The Prince of Tennis (Tennis no Ojisama) is a popular Japanese shonen manga series written and illustrated by Takeshi Konomi. The title is often shortened to TeniPuri, a portmanteau of the two parts in the Japanese pronunciation of the words "Tennis Prince". The manga was first published in Japan in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump in July 1999, and ended publication on March 3, 2008. A total of 379 chapters were serialized, spanning 42 volumes. As of volume 40, the manga has sold over 40 million copies in Japan. News that a sequel to the manga series was going to be developed was announced in the December issue of the Japanese manga magazine Jump Square. The new manga series, entitled New Prince of Tennis, began serialization in the Jump Square magazine on March 4, 2009, with the story taking place several months after the end of the original manga. Viz Media acquired the license to distribute the series in English in North America.
The manga was adapted into an anime series directed by Takayuki Hamana, animated by Trans Arts and co-produced by Nihon Ad Systems & TV Tokyo. The anime aired across Japan on the anime satellite television network Animax and the terrestrial TV Tokyo network from October 10, 2001 to March 30, 2005, spanning a total of 178 episodes, as well as a theatrical movie. In April 2006, an original video animation (OVA) continuation of the anime began to be released on DVD. The beginning of the second OVA series was released on June 22, 2007, roughly 3 months after the end of the first. The second OVA ended on January 25, 2008, and the third and final OVA started on April 25, 2008.
The series developed into a media franchise and has had numerous other adaptations outside of the animated incarnation. Since April 2003, more than fifteen stage musicals have been produced for the series. An animated movie was released in 2005, as well as a live action movie in 2006.The franchise has also had a long running radio show, numerous video games, soundtracks, and other merchandise or collectibles.
STORY:
The series is primarily set in Tokyo, and centers around Ryoma Echizen, a tennis prodigy who attends Seishun Academy, or Seigaku for short, a private school famous for its strong tennis club and talented players. Ryoma quickly defeats numerous upperclassmen shortly after entrance to secure himself a spot as one of the team's regulars. In pursuit of their ultimate goal of winning the National Middle School Tennis Championship, members of the team make new friends while learning and mastering increasingly complex techniques. Ryoma also begins to develop his own style of tennis, and eventually realizes what the sport really means to him.
VIDEO GAMES:
The Prince of Tennis franchise has spawned many different video games. The vast majority of these are either tennis games or dating sims, and they are spread across several different video game consoles. The first of these games was released for the PlayStation console on February 20, 2002, and is the only game which holds the simple Prince of Tennis title - all of the following game titles are preceded by the "Prince of Tennis" title. This was followed by Genius Boys Academy, which was released for the Game Boy Advance on April 25, 2002. Since then, several other video games has been released for different gaming consoles, including one more PlayStation game, three Game Boy Advance games, five Nintendo DS games, and thirteen PlayStation 2 games. The latest games to be released were Nintendo DS's Girls, be gracious on March 5, 2009, followed by Boys, be glorious on March 26, 2009.
Additionally, characters from The Prince of Tennis appeared in the Shonen Jump based video games Jump Superstars and Jump! Ultimate Stars. All of the games have so far only been released in Japan.
SWEAT & TEARS:
A tennis prodigy at the tender age of 12, Ryouma Echizen beats players much older than himself on the court. When Ryouma enters Seishun Junior High School, he naturally joins the tennis club and meets rivals as well as comrades on their way to school tournaments around Japan. The Playstation game features Ryouma's tennis club, it's strong willed characters, and an new storyline worthy of a manga serial.
At the beginning of the game the player can choose if he wants his character to be a male or a female one. The game features some mini games that let the player to increase or decrease his character stats.
Manufacturer's description:
Difficult to operate without the need for tennis, as well as to enjoy the scene of the original "Prince of Tennis" is a simulation game of the club appeared in PS! Practice in extracurricular activities aim at national convention. Of course, can experience the daily lives of non-club activities. Can you discover new aspects of that popular character! ?
Features:
- First person perspective.
- 2D graphics
- Cartoon graphics
- Tennis & Anime themes.
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