Shin Tennis no Oujisama JAPAN Jersey with surnames sewn onto it

Title: Shin Tennis no Oujisama JAPAN Jersey with surnames sewn onto it
Price: 10,800 yen (inclusive of tax)
Material: 100% polyester
Date of release: Early December 2010
You can purchase the jersey with your favourite player's surname. Choices include Echizen, Tezuka, Ooishi, Fuji, Kikumaru, Inui, Kawamura, Momoshiro, Kaidou, Yukimura, Sanada, Yanagi, Yagyuu, Niou, Marui, Kirihara, Atobe, the Oshitari cousins, Mukahi, Shishido, Ootori, Hiyoshi, Shiraishi, Chitose, Toyama, Kite, Akutsu, Tachibana and Hirakoba.
Purchase from: Mekke!

Tennis no Oujisama Doubles no Oujisama BOYS, BE GLORIOUS!

Title: Tennis no Oujisama Doubles no Oujisama BOYS, BE GLORIOUS
Date of release: 26 March 2009
Price: 5,250 yen (inclusive of tax)
Produced by: Konami Digital Entertainment

Under the "Doubles no Oujisama" game releases, this version allows the player to play the elder brother of two siblings who are good at tennis. The setting of this boy is a Year 3 student from Ourin Junior High. He is voiced by Naitou Rei. The aim of the game is to form a boys doubles pair with the characters and win the tournament.

In the boys version, the following characters are featured i.e. you can form a pair with this character:

1) Echizen Ryoma
2) Atobe Keigo
3) Tachibana Kippei
4) Saeki Kojiro
5) Sanada Genichirou
6) Oishi Shuuichirou
7) Fuji Shuusuke
8) Fuji Yuuta

Other characters will also appear in the form as rival pairs.

Besides training for the tournament, there are also activities to build up the relationship between the partners. If both versions are linked, there are special events available for selection.

For those who purchase both versions, you can use the coupon in the game package to redeem for an original CD titled "On The Radio" which features 6 seiyuus e.g. Minagawa Junko, Okiayu Ryotarou, Suwabe Junichi, Nagai Sachiko, Aragaki Tarusuke and Hosoya Yoshimasa. The redemption is valid till 10 May but all delivery fees for the CD is borne by the buyer of the games. Please note that redemption is only for addresses within Japan.

Tennis no Oujisama Doubles no Oujisama GIRLS, BE GRACIOUS! (Nintendo DS)

Title: Tennis no Oujisama Doubles no Oujisama GIRLS, BE GRACIOUS!
Date of release: 5 March 2009
Price: 5,250 yen (inclusive of tax)
Produced by: Konami Digital Entertainment

Under the "Doubles no Oujisama" game releases, this version allows the player to play the younger sister of two siblings who are good at tennis. The setting of this girl is a Year 2 student from Ourin Junior High. She is voiced by Kobayashi Yumiko. The aim of the game is to form a mixed doubles pair with the characters and win the tournament.

In the girls version, the following characters are featured i.e. you can form a pair with this character:

1) Echizen Ryoma
2) Atobe Keigo
3) Shiraishi Kuranosuke
4) Mizuki Hajime
5) Sengoku Kiyosumi
6) Tezuka Kunimitsu
7) Kikumaru Eiji
8) Kamio Akira
9) Inui Sadaharu
10) Kaidou Kaoru
11) Niou Masaharu

Other characters will also appear in the form as rival pairs.

Besides training for the tournament, there are also activities to build up the relationship between the partners. If both versions are linked, there are special events available for selection.

For those who purchase both versions, you can use the coupon in the game package to redeem for an original CD titled "On The Radio" which features 6 seiyuus e.g. Minagawa Junko, Okiayu Ryotarou, Suwabe Junichi, Nagai Sachiko, Aragaki Tarusuke and Hosoya Yoshimasa. The redemption is valid till 10 May but all delivery fees for the CD is borne by the buyer of the games. Please note that redemption is only for addresses within Japan.

Prism プリズム - Tachibana Kippei & Kamio Akira

This single from Tachibana Kippei and Kamio Akira of Fudoumine marks the 4th release in the duet series. Previous releases included those from Oishi Shuichirou & Kikumaru Eiji (Seigaku), Chinen Hiroshi & Hirakoba Rin (Higa) and Yanagi Renji & Niou Masaharu (Rikkaidai).





Track list:
1) Prism
2) Spirits of Hunter ~ Shishi no Shinnen ~ (The belief of a lion)
3) ACE of ACES
4) Prism - Instrumental

Release date: 27 August 2008
Price: 1300 yen
Catalog number: NECM-13017
Published by: TY Entertainment
Distributed by: King Record

Upcoming CD Releases - Ibu Shinji and Golden Pair!

Here are 2 new upcoming CD releases in the month of Dec from Ibu Shinji and the Golden Pair i.e. Oishi Shuuichirou and Kikumaru Eiji:

Title: EVE
Artiste: Ibu Shinji
Date of release: 6 Dec 2006
Catalog number: NECA-18001
Price: 1800 yen

Title: Type wa D!
Artistes: Oishi Shuuichirou & Kikumaru Eiji
Date of release: 20 Dec 2006
Catalog number: NECM-13002
Price: 1300 yen
Track List
1) Type wa D!
2) song for us - Oishi Shuuichirou
3) Kore ga Seishun da! - Kikumaru Eiji
4) Type wa D! - Instrumental -
*Note that track 2 and 3 are the ED and OP for Rajipuri in the month of Nov.

New trading card boosters

Here are 2 new booster pack series as listed on the OVA's official website:

1) Special Booster No.5 "Best Partner"
Release Date: 14 Sep 2006
Price: 315 yen per pack
Specifications: 5 cards in each pack
No. of patterns: 70
Remarks: Cards feature characters in pairs and there are also specially-designed doubles cards in this series to mark the 100th doubles card version release.

2) Booster No.18 "The Strong Assembles"
Release Date: 10 Aug 2006
Price: 210 yen
Specifications: 7 cards in each pack
No. of patterns: 93
Remarks: Focus on the schools in the Best 8 of the Nationals including Seigaku, Hyotei, Rikkaidai, Fudoumine and Shitenbouji

Otanjoubi Omedetou, Kamio Akira!

Today's the birthday of Kamio Akira, the speedster from Fudoumine! As we know it, Kamio's strength lies in his speed on the court and he's not called the speed demon of Fudoumine for nothing. Due to his obsession with speed, this seems to have influenced his temperament to a large extent that he flares up easily when provoked. It is especially obvious when he's with Momo or the matter involves An. Nevertheless, his behaviour doesn't get on my nerves as much as his hairstyle which covers half of his face where I find the latter more annoying. However, I still find Kamio a joy to watch most of the times since he provides much comical relief during "clashes" with Momo.

Name: Kamio Akira
Date of Birth: 26 Aug
School: Fudoumine Junior High, Year 2
Height: 165cm
Weight: 52kg
Blood Group: O
Play-style: Right-handed, counter puncher
Favourite shoes: NEW BALANCE WCT 800
Favourite racket: DUNLOP XL Mega Impedance Titanium
Special Technique: Sonic Bullet
Favourite Food: Hourensou no Ohitashi and Portofu
Hobbies: Music and karaoke
Family: Parents and Elder sister
Father's Occupation: Employee of travel agency
Subjects good at: Sports (running) and music
Favourite colours: flourescent yellow and green
Favourite trait in girls: Cute smiles

Otanjoubi Omedetou, Tachibana Kippei!

Today's the birthday of the captain from Fudoumine i.e. Tachibana Kippei who was regarded as the Top 2 from the Kyuushuu region along with Chitose before he transferred to Fudoumine. I don't know if this is an uncanny coincidence but it seems like the more prominent captains (except Atobe) are either sick or injured thus resulting in them being M.I.A. for a long time. If not for the injury which Tachibana sustained during the Kantou Tournament, he would have taken part in the Senbatsu team camp along with Kamio and Ibu which meant more exciting battles to be seen. Anyway, it's just too bad that he has lost to Chitose in the Nationals so we probably won't be seeing him in action anymore. Nevertheless, there is still a chance of spotting him around since it's likely that many of the characters will be present during the Nationals' semi-finals and finals as spectators.

Name: Tachibana Kippei
School: Fudoumine Junior High Year 3
Date of Birth: 15 Aug
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Height: 179cm
Weight: 67kg
Blood Group: O
Playstyle: All-rounder, right-handed
Favourite shoes: NIKE Air Zoom Beyond
Favourite racquet: TOALSON SYSTEM-PEO03
Favourite food: Tea-based items
Hobbies: Japanese cuisine
Family members: Great-grandmother, grandmother, parents and younger sister
Father's Occupation: Employee at manufacturing company
Subjects good at: technical studies, English
Favourite colour: Blue
Type of girl he likes: Health-conscious

Otanjoubi Omedetou, Tachibana An & Kimura Akiko-san!

It's rare for a seiyuu to share the same birthday with his/her character in an anime and yet we have one instance here! Today's the 36th birthday of Kimura Akiko-san who plays Tachibana An in the anime.

As we know it, An is the younger sister of Tachibana Kippei and the love interest of Kamio Akira and Momoshiro Takeshi. Although it's obvious that Kamio holds a torch for An, Momo doesn't show the same amount of enthusiasm for An in an obvious manner but she seems to like him quite a lot. As such, we get to see a lot of scenes where Kamio and Momo gets into arguments and most of the time, it has something to do with An. Other than that, we also know that she's a tennis player, likes to go to the street tennis courts and got into trouble with Atobe which led to Kamio and Momo playing doubles together for the first time.

Kimura-san comes from Fukui Prefecture and according to her website, her height and blood type is 160cm and O respectively. She has a license for kindergarten and primary school teachers and her hobbies/special talents include illustrations and Aikido.

Other than Tenipuri, Kimura-san's voice can also be heard in animes like Yomigaeru Sora~Rescue Wings, LEGEND OF BASARA, Mai Otohime, NANA, Juousei, Okusama wa Joushikousei, Gokujou Seitoukai, Yu Gi Ou, Initial D, Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo, Saiyuuki, Koi Koi 7, Onegai My Melody and Pocket Monster. Besides work as a seiyuu in animes, she also participates in projects like stage works, radio, CD dramas and narration. If you are interested to view more details about her, you can visit the following site where there's a diary, BBS, fanclub details, related items which you may buy online as well as a report on her work activities.

Oricon rankings for Ibu & Kuki singles

According to the Oricon singles Best 100 chart dated 27 March, Ibu Shinji's 2nd solo single "Start~Boku no Yukue" and Kuki Kiichi's first solo single "Kiichi no Hayaguchi Kotoba" have achieved the positions of No.63 and No.95 respectively. The results are also mentioned on the NEC Interchannel website.

Updates on Ibu Shinji & Kuki Kiichi's new singles

As per Interchannel's announcement, more details of Ibu Shinji (Fudoumine) and Kuki Kiichi's new singles are as follows:-

Title: Kiichi no Hayaguchi Kotoba
Artist: Kuki Kiichi
Release Date: 15 March 2006
Catalog Number: NECM-10036
Price: 777 yen

Title: Start~Boku no Yukue
Artist: Ibu Shinji
Release Date: 15 March 2006
Catalog Number: NECM-10037
Price: 777 yen

Otanjoubi Omedetou, Suzuki Chihiro-san!

Today is the birthday of Suzuki Chihiro-san who plays Kamio Akira in Tenipuri! He was born in 1977 at Yamagata Prefecture and is currently a seiyuu under Arts Vision since 1 Apr 2003. He is usually called Chi-chan by his peers and fans. Suzuki used to form a group named P.K.O with Toriumi Kousuke who played Sengoku Kiyosumi and Saeki Tomo but Saeki had left the group in spring 2005 as she wanted to concentrate on treatment for her heart problem. As such, there's only Suzuki and Toriumi left in the group at the moment where they have released CDs and held concerts.

Besides Tenipuri, the only other anime I've heard Suzuki in would be Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou. Actually, it was easy to spot him because Suzuki's voice is really unique that it's hard to forget once you've heard it. Although his character, Arima Souichirou is very different from the hot-blooded Kamio in Tenipuri, I just kept seeing traces of Kamio in Arima because of Suzuki's voice despite the fact that Karekano was a much earlier production than Tenipuri. For those who are interested in finding out about Suzuki, please vist his official website here.

Otanjoubi Omedetou, Ibu-kun & Jackal!

Today's the birthday of Ibu Shinji from Fudoumine and Jackal Kuwahara from Rikkai and they are one of the few characters whose birthdays fall on the same day. Let me begin with Ibu-kun first who appeared earlier than Jackal in the anime.

Ibu is one of the two 2nd-year aces in Fudoumine along with Kamio. While the latter is more outspoken and rash, Ibu seems calmer and collected but he has a habit of rambling and grumbling to himself which gets on the nerves of others. In fact, during his first match with Echizen during the district finals, Ibu was reprimanded by Echizen for his rambling as he wanted to finish the match as soon as possible. Subsequently, he appeared in other matches too although not featured in full like those with Yamabuki and Rikkai where his doubles partner is usually Kamio. He has long hair which he never ties up during matches and I wonder why he doesn't feel hot after all that exercise. Anyway, the most interesting trait of Ibu should be his excessive rambling which provides comical relief and yet gets long-winded at times.

Now, for Jackal, he's only been featured in the Kantou final for Doubles 2 against Momo and Kaidou so far but I'm not sure whether he will be in the Nationals arc though unless Rikkai meets Seigaku in the final. Talking about Jackal, his partner Marui Bunta should also be mentioned since he seems to be the one covering Marui's faults or should I say blind points because there are certain shots whch Marui avoids but he knows there's always Jackal at the back to cover up for him. There is a strong trust relationship between the two of them who managed to get to where they are through hard work. Jackal used to live in Brazil and is of mixed heritage so his name is not in Japanese characters. He's the only skinhead in the series and he maintains this hairstyle to remind himself of a senior who helped him a lot in tennis when he was still in Brazil. He's nicknamed the steel wall because of the fact that no shots can get past him.

Otanjoubi Omedetou, Kamio-kun!

Today's the birthday of Kamio Akira from Fudoumine. Otanjoubi Omedetou!

Well, he's not one of my top favourite characters in the ranks of Genichirou, Atobe or Tezuka but I like his constant "clashes" with Momo when it comes to tennis and An. That is very entertaining in my opinion. Of course, Momo is not that sharp enough to know that Kamio likes An and regards him as a rival for her affections so it's usually a case of Kamio getting angry for nothing. In addition, I tend to think that An seems to feel something different for Momo as compared to Kamio. Besides that, he is also not on very good terms with Kirihara ever since he got Tachibana-san injured during the Kantou semi-finals but things got settled after the Senbatsu camp so I guess the bad blood between them is no longer present.

Initially, when I first saw Kamio, I got pretty irritated with the catchphrase, "Rhythmn ni norize" or "Rhythmn ni high". In addition, his fringe covering half of his face got on my nerves. Now, I've learned to get used to these unique features of Kamio-kun. And his partner, Ibu is so laidback and naggy most of the time and I really wonder how someone like Kamio who places a lot of emphasis on speed can stand him. Maybe opposites do attract.

Kamio's voice actor is Suzuki Chihiro whom I've also heard as Arima Soichiro in Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou. His birthday is 17 Feb 1977, his hometown is in Yamagata and his agency is Arts Vision. He has also formed an unit named P.K.O with Toriumi Kosuke and Saeki Tomo. By the way, Toriumi plays the part of Sengoku Kiyosumi from Yamabuki and the two had played before in the Kantou competition before. I've also found a picture of him but it's a side view photo.

Otanjoubi Omedetou, Tachibana-san!

Today is Fudoumine's bucchou, Tachibana Kippei's birthday! Otanjoubi omedetou!

Well, Tachibana-san seems to be as "ill-fated" as our Tezuka-bucchou because they rarely play in matches. That's because they are usually not required to play since their teammates have won the earlier matches. However, Tachibana-san is worse-off than Tezuka in a sense because the latter had 3.5 episodes to himself when he played Atobe in the Kantou first round match but Tachibana-san only appeared for a while when he played Shishido in the Tokyo round and when he was thrashed by Kirihara during the Kantou semi-finals. Well, I don't think he's that lousy since he is the one of the Top 2 in Kyushu but the anime didn't give him too much "face" and he seems to be very low-profile as the captain cum coach cum player of the team. And it would have been interesting if he wasn't injured and could join the Senbatsu team.

If we look at the manga, there is a clear explanation why he came to Kantou because he used to be like Kirihara i.e. adopting a rough playing style and caused someone to be seriously injured. That is why he shaved his head and came to Fudoumine. Honestly speaking, the shaved head image makes him look like Buddha especially with that mole on his forehead. ^__^ Before that, his hairstyle made him look rough and resembled a gangster. However, in the manga when Fuji went to him and asked him to play seriously before the start of the Nationals, Tachibana looked very fired-up and extremely intimidating which means that he wasn't playing that seriously in the past? Anyway, the manga will probably give him more chances to appear in future.