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

Overview

In the last match of the semifinals, Byodoin and Volk go head-to-head in a mighty battle to bring their teams through to the finals.


Our Take

This time around, this week’s episode takes the series in even more weird directions, pushing the boundaries of realism with its over-the-top tennis absurdity. While the show has always embraced exaggerated moments, this episode takes it to the extreme, with some moves and plays feeling less like creative exaggerations and more like outright an over-the-top shounen anime battle like something out of Dragonball.

The introduction of these outlandish techniques—like multiple balls being hit at once and impossible returns—makes it harder to connect with the stakes of the match. While some moves used to feel like exaggerated metaphors, the current matches are essentially superpowered battles with no grounding in the sport they’re supposedly portraying. What used to be intense but plausible feats now seem like pure spectacle, overshadowing the strategic elements of the game.

Overall, while the episode still delivered moments of excitement, it also emphasized how far the series has shifted from its earlier, more grounded tone. The charm of crazy but semi-plausible moves has been replaced by unrestrained chaos, with little effort to justify the increasingly absurd powers. And with one more episode left, I’m curious how they could top its proceedings no matter how crazy they’ve gotten at this point…