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

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Ryoma’s match with Chardard continues in #3 singles of Japan versus France. Whichever team is victorious will advance to play Germany.

Our Take:
You can tell that the show is saving the best for last. After spending almost the entire season sitting on the sidelines, the titular character is finally ready to hit the court. With Team Japan struggling against Team France despite their best efforts, it seemed appropriate that they were going for their secret weapon. But will it be enough for them to win this match?
The episode showcases the #3 singles match between Team Japan and Team France after the teams are tied up. But this isn’t just any other match, as this one is highly crucial regarding the players. Ryoma is having his long-awaited rematch against the French prince himself, Chardard, following their previous game in the show’s fourth episode, “Prince Vs. Prince”. If you’ve been following the show with me, you’d know how I felt about that unique match-up.
Thankfully, “Prince of Ace” managed to be an improvement over that episode for several reasons. One is that this best-of-three match is nothing but regular tennis. No horses are required, which is good since that would be illegal. The other is that it builds up the intensity of the game’s significance and Ryoma’s struggle.
This is mainly due to Chardard’s return aces, which seemed impossible for Ryoma to hit since they’re swift as hell. Ryoma has even tried to do his twist serves, but Chardard easily deflects them as well. Chardard has been called the “Prince of Ace” for that reason, and it shows.
Thankfully, Ryoma found a solution to combat Chardard’s returns, and that’s the Glowing Shot he learned from the team’s coach. The Glowing Shot, which can destroy anything in its path, has consistently tore a hole through Chardard’s rackets, helping Ryoma make a strong comeback despite his shots not being as destructive as the coach’s. But unfortunately, it was short-lived, with Chardard returning one of Ryoma’s Glowing Shots straight into his chest, knocking him unconscious.
As mentioned earlier, “Prince of Aces” is better than the show’s fourth episode regarding its consistently high stakes and Chardard’s incredible aces. More importantly, it represents what could be Ryoma’s final hour in the tournament, as his own power puts him out of commission. Next week’s episode is bringing the show’s season to a close, so let’s hope the prince of tennis can recover from this injury before Team Japan gets the boot.