The quest continues for the gritty players at Seishun Academy. With their sights dead-set on making it all the way to the Nationals, they must outclass every team that stands in their way. Next up is Fudomine, a group of belligerent players who were disqualified from the rookie games last year due to a tournament fracas. Tempers flare and talents soar when the battle begins with the very first serve. It might take more than "Tsubame Gaeshi" to secure this victory!
i still dk shit about tennis but the matches excite me also whats with the girl sakuno 😭 pls theyre just 12 years olds why would you write a love interest or something wtf
The Prince of Tennis, Vol. 4 continues where the previous tankōbon left off and contains the next nine chapters (26–34) of the on-going manga series.
The Tokyo District Preliminary Tournament continues and covers three-fifths of the final round. It has Seishun Academy and Fudoumine Middle School. First round is a doubles match with Takashi Kawamura and Shusuke Fuji concedes because Kawamura gets injured. The second round is another doubles match with Eiji Kikumaru and Shuichiro Oishi winning the second round with a score of 6–2. Kaoru Kaido takes the third round in a hard fought win with a score of 7–5 with the first singles round. The fourth round has Ryoma Echizen taking the court.
This tankōbon is written and illustrated by Takeshi Konomi. The tankōbon mainly covers the Tokyo District Preliminary Tournament and covers both the doubles rounds and the first singles round – three in total. So far, Seishun Academy takes the lead with 2–1. The tankōbon closes with Ryoma Echizen taking the court to face against his opponent.
All in all, The Prince of Tennis, Vol. 4 is a wonderful continuation to a series that seems intriguing and I cannot wait to read more.
5/5 (Review is for the series as a whole and does not contain spoilers)
This series follows 7th grader Ryoma Echizen as he strives to become the number one tennis player at his junior high school. Throughout the series, Ryoma faces off against numerous opponents, each one stronger than the last, in an effort to help lead his tennis team to becoming the champions of the National Tennis Tournament.
This series is a cute, action packed story about some junior high school students playing tennis. No prior knowledge of tennis is necessary, as the author takes the time to explain how certain shots are executed and briefly mentions which professional tennis players may use those shots. As the story progresses, some of the tennis shots get a bit more unrealistic and overly dramatic, but it adds to the excitement and builds tension. (So note that if you are an avid tennis player, it might seem a bit out there in terms of realism.) This is a great series for people who enjoy sports manga, and who enjoy competition, as the boys in this manga continue to push each other to new heights in their skills. There are also some good lessons in the story that teach the readers about having fun and continuing to persevere even when things get tough. It also teaches readers that sometimes we lose, and that’s okay too. In terms of age ratings, I would say that this series is a safe one for those in middle school, or perhaps even a bit younger. Overall, I really enjoyed this manga for its low stakes, fun action, and enjoyable cast of characters.
At the time of this review, I have already read volumes 5-7.
Personally, I think my favorite is Kaoru, but he reminds me of characters from other sports manga. Yet, at the same time, I would love to know if the moves in this manga are even possible for 7th-9th graders to achieve. For example, Kaoru's snake, is that possible?
Verdict: I thought this was an exciting volume and I now understand how it goes into volume 5.
“I had no idea you were lame enough to pin your hopes on such a low-percentage shot!” is a killer coach quote that I may consider bringing out if absolutely necessary
Like its predecessor, volume four focuses on fewer characters; this allows for character development that isn't very present in the first two volumes. Kaido and Fuji's stronger presence gives more depth to the team as readers learn more about them and their style of tennis. The action moves quickly and dramatic tension builds with each rally. Can Kaido's Boomerang Snake defeat Fudomine?
This volume has the same shortcomings as the first three: there are lots of cliches, the characters are still one-dimensional, and the plot is formulaic. The tennis action, for me, allowed me to overlook these faults.
We get to see more of the other players this time. It's cool to see them fleshed out and not as one-dimensional. They're still pretty rough around the edges but the school as a team is a lot more compelling now.
This one didn't have anything in it that really stuck with me. I liked the story of the opposing team making their own team (which could literally have been the plot of a different manga itself) but that was about it.