Nothing like a little friendly competition between teammates, right? Well, not exactly -- in this week's fresh episodes of The Prince of Tennis, Ryoma and Fuji, surely the two coolest cats on the team, take each other on, and the competitive fire hits a blistering pace! Best line from episode 39 comes courtesy of Fuji (check out around the 6:58 mark to see it in context): "I enjoy watching other people suffer even more!" Who knew that behind that kind smile lurked such a mean streak? (heh heh) And what exactly is the "brown bear"? No, a wild animal isn't running amok on the court, but one of Fuji's signature shots will! Yep, intrasquad matches are definitely more than just fun and games...

Catch the rest of the Prince of Tennis series in the Prince of Tennis section!

Episode 39: The Brown Bear
Inter-team practices are held before the Metropolitan Matches, and Ryoma and Fuji face off, each bringing out his most formidable moves to topple.

Episode 40: A Duel in the Rain
Ryoma and Fuji’s match continues on with ferocity and the rest of the inter-team match up starts! Tezuka counters Momoshiro’s smashes easily. Kaido’s snake threatens to overpower Kawamura, and Oishi tests Kikumaru's stamina.

 

This week's Prince of Tennis episodes might win the prize for best episode titles so far. "Penal-Tea"? Genius. First, Ryoma gets roped into giving a tennis lesson to Sakuno but, as per usual, ends up defending her honor against a bunch of tennis toughs from Ginka -- nothing a well-aimed ball to the face can't cure! And as fate would have it, Ryoma catches the eye of Akutsu, the resident thug of Yamabuki Junior High, who also happens to be Tamabuki's best tennis player... With a matchup between Yamabuki and Seigaku looming, things are bound to get out of control...

Lest you think that things are completely serious this week, we also get treated to the sight of Taka hanging out with a beautiful girl...? (gulp) And then of course there's Inui's devastating "tea," guaranteed to wipe out anyone who drinks it! 

Catch the new episodes on our Prince of Tennis page.

Episode 37: A Tennis Ball with Ryoma's Face
It’s Ryoma’s day off, but Nanjiro tricks him into giving tennis lessons to Sakuno and Tomoka!

Episode 38: Penal-Tea
Before Seigaku’s tennis practice starts, a rival player from Yamabuki is seen on campus asking around for Ryoma and causing trouble. Meanwhile, Inui has some very special training planned.

One of the cool things about anime heroes is that they can summon new, more powerful moves when they absolutely need to -- not a bad ability to have, huh? Just imagine being able to go into "super chef" mode if you had to whip up a good meal for a bunch of your buddies. Or "sprint version 2" if you need to outrun the local bully. Last week we witnessed the fruits of the "feigned sleep attack," and in this week's fresh episodes of The Prince of Tennis, Ryoma's latest weapon is unveiled. And if that wasn't enough, we also get to see Shusuke good and mad for once when he goes up against the Mizuki, the crafty St. Rudolph player who's run roughshod over his little brother.

You also have to love how moments of tennis action that would probably take one or two seconds tops in this world are expanded into 30 seconds of seat-clutching tension in The Prince of Tennis. Hey, it's artistic license, something we can always use more of. Imagine if everything in anime was like real life -- pretty boring, right? 

Episode 35: Drive "B"
Ryoma sees the secret behind Yuta’s most powerful move and tells him to stop using it, as it will hurt him eventually. Ryoma then unveils his new move, the “Drive B.”

Episode 36: Big Brother, Shusuke Fuji
Shusuke Fuji is up against the St. Rudolph mastermind Mizuki, but he isn’t his usual cheerful self. Will Fuji be able to fend off Mizuki’s data-driven tennis?

You have to love a concept like Kikamaru's "feigned sleep attack." Too bad it doesn't work in real life -- think of the potential applications! You're about to get fired from work for sleeping on the job, but then, with perfect timing, you awake just in time to nail your assignment! I'm sure the extra sleep does wonders for the complexion too... Alas, I must be wide awake while typing this post, but at least you get to enjoy the latest episodes of The Prince of Tennis, which feature a surprising finish to a tiebreaker, sibling rivalry, fire in Ryoma's eyes, and a nice little bit about strategy against left-handed players, because lefties deserve our love too!

Episode 33: The Tiebreak
Kikumaru brilliantly revives his strength and breaks out his acrobatic moves, and the grueling doubles match with St. Rudolph goes into a tiebreak. Will Eiji be able to hold out to the end?

Episode 34: Twist Spin Shot
Ryoma Echizen’s turn is finally up, and he faces Fuji’s younger brother Yuta, who will stop at nothing to surpass his older brother.

"Let's keep lively out there!" How many times have you heard your high school phys ed coach yell those very words to you whenever you're panting on the field or on the court? If Eiji has heard those words, he sure doesn't seem to pay much attention, as we find out in this week's fresh episodes of The Prince of Tennis. We've heard the term "catch your opponent napping," but does "catch your opponent by napping" ever work? Find out over in The Prince of Tennis section! 

Episode 31: The Moon Volley
Next up is Seigaku’s “golden pair,” Kikumaru and Oishi, and the two find themselves facing some tough challengers. Ryoma notices that their opponent Akazawa’s hits make the ball a blur—could this be the secret to their surprising success?

Episode 32: Mortal Blow: Eiji's Feigned Sleep Attack
Oishi and Kikumaru try the Australian Formation to gain the upper hand over the St. Rudolph pair. But when Kikumaru’s energy starts to fade, their game is in jeopardy!