Forget the slice serve. Just show me your stuff.
I brought you this months issue of our magazine.
You shouldve just mailed it.
No, our magazine puts a lot of focus on student tennis.
Hmm...
You probably came to scout out any new faces we have.
Right on target. And, how does it look this year?
Hard to say.
Huh?
SPECIAL ISSUE!! BACK TO THE 80S THE GOLDEN AGE OF JAPANESE TENNIS
I was editor for that article.
You should write more objectively.
You have too much of your own sentiment in this.
Nothing wrong with that!
Our male players were terrific back then.
I was a huge fan of Nanjiro Echizen!
Echizen
He came from the Land of the Cherry Blossoms
and they called him The Samurai.
Game and Set to Mr. Echizen!
He suddenly retired from the game at a young age,
but if hed played one or two years longer,
he wouldve been a top world player.
The Grand Slam wasnt just a dream.
Nanjiro Echizen, huh?
SEINAN ACADEMY MIDDLE SCHOOL
OPENING DAY CEREMONY
Hey! Echizen!
Youre Echizen, arent you? Youre in my class, right?
Are you joining the tennis team, too?
Who are you?
Ahem! The names Horio.
The tennis team here is quite famous,
and theyre very tough.
Ive played tennis for two years now.
And I even attended a tennis school,
so they might just make me a regular team member!
Huh?
Wait up! Echizen!
Hey!
You should watch where youre going.
Thats quite a big bag youre carrying there.
Huh? I dont like that glare of yours.
Well, from your looks, youre a newbie,
so Ill let it pass this time.
Just watch where youre going.
Who was that?
I shouldve known that Seigaku has great facilities!
Lets hurry and join up, Echizen!
Forget it.
The second and third-year regulars have matches today,
so registration for new members starts tomorrow.
Most of the first-years have gone home, too,
so we thought wed hit a little.
Geez! No fun!
Hey! You kids going to join our tennis team?
Yes, sir!
Im a 7th grader. My names Katsuo Mizuno.
Im Kachiro Kato.
And Im Satoshi Horio.
Im honored to have been accepted here at Seigaku.
I may not look it, but Ive had two years of tennis!
And whats your name?
Hey, you deaf or something?
Never mind.
Actually, weve got a really fun game. Wanna play?
A-A game?
That game?
Yeah! You boys have to try it.
The rules are really simple.
You serve ten balls from the other court
and if you can knock over this can with one of those balls, you get 10,000 yen!
What?!
Its kind of an initiation for joining up.
It costs 200 yen to take the challenge. Want to try?
Wed win 10,000 yen!
We wanna try!
Please let us try, sirs!
Thats the spirit!
But whats with your sudden interest in tennis, Sakuno?
No reason in particular! Lets hurry!
We have to turn in our registration forms!
Say! Are you girls joining the tennis team?
Thats a registration form you have, isnt it?
What luck! Will you take me there?
Huh?
Oh, Im sorry! I didnt introduce myself
Im Saori Shiba, an editor with Pro Tennis monthly magazine.
The boys team here is quite strong,
and Im here to do a story on newcomers,
but I cant even find the tennis courts!
And so...
Hey! Shiba! Huh?
What are you doing here?!
Oh! Mr. Inoue!
All done with your interviews?
Actually, I was just about to start...
What?!
Too bad! You two are finished.
You guys are pretty bad!
But this is the first time weve played tennis!
Only ten balls with such a small target, its impossible!
Ive got two years of tennis! I, Horio, will give it a try!
Go ahead!
And here comes my 10,000 yen!
This isnt...!
Ill get it this time!
What?!
Hey, hey! Just one ball left!
Sheesh! Even if I had a hundred balls, I couldnt hit it!
Aww... Darn it!
Too bad!
Its difficult, isnt it?
Well, we owe you 200 yen each.
Huh?
What are you thinking?!
KNOCK-THE-CAN-GAME
This game costs 500 yen per ball you serve,
plus the 200 for the challenge.
That makes a total of 5,200 apiece.
Wha-?! Thats!
We dont have that kind of money!
Blame it on your lack of skill!
Hey, you twerp over there!
Come on over and try it.
Dont try to save yourself!
Sure, Ill do it.
Echizen! Forget it! Youll never hit it!
If you hit it with a normal serve,
that can isnt going to fall over.
Whatre you saying?!
You put rocks inside, didnt you?
Wow! He hit it square and even knocked the top off!
Hey! You guys cheat! Thats really rotten!
Shut up! New kids should keep quiet!
That damned punk spoiled it!
If I hit it a hundred times, will you give me 100,000 yen?
Wow! Look at that control
Why you--!
Hey! Dont act so cocky towards upperclassmen!
Huh?!
Just because you were born a year earlier than us,
does that mean you can pull rotten tricks like that?
Why you--!
Wow! I hit it! A lucky shot!
Hey! Its that guy from earlier!
Hey, Arai, just because the third-years are all gone,
doesnt mean you can play tricks on the newbies.
Thats bad.
Momo, weve gotta go now.
See ya.
Hey! Who said you all could leave?
Huh?!
Huh? Whats the matter?
Huh? Is that Ryoma?
You know him?! Cmon, lets go!
Oh, it is you, Ryoma!
Huh?
Oh, hes so cool!
Sakuno! Who is he? Introduce us!
Huh? Oh This is Ryoma Echizen.
Echizen? ...Ryoma?
So youre Ryoma Echizen!
Youre so small.
Who are you?
Im an 8th grader, Takeshi Momoshiro.
I heard about you from the old lady coach.
She said you can do a twist serve.
Eh? No kidding?!
Whats a twist serve?
Is it something special?
So?
Ill beat you good.
Gotta put you in your place, right?
Call it.
Up.
Call it?
Up?
Oh, come on! You are so green!
Thats tennis talk for deciding who serves first.
You spin the racquet,
and the logo on the butt of the racquet grip
lands facing either up or down.
Too bad, its down.
You can have the serve. Ill take this court.
Huh? Momoshiro Senpai, arent you going to serve first?
You won the spin!
I wanna see that twist serve right away.
You are so cool, Momoshiro Senpai!
Call me Momo.
Oh, I couldnt do that! Can I be the chair judge?
Sure, thanks.
Ahem! Now the match between Momoshiro Senpai
and Ryoma Echizen will begin.
The chair judge will be Horio... That Horio is just showing off.
with two years tennis experience. Uh-huh.
Enough already! Start the match!
All right!
This is a best of one set match.
Echizen to serve. Begin play.
Fault!
Yes! He did it! Ryoma is so cool!
Wrong.
That was a fault, so he serves again.
If he misses again, Momoshiro gets the point.
Oh, really?!
Oh, no! Ryoma!
But that was fast, his serve.
Yeah
Forget the slice serve. Just show me your stuff.
Nope.
The cocky punk!
Twistserve?
A twist serve! I cant believe it
Umm... Whats this twist serve?
The usual serve puts spin on the outside of the ball
so that it curves left, a slice serve.
A twist serve puts spin on the inside of the ball
which produces a little topspin on it.
Which means the ball comes straight and bounces high?
Yup, so its hard to return.
I cant believe that a middle-school kid can do a twist serve.
So cool! Ryoma is so attractive! Ryoma!
Never seen a twist serve.
Whoa, how scary! Im so shocked.
You okay? Youre sweating.
Damn kid!
Fifteen Love!
Its got much more speed than I thought
The only chance is to catch the ball on the rise,
and to do that
Ive gotta come up!
I got it!
Damn! So timing isnt all thats required
This is interesting!
Even that first-team member, Takeshi Momoshiro,
is being overpowered!
Thirty - Love! Echizen leads!
Damn!
Huh?
Lucky me! Right on!
He returned that serve!
Wow
Oh...
Thirty - Fifteen!
Sorry, kid! Ive got the timing now!
When it comes to winning with power,
you wont beat me!
He returned it!
Huh?!
A drop volley!
You can do that, too?!
Forty - Fifteen!
Yes!
Ryoma! Go for it!
Those eyes
This boy...
this Ryoma Echizen,
is the son of that Nanjiro Echizen!
Its no fun without a partner...
Ill just sleep.
If he wins this point, Ryoma wins the game!
Geez! This is taking too long.
I have to put him away!
Youve still got a ways to go.
Huh...! Thats right...
Hey, time out!
I quit. Ive had enough!
Huh?!
What?!
Ill let you off the hook for today.
Sure, fine with me.
Youre terrific, Ryoma!
I was so surprised!
Echizen, what club did you belong to?
A temple.
A temple?!
Hey, Tomoka!
How do you do?!
Im a good friend of Sakuno Ryuzaki! My name is Tomoka Osakada!
Nice to meet you!
Huh?
Hello, Ryoma.
Thanks for the other day.
Whos this...Sakuno Ryuzaki?
Huh?!
I cant believe he doesnt remember me!
You okay with this, Momoshiro?
Hey, coach.
If you quit like this, hell have one over you.
Maybe
So nonchalant.
If your sprained right ankle had been all right,
you wouldve won
No, he noticedfrom the beginning.
Think so?
He used his non-dominant hand against me.
Thinks he gave me a handicap.
Scary kid.
Ryoma Echizen I wonder who he is?
Yeah
Well, why dont we call him, Samurai, Jr.
Samurai, Jr.?
Damn, where is that idiot son of mine?
Maybe hes found a girlfriend...?
Huh?
I remember her now!
Yo! Im Horio, a 7th grader in junior high,
with two years experience in tennis.
But man, that Echizen has created such a stir.
Even I, with my two years experience, think hes pretty amazing.
But how can he play a match with that old, beat-up racket?!
Even I, with my two years experience, would default.
Next on The Prince of Tennis: The Seigaku Regulars Make Their Debut
Dont forget to watch!
And look out for me, Horio, with two years of tennis!