What Happened To The Prince Of Tennis?
It’s been over a decade since the last Prince of Tennis anime episode aired, and fans are still clamoring for more. So what happened to this once-beloved franchise?
The Early Years
The Prince of Tennis is a manga series created by Takeshi Konomi. The series was serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump from July 1999 to March 3, 2005. The story follows Ryoma Echizen, a tennis prodigy who attends Seishun Academy (青春学院, Seishun Gakuen) in Tokyo, Japan. The series is centered on his tennis career and how he strives to become the best tennis player in Japan.
The beginning of The Prince of Tennis
The Prince of Tennis is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takeshi Konomi. The main character, Ryoma Echizen, is a tennis prodigy who attends the Seishun Academy (青春学園, Seishun Gakuen) Junior High School where he is part of the school’s tennis team. The manga was first published in Japan in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine in July 1999 and has been published continuously since then. As of March 31, 2018, 383 chapters have been collected into 42 tankōbon volumes by Shueisha.
In 2001, The Prince of Tennis was adapted into an anime series produced by Tokyo TV and directed by Takayuki Hamana. Initially broadcast across Japan on the Anime Central television network between October 10, 2001 and March 30, 2005, one hundred and fifty-two episodes were produced; these were later collected into nineteen DVD compilations by Aniplex released between January 23, 2002 and September 21, 2005. Two original video animations were also created; the first adapting side stories not told in the manga released on September 21, 2002, and the second following an alternate timeline not covered in the main series released on December 16th of the same year. In addition to this, two live-action films were produced; the first screened on April 4 2006 and the second on May 3 2008.
The popularity of The Prince of Tennis
The Prince of Tennis was one of the most popular manga and anime series in the early 2000s. The story followed a talented young tennis player named Ryoma Echizen as he competed in tournaments and fought to become the best player in Japan.
The series was incredibly popular with both kids and adults, and it spawned numerous spin-offs, sequels, video games, and other merchandise. The Prince of Tennis was so popular that it even had its own national tournament in Japan, called the National Training Camp Invitational Tournament.
However, by the mid-2000s, The Prince of Tennis’ popularity started to decline. The series lost its place as one of the top-selling manga, and the anime stopped airing new episodes after 2006. There were several factors behind The Prince of Tennis’ decline in popularity.
One reason for the decline was that many of the series’ key demographic – young boys – were growing up. As they entered their tweens and teens, they were no longer as interested in watching a show about a sport that they might not play themselves.
In addition, by 2006 there were already several other popular sports manga and anime series competing for attention, such as Bleach, Eyeshield 21, and Slam Dunk. These newer series were able to capture the attention of young readers who might have otherwise been interested in The Prince of Tennis.
The change in rising tennis stars also had an effect on The Prince of Tennis’ popularity. In 2002, 17-year-old Japanese tennis player Kei Nishikori burst onto the scene by winning several Junior Grand Slam tournaments. Nishikori’s success garnered a lot of attention from young tennis fans in Japan who wanted to follow his career.
With Nishikori’s rise to prominence, many kids lost interest in The Prince of Tennis’ protagonist Ryoma Echizen since he wasn’t a real person that they could aspire to be like. Instead, they preferred to watch Nishikori’s matches and read manga about him instead.
Despite its decline in popularity over the years, The Prince of Tennis remains an important part of Japanese pop culture history. And who knows? With tennis becoming more popular globally thanks to stars like Naomi Osaka, maybe The Prince of Tennis will make a comeback soon.
The Later Years
The decline of The Prince of Tennis
The Prince of Tennis was once one of the most popular manga and anime series in Japan. But what happened to it?
The series started to decline in popularity around 2006, when the creator, Takeshi Konomi, started to experiment with the story. He introduced new characters and plotlines that were not well-received by fans. At the same time, the quality of the artwork started to decline.
Konomi lost interest in the series and started working on other projects. As a result, The Prince of Tennis became increasingly sporadic, with long gaps between new chapters and episodes.
The final straw came in 2013, when Konomi announced that he was ending the series. This disappointed many fans, who felt that The Prince of Tennis had not ended on a high note.
The reasons for the decline of The Prince of Tennis
There are a variety of reasons that can be cited for the decline in popularity of The Prince of Tennis. One reason is simply that the series went on for too long and became repetitive. The original manga ended in 2008, but the anime continued until 2013, churning out over 400 episodes. By the time it finally ended, many fans had simply lost interest.
Another reason is that the target demographic for the series shifted over time. When it first began, The Prince of Tennis wasaimed at elementary and middle school students. However, as the series continued, it increasingly began to focus on high schoolers and even adults. This made it less relatable for its core audience, who had simply outgrown the characters by that point.
In addition, the tennis matches themselves became less and less realistic as the series progressed. In the early stages of The Prince of Tennis, matches were won and lost based on actual skill and technique. However, as time went on, more and more supernatural elements were introduced, such as players being able to control the wind or cause balls to explode. This turned off many viewers who were looking for a more down-to-earth sports story.
Finally, another factor that likely contributed to the decline of The Prince of Tennis is that competition from other manga and anime series increased over time. When it first debuted in 2001, there were few other popular tennis-themed manga or anime around. However, by the time its run ended in 2013, a number of other similar series had emerged, such as Hikaru no Go or Baby Steps . As a result, The Prince of Tennis simply didn’t stand out as much as it used to.
The Future of The Prince of Tennis
The Prince of Tennis was one of the most popular manga of the early 2000s. The story followed a young tennis prodigy named Ryoma Echizen as he attended the prestigious Seishun Academy and worked his way up the ranks of the tennis world. The series was extremely popular in Japan and had a large following overseas as well. However, the series has been on hiatus for over five years now and it is unclear if it will ever continue.
The possible return of The Prince of Tennis
With the 20th anniversary of The Prince of Tennis coming up in just a few years, fans are wondering if there is any chance that the franchise could make a comeback. The original manga ended back in 2008, but author Takeshi Konomi has kept the series alive with several spinoffs and side-stories.
The most recent spinoff, The New Prince of Tennis, concluded last year and appears to have been successful enough to warrant another season. There have also been rumors that an anime adaptation of The New Prince of Tennis is in the works, although nothing has been confirmed as of yet.
With all of this new activity surrounding The Prince of Tennis, it seems like there is a good chance that we could see the franchise make a return in the near future. Whether or not this will actually happen remains to be seen, but it would definitely be exciting news for fans of the series!
The legacy of The Prince of Tennis
The Prince of Tennis was one of the most popular sports manga of its time, selling over 40 million copies. The anime was also highly successful, with the final episode airing in Japan in 2008.
The series followed the story of Ryoma Echizen, a tennis prodigy who attends Seishun Academy, and his trials and tribulations as he competes in various tennis tournaments. The series was known for its intense matches and larger-than-life characters, many of whom became fan-favorites.
In recent years, there has been much speculation about the future of The Prince of Tennis. The creator of the manga, Takeshi Konomi, has not released any new chapters since 2009. And although there have been rumors that a new anime series is in production, nothing has been confirmed.
So what happened to The Prince of Tennis? It’s hard to say for sure. However, it’s possible that the series simply ran its course and Konomi has moved on to other projects. Whatever the case may be, The Prince of Tennis remains a beloved series with a loyal fanbase who continue to hope for more stories from Ryoma and his friends.
