Ryoma! Prince of Tennis review

The Prince of Tennis has enjoyed a whimsical 23-year history. The original manga debuted in 1999 and followed Ryoma Echizen, a student enrolled at Tokyo’s prestigious Seishun Academy, a private school with a prominent top-tier tennis team. Twelve-year-old Ryoma immediately revealed extraordinary athleticism. After defeating several upperclassmen, he earned a spot on the school’s team, catapulting the squad toward the National Middle School Tennis Championship.

An anime adaptation followed just over a decade later, with Trans Arts fundamentally staying true to the source material. While several plot points of Prince of Tennis were rooted in the kind of authenticity than tennis fans could appreciate, action habitually highlighted embellished, idiosyncratic skills. Much like the over-the-top skills that turned Captain Tsubasa into a showcase for soccer, Prince of Tennis employed video game-like exaggerations. Serves, volleys, and smashes manifested Dragon Ball Z-style energy, making for some wonderfully maniac matches.

But in 2003, the property produced curious digression with The Prince of Tennis spawning a series of musicals. Despite premiering to half-empty venues, the theatrical adaptations quickly catapulted in popularity, selling over two million tickets across the first ten years. Musical: The Prince of Tennis is widely credited as the work that helped popularize the 2.5D musical genre in Japan.

As such, it’s not completely surprisingly to find that musical interludes are abundant in the Blu-ray release of Ryoma! Prince of Tennis. The 2021 film begins with a sequence where the cast are swinging their racquets like theatrical props rather than using them to deliver supersonic serves. Soon after Ryoma and fellow classmate and implicit romantic interest Sakuno land in Los Angeles, there’s accosted by a group of hoodlums called a “tennis gang”, and the leads break into a rap battle. Like several scenes in the 100-minute Ryoma! Prince of Tennis, it’s undeniably cringy at first. But let your guard down, and you’ll find a few redeeming qualities.

An impromptu match to rescue Sakuno from the tennis gang ends with the couple sent back in time. They arrive in the 1990’s just in time to witness Ryoma’s father Nanjiro (or Samurai Nanjiro) prepare for a pivotal match. Time travel in light comedies is often undermined by minimal interaction between key characters, explained by introducing a catastrophic wrinkle in the space-time continuum. I was ready to witness Ryoma sneak around, clandestinely finding more about his father. Perhaps, they’d play up the conceit for some light suspense.

But wisely, Prince of Tennis isn’t concerned about the principles of its science fiction. Future Ryoma along with Sakuno immediately start hanging out with the Echizen family. Everyone knows what’s going on, with young Ryoma fascinated with future Ryoma. Even Nanjiro knows what’s going on and doesn’t dwell on the details. As a viewer, that’s a perfect approach for Prince of Tennis.

Sure, series fans will hope for a bit of closure on tensions that have driven the property for decades. But largely, the reason for Nanjiro’s retirement isn’t explored here. The ambiguity of possible injury or a decision to coach his prodigious son continues to linger, perhaps for the best. Likewise, romantic affections between Ryoma and Sakuno are hinted at. But don’t expect closure on this persistent plotline either.

Or, much tennis. Yes, Ryoma! Is more likely to break into a musical number than a tense match. For some, that might be a dealbreaker. But if you can enjoy properties like Love Live! The School Idol Movie or Revue Starlight: The Movie, there’s a chance you might appreciate the frothy charms of Prince of Tennis. Yes, there’s a lack of songs that will reverberate in your head after it’s over. But it’s hard to be completely unmoved by the film’s attempt at lighthearted escapism.

That said, there’s one additional condition before considering a viewing. Director Hiroshi Koujima employs computer graphics rather than traditional animation. If you’re accustomed to the look of the series, previous films, or OVAs, prepare yourself for disappointment. In execution, Ryoma! Prince of Tennis resembles a cutscene from a decade-old video game. Sure, there’s occasional detail in the 1080p, 1.78:1 Widescreen transfer. But all too often the film looks surprisingly drab. The sole upside is a feature that offer alternative scenes with Keigo Atobe and Kuranosuke Shiraishi.

Ryoma! Prince of Tennis arrives on Blu-ray+DVD on July 5th, 2022.