The Prince of Tennis - The Two Samurai: The First Game
'The Prince of Tennis - 'The Two Samurai: The First Game, Tennis no Ōjisama Futari no Samurai The First Game (テニスの王子様 二人のサムライ The First Game) is the first animated movie based on the manga series The Prince of Tennis. This was also co-aired with a mini movie A Gift from Atobe.
Summary[]
The Seigaku team is invited to play tennis on a luxury cruise ship hosted by the millionaire Sakurafubuki Hikomaro. Though everything is not as it seems as the regulars soon find themselves having to play for their lives in this underground gambling scheme, and who is this mysterious person claiming to know Ryoma?
Synopsis[]
Echizen Ryoma, dubbed "Chibisuke", as a child in an orange tree.
The movie opens with a flashback during Ryoma's childhood, occuring while Ryoma was napping on a beach chair by a pool. Ryoma was seen climbing an orange tree, trying to grab an orange only to have another older boy steal it from him and eating it whole with its peel. He calls Ryoma "Chibisuke" and then jumps off the cliff and into the sea, telling Ryoma to find his own adventure after making fun of the younger boy who could not get the orange. Back in the modern time, a shadow is seen cast above the sleeping Ryoma.
The mysterious boy, later revealed to be Ryoga as a child
We learn that the Seishun Academy Middle School tennis regulars are invited on a cruise by Sakurafubuki Hikomaro to play a match with his own tennis team. Aboard the ship, the regulars notice how luxurious the ship is. Ryoga Echizen introduces himself to the team as Ryoma's older brother. Ryoma reveals that Ryoga was adopted by Nanjiroh many years ago, when they lived in America, but mysteriously left home prior to Ryoma enrolling in Seigaku.
That evening, after a banquet dinner, Kawamura, being a sushi chef, remarks that the food did not taste as expensive as it looked. In the bathroom, Inui discovers that the marble on the wall is fake when he tears off a piece of wallpaper. It becomes clear that something is not right. The next day, Sakurafubuki reveals to Tezuka and Oishi that they are actually part of an illegal gambling plot. If they purposely lose their matches the next day, Sakurafubuki will rake in a lot of money from people that have betted on Seigaku winning. But, should they choose not listen and win the matches, the team faces the grim possibility of losing their lives.
It turns out that everyone on the ship are either gamblers or Sakurafubuki's henchmen, so therefore Seigaku can only trust themselves. The team tries to form a plan of action while playing the matches as directed, but they are ultimately held hostage by Sakurafubuki's chef when Eiji is caught eavesdropping. Only Tezuka, Fuji, and Echizen are allowed to leave to play their matches. Tezuka and Fuji win their matches easily. Upon seeing Ryoma's performance, Ryoga decides to betray Sakurafubuki in order to play a match against his brother to see who's the better player.
Shuichiro Oishi narrowly surviving an assassination attempt via playing dart.
Meanwhile, the rest of the team escape from the room where the chef held them hostage (thanks to Inui's clever usage of Inui Juice), and then are forced to engage in a rather humorous run from the corrupt crew members. In the end, they are recaptured and bound by Sakurafubuki, who holds them at gunpoint. Ryoma realizes that his teammates' lives are going to be at risk if he continues to play against his brother.
Fortunately, Ryoga decides that he will not be Sakurafubuki's pawn any longer, and fires a tennis ball straight into his forehead. This allows the rest of the team to escape once again. As Ryoma and Ryoga's match continues, a terrible storm brews, forcing everyone on the ship to evacuate through the lifeboats. Seigaku keeps order throughout the panic and helps the passengers, although Momoshiro and Eiji end up falling overboard. The Echizen brothers, however, keep playing their match, even as an enormous tidal wave descends upon the cruise ship. They seem unfazed as they play their match underwater.
In the end, Ryoma comes out as the victor when the ball drops onto Ryoga's side of the net, despite that the net is gone and a large light has crashed across the court. Ryoga accepts his defeat and remarks that Ryoma's tennis certainly has improved. The two escape via Ryoga's jet ski, and Ryoma is reunited with his team, who have all escaped the ship unharmed. Ryoga takes Ryoma's hat and gives him an orange and tells him to find his "Grand Dream".
Ryoga before his departure.
After that, he rides his jet ski into the sunset. Atobe Keigo then arrives at the scene and witnesses Sakurafubuki being arrested. In an earlier phone conversation with Oshitari Yushi, who also appeared along Gakuto Mukahi, Atobe remarked that he did not know Sakurafubuki and suspected that Seigaku was involved in a scam.
Trivia[]
- This is notable as being the first time any form of weaponry or heavy threats have been shown in the series. Eiji was almost shot at but luckily ducked in time, while Oishi was almost killed when one of the ship's crew members aimed a playing dart at his head, but ended up hitting a wall.
- The character Ryoga Echizen is introduced as Ryoma Echizen's older adoptive brother. Originally as a movie only character he has appeared in the OVA Another Story and in the sequel New Prince of Tennis.