As Seishun Academy determines its starting players before the upcoming Kanto Tournament, one rises to the ranks of a starter, while one starter unfortunately drops from the starting lineup. Who will be competing in the Kanto Tournament for Seinshun Academy and who will be the first opponent? Find out in vol. 14 of “The Prince of Tennis”!
© 1999 by Takeshi Konomi. All Rights Reserved.
MANGA TITLE: The Prince of Tennis vol. 14
STORY AND ART BY: Takeshi Konomi
FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: SHUEISHA, Inc.
PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC/Shonen Jump Manga
RATED: A for All Ages
RELEASE DATE: July 5, 2006
As more intra-squad games are played to determine the starting line-up, fellow Seishun Academy players Kunimitsu Tezuka and Sadaharu Inui duke it out for a slot. But the disparity in their skills becomes evident when everyone realizes that Kunimitsu has not budged since he delivered his serve.
Meanwhile, Coach Banda of Yamabuki Junior High offers team captain Kunimitsu a chance to play overseas as an exchange student. Could this be the end of Kunimitsu’s tour of duty at Seishun?
The matchup between Sadaharu Inui and Kunimitsu Tezuka continues as Tezuka starts to show another playing side that many teammates get to see.
Also, Seishun Academy Players must continue to compete on who will become a starter and for one player, he loses his starting position.
The Kanto Tournament begins and as the team prepares for their matchup, who will they end up competing against in the tournament for the first round?
Find out who in “The Prince of Tennis” Vol. 14!
What is “The Prince of Tennis”?
In 1999, tennis player and manga artist Takeshi Konomi created a series known as “Tennis no Ojisama”.
Published in Shueisha’s “Weekly Shonen Jump” in July 1999, the series became one of the most popular sports manga series created and would eventually lead to an anime series adaptation by Trans Arts and Nihon Ad Systems & TV Tokyo.
Suffice to say, the series became an incredible hit and popular media franchise which would lead to video games and more!
“The Prince of Tennis” is a manga series that revolves around Seishun Academy’s players and it’s seventh grade prodigy Ryoma Echizen. As other have the drive to become great tennis players, for Ryoma, his goal is to beat one person he has never beaten…his father, former tennis prodigy Nanjiro Echizen.
In vol. 14, the team has managed to advance to the Kanto Tournament and their aim is making it to Nationals. But for now, the Seishun Academy players must compete for a starting role and so far, the biggest surprise is Inui who’s data collecting has led him to beat other players quickly and lead him to a starting role.
But as the last volume showed Inui leading against Kunimitsu Tezuka, immediately, Tezuka shows that the data that Inui had collected on him is actually not his true competitive form.
Meanwhile, one starting player finds out that he lost his position. How will he deal with it?
“The Prince of Tennis” features the following characters:
- Ryoma Echizen – A seventh grade tennis prodigy who’s tennis skill has shocked everyone at Seishun Academy, but his lost to Team Captain Kunimitsu Tezuka makes Ryoma learn that he still has a ways to go in his tennis game.
- Kunimitsu Tezuka – The Team Captain who is trying to recuperate after an ankle injury. An excellent player but he starts to see the amazing potential of Ryoma.
- Shuichiro Oishi – The Alternate Team Captain and one half of the “Golden Team” duo with Eiji Kikumaru.
- Shusuke Fuji – One of the star solo players of Seishun Academy
- Eiji Kikumaru – Known for his acrobatic skills on the tennis court, he is one half of the “Golden Team” duo with Shuichiro Oishi.
- Takashi Kawamura – Seishun Academy’s power player.
- Sadaharu Inui – Known for keeping stats on data on every tennis player.
- Takeshi Momoshiro – Known for his dunk smash, Momoshiro has been limiting himself on the court after suffering an ankle injury.
- Kaoru Kaido – Hardly speaks, his stare is cold as ice and always looks grumpy. Known as “The Viper”.
- Sumire Ruuzaki – The Team Coach
- Nanjiro Echizen – Ryoma’s father who was once a tennis prodigy and was expected to go professional until he suffered a major injury. Now living at home and is a pervert, but still can easily beat Ryoma.
- Sakuno Ryuzaki – Sumire’s granddaughter and friend of Ryoma. Started playing tennis after watching Ryoma play.
- Kachiro, Horio, Katsuo – Seventh graders who are on the tennis team.
For “Prince of Tennis” fans, “The Prince of Tennis” vol. 14 is a new starting point.
As the team continues to get better, Sadaharu Inui has emerged as one of the best solo players of Seishun Academy but only so many people can become a starter on the team and one unfortunately loses their position.
But with competition also brings in some problems, especially with “The Golden Pair” as the other players start to notice some friction within Shuichiro Oishi and Eiji Kikumaru. What is going on with them?
As this volume focuses on the Inui and Tezuka matchup, it also focuses on the player who lost his starting position.
And leading up to the first round brackets of which team will be competing in the first round and Seishun Academy’s first round opponent comes as a big shock to some players.
So, while one can look at this latest volume as a breather before the big tournament, fans can definitely expect to see some surprises in volume 13.
Character design by Takeshi Konomi are always well-done, the storyline manages to capture the excitement of tennis and strategy of tennis, but capturing the players in competition. Great artwork and for the most part, his attention to detail for the players and the surrounding environments are well-done.
A solid volume for “The Prince of Tennis” fans, volume 14 is recommended!