Okay~ Yeah I know this isn't a drama but I had to absolutely, positively do a review on the live action of one of the mangas I love. TeniPuri, short for Prince of Tennis is a manga, an anime, and also a live action. I have watched it and in particular, I really did like it, despite the small changes they had made. As a girl, I did drool over some of the guys, if not most haha. Even though the graphics are cheesy as hell, it's enjoyable to watch as a Prince of Tennis fan because if one had watched the anime, it's cheesy as well. Lol. But anyways, I used to be an avid tennis player and Prince of Tennis was a manga that interested me from the beginning. I followed the manga to the end and it certainly has been something that was enjoyed.
It only goes through the first battle against Hyotei but it does show all the other schools in the end. It was interesting to see how each character were portrayed and I admit that Hiroki Aiba and Shirota Yuu were my favorites out of the live action. Seeing that Shirota Yuu, a Japanese/Spanish mix, he is quite a looker and caught my attention. XD But despite the fact that this has mainly boys in it, there's not much romance as well as it pretty much has the romance equivalence as the manga/anime. It really is something worth watching if you are or have been an avid Prince of Tennis fan. In fact, this is quite an old live action in my opinion. Lol. The main actor, Kanata Hongo has done many things aside from this.
One popular one that he has done in fact is Shin from the NANA live action. Shirota Yuu has also participated in the Sailor Moon musical, Prince of Tennis Musical, and Hana Kimi live action. Anyways, onwards to more things haha.
Twelve-year-old Ryoma Echizen is a tennis prodigy who has won four American Junior Tennis tournaments. His father, Nanjiro a famous tennis player, calls Ryoma back to Japan to attend the distinguished Seishun Academy. Ryoma, a first year, wants to be on the school team.
A girl watches Ryoma. Her name is Shioin Higaki, whose parents died in accident. She is mute. She first meets Ryoma when he protects her on a train from a loud group of boys.
Ryoma Echizen, a tennis prodigy, attends Seishun Academy (also known as Seishun Gakuen or Seigaku, for short), a school famous for its strong tennis club and talented players. Ryoma quickly defeats numerous upperclassmen shortly after entrance to secure himself a spot on the regulars team. (Not a consistent plot but can't be told the entire thing or everything else is ruined haha.) In the series, Ryoma is portrayed as a twelve-year-old tennis prodigy who won four consecutive Junior Tennis Tournaments in America. His father is Nanjiro Echizen, a former tennis pro nicknamed "Samurai Nanjiro". At his father's request, Ryoma returns to Japan in order to attend Seishun Academy ("Seigaku"), a private middle school famous for its tennis team. Due to his cocky attitude, he constantly butts heads with some of his upperclassmen as well as anger most of his opponents in tennis matches.
In the story, he is introduced as the strict and serious captain of Seishun Academy's ("Seigaku" for short) tennis team who enforces order within his team, often making its members run laps. With his all-around tennis style and advanced techniques, Tezuka is considered to be a National-level tennis player by many of the other characters. He encourages the series' protagonist, Ryoma Echizen, to develop his own style of tennis, leading the latter to consider him to be both a mentor and a rival.
  Shuichiro Oishi is the vice-captain of the club. Oishi and Kikumaru Eiji make up Seigaku's national level doubles team, known as the 'Golden Pair'. Oishi is known as the 'Mother Hen of Seigaku', because he constantly worries and frets for the team's well-being. He remains calm and rational in a match allowing him to form strategies quickly. He uses the "Moon Volley", a topspin lob that travels very high over the court and lands just in bounds. He can also use the "Drop Volley", a feint hit with the power of a drop shot, making the trajectory much closer to the net.
Fuji is a third year student at Seishun Academy. He is given the title "tensai", or genius, due to his tactical skill on the tennis court. He is generally very relaxed and in control, whilst his opponent is pushing himself to the limit, giving many the impression that Fuji is either a genius who knows how to save his energy during play, or that he does not really care about tennis itself. There are a few people that can "wake" the true player in Fuji and force him to play seriously, and these few are either nationally-ranked or extremely talented tennis players. Seigaku teammates Kunimitsu Tezuka and Ryoma Echizen, Shitenhōji captain Kuranosuke Shiraishi, and Rikkaidai Fuzoku regular Akaya Kirihara have been acknowledged by Fuji to be actual challenges.   Eiji Kikumaru is part of Seigaku's "Golden Pair" along with Oishi. He uses "Acrobatic Play", which takes advantage of his flexible body. Eiji is also known to have the sharpest vision on the team, with an exceptional talent for seeing moving objects. His main weakness is his lack of stamina which he finally overcomes through hard work and training later in the series. Though the Golden Pair seldom play without each other, circumstances such as their temporary breakup when Oishi gives his spot to Ryoma, forces him to play in singles. Eiji is a friendly, sweet-tempered and outgoing character and the youngest of a large family.
 
Sadaharu Inui is a highly intelligent player, who uses "Data Tennis." He constantly collects and analyzes data of other players in order to determine weaknesses and habits. While he collects data pertaining to tennis, he also collects personal pieces of data, such as favorite things, personal habits, and where they have been, which makes others feel awkward. His style originates from his close friend, Renji of Rikkai, who played doubles with Inui before moving. He is temporarily removed from the regulars after losing to Ryoma and Kaido, and becomes the team manager. He uses his data to create exercise programs for the team and creates a series of disgusting "Inui Juice" health drinks that are able to knock a person out, which motivates the team to train.
  Takashi Kawamura has a shy personality without his tennis racket, but becomes extremely aggressive and loud once he has a tennis racket in his hands. He often shouts "Burning!", "Great!", "Come on, baby!", "Shocking!", "Victory!" and "Delicious!" while playing. During his first year, he has a lot of power, though he doesn't have any other skills. He is made fun of by his peers, though his close friends stay by him and help him develop. During his third year, he becomes a regular and eventually meeting his goal of becoming the number one power player in Japan by beating Gin Ishida. He plans to quit playing tennis after the tournament and focus on working as a sushi chef under his father with the goal of being number one in the future.
  Takeshi Momoshiro is known as Seigaku’s "number one rascal." As the player who is the most open and friendly with everyone, Momoshiro is connected to everyone on the team on some level. Momoshiro is the closest to a true friend Ryoma Echizen can claim, the two spend much time together eating hamburgers or playing street tennis. Momoshiro and Kaidoh Kaoru are eternal rivals, and constantly try to out-do each other. This makes them efficient as a doubles pair, because the two rivals know each other so well. Momoshiro develops an affinity for playing doubles and even masters it, despite expressing a preference for singles.
  Kaoru Kaidoh is known as "Viper" to his teammates for constantly making a "fshuuuu", sound, similar to a snake, while exhaling. Kaidoh trains rigorously, increasing the training program given to him by Inui to give him high endurance. He has a deep rivalry with Momoshiro, in which they constantly try to beat each other. He normally plays singles, though he eventually pairs with Inui, who helps Kaido train and develop new techniques. Kaido's stamina is used to let him play the other team alone, while Inui collects data.
I should also note that most of the cast has also participated in the musical if I remember correctly.
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