It’s tournament time and now Seishun Academy must prepare against St. Rudolph and their master strategist Hajime. Can Seishun Academy win these two doubles matches? Find out in another exciting tennis competition-driven seventh volume of “The Prince of Tennis”.  Recommended!
© 1999 by Takeshi Konomi. All Rights Reserved.
MANGA TITLE: The Prince of Tennis vol. 7
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: May 15, 2005
As the road to the Nationals narrows, Seishun Academy squares off with Saint Rudolph. Through the maneuverings of Hajime, Saint Rudolph’s cunning manager, Ryoma gets matched up with Yuta – known to many as “Lefty Killer.” With an unorthodox game laced with reverse spins and angles, Yuta’s game ignites against the seemingly inexperienced-against-lefties Ryoma.
Meanwhile, the Seishun doubles tandem of Eiji and Shuichiro assume the Australian formation to break a tie. Is this a desperate attempt to win, or a well-calculated strategy?
The tournament continues as the final eight teams must battle and the winner moves on to Nationals.
And for Seishun Academy, to kick things off, Momo and Kaoru must play doubles (and try to get along) as they go against St. Rudolph’s Atsushi Kisarazu and Shinya Yanagisawa. Meanwhile, Hajime Mizuki, the brilliant strategist for St. Rudolph decides to use his best singles player Yoshiro Akazawa as a doubles player along with Ichiro Kaneda to take on Seishun’s “Golden Pair” Shuichiro Oishi and Eiji Kikumaru.
But how will St. Rudolph’s strategy work against Seishun’s top ranking duo?
Find out in “The Prince of Tennis” Vol. 7!
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 7, Seishun Academy and seven other teams make it into the final eight and are now closer in reaching the Nationals. But their next opponent will be their most difficult as they take on a team with a strategist that rivals Innui. Hajime Mizuki has observed Seishun Academy and has predicted how the scores would be.
In the first two doubles matches, he plans Ichiro Kaneda along with his singles player Yoshiro Akazawa to take on Seishun Academy’s Golden Pair and Atsushi Kisarazu and Shinya Yanagisawa to take on Kaoru Kaido and Takeshi Momo (two players that don’t get along).
Both matchups pits Seishun’s strategy against St. Rudolph’s strategy. Which strategy will work best in the matchup?
With the seventh volume of “Prince of Tennis”, it’s a battle of strategy as Hajime Mizuki of St. Rudolph feels his data is flawless and even has the score outcome as long as his players follows his plans.
And Seishun Academy’s goal to counter St. Rudolph’s Kisarazu/Yanagisawa is to use Kaido and Momo, two singles players with very different techniques. The problem is that they are two teammates that don’t get along. Will they put their differences aside and play as doubles?
But the most interesting matchup is St. Rudolph’s strategy to use their best singles player Yoshiro Akazawa along with doubles player Ichiro Kaneda against Seishun Academy’s “Golden Pair” Shuichiro Oishi and Eiji Kikumaru, a team who has never lost but last year’s final. But what happens when St. Rudolph’s Hajime employs a strategy in which the “Golden Pair” has never faced before?
An exciting doubles matchup is what readers can expect with volume 7 of “The Prince of Tennis”. It’s probably the most vulnerable one will see of “The Golden Pair” as St. Rudolph definitely came up with a strategy that is effective. But of course, you can never count Oishi and Kikumaru out! As for the doubles teamup of Kaido and Momo, suffice to say that putting these two is quite interesting, considering they loathe each other.
But the volume is about these two double matches and Innui and Hajime utilizing their strategies but seeing what the other is doing. For the most part, Hajime feels his data and strategy is flawless if people stick to his plan. But with tennis, things can be unpredictable.
Character design by Takeshi Konomi are always well-done, the storyline manages to capture the excitement of tennis and strategy especially for the two doubles matchups.
Overall, the seventh volume of “The Prince of Tennis” was fun and if you love tennis and sports manga, “The Prince of Tennis” is recommended!