English Dub Review: The Prince of Tennis II: U-17 World Cup “The Worst Doubles Pair”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Team Japan’s Yanagi and Mori are partners for #1 doubles against France, but they obviously don’t get along at all. Can they smooth things out between them before it’s too late?

Our Take:
Team Japan fails to beat France in their first doubles match despite the best efforts from Shiraishi and Kimijima. So now it’s off to the #1 doubles match that would determine the fates of Ryoma and his friends. However, Team Japan is not just dealing with France’s charming players during the round but also some of their own members.
The next players for Japan are Yanagi and Mori. Unfortunately, these two don’t see eye to eye with one another. This puts a strain on the team’s chances of moving to the next round, but it also works in Team France’s favor.
The other doubles teams in the previous episodes work well together while facing their self-doubts. So it’s definitely a slight change of pace to see one that is at odds against each other, affecting their cooperation. This dispute is due to Yanagi being mad at Mori for being careless. Fortunately, the feud didn’t last long, as the two made amends after remembering helping one of their friends get through rehab. There’s also a legend of a fairy delivering beverages to players that played a role in them getting along.
Afterwards, the episode’s second half sees Yanagi and Mori attempting to win against Team France’s Edgar and Jonathan St. George. Edgar can deliver shots resembling different animals and constantly hits Jonathan whenever the latter makes a mistake. Jonathan resembles Yanagi regarding their analyst personality in which they collect data from a player’s performance and the ball’s trajectory. However, Jonathan also has a strange ability to change his personality and performance based on the drawing Edgar makes on his face.
Team Japan would eventually win the #1 doubles match over Team France after overcoming France’s unusual duo. More importantly, Yanagi and Mori’s friendship has been restored, which led to their victory. While it could’ve explored the urgency of the characters’ disagreements further, “The Worst Doubles Pair” is another episode that consistently entertains with a gripping match between Team Japan and its opposing team. Next week, Ryoma will finally participate in the continuing match-up between Japan and France in #3 singles. Hopefully, he’s ready for what’s coming to him.