What’s with 2000s anime series getting new releases these days? Next up on today’s news on our childhood anime is popular sports anime Prince of Tennis, as the series’ official Twitter account has announced that the new anime project for the series, The New Prince of Tennis: Hyotei vs. Rikkai Game of the Future is getting a two-part release in 2021! The announcement stated that the two-part release will be between February and March 2021, and while it was not specified what form this anime project will be, it appears that this will be a theatrical release.
A new poster visual was also revealed for the anime project:
As the title suggests, it will feature a match between Hyotei Academy and Rikkaidai Junior High School—an event which was never shown in the manga series.
The new anime project will be under the full supervision of Takeshi Konomi, creator of The Prince of Tennis himself. In celebration of this earlier announcement, Konomi posted this newly-drawn illustration on his Twitter:
Hyotei vs Rikkai will be directed by Keiichiro Kawaguchi (ISLAND, Frame Arms Girl) with Mitsutaka Hirota (Zoids Wild) writing the scripts. Character design will be done by Akiharu Ishii (Ultraman Magmell).
Last May, the voice actors of the two teams’ captains also posted their messages regarding this new anime announcement. Junichi Suwabe, voice of Hyotei team captain Keigo Atobe, says:
“The direct confrontation between Hyotei and Rikkai, which has not been told in the original manga, is made into anime!? I’m really surprised. I hope that the good things about our members will be well depicted. And I want Mr. Atobe to win! I want him to fight against the strong competitors who are ready in both mind and body and beat them justly…, but how will it go!? Please wait while opening all of your pores!!”
Below is the message from Sachika Nagai, voice of Rikkaidai team captain Seiichi Yukimura:
"When I heard about the “Hyotei vs Rikkai,” I realized the true meaning of the feeling of tension. The members of Rikkai come to mind one after another. I imagine the calm exhilaration of the Rikkai members when the match is decided. I’m looking forward to what kind of match order it will be. I will challenge not to be ashamed of the name of the king, Rikkai, who doesn’t allow compromise anytime."
The Prince of Tennis originally ran from 1999 to 2008 in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. It then inspired a TV anime that ran from 2001 to 2005, two anime feature films, a live-action film in Japan and a series in China, as well as the popular Prince of Tennis musicals.
Source: Anime News Network