Seishun Academy advances to take on Fudomine with volume four focusing on the three matchups, including two doubles matchups and Viper vs. Kamio in a stamina vs. speed matchup! A great sports manga that is addictive and leaves you craving for more! “The Prince of Tennis” vol. 4 is recommended!
© 1999 by Takeshi Konomi. All Rights Reserved.
MANGA TITLE: The Prince of Tennis vol. 4
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: October 27, 2004
The Nationals are coming and Seishun Academy has started training harder than ever! During practice, Rikkai Junior High School’s 8th grader ace Akaya Kirihara stops by to spy on Seishun Academy’s team. Luckily, he is caught and escorted off the grounds. But on the way out, he bumps into none other than Ryoma Echizen, the Prince of Tennis.
Pressure rises to the surface as these two ace players size each other up knowing that someday they will duke it out over the net to determine the better player! Soon after, Ryoma and Momo get drawn into a doubles match of tennis – street style! They soon find out that as a team, their selfish ways interfere with each other’s playing style, and they lose the match miserably.
Can these two star players ever learn how to get along and use their legendary skills to complement each other?
As Seishun Academy advances in the tournament, next up is Fudomine Junior High, led by their team captain Kippei.
The first matchup is a doubles match between Seishun Academy’s Takashi Kawamura and Shusuke Fuji vs. Tetsu Ishida and Masaya Sakurai, followed by a doubles matchup between Eiji Kikumaru and Shuichiro Oishi vs. Tatsunori Mori and Kyosuke Uchimura and a singles matchup between Kaoru Kaidoh vs. Akira Kamio.
Who will win this matchup between Seishun vs. Fudomine? Find out in Takeshi Konomi’s hit manga, “The Prince of Tennis” Vol. 4!
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!
In volume 4, Seishun Academy advances to take on Fudomine Junior High. And while Kawamura and Fuji are looked at as favorites, Fudomine’s Ishida has a special offensive attack move that may catch Seishun Academy by surprise. Meanwhile, Kikumaru and Oishi show why they are dominant doubles players but the key matchup is Kaoru Kaidoh, a stamina player vs. Akira Kamio, a speed player. Who will win in this matchup between Seishun Academy vs. Fudomine?
With the fourth volume of “The Prince of Tennis”, we finally get to see the other starters of Seishun Academy in action as the take on the bad boys of Fudomine Junior High. Primarily in the doubles matchup and seeing Fuji and Kawamura and also Kikumaru and Oishi take on Fudomine’s doubles team.
While the doubles matchups were exciting, one player gets injured badly in the first matchup.
But the most exciting matchup is Kaoru Kaidoh vs. Akira Kamio, stamina vs. speed and it’s an interesting matchup because Akira knows how to counter Kaoru’s snake moves. But how can the Viper beat this player that excels thanks to his speed?
Character design by Takeshi Konomi are well-done, the storyline manages to capture the excitement of tennis and strategy especially for the doubles and singles matchup but also giving readers a chance to see the Viper in action once more and see the improvement as a player since his loss to Ryoma.
Volume four is primarily the first three matchups between Seigaku and Fudomine and it’s an exciting matchup with unexpected results!
Overall, the fourth volume of “The Prince of Tennis” is simply delightful, wonderful tennis competitions and an exciting and addictive manga.
Simply a great sports manga and I can’t wait for volume five! Recommended!