolaa’s sports manga scanlations.

The Wikipedia reference is very well put-together.
Fruity Explosive Translation has a comprehensive collection of teams, character sketches and synopsis for every character in the PoT universe except, for some strange reason, Jyousei Shonen. They also maintin an IRC channel where the latest scanlations can be downloaded.

Livejournal Communities:

tenipuri Large active site for fanfic, fanart, rps comms, vidding, contests and so on. No pairing/shipping restrictions. No bias for het, yaoi, or yuri --- except for those which exist within the fandom itself, ie., almost overwhelmingly yaoi-centered.
tenipuri_yaoi Same as above, except restricted to slash pairings
potfics Strictly tenipuri fanfics.
tenimedia Resource site for information regarding actors, musicals, seiyuus and voice CDs.
rackets Downloads and other resources
tenipurimusic Music
tenimyu Large active site for fanning over the PoT musicals, musical performers and anything related to them.
tenimyu_lyrics Self-explanatory.
tenimyu_slash Fanfiction and Fanart dedicated to the actors who perform in PoT musicals.
crack_pot Crack pairings
pot_snapshots Drabbles and Ficlets

Quite a lot of good PoT fanfiction was written for the purpose of giftfic exchanges at different intervals during the year. Sometimes, finding these fics requires digging into the archives. Here are some of these comms:

rikkai_exchange
santa_smex
spring_fluff
rikkai_shorts
triopuri

Team-based LJ communities:

fudo_courts
court_ladies (gender, not team-based)
rokkakuchuu
shitenhoji
higa_chuu
go_go_rikkaidai


There are also a lot of shipping based communities and gift-fic exchanges.

~*~

Comments

[7veilsphaedra.livejournal.com]

That's nice to know. Cheers!

[giving-ground.livejournal.com]

One thing it's probably worth mentioning in overview of Rikkai's portion of the series is how extremely different the regional final D1 match is in the manga and anime -- I think you covered the anime version, but so much Yagyuu/Niou fic (particularly older stories) hinges around manga-only events. ^^ (But my god, you've put a lot of effort into this! *g* I should probably look at your summaries for some of the schools I haven't read about in a couple of years. *sheepish*)

[7veilsphaedra.livejournal.com]

Oh, there are tonnes of different discrepancies I couldn't cover, and entire story lines I just didn't have the time to tackle, but plan to fill in when time and other projects clear up a little for me. I notice some fans wrote their overviews over the period of years, but I began this in early November. You're absolutely right about the difference, especially with Kikamaru being knocked unconscious, and the Niou/Yagyuu switchover, as well as the change in the Golden Pair's defense strategy. It's wonderful to get comments like this, however, so I can focus on reining in some of the strays. I like how the old overviews are archived so that it is possible to do this.

[giving-ground.livejournal.com]

*g* Oh, totally. I wouldn't have time to do all this! I just thought I'd mention that one as it's so... critical to a lot of fanworks about those characters? Whereas a lot of the other differences between anime and manga don't do as much to change how the characters come across.

[7veilsphaedra.livejournal.com]

Got it. Cheers!

[7veilsphaedra.livejournal.com]

Fixed, I think. *smile*

[giving-ground.livejournal.com]

*takes a look* Shiny! Thank you. ^^

[twigged.livejournal.com]

Okay, now I'll understand what half the people on my friends list are talking about! :D Thanks!

[7veilsphaedra.livejournal.com]

Great. :D It takes a little while to get used to the characters in all those different schools. Cheers!