New Prince of Tennis: Enjoyable but Disappointing

When New Prince of Tennis first started, I was disappointed, as I said in my mid-season post. Too many characters received notable screen time, each distracting from the other. I missed the Seigaku-focused plot lines from the first show. Characters' trademark tics and habits were overemphasized or, in some cases, underdone. And the plot? Not exactly enthralling.

Episode seven was probably the turning point for me. In that episode, we meet Coach Mifune. He’s a tough man’s man. You know the type: drinks sake from the gourd, chiseled face, beard, scars, can probably lift an elephant one handed (okay, that last one’s an exaggeration). He puts a bunch of our favorite middle school athletes, including Echizen, through a grueling, old-fashioned wilderness training regiment. 

I’m a sucker for training camps like that. Sure, they’re completely unrealistic. I mean, if Japan has anything in common with America, wilderness training under an alcoholic coach would be a major insurance liability. So a middle and high school training camp would never actually put their young charges in such a regiment. But I still find anime with tough training like that very enjoyable.

From that episode on, the series continued to redeem itself. Extreme training, noticeable improvement in character abilities, suspenseful matches: all these boosted my regard. 

And then, of course, we had the tenth episode, where Tezuka’s character development comes to its peak. We watched him support his team throughout the first series, even when he was in Germany for treatment. We saw him choose the team over himself again and again. As a result, I, as well as other fans and the Seigaku team, put him on a pedestal as an amazing tennis player and captain. So the tenth episode, “Goodbye Tezuka Kunimitsu,” presented a fitting next step to his character. Was I sad to see him go? Yes. Captain Tezuka is one of my favorite characters. But he needed to pass on the torch and pursue his own tennis career. The tenth episode finally let him do that.

This week’s episode, the thirteenth episode, continues to incorporate what I love about the show - tennis matches and a smug Echizen Ryoma. His group of middle schoolers have returned from their grueling time in the wilderness and are ready to roll!

They return with improved skills! And hurt... Ryoma's poor hat

I love seeing Echizen play, so I enjoyed this episode. However, a few things annoyed me during the first part of his match. I was a little irritated at the whole “the opponent has a huge opening on his right! Oh... wait” thing. That gets a little old. I, the audience, already know that the opponent is a the best player in Court 2. Obviously we’re about to find out that the huge opening isn’t an opening at all. 

[Edit: Oops. I devolve into ranting these next couple paragraphs. Guess I’ll leave it in anyway. *shrugs sheepishly*]

Oh, and then Echizen’s friends can’t figure out why his ball isn’t going to the left, and is forced toward the opponent’s sweet spot. Um... hello... are these really the same people who have raved over Tezuka’s “Tezuka Zone”? The opponent put a spin on the ball, duh. Seriously, even I know that, thanks to the first series.

GET SOME NEW TRICKS, people! Of course, this guy’s spin will be a little different than Tezuka’s, and he’ll have his own special name for it, but it’s the same idea.

Oh, good, the characters don’t all suffer from memory loss. Inui’s closed-eyed statistic friend knows about the spin, and Momo remembers Tezuka Zone. 

“He has no blind spots.” Yes he does. And our favorite first year will probably prove it to us. That’s what always happens when an opponent supposedly has no blind spots. 

Of course you will, Ochibi. We expect nothing less.

“Hey. You can stop hitting those [spin balls forcing the ball to go to the right] now...” Yes. Of course you will break through, Ochibi. I expect nothing less.

Thankfully, this match ends up with more than the same old tricks with the same old rhythm. It turns into a battle with eight balls, then nine, then ten! If Echizen gets even one ball through his opponent’s right side, he wins. Very fun to watch! Echizen worked his way up to hitting eight balls at a time a only day or two ago, so what he does in this match is great!

So, despite my ranting, the match turned out to be quite enjoyable. A bit short, but enjoyable. 

A Few Minutes Later:

Hey! Why does this episode’s end feel like the end of a series? There’s no way it’s over... but there’s no preview of the next episode... Some Google research turns up no reassurance. But I think they’re just putting the anime on hold for now. After all, there's more to the manga.

End Opinion:

Yes, New Prince of Tennis rose up from its rocky beginnings. However, it still left much to be desired. Matches that would have stretched over at least two episodes in the first series were shortened to fit into one episode or less. These thirteen episodes felt rushed. They contained too many characters, matches, etc., and too little time to extract their potential. 

Thus, despite the wilderness training and the many parts I enjoyed, New Prince of Tennis still disappointed. 

*Pictures are screen shots from New Prince of Tennis.

What's in a Year - Some Reflection

It's March 2012. I find myself in a reflective mood. So many things were going on last March and spring. And I'm not just talking about the earthquake in Japan - personal things weighed on my mind at the time. In some ways, it doesn't feel like it's been that long. In others, it's been forever.

A year ago, I'd been aniblogging for only a few months.

A year ago, I participated in SOTW (signature of the week contest) on Anime-Planet forums.

A year ago, I joined Twitter.

A year ago, another bout of Naruto Shippuden fillers came to an end.

A year ago, Tsunade lay unconscious and I wanted Danzo to go die in a hole.

A year ago, I used anime as an escape, an escape that I poured very unhealthy hours into.

A year ago, I was still trying to find and write another story that could be novel or novella length.

A year ago, I was finishing my second trimester of senior year of high school.

A year ago, college and scholarship applications overwhelmed me.

A year ago, I was depressed and anxious.

A year ago, I was too stressed to go to Lil Sis's volleyball tournaments.

A year ago, I spent most of my free time in my room, avoiding human contact.

A year ago, I just wanted time to stop.

This year, I'm trying to blog semi-consistently again.

This year, I haven't been on Anime-Planet forums once, though I still love the site.

This year, I'm on Twitter almost constantly.

This year, I'm still enjoying Naruto Shippuden. 


This year, Tsunade is awake again.

This year, I still escape on occasion, and there are times when I watch too much anime, but it's not as bad.

This year, I'm finally working on another long story, my first since over three years ago, though progress has slowed.

This year, I'm taking a break from school.

This year, college and scholarship applications feel more doable. I'm taking more initiative.

This year, I'm not depressed. I am alert for the signs of anxiety as I get busier again, but I won't let it rule me.

This year, I went to one of Lil Sis's three day tournaments - and loved it!

This year, I spend a lot of time downstairs, talking with family. I don't need to hide in my room as much.

This year, time is moving forward, and I'm moving with it. There are still days when I feel like time is moving faster than I can keep up, but I don't live in dread of deadlines. I don't live in dread of the next stage of my life.

I feel the warning in my chest, the warning that anxiety is always present, waiting to pounce. But I have tools available to me. I can make lists and plans. I can spend time journalling. I know that when I pray and read my Bible, imposing things become doable. Still imposing, perhaps, but doable. I know that if my tools aren't enough, I can go to my doctor for medicine.

I don't always use my tools. The warning signs go off, and I'm faced with a choice: use my tools, or escape. If I try to escape, consciously or unconsciously, it gets worse. But I'm learning to step back from the anxiety, take a deep breath, and do what I need to. It's work. Even as I write this, a pressure in my chest tells me that I need to take some time to pray and organize myself.  I don't want a repeat of last year. I don't want to drown in my anxiety. I swim ahead of it, confident even when the current gets choppy.

It had over half a year of smooth sailing. No school, few commitments, and few social events. That's changing. I'm living with my aunt and cousins for at least the rest of the school year. I tutor two of my cousins everyday. I meet with and email their teachers. And I'm working toward going to college next fall. My several months of rest did wonders for me. Now, I can practice outsmarting my anxiety before going off to college.

I'm the reflective sort, so I often think about how I'm changing and growing. It's very gradual. But I'm becoming more responsible, more mature, and more confident all the time (of course, "more confident" is very relative). I even feel like an adult most of the time, albeit a very young, inexperienced one.

I'm in a better place than I was last year. I thank the Lord for that. Anxiety will always be on the sidelines, ready to jump in when I give it an opening. But I know how to help myself a little better than I did. And maybe next year, I'll be doing even better.

Umbrellas are Bad (and other thoughts on Another)

Warning: Spoilers ahead. Major spoiler if you haven’t seen the third episode, more spoilers for eighth and ninth episodes. There's also a rather bloody picture, which is sort of a spoiler itself. 

Misaki Mei

Umbrellas are bad. 

No, seriously. You know that incident with that girl in episode three of Another? If you don’t, then watch that episode before reading on. 

Still here? Okay...

Turns out, that sweet girl with glasses wasn’t the first from Class 3 to die due to an umbrella accident. A boy in Matsunaga’s class in the eighties made the mistake of using an umbrella on the mountain during a lightning storm. 

I’m beginning to think that rain jackets and hats may be preferable rain gear. You know, just to be safe. 

The ninth episode of Another had other things that struck me, too. Sakakibara-kun’s nightmare, for example. All his dead classmates and his suicidal teacher, covered in blood, blaming him... eek. If I were him, I’d spend the next morning watching Working!! and trying to think happy thoughts. 

Umbrellas are bad (nightmare scene)

I was pleased to note that the kid’s death in the ocean during the eighth episode did not deviate away from previous conclusions about the calamity. That is, the events leading to his death began in Yomiyama, even though he died away from the city, swimming at the beach. Phew. At least one thing remains stable in this mess.

Yeah, apparently, it’s a bad idea to go on a beach trip right after falling down the stairs. Especially if you have several signs of a bad concussion. And if you’re in class 3-3 at Yomiyama North? Dude, go to the hospital the moment you hit your head. In fact, go to the hospital if you so much as sneeze wrong or stub a toe. 

Anyway, that scene with Sakakibara, Misaki, and those two others listening to the recording had me on edge. I wanted to tell the young Matsunaga, “Just say the important part! Before something happens and they can’t finish listening to the tape!” I knew something would happen - maybe the tape would break, or the calamity wouldn’t let Matsunaga’s words stay recorded, or someone would come and stop them - and that the important information about how to stop the calamity would remain unheard. The suspense just about killed me. Well, not really, but it did assure that I paid close attention... of course, I always pay close attention when watching Another. 

When all’s said and done, episode nine of Another reclaimed the dark atmosphere that drew me in. It made up for last week’s episode, which had a little too much of a typical beach episode feel. Sure, they killed off a couple more people in the process (and replayed the deaths from Matsunaga’s class trip), which kind of made my heartstrings twinge.But that’s what I expect. I like that feeling when the ending theme plays and I stare at the screen, covering my mouth and processing what just happened.

Another might possibly be my favorite anime of this season. Sure, there are others that I really like, but Another has captured me in a different way than any anime I’ve seen before. 

And no, I’m not referring to the fact that I’ll never, ever look at umbrellas the same way again.

*Screenshots are from Another episodes 4 and 9.