Ryo Hayakawa has loved baseball ever since she was little. Not only that, she
seems to have inherited her father's superior pitching skills as well.
A great opportunity is presented to Ryo when Keiko Himuro, chairperson of the
posh Kisaragi Girls High School, approaches Ryo with a scholarship offer in
exchange for becoming a member of the would-be Kisaragi Girls High baseball
team.
It's like a dream come true, but it's up to Ryo and the other team members to
make the dream a reality.
Princess Nine Anime Review
"Baseball? This anime is about baseball? Thanks but no thanks, I'm really
not into baseball,". It's such a pity you know, I always come across this and other similar
remarks whenever someone recommends Princess Nine both online and offline.
People would pass up this title because it's about baseball.
Well I got news for everybody, I don't like sports in the least, much less
watching sporting events... but I sure couldn't get enough of Princess Nine.
What "Initial D" did to the farthest thing from a car buff
(ahem, that would be me), Princess Nine did to the farthest thing from
a sports fan (yup, me again).
As I've mentioned in the synopsis, Princess Nine is a 26-episode TV series
about Ryo Hayakawa, an ordinary student with an extraordinary talent for
baseball.
Ryo's life changes when she accepts a scholarship grant from the prestigious
Kisaragi Girls High, only to discover that only she and a couple of other
girls have agreed to join the baseball team in-the-making so far. Thus Ryo
takes on the task of helping to recruit more members and establishing the team
while Kisaragi High chairperson Keiko Himuro fights for equal playing
rights... since only boys' teams are allowed to officially compete in baseball
tournaments.
Admittedly, I wasn't too impressed by the first couple episodes but as I
continued to watch, I found that I couldn't stop. Princess Nine was just too
involving, exciting, and perfectly paced. I actually looked forward to
watching every game the Kisaragi girls would play.
Aside from baseball, Princess Nine also tackles the usual stuff that teenagers
face -- love, peer pressure, family problems... every girl in the team has her
own unique background, personality, and issues to contend with.
As for Ryo, her once simple and peaceful existence is turned upside down when
she meets the most popular boy in Kisaragi Boys High, Hiroki Takasugi
(played by no less than seiyuu Takehito Koyasu, also Hotohori in "Fushigi Yuugi").
Hiroki also happens to be considered as the most promising baseball player in
the school circuit. Takasugi pursues Ryo relentlessly, but in fact Ryo's team
mate and rival Izumi Himuro
(yes, she is the school chairperson's daughter) is in love with Hiroki
as well.
Izumi and Hiroki grew up together, and Izumi has loved Hiroki ever since.
Needless to say, Ryo, Hiroki, and Izumi's triangle is one of the main subplots
of Princess Nine.
The art and animation are pretty simple in style, but serve their purposes
quite well. Character designs are rather cute and distinctive. You never feel
like all the girls came from the same drawing board.
The music is so-so, with okay songs that aren't really anything special. I
found the background music they'd play whenever Ryo would make a pitch
particularly cheesy, but it's not that big a deal either.
Princess Nine is one of the best series I've watched. There's exciting sports
action, drama, humor, lovable characters... just about everything that would
make a great anime. It's just too bad that most people aren't willing to give
it a chance. Here's hoping for another season, since the ending does leave
room for more... and I do want more.
Miscellanies: Princess Nine
The first Princess Nine's DVD contains six eps, and the rest of the volumes hold five eps
each.
Princess Nine (Princess Nine: Kisaragi Joshikou Yakyuubu) | |
| Genre | Drama, Romance, Sports |
|---|---|
| Episodes | 26 |
| Status | Finished Airing |
| Aired | Apr 8, 1998 to Oct 14, 1998 |
| Producers | NHK |
| Studio | Phoenix Entertainment |
| Rating | PG-13 - Teens 13 or older |
| Themes | Team Sports |
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