Search - The Prince of Tennis, Set 2 on DVD

It's getting better

T. Coffman | Linwood, KS USA | 06/08/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Let's start this off by saying that I am an anime snob. I really love to watch my anime with sub-titles since dubbing is usually horrible. In the Price of Tennis, Set 2, the dubbing is horrible! More horrible than normal. Of course, this set does allow you to watch with the original japanese voices and subtitles, which I recommend. In the english version, they mispronounce just about everything including some of the names and schools. It is some of the worst dubbing I have ever heard. However, I will go as far to say that this set is better than the first set. In the second set I'm not seeing any missing episodes or scenes that were prevelant in the first set.

The Prince of Tennis is a series that I really love and think that it's worth a watch. It's slightly different than the managa, but both are truly worth a watch. With the second set getting better, I'm going to say that this is worth a buy. The first set was bad, but this set is worth a watch. Plus you get to see Echizen play in his first tournament, which is always fun."

"Mada mada dane"

Sebastian Fernandez | Tampa, Florida United States | 12/26/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The phrase in the title captures the essence of this series extremely well, especially since it can be interpreted in different ways. If you have watched the anime in Japanese with English subtitles, then you have heard Ryoma Echizen utter this phrase many times, and you will continue to see this in future volumes. The translation used in the anime, which is slightly different from the one in the manga, is "You still have a ways to go". Since Ryoma usually says this when playing a match, this could be interpreted as a sign of believing himself superior to his opponents, which in part is true. However, once one looks beyond Ryoma's superficial cockiness, we discover a character that is much more complex than that, and as the series progresses we get to discover more layers underneath. I have the firm belief that Ryoma is also referring to himself when using "Mada mada dane", encompassing his inability to beat his father and the steps he still needs to take in order to become really strong.

As you can see, this series, which in volume 1 started out OK, but fell a little short of the mark, has improved considerably. In the current volume, there is already a better character development as we get to know more about the Seigaku regulars. The matches against Fudomine for the district finals are exciting and of an appropriate length. The fact that there are side stories besides the actual tennis competition is a definite plus, as is the reminiscing by some characters, like Ryoma's father. This once again, provides us with more information about the environment in which Ryoma grew up and the way in which his father behaved when he was Ryoma's age. Some people may be annoyed by some episodes that go off on a tangent, such as Kaoru's Misfortune (episode 22), but I did enjoy the change of pace and the added humor.

At this point, this series has me a little hooked, since I want to know what will happen in the competitions to come and I have started to appreciate many of the characters involved in the story. Some of the over the top unrealistic tennis still bothers me a little bit, but I think that most people will get used to it pretty quickly. The nice blend of humor and light romance is also a definite plus for the series. As if this was not enough to want to watch the next volume, the last two episodes in this set are exciting and surprising, and I am really looking forward to see what happens next with Ryoma and his friends."