Creator: Takeshi Konomi
Publisher: Viz
Age Rating: All Ages
Genres: Action, Sports
RRP: $7.99
The Prince of Tennis v19
Reviewed by Michael Aronson

“Captain Kunimitsu is out! Now, without him, Seishun’s up against a team coached by a four-time Japan Open winner. It’s time for serious pressure, on and off the court!”

I’m not easily caught off guard by a switch-up in storytelling, but I’m rather impressed by the turn Prince of Tennis has taken. In my review of the previous volume, which chronicled the end of the Seishun Academy’s first round in the Kanto Tournament, I complained that it’s tough to invest in the trials of these characters when we know they’re going to advance at least to the final four.

And so they do, in a single volume. While it took multiple volumes to follow each player’s matches in detail, adding suspense and energy to every stroke and strategy, volume seventeen barrels right through Seishun’s bout with Midoriyama. With the focus off of tennis, the characters finally get a few moments of downtime, and for the first time in four volumes I’m somewhat familiar with a few of their personalities. It’s a meager helping of characterization, and it won’t really add much to the in-game sequences, but it’s holding me over for now.

While there isn’t any new blood to the team as I had guessed, one character heads off the stage, leaving room for others to fill the void. One character is forced to make a few new decisions as others are given a chance to prove their worth. Even better, the groundwork is already being laid for the next round with the introduction of upcoming opponents.

I want to bump up the score a smidge, but despite all the improvements in this volume, I’m still not that enthused with what’s to come. A breather chapter is nice to get away from the tedium and implement some variety, but it’s hard to get excited when the next volumes look to feature the same old.

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6 October 2009
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