The iconic sports anime The Prince of Tennis is finally receiving another installment, and several new images tease possible story elements and give fans a preview of what the plot has in store.The four images, which were posted to Twitter, show protagonist RyÅma Echizen flaunting his trademark confidence and several individuals sporting outfits adorned with the American flag. Few story details about The Prince of Tennis II: U-17 World Cup have been revealed, making it unclear if the new anime will follow the events of the manga or tell an original story, but these teasers suggest that the series may be set in the United States.
Takeshi Konomi's The Prince of Tennis was originally serialized in Shueisha's Weekly ShÅnen Jump from July 1999 to March 2008, producing a total of forty-two volumes worth of content. It tells the story of tennis prodigy RyÅma as he and the other members of Seishun Academy's tennis club strive to achieve the ultimate goal of winning the National Middle School Tennis Championship.
M.S.C., the studio behind many of The Prince of Tennis' OVAs and movies, is partnering with Studio Kai to produce The Prince of Tennis II: U-17 World Cup with Keiichiro Kawaguchi (Hunter x Hunter -The Last Mission-) serving as director and Mitsutaka Hirota (Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS) overseeing the series composition. Other members of the creative team include composer Chihiro Tamaki (Digimon Adventure tri: Coexistence), editor Daisuke Hiraki, character designer Akiharu Ishii (Ghost in the Shell) and sound director Yūki Matsuoka.
Several voice actors are reprising their roles from the first Prince of Tennis anime series, which aired from October 2001 to March 2005. This includes Junko Minagawa (You're Being Summoned, Azazel) as RyÅma, Ryotaro Okiayu (One Piece, Overlord) as Kunimitsu Tezuka, Hiroki Yasumoto (The Devil is a Part-Timer!, Fairy Tail) as HÅÅ ByÅdÅin and Junichi Suwabe (Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic) as Keigo Atobe.
While The Prince of Tennis II: U-17 World Cup is described as the first anime series in the franchise in over a decade, there have been several Prince of Tennis tie-in films throughout the years. The most recent, RyÅma! Rebirth: The Prince of Tennis Movie, premiered in theaters in Japan on earlier this year.
The Prince of Tennis II: U-17 World Cup is scheduled for a 2022 release, and the original anime series can be streamed on Hulu.
Source: Twitter