Ulfson's Full Review: Princess Nine - Vol. 3: Triple Play
Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.
NOTE: This review is a continuation of my reviews of this series. If you have not seen the any of the volumes or read my previous reviews, you are risking spoilers.
The Intro
Princess Nine enters it's third volume with a hard crack off the bat! Four more episodes are headed our way in this disc and plots are heating up! It seems that just about everything gets slightly revealed from family secrets to just how desperately these girls want to be apart of the High School Baseball League!
The Story
The first episode takes us into the girls very first practice game against a tough boy's jr. high school team which has taken regional championships. The girls are fighting hard but still one player short, Nene must fill in at third base leaving a very horrible weak point. Then you have to add in that Yoko over in right field still refuses to practice or even touch the ball, and you have two very obvious weaknesses that the team can only hope that their opponents don't pick up on. This game is more than just a practice match... with the chairman, principal and vice principal all watching it could very well be their last game is things do not go well.
The second episode is titled 'Aim For Koshien'. This episode is crammed with new plot developments and is definitely one that you gotta pay attention to. The Chairman has stormed the league offices and demands that her team be accepted into the Koshien national tournament but she is still being refused but finally a deal is reached... the girls are going to have one game against Koshien veterans Rinkai Dai High (it all rhymes) and if they win, they will get to join in the tournament.
Next up on the list for this episode would be the final piece of the puzzle FINALLY joining which would be the clean up batter, Izumi Humuro. I say finally in all capitals because she's been stubborn enough for the last couple of episodes so it's nice to see that she finally decided to climb off her high horse slightly and join in. Joining the team with a whole new look and attitude (well, sorta) the team is finally complete and ready to move forth.
Last plot to be developed in this episode is more on Ryo's father. In their practice game, Ryo almost lost because she just didn't have the stamina and now she fears the same thing when she has to face off against an incredibly more experienced and all around tougher team from Rinkai High, but then she hears about something she never knew. In his days as a great pitcher, Ryo's father threw some of his best pitches in the closing innings of the game because he had a magic ball. The only problem is that no one who knew her father can teach her how to throw it. The girls are training hard in this episode for the battle that is to come and it's definitely something to see.
In the third episode, (episode 12 if you're keeping track) while Ryo struggles to figure out how to throw the Lightning Ball that her father threw, Mao is in the bottom of a slump. She is having trouble catching Ryo's pitches and even fielding. Frustrated by her slump, Izumi challenges Mao (what is with people and challenging each other in this series??) She will stand at the plate and Ryo will pitch one hundred of her best pitches at Mao just as though it were a real game and if Mao can catch even one and hold on to it, Izumi will leave her alone but if she can't catch even one of those hundred pitches, she must quit the team. Though harsh, Mao accepts the challenge.
Last episode on this disc shows our girls in action once again. This time they will are facing off against Rinkai High and our girls are desperate to win. Employing a rather devious strategy (I won't spoil it but let's think about this.... beautiful young girls in tight uniforms against teenage boys.... yeah, I knew you'd figure it out) to gain an early lead. But the battle continues to be fierce into the later innings. Can our girls overcome this incredible adversity all while being broadcast on national television and the eyes of the entire country laying squarely on them??? Well, if you want to know you're gonna have to pick up the next volume.
The Good and the Bad
As with most series reviews, when you write a review about one volume you've pretty much reviewed them all at once except for small details here and there and in this case that's pretty much true. All the good and bad points have pretty much stayed the same throughout the three volumes thus far. The story line, characters, music and animation are consistently engaging and touching.
The only time that I was able to find bad points with this disc that involved the actual series was during the first volume and those have all magically disappeared thank goodness. The only thing that seems to change with each volume are the DVD extras which ADV has been so kind to put on. On volume two we were treated to the US teaser and trailer along with a short 'How To Make Oden' feature and the line up for the Princess Nine along with the traditional ADV trailers.
On this disc the extras are now profiles for the both the US and Japanese voice actresses, an incredibly interesting history on baseball in Japan (which not only discusses where baseball in Japan started but also the origins of the professional league and different reasons other than the obvious on why the High School Baseball League have such problems with the girl's joining in at Koshien) and also ADV trailers. The only problem with these extras is that they made the font in them so incredibly small and it is very taxing on the eyes to read them which is a shame since I really was interested in learning more about the voice talents used in this series. The history of baseball in Japan though is definitely worth reading so if you have a few extra minutes, be sure to check it out!
Overall
This series is now half over and I feel very sad to think that very soon it'll be over for me. This is definitely one of those series that I could see going on and on, picking up with each new baseball season for the girls. Showing them grow up through their high school years and improve with each pitch, catch and hit. But alas, it is not to be as this series is only 25 episodes and six volumes long. Incredible that is it though, I very much suggest that you pick up and enjoy it for everything that it offers. Though there maybe some strong language here and there, the overall message is crystal clear..... Believe in yourself and you can do anything!
Related Websites
http://www.advfilms.com/favorites/princessnine
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