I wanted to put the hirigana for that phrase, but dA won't let me. But if you are a fan of TeniPuri, you know it looks like this:

まだまだだね -OR-
"You've still got a ways to go."

Echizen Ryoma never ceases to amaze me.

In just 40 days--yes, i kept track--i watched the entirety of The Prince of Tennis series, or テニスの王子様, "Tenisu no Ōjisama." (and in case you haven't noticed, i am dropping the Japanese like crazy on the entry!)

When I first started the series, i wasn't expecting much. I thought, "Ooh, an anime about tennis. Yay." The characters looked interesting, and I had seen the expansive manga tons of times when i went to Borders and Waldenbooks. with all that in mind, i started watching the anime with an open mind, and my expectations low.

Boy, was I ever wrong.

Prince of Tennis completely surpassed my initial opinions. I'm not a huge fan of tennis; i used to play it when i was younger, and i watch it when it's on tv. Now, however, i can't get enough! This anime is about so much more than tennis, too. To be honest, what makes this anime work is its characters. The plot is nothing special; it's the dynamic characters that pull this anime off, and make it stand out in my books as one of my top five anime.

Typical to many female TeniPuri fans, I am a Tezuka (Tezuka Kunimitsu, 手塚 国光 ) fangirl, and proud of it! (But don't even mention yaoi to me; i do not like it.) There was just something about him from the start that i liked about it. it wasn't until i watched the final episode literally just minutes ago that i figured out why I like his character: he is the type of person who, while he does indeed play for his own sake, he forces people to play and perform to the best of their abilities in everything they do. while not the most expressive person, he was emotional in his own way; more on that later. Also, his glasses make him look sexy.

Also typical me has a soft spot fro or Fuji (Fuji Syusuke, 不二 周助 ). Fuji is just a likable guy; he always smiles, he rarely gets angry (also more on that later), he is a total sweetheart, and he kicks ass at tennis. His Triple Counter--(Reverse) Tsubame Gaeshi, Hakugei, and Higuma Otoshi--are beautiful. Ha ha, i found this out: "The kanji for Fuji (不二 ) stands for 'not second', 'unparalleled', or ' peerless'. His name can also be seen as a bit of a pun when his hobbies and favorite foods are taken into account; Fujifilm is the world's largest photographic and imaging company, and one of Fuji's hobbies is photography. Fuji apples are a type of apple, and they are one of Fuji's favorite foods (www.wikipedia.org)" I LOL'd.

Seeing that i haven't talked about the Prince of Tennis himself, i must right this wrong. XDD Echizen... Where to begin with Echizen...? Well, when Echizen (Echizen Ryoma, 越前 リョーマ ), first appeared, i didn't know what to think. it was obvious that this kid was the title character, and he certainly was arrogant! However, unlike most bigots (no offense! XD), Echizen is actually able to back up his claims. Echizen is also the player who makes the most progress throughout the series. his first match that we see isn't too noteworthy; we only see one of his specialty moves, the Twist Serve. By the last episode, he is worthy of the U.S. Open--literally!! Also, his match with Tezuka after the U.S. Open prelims was incredible...!

If i go on and on about what I liked about each character, i'm gonna be here all night, and not have time to watch Tennis no Ōjisama: Futari no Samurai , the animated movie!

One last section, though: my favorite matches. it so happens that i picked my top five matches as they came into the series. And they are, in order by episode (winner on the left):

Atobe (Hyotei) vs. Tezuka (Seigaku): episodes 66-68
This was a match during which i was honestly worried about Tezuka, a fictional character! XDDD (I can't help it! I get this way when i truly identify and like the characters!) This match truly showed how dedicated someone can be. Up to this point, Tezuka has been nursing an injured left elbow and shoulder, his dominant side. Because Atobe knows this, he drags the match on for over two hours, going into a 30-something-points tiebreaker, and in the process, nearly destroys Tezuka's left shoulder. Tezuka loses, but it doesn't really feel like a victory for Atobe; after Tezuka's last shot hits the net, absolute silence reigns. This was the match that finalzed my liking for Tezuka, too, because then he has to go to Germany (for 100 episodes!!) in order to rehabilitate his shoulder. I missed him a lot.

Fuji (Seigaku) vs. Kirihara (Rikkaidai): episodes 124-125
This, too, was an explosive match. It was the first time we catch a glimpse of Fuji's true power as a tennis prodigy, and also why he plays tennis. he plays not for his sake, but for the love of the game. Kirihara had intentionally injured Fudomine's Tachibana, a fellow tennis player and showed no remorse. Fuji became extremely angry at this gesture, as Seigaku and Fudomine are friendly rivals. Even when Kirihara injures Fuji's knee on purpose, Fuji remains calm, cool and collected.

Echizen (Seigaku) vs. Sanada (Rikkaidai): episodes 126-128
This match showed what perseverance and focus can do for a person. Echizen challenges him to a match before the official one, and loses spectacularly, six games to love. A week later, when the tournament match is rescheduled, they face each other once again, and Echizen displays his true potential, defined by WIkipedia as "Muga no Kyōchi (無我の境地, Muga no Kyōchi?, trans. State of Self Actualization), meaning that Echizen enters "a state in which the user naturally intakes all techniques he sees and can perfectly copy them." he copies many of his senpais' (the other Seigaku regulars) moves, as well as Sanada's own techniques.

Tezuka (Seigaku) vs. Fuji (Seigaku): episodes 174-176
Seigaku's top two tennis players, the Captain and the Prodigy, face off in a match in the works for three years, since they met as first-years: what is not to love? This match also examines their friendship.

Echizen (Seigaku) vs Tezuka (Seigaku): episode 178
Yup, the destined match of the whole friggin' series only lasts an episode. But, really, it doesn't need any longer than that. Echizen's finishing moves are spectacular; he calls upon each of his senpais' own moves, and thanks them for "everything," giving the impression that he will return to the U.S. Open without regrets and possibly not return to Japan for a long while. I dunno about that, but we shall see.

So, yeah. i loved this anime. if you have not watched it, you must. It's as simple as that. Now i am off to put the sheets back on my bed, put my pajamas on, sit back and enjoy The Prince of Tennis--The Two Samurai: The First Game (テニスの王子様 二人のサムライ The First Game)


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