The Prince of Tennis, Vol. 10 (v. 10) [Paperback]

Takeshi Konomi (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2005

In preparation for the City Tournament, Seishun Academy's team captain Kunimitsu Tezuka decides to hold intra-squad games. It's a routine way for the team players to get some much-needed practice matches, but it's all fun and games until someone's competitive nature surfaces. Ryoma is pitted against Shusuke, and Ryoma wastes no time in putting on the pressure against his teammate. But with his tenacious strategy known as "Higuma Otoshi" (Bear Hunt), Shusuke's got a few tricks of his own...

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A member of the tennis club at school, Konomi submitted his work to Weekly Shonen Jump after graduation from university and was debuted in a special edition of the magazine in 1993 with TETSUJIN SEKAI ICHI KATAI OTOKO. In 1997, his COOL ~ RENTAL BODYGUARD manga was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump, followed by THE PRINCE OF TENNIS in 1992. Because of THE PRINCE OF TENNIS, the number of children in Japan who have taken up tennis as a sport has increased exponentially. An anime version of THE PRINCE OF TENNIS was created in 2001, and is still going strong.

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1421500701
• ISBN-13: 978-1421500706
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #489,623 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Enter Psychopath, August 11, 2010

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Sesho "www.sesho.libsyn.com" (Pasadena, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Prince of Tennis, Vol. 10 (v. 10) (Paperback)

Volume 10 opens with Ryoma being conned into taking over his dad's tennis lessons (he's probably too busy looking at porn). Suprisingly, his tutorees end up being Sakuno and her friend. In a strange twist of fate, an errant ball by Sakuno leads to her getting bullied by the Ginka Jr. High tennis team. Ginka happens to be Seishun's next opponent in the upcoming City Tournament Semifinals. And Ryoma decides to take them on by himself. All 30 members! We also meet a new character named Jin, a Yamabuki Junior High tennis player who has a slight psychopathic streak. He starts kicking and punching anybody that tells him what to do. Instead of a chip on his shoulder, he appears to have a mountain! His new target of hostilty seems to be Ryoma Echizen. As the semifinals approach, Captain Tezuka decides to prep everyone by having intrasquad matches. First up is Ryoma vs. Shusuke.

I have to say that even though he's not a common pompadour sporting street thug, he is quite tough when he wants to be. He's not afraid to stand up against 30 guys if it means protecting Sakuno. He also doesn't back down from confrontation with Jin, who appears to strike the fear of god into all those that cross him. It's just really cool seeing Ryoma being brave even if he is a little dude.

I also wanted to comment on the genius of Takeshi Konomi's character designs. As you can tell from the cover of this volume, Konomi is not afraid to show off his team in a shojoesque, maybe even faintly yaoish way. It says on the splash page that while the Prince of Tennis was originally intended to be a comic for boys, it attracted legions of female fans. And it's easy to see why. The main cast would not look out of place, with some minor modifications, in the pages of Fruits Basket. And that's what makes Konomi so smart. I think you have all the Shonen Jump action and level progression along with the good looks of the guys and their relationships with each other which leans more towards the shojo side of things.