Princess Nine

Princess Nine - Double Header (Vol. 2)

Ryo continues to build the girls' baseball team for prestigious Kisaragi High. She persuades the large-framed but timid Mao to become catcher; her teammates disguise Kanako so she can play shortstop despite her father's objections. Coach Kido adds the dim wannabe star Yoko to the roster. But the team needs a power hitter, and Ryo focuses her attention on Izumi, the daughter of the head of the school. Complicating the relationship between the girls is the handsome Hiroki's growing interest in Ryo, and the romance Izumi's mother and Ryo's baseball star father shared 20 years ago. Despite her ups and downs, Ryo remains a likeable and sensible character, who neither whines nor giggles. The DVD extras include a lesson in how to cook oden, the fish stew that's the specialty of the café run by Ryo's widowed mother. Rated 12 Up, but suitable for younger viewers; alcohol use. --Charles Solomon

Princess Nine - Complete Collection (Vols. 1-6)

When he died 10 years ago, Ryo Hayakawa's father left more than the restaurant Ryo's mother runs: his daughter inherited his talent for baseball, including a jet-propelled fastball. Determined to overcome sexist opposition and make a girls' team the national champion, Ms. Himuro, the head of prestigious Kisaragi High, gives Ryo a scholarship. Then complications arise: snobbish tennis ace Izumi dislikes Ryo; handsome baseball star Hiroki is smitten with her; drunken coach Kido has to find enough top players. Hiroki's attraction is understandable as Ryo's a very likable character. She's not a klutz or a whiner, as many anime heroines are; she's proud of her abilities but surprised at where they take her.

As the series continues, the large-framed but timid Mao, shortstop Kanako, and the dim wannabe star Yoko join the team. But they need a power hitter, and Ryo focuses her attention on Izumi. Complicating the relationship between the girls is Hiroki's growing interest in Ryo, and the romance Izumi's mother (now the head of the school) and Ryo's father shared 20 years ago. The team scores an upset victory over the champion boys' team and earns the right to compete interscholastically. But their elation proves short-lived when reporters disinter a decades-old scandal involving Ryo's father, and Ryo struggles to understand if and how the scandal could be true.

When the Kisaragi nine reaches the tournament semifinals, the girls find themselves facing the boys' team from their school, led by top hitter/heartthrob Hiroki. The game becomes a duel between pitcher Ryo and Hiroki, intensified by their attraction to each other. The series concludes on an upbeat note that is neither predictable nor pat. Princess Nine ranks as one of the best series for girls in recent years, with characters who are strong, capable individuals but who still exhibit human weaknesses. With any luck, the show will be continued: Ryo, Hikana, Yoki, Seira, Koharu, Yoko, Mao, Kanako, and Izumi--and Hiroki--deserve another season, at least. (Rated 12 and older, but suitable for younger viewers: Alcohol use, brief nudity, minor profanity, minor violence) --Charles Solomon

Princess Nine - First Inning (Vol. 1)

When he died 10 years ago, Ryo Hayakawa's father left more than the restaurant Ryo's mother runs: his daughter inherited his talent for baseball, including a jet-propelled fastball. Determined to overcome sexist opposition and make a girls' team the national champion, Ms. Himuro, the head of prestigious Kisaragi High, gives Ryo a scholarship. Then complications arise: snobbish tennis ace Izumi dislikes Ryo; handsome baseball star Hiroki is smitten with her; drunken coach Kido, who recalls Mr. Fujisawa in El Hazard, has to find enough top players. Hiroki's attraction is understandable as Ryo's a very likable character. She's not a klutz or a whiner, as many anime heroines are; she's proud of her abilities but surprised at where they take her. In action sequences, the artists flatten the ball to suggest speed, a manga convention that looks weird in animation. Rated 12 Up but suitable for younger viewers; alcohol use. --Charles Solomon

Princess Nine - Triple Play (Vol. 3)

The Kisargi High girls' baseball team begins to take shape under the leadership of ace pitcher Ryo and star hitter Izumi, but the unseasoned players face an uphill battle. Ms. Himuro, the school chairman, challenges the sexist policies of the national baseball association, insisting they allow her team to compete. She tricks them into agreeing--if Kisargi can beat the prestigious Rinkai High boys' team. Coach Kido has the girls use their feminine wiles to derail the Rinkai players' concentration, but everything still rests on Ryo's pitching, and episode 13 ends on a cliffhanger. Rated 12 Up, but suitable for younger viewers; alcohol use. --Charles Solomon

In this volume, the all-girls baseball team - the Princesses - launch themselves into a grueling training schedule. But even with the strength of Ryo's pitching and Koharu's batting, the team's inexperience proves to be their Achilles Heel. As the critical first game arrives, their only hope may lie in Coach Kido's bag of tricks. Meanwhile, Keiko makes a second assault on the High School Baseball Association, only to be joined by an unexpected ally.

Princess Nine - Grand Slam (Vol. 6)

The first girls' baseball team from Kisaragi High to compete interscholastically undergoes some intensive training: coach Kido even tries to go on the wagon. When they reach the tournament semifinals, the girls find themselves facing the boys' team from their school, led by top hitter/heartthrob Hiroki. The game becomes a duel between pitcher Ryo and Hiroki, intensified by their attraction to each other. The series concludes on an upbeat note that is neither predictable nor pat. Princess Nine ranks as one of the best series for girls in recent years, with characters who are strong, capable individuals but who still exhibit human weaknesses. With any luck, the show will be continued: Ryo, Hikana, Yoki, Seira, Koharu, Yoko, Mao, Kanako, and Izumi--and Hiroki--deserve another season, at least. Rated 12 Up, but suitable for younger viewers: Alcohol use, brief nudity, minor profanity, minor violence. --Charles Solomon

Princess Nine - Strike Zone (Vol. 4)

This engaging series takes some unexpected turns as Ryo and the Kisaragi High nine score an upset victory over the champion boys' team and earn the right to compete interscholastically. But their elation proves short-lived: reporters disinter a decades-old scandal involving Ryo's father, legendary pitcher Hidehiko Hayakawa. The media attention infuriates the conservative Kisaragi Parents' Association, who insist the girls' baseball team be disbanded. Ryo struggles to understand if and how the scandal involving the father she idolizes could be true. She visits his hometown and discovers he used to coach an orphans' team. Inspired by his example, Ryo risks her life to save two children trapped in a sudden storm. Her teammates--and a vision of her father--join to bring her back from the brink of death to an uncertain future. Rated 12 Up, but suitable for younger viewers; brief nudity, minor profanity. --Charles Solomon

Just when it looked like Japan was getting ready to accept the Princesses, a maelstrom of tragedies tear the all-girls baseball team asunder! As the Parents Association attempts to shut down the baseball program, Yoko and Kanako are pulled from the team and the revelation of the secrets in Ryo's past leave the young pitcher devastated and alone. Will the sins of her father drive Ryo to edge of destruction? The remnants of the team race to the rescue in the fourth explosive volume of Princess Nine!

Princess Nine - Bases Loaded (Vol. 5)

As Ryo learns more about her late father, she regains her belief in his integrity, which strengthens her commitment to baseball. Meanwhile, the mousy Kanako persuades her father, the principal of Kisaragi High, to keep the girls' team, and Coach Kido packs his charges off to an intensive training camp. Ryo should be on cloud nine when the dashing Takasugi announces he loves her and presents her with a medal as a good-luck charm. Although he thinks of Izumi "like a younger sister," she is furiously jealous and sets out to end the budding romance--all of which causes problems for the team. Director Tomiko Mochizuki uses restraint and taste to keep these complications from degenerating into a soap opera. The characters remain believable high school students, with strong vocal performances distinguishing the team members. Rated 12 Up, but suitable for younger viewers; alcohol use, minor profanity. --Charles Solomon

Princess Nine (3 Pack) Strike Zone! / Bases Loaded! / Grand Slam!

Volume 4: Strike Zone! - 100 Min, Volume 5: Bases Loaded! - 100 Min, Volume 6: Grand Slam! - 125 Min