NOTE: This review is a continuation of my reviews of this series. If you have not seen any of the volumes or my previous reviews, you risk spoilers by continuing.

The Intro

Strike Zone is the title of the fourth volume of Princess Nine and I have to say that it is aptly titled. This series continues to throw the ball straight into the catcher's mitt and my heart with it's wonderful story and characters!

The Story

Episode one takes us straight into the second half of the girl's game against Rinkai Dai High. Their strategy of flirting with the boys is no longer working and so now they have to rely solely on their actual skills on the field to beat this team. Ryo is tiring out but her persistence won't let her quit as she tries to find the energy to continue. It's titled 'Lightning Ball' for a reason though as finally Ryo starts to understand how her father threw that magic ball that made him famous.

Now, as for the rest of this volume, the next two episodes are titled 'Scandal' and 'Exile' and when I first saw those titles I didn't think it was at all possible that they could be referring to Ryo but another plot twist is throw at us hard as it turns out that twenty years ago, Ryo's father was expelled from baseball permanently for being pinned with the crime of fixing a game for profit. 'Scandal' takes us deep into this as the press gets word of this and the entire team's world is turned upside down. The parents association is demanding the expulsion of Ryo and that the team be disbanded and Ryo is having to deal with the thought that her late and beloved father was not as great as she remembers him to be. Meanwhile, Kanako has been placed under house arrest by her father, the principal, after she revealed to him that she was a member of the team and because she refuses to quit and Yoko finally gets scouted by a talent agency and gets the big break that she's been trying for.

In 'Exile' Ryo finally decides on how she wants to deal with all the bad press that the team has been getting. Taking the blame squarely on her shoulder's she quits the team and vows never to pick up a baseball again. Heading to her father's hometown, she meets a man who runs the local orphanage and knew him as a child (him, not Ryo's father) and gets a bit more insight into what he was like making her start to believe once again that maybe her father really was innocent of the horrible thing that he was accused of twenty years ago. Sadly this revelation is short lived as that night while staying there, a horrible rainstorm comes and traps two of the orphans in the middle of the river where she must rush in to save them at great peril to herself.

The last episode on this disc is the official tear jerker of the series so far! Back home, Ryo's family, friends and team mates all find out that Ryo has been taken to the local emergency room. She saved the children's life but in the process caught an incredibly bad case of hypothermia. Everyone rushes to her side as she lays in the hospital bed slowly dying. In her comatose state, we see her visions and the conversation that she finally gets to have with her father. Have your tissues ready before you watch this episode!
The Good and the Bad

As I mentioned in my last review, all the bad points from Volume 1 have been wiped away and now the only things that appear differently are the extras that ADV put onto this disc. In this one we get brand new extras to share including extended karaoke versions of the opening and closing themes and if you thought they were great before, just wait until you hear them both with two extra verses! One word of warning though, DO NOT attempt to actually sing them until you've listened to them a few dozen times! Japanese is definitely not a language to be sung by amateurs!

Along with this we are also treated to more voice talent profiles, clean (no credits) opening and closing animations and the traditional ADV trailers. All of which are taking a look at if you can read the tiny font on the voice talent profiles that is at least. I still can't do it without hurting my eyes something fierce.

The good points of this series that you've come to expect are all there. The story line, the wonderful characters, the music, the animation..... all of them are just about flawless to this reviewer!

Overall

Only two volumes are left in this series and I am not the least bit ashamed to admit that I hate that! Two more volumes of this wonderful series are headed my way and as soon as I watch them, I'll put up reviews. I can only hope that my reviews lead more of you to check out this incredible bit of anime history!

Related Websites
http://www.advfilms.com/favorites/princessnine

Related Reviews:
Princess Nine Vol. 1: First Inning
Princess Nine Vol. 2: Double Header
Princess Nine Vol. 3: Triple Play
Princess Nine Vol. 5: Bases Loaded
Princess Nine Vol. 6: Grand Slam
Princess Nine Complete Collection

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12