Princess Nine - First Inning (Vol. 1)

Princess Nine is the story of Ryo Hayakawa, a 15-year old junior high student who wanted nothing more than to skip high school and stay home to help her single mother run an Udon bar (High school is not mandatory in Japan).

There's just one thing. Ryo's father, who died while she was five years old, taught her how to pitch well. Really well. Well enough to pitch for the neighborhood league team and to strike out semi-professional baseball players. Ryo is handpicked as the core player of a girl's high school baseball team formed with the goal of reaching Japan's national high school championship.

It's hard to describe how complex this story is. Ryo plays baseball in part to maintain a connection with her deceased father. Keiko Himuro, the chairperson of the board of directors of Kisaragi High fights for the right for a girl's team to compete against the boys. Her daughter, tennis star Izumi Himuro, fights for the love and attention of her too-distant mother. Shinsaku Kido, the team's coach, is a drunkard who, I think, will try to redeem himself by coaching this team to victory. There are two potential love interests for Ryo: Her quiet and sort of geeky childhood friend and Hiroki Takasugi, the rising star of the Kisargi boy's high school baseball team. And this is only after five episodes.

Who should see this? Well, everyone, I think, but especially people who like either baseball or inspirational stories about young women. There's a certain energy to Princess Nine that makes me believe that it's going to be a classic of enduring value.


The pitcher with a golden left arm...   May 5, 2005
Strategos (In Space above Planet Earth)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Princess Nine transcends the sporst genre to become a true classic of anime. With deep characters, complex plot, solid animation, an inspired orchestral musical score, and EXCELLENT voice acting (including the superb English dub), this is one anime that every serious anime drama fan should definitely not miss. There's much more to this one than just baseball. In the first five episodes found on this disc (how's that for value?), the main characters who hold the show together are introduced.

The character of Ryo Hayakawa is first shown in the first episode in a moment straight reminiscent of The Natural (which is what inspired the creators of this show in the first place). The orchestral music swells, she winds up a pitch... and we just know that she's going to be the driving force of this show. And indeed she is.

Very quickly Ryo finds herself with a scholarship to a prestigious high school where the lady chairperson is forming a baseball team (just to see her Ryo achieve greatness like her now-dead father). From there she quickly earns the romantic interest of a hot-shot up-and-coming high school baseball star, and the girl who thought that SHE was going to be his girlfried. I knew I was going to love this show the moment Ryo and her rival Izumi first met, with dramatic music kicking-in and everything turning into a stylized painting (just as the episode ended). That brings to mind something that I really love about this show. Also every episode ends on a cliff-hanger. Often in this show an episode will end just as a challenge is declared, the tide is about to turn, or things are looking particularly bad (and dramatic!). It really keeps you glued to the TV set, as you're just dying to know what is going to happen next.

Really, the best parts of this first disc are the developing of Ryo's character, her rivalry with Izumi, and the growing romance between her and the baseball player who keeps calling her Tofu. The rest of the episodes just cover the recruiting of additional players (and this trend continues in the next disc until all the positions are filled).

If you get a kick out of this disc, just wait till the next one, where Ryo and Izumi have a showdown. Get this one now if you love sports anime!


A Legend Begins   November 12, 2001
I have only seen the first volume of this series, and I'm already hooked. The first two episodes were excellent, drawing the viewer in and not letting go. The sports action is obviously anime-fied, but as a baseball fan, I think they did a superb job capturing the feel and excitement of baseball.
The next three episodes (there are five on this disc) were slower, dealing with the gathering of a team, and gradually bringing in the characters. Those episodes weren't terribly memorable, but they were quite watchable, and promise far better to come. If you enjoy anime, you enjoy shows with good character development, and you enjoy baseball, then I can't recommend this series enough.


My first sports anime.   June 25, 2006
Michael Valdivielso (Alexandria, VA)
Princess Nine First Inning is an anime I wanted to watch ever since I went to Anime USA 2005 and heard such great things about it from the voice actresses and actors who were in it. The DVD holds five episodes, some extras and even some player statistics. The story is not sci-fi or fantasy based, but a sports anime. I never really watched one before and was quickly hooked onto the story itself. The DVD cover suggests that the anime is for 12 and older but I think that is only because of some heavy drinking the adult characters do. The idea is an all girls school is starting a baseball team and it needs nine of the best players. This anime is the story of those nine girls and their dreams (and fears).


Wow, this was surprisingly great   June 14, 2007
Scott Barolo (Ann Arbor)
It doesn't matter who you are, or what kind of shows you think you like, you need to see this. I hate sports and I'm not in high school by a long shot, and it just doesn't matter. This might be my favorite animated show ever.

The unusual thing about Princess Nine is that, rather than running out of steam like most anime (and most TV shows), each episode is better than the previous one, until by the time you hit the amazing (and surprising) ending, you won't believe you care so much about a girls' high school baseball team. So stick with it through the first few episodes; it quicky rises from OK to good to great to fantastic.

The art is average at best (although the baseball sequences are pretty good), and the principal's cupholder hairstyle is unintentionally hilarious. But it's the characters and situations that make Princess Nine stand out. The male 'love interest" character isn't a whiny hopeless nerd, but he also isn't a boring superhero type. The female "rival" character might be the most complex and interesting character in all of anime AND in all of sports drama. Also, the baseball strategies and situations are entertaining and clever. Did I mention that I hate baseball?

By the way, there are no anime inside jokes, and the Japanese cultural references are minimal, so this would be a very good "starter" show for people who haven't watched anime or think they don't like it because of all the robots and naked girls with swords. This show is for everyone. No violence, nipples, or other things you may find objectionable. Having said that, I love violence and nipples, and yet I think this is one of the best animated shows ever. It's certainly the best sports show.

If you can watch the first 8 episodes of this show and then walk away without finishing it, you're a stronger person than I. In fact, you must be some kind of heartless machine.

P.S. Watch it in Japanese with subtitles. Just suck it up and do it. The Japanese voice actors add a lot to the show.