Musical: The Prince of Tennis
Musical: Prince of Tennis, also known as TenniMu for short, is a series of live action stage musicals directed by Yukio Ueshima based on the manga series The Prince of Tennis created by Takeshi Konomi and serialized by Shueisha in Weekly Shōnen Jump.
The first musical premièred in the Golden Week of 2003, and the unexpected popularity, especially among girls, and requests for merchandise of the show encouraged Marvelous Entertainment to follow through with the series. Each new show covers an arc of the manga storyline, though adaptations to the original story were made to fit the format. Female characters were removed, and irrelevant scenes or minor arcs were cut to move the plot forward.
At the start of the production, tickets did not sell out and the type of production was merely an experiment. Manga-based musicals were not frequently seen, if at all. However, the musicals soon became popular via word-of-mouth and social media enough to demand for double casting of characters to handle the number of performances and to allow for overseas performances in Korea and Taiwan. In addition multiple shows were live streamed into theatres all around the country to make up for the lack of enough seats in the actual venue. Even Europe got a taste of the production, when three of the actors hit Paris to attend the 10th edition of the Japan Expo in 2009
In May 2010, after 7 years, 22 musicals, 5 main casts and about 150 different actors had passed, the "first season" came to an end with the last performance of Dream Live 7th on the 23rd. Not too long after the end of the first season the start of a "second season" was announced. The upcoming shows feature a completely new cast and a new script, but cover the same arcs as the first season. Following the end of the second season in 2014 a "third season" was announced and, similarly to the second season, featured a completely new cast and a new script, but covered the same arcs. The season commenced in February 2015 and would conclude in May 2020.
Synopsis
12-year-old tennis prodigy Ryoma Echizen returns to live with his father in Japan after winning the American Junior Tournament four consecutive times. He enrolls in Seishun Academy and joins its famous tennis team, who strives to win the National Middle School Tennis Tournament. Though Ryoma immediately becomes a regular on the team, he begins to develop his own tennis style and discover what the sport means to him as he encounters new friendships and obstacles during his journey to reach the top.Principal roles and cast members
Seigaku
Fudomine
St. Rudolph
Yamabuki
| Character | 1st Season; | 2nd Season; | 3rd Season; |
| Toji Muromachi | Takahiko Yanagisawa | Kensho Ono | Yuji Nishina |
| Taichi Dan | Yuki Kawakubo | Reiya Masaki | Mashiro Sano |
| Masami Higashikata | Iori Hayashi | Takeshi Terayama | Ryoshiro Tsuji |
| Kentaro Minami | Hiroshi Yazaki | Joji Saotome | Naoya Kitagawa |
| Kiyosumi Sengoku | Masato Wada | Seiya | Touya Morita |
| Jin Akutsu | Ryoutaro Shimizu Juri | Takuya Kishimoto | Shouta Kawakami |
| Inakichi Nitobe | Yuuna Tonoshiro | ||
| Ichiuma Kita | Jin Aoki |
Hyotei
Rokkaku
| Character | 1st Season; | 2nd Season; | 3rd Season; |
| Ryo Kisazaru | Ryosuke Kato | Daisuke Hirose | Yugo Sato |
| Marehiko Itsuki | Shouma Ikegami | Shinichi Hashimoto | Shinnosuke Takagi |
| Hikaru Amane | Ire Shiozaki | Atsushi Kimura | Reiji Sakagaki |
| Harukaze Kurobane | Gaku Shindo | Shouta Motokawa | Kento Hinata |
| Koujiro Saeki | Kanata Irei | Daisuke Utsumi | Kaname Futaba |
| Kentaro Aoi | Kazuma Kawahara | Daiki Yoshida | Takuya Yashiro |
| Satoshi Shudo | Kota Chiba |
Rikkai
Higa
| Character | 1st Season; | 2nd Season; | 3rd Season; |
| Kei Tanishi | Yutaka Matsuzaki | Yuuki Tomotsune | Takada Makoto |
| Rin Hirakoba | Yasuka Saitō | Toshiyuki Someya | Naoya Iwashiro |
| Hiroshi Chinen | Takeshi Hayashino | Yu Yoshioka | Raita |
| Yuujiro Kai | Hijiri Shinotani Tsunemitsu Imai | Yoshihiko Aramaki | Yoshizawa Tsubasa |
| Eishiro Kite | Luke.C | Kazuki Doi | Muto Kento |
| Tomoya Shiranui | Sonomura Masashi | ||
| Aragaki Koichi | Matsui Hiroaki |
Shitenhoji
Extra
Echizen Nanjirou:| Actor | Season |
| Yukio Ueshima | 1st Season |
| Shinnosuke Motoyama | 1st/2nd/3rd Season |
| Eiji Moriyama | 2nd/3rd Season |
| Masanori Tomita | 3rd Season |
Reception and legacy
Musical: The Prince of Tennis has sold over 2 million tickets during the first 10 years of its run and is credited with the growing interest in 2.5D musicals. The musical productions were also credited for providing a starting point for young talents and launched the careers of many of young Japanese actors. The success also led its initial director, Makoto Matsuda, to launch the Japan 2.5-Dimensional Musical Association in 2014.Musical: The Prince of Tennis will celebrate its 15th anniversary with a cultural festival taking place at Sunshine City in Tokyo from 23 to 24 November 2018.
Production history
The original run started in 2003 and ended in 2010 with a total of 22 different shows. During the first show, only half of the seats in the theater were filled; however, interest was spread quickly via word-of-mouth, when audience members would get up from their seats to call their friends during intermissions. Two weeks before the premiere of Remarkable 1st Match: Fudomine, Kotaro Yanagi, who played Ryoma Echizen, was involved in a car accident, causing him to be pulled out of the musicals temporarily to rehabilitate. He rejoined the first Seigaku cast for their last show and finished up as the second cast's Echizen. While he was recovering, Kimeru - who was playing the role of Shusuke Fuji - filled in as a last-minute replacement before Yuya Endo was cast. Endo continued to share the role when Yanagi rejoined the production, and he graduated from the musicals during Dream Live 2nd.After the graduation of the second Seigaku cast, Hiroki Aiba and Tomo Yanagishita stayed on the production to provide guidance to the new cast members. Aiba eventually graduated with the third cast, while Yanagishita graduated on his own during Dream Live 5th. Also, Aiba and Kousuke Kujirai returned to the production later as last-minute replacements: Kujirai returned for the third cast's debut showings of the Advancement Match, Rokkaku after Takahiro Tasaki withdrew from the show, and Aiba returned for the fifth cast's debut showings of The Imperial Presence Hyotei Gakuen feat. Higa as it seemed there was trouble casting an actor for Fuji at the time. The majority of the first cast members returned for Dream Live 7th to perform their roles once more alongside fifth cast in 2010 to celebrate the end of the first run, with the exception of Yoshitsugu Abe. Eiki Kitamura took on the character's role instead.
2nd Season began in 2011 and ran until 2014 with a total of 11 different shows. It featured an all new script and cast. The first Seishun Academy cast of that generation graduated at their own exclusive event in 2012, Seigaku Farewell Party, with the exception of Yuuki Ogoe, who would go on to play Ryoma Echizen for the entirety of 2nd Season. The next Seishun Academy cast, Ogoe included, graduated during Dream Live 2014, marking the end of 2nd Season.
3rd Season began in 2015. The eighth Seishun Academy cast graduated during Seigaku VS Hyotei in 2016. Followed by the ninth Seishun Academy cast graduated during Seigaku VS Higa in 2018. Lastly, the tenth Seishun Academy cast are set to graduate during Dream Live 2020, marking the end of 3rd Season.
Productions
Aside from the musicals, which tell the plot of the original manga, Musical: The Prince of Tennis also tours with live concerts featuring music from the previous performances, known as "Dream Lives." Live concerts featuring music from specific teams are known as "Team Lives." Some of the shows are also classified as re-runs of a previous production, or also include a "graduation show", a special ceremony held to celebrate cast members who are leaving the production.Original run (2003-2010)
2nd Season (2011-2014)
| Dates | Title | DVD release |
| 5 January – 11 February 2011 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 2nd Season: Seigaku VS Fudomine | 30 April 2011 |
| 31 March – 15 May 2011 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 2nd Season: Seigaku VS St. Rudolph and Yamabuki | 30 July 2011 |
| 15 July – 24 September 2011 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 2nd Season: Seigaku VS Hyotei | 9 December 2012 |
| 17 December 2011 – 12 February 2012 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 2nd Season: Seigaku VS Rokkaku | 2 June 2012 |
| 13 July – 23 September 2012 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 2nd Season: Seigaku VS Rikkai | 28 December 2012 |
| 20 December 2012 – 17 February 2013 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 2nd Season: Seigaku VS Higa | 24 May 2013 |
| 11 July 2013 – 29 September 2013 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 2nd Season: National Tournament: Seigaku VS Hyotei | 11 December 2013 |
| 19 December 2013 – 2 March 2014 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 2nd Season: Seigaku VS Shitenhoji | 24 May 2014 |
| 12 July 2014 – 28 September 2014 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 2nd Season: National Tournament: Seigaku VS Rikkai | 26 December 2014 |
3rd Season (2015-present)
| Dates | Title | DVD release |
| 13 February – 17 May 2015 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Seigaku VS Fudomine | 28 August 2015 |
| 5 September – 3 November 2015 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Seigaku VS St. Rudolph | 13 February 2016 |
| 24 December 2015 – 21 February 2016 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Seigaku VS Yamabuki | 3 June 2016 |
| 14 July – 25 September 2016 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Seigaku VS Hyotei | 17 December 2016 |
| 22 December 2016 – 12 February 2017 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Seigaku VS Rokkaku | 26 May 2017 |
| 14 July 2017 – 1 October 2017 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Seigaku VS Rikkai | 7 February 2018 |
| 21 December 2017 – 18 February 2018 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Seigaku VS Higa | 19 May 2018 |
| 12 July 2018 – 24 September 2018 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Nationals Seigaku VS Hyotei | 26 January 2019 |
| 20 December 2018 – 17 February 2019 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Seigaku VS Shitenhoji | 31 May 2019 |
| 11 July 2019 – 29 September 2019 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Nationals Seigaku VS Rikkai First Half | 21 December 2019 |
| 19 December 2019 – 16 February 2020 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Nationals Seigaku VS Rikkai Second Half |
Concerts
| Dates | Title | DVD release |
| 13 June 2004 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis: Dream Live 1st | 1 September 2004 |
| 4 May 2005 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis: Dream Live 2nd | 20 September 2005 |
| 28–29 March 2006 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis: Dream Live 3rd | 20 June 2006 |
| 30–31 March 2007 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis: Dream Live 4th | 27 July 2007 |
| 17–20 May 2007 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis: Dream Live 4th | 27 July 2007 |
| 17–18 May 2008 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis: Dream Live 5th | 10 August 2008 |
| 24–25 May 2008 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis: Dream Live 5th | 10 August 2008 |
| 2–3 May 2009 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis: Dream Live 6th | 30 July 2009 |
| 9–10 May 2009 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis: Dream Live 6th | 30 July 2009 |
| 7–9 May 2010 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis: Dream Live 7th | 9 September 2010 |
| 20–21 May 2010 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis: Dream Live 7th | 9 September 2010 |
| 5 November – 13 November 2011 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 2nd Season: Dream Live 2011 | 9 February 2011 |
| 27 April – 5 May 2013 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 2nd Season: Dream Live 2013 | 7 August 2013 |
| 15–24 November 2014 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 2nd Season: Dream Live 2014 | 27 February 2015 |
| 10–28 June 2015 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Team Live Seigaku | 18 August 2015 |
| 29 July – 9 August 2015 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Team Live Fudomine | 26 October 2015 |
| 13–22 May 2016 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Dream Live 2016 | 25 August 2016 |
| 12–23 April 2017 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Team Live Hyotei | 3 August 2017 |
| 26–28 May 2017 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Dream Live 2017 | 22 September 2017 |
| 5–20 May 2018 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Dream Live 2018 | 20 September 2017 |
| 22–31 May 2020 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Dream Live 2020 |
Events
| Date | Title | Notes | DVD release |
| 13 May 2012 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 2nd Season: Spring Undoukai 2012 | Sports competition with the cast members | 5 October 2012 |
| 11 October 2012 – 14 October 2012 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 2nd Season: Seigaku Farewell Party | Graduation event for the 2011 Seishun Academy cast | 8 February 2013 |
| 26 April 2014 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 2nd Season: Spring Undokai 2014 | Sports competition with the cast members | 6 August 2014 |
| 17 March – 3 April 2016 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Team Live St. Rudolph and Yamabuki | A talk event with the St.Rudolph and Yamabuki casts with a short performance at the end, not a concert unlike Seigaku, Fudomine and Hyotei | 25 August 2016 |
| 26 October - 5 November 2017 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Team Party Seigaku and Rokkaku | A talk event with the Ninth Seigaku, and Rokkaku casts with a short performance at the end, not a concert unlike Seigaku, Fudomine and Hyotei | 7 February 2018 |
| 5 - 8 April 2018 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Team Party Rikkai | A talk event with the Rikkai cast with a short performance at the end, not a concert unlike Seigaku, Fudomine and Hyotei | 20 September 2018 |
| 17 - 28 October 2018 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Team Party Seigaku and Higa | A talk event with the Tenth Seigaku, and Higa casts with a short performance at the end, not a concert unlike Seigaku, Fudomine and Hyotei | 26 January 2019 |
| 23 - 24 November 2018 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Cultural Festival | An event celebrating the 15 year history of The Musical. | N/A |
| 23 May - 1 June 2019 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Team Party Shitenhoji | A talk event with the Shitenhoji cast with a short performance at the end, not a concert unlike Seigaku, Fudomine and Hyotei | 21 December 2019 |
| 8 - 9 October 2019 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Autumn Undokai 2019 | Sports competition with the cast members | 31 January 2020 |
| 26 February – 1 March 2020 | Musical: The Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Thank You Festival | A talk event with all the 3rd season casts |
DVD releases
1st Season
Supporter DVDs
| Year | Release | Title |
| 2006 | 20 August | Supporter's DVD Vol.01 Seigaku 2nd Cast |
| 2006 | 30 October | Supporter's DVD Vol.02 Yamabuki Cast |
| 2006 | 16 December | Supporter's DVD Vol.03 Hyoutei Cast |
| 2007 | 20 February | Supporter's DVD Vol.04 Fudoumine Cast & St. Rudolph Cast |
| 2007 | 28 April | Supporter's DVD Vol.05 Seigaku 1st Cast |
| 2007 | 22 December | Supporter's DVD Vol.06 Seigaku 3rd Cast |
| 2007 | 22 December | Supporter's DVD Vol.06 Seigaku 3rd cast + Graduation |
| 2008 | 5 April | Supporter's DVD Vol.07 Rokkaku cast |
| 2008 | 20 September | Supporter's DVD Vol.08 Rikkaidai Fuzoku cast |
| 2009 | 7 March | Supporter's DVD Vol.09 Higa cast |
| 2009 | 29 October | Supporter's DVD Vol.10 Seigaku 4th Cast TOP ver. |
| 2009 | 29 October | Supporter's DVD Vol.10 Seigaku 4th Cast BOTTOM ver. |
| 2009 | 28 November | Supporter's DVD Vol.11 Hyoutei Nationals cast |
| 2010 | 27 February | Supporter's DVD Vol.12 Shitenhouji A cast |
| 2010 | 27 February | Supporter's DVD Vol.13 Shitenhouji B cast |
| 2010 | 31 July | Supporter's DVD Vol.14 Seigaku 5th cast |
| 2010 | 30 September | Supporter's DVD Vol. 15 Rikkaidai Fuzoku Nationals cast |
Extra
2nd Season
Team Collection
Extra
3rd Season
Variety Smash!
ROAD
Discography
Each musical, excluding the winter performance of "The Imperial Match Hyoutei" and the summer performance of "Musical The Prince of Tennis" had a CD released, featuring all songs sung during the musical. Besides that 4 singles and 13 "Best of Actor Series" have been released. The singles feature multiple versions of the same song, already performed in the musicals. The "Best of Actor Series" CDs feature multiple song sung by one or two actors of the production. Some of the songs on these CDs are new, but some of them have already been performed during the musicals. For both the Musical CDs and the "Best of Actor Series" CDs box sets have been released.Due to double casts, multiple versions of "The Imperial Presence Hyoutei" CD, "The Treasure Match Shitenhouji" CD and the "Complete Box 3" have been released.
CDs of "The Imperial Match Hyoutei in Winter" and "The Best of Actor Series 013" are only available through buying the box sets.
First Season
Musical OST
| Year | Release | Title |
| 2003 | 24 July | Musical The Prince of Tennis |
| – | – | Musical The Prince of Tennis |
| 2004 | 21 April | Musical The Prince of Tennis: The Remarkble 1st Match Fudoumine |
| 2004 | 1 September | Musical The Prince of Tennis: Dream Live 1st |
| 2004 | 20 November | Musical The Prince of Tennis: More than Limit St. Rudolph |
| 2005 | 21 March | Musical The Prince of Tennis: Side Fudoumine |
| 2005 | 21 April | Musical The Prince of Tennis: Side Yamabuki |
| 2005 | 20 August | Musical The Prince of Tennis: Dream Live 2nd |
| 2005 | 20 November | Musical The Prince of Tennis: Imperial Match Hyoutei in Summer |
| – | – | Musical The Prince of Tennis: The Imperial Match Hyoutei in Winter
|
| 2006 | 14 June | Musical The Prince of Tennis: Dream Live 3rd |
| 2006 | 15 November | Musical The Prince of Tennis: Advancement Match Rokkaku |
| 2007 | 28 March | Musical The Prince of Tennis: Absolute King Rikkaidai ~1st Service |
| 2007 | 27 June | Musical The Prince of Tennis: Dream Live 4th |
| 2007 | 14 November | Musical The Prince of Tennis: Absolute King Rikkaidai ~2nd Service |
| 2008 | 23 April | Musical The Prince of Tennis: The Progressive Match Higa |
| 2008 | 17 July | Musical The Prince of Tennis: Dream Live 5th |
| 20082008 2009 | 5 November 3 December 7 January | Musical The Prince of Tennis: The Imperial Presence Hyoutei 4A Musical The Prince of Tennis: The Imperial Presence Hyoutei 5B Musical The Prince of Tennis: The Imperial Presence Hyoute Tokyo Return Shows |
| 2009 | 25 March 24 June | Musical The Prince of Tennis: The Treasure Match Shitenhouji 4A Musical The Prince of Tennis: The Treasure Match Shitenhouji 5B |
| 2009 | 8 July | Musical The Prince of Tennis: Dream Live 6th |
| 2009 | 17 December | Musical The Prince of Tennis: The Final Match Rikkaidai First |
| 2010 | 12 May | Musical The Prince of Tennis: The Final Match Rikkaidai Second |
| 2010 | 25 August | Musical The Prince of Tennis: Dream Live 7th |
Singles
| Year | Release | Title |
| 2006 | 22 March | On My Way |
| 2007 | 28 March | Finalist |
| 2008 | 23 April | F.G.K.S. |
| 2009 | 30 April | Refresh Aratana Jibun e ~Hyoutenka no Jounetsu ~ The TOP |
Best of Actor Series
| Year | Release | Title |
| 2005 | 19 December | The Best of Actor Series 001: Shirota Yuu as Tezuka Kunimitsu |
| 2005 | 19 December | The Best of Actor Series 002: Kato Kazuki as Atobe Keigo |
| 2006 | 26 July | The Best of Actor Series 003: Aiba Hiroki as Fuji Syusuke |
| 2006 | 26 July | The Best of Actor Series 005: Saito Takumi as Oshitari Yuushi and Aoyagi Ruito as Mukahi Gakuto |
| 2006 | 16 December | The Best of Actor Series 005: Sakurada Dori as Echizen Ryoma |
| 2006 | 16 December | The Best of Actor Series 006: IRE as Amane Hikaru and Shindo Gaku as Kuroban Harukaze |
| 2007 | 25 July | The Best of Actor Series 007: Seto Kouji as Kikumaru Eiji and Takiguchi Yukihiro as Ooishi Syuichirou |
| 2007 | 25 July | The Best of Actor Series 008: Nakagauchi Masataka as Niou Masaharu and Baba Toru as Yagyuu Hiroshi |
| 2007 | 22 December | The Best of Actor Series 009: Kanesaki Kentarou as Sanada Genichirou and Yagami Ren as Yukimura Seiichi |
| 2007 | 22 December | The Best of Actor Series 010 Extra: Seigaku 3rd Regulars Memorial Edition |
| 2008 | 30 July | The Best of Actor Series 011: Watanabe Daisuke as Tezuka Kunimitsu |
| 2008 | 30 July | The Best of Actor Series 012: Luke. C as Eishiro Kite |
| – | – | The Best of Actor Series 013: Karaoke CD
|
Complete Box Sets
| Year | Release | Title |
| 2006 | 26 July | Complete Box 1
|
| 2009 | 25 March | Best of Actors Series Complete Box |
| 2009 | 26 November | Complete Box 2 |
| 2010 | 20 May | Complete Box 3 ver. 4
|
Second Season
Musical OST
Single CD
Third Season
Musical OST
| Year | Release | Title |
| 2015 | 16 September | Musical the Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Seigaku VS Fudoumine |
| 2016 | 9 March | Musical the Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Seigaku VS St.Rudolph |
| 2016 | 6 July | Musical the Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Seigaku VS Yamabuki |
| 2016 | 21 September | Musical the Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Dream Live 2016 |
| 2017 | 27 January | Musical the Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Seigaku VS Hyoutei |
| 2017 | 12 July | Musical the Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Seigaku VS Rokkaku |
| 2017 | 18 October | Musical the Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Dream Live 2017 |
| 2018 | 24 January | Musical the Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Seigaku VS Rikkai |
| 2018 | 20 June | Musical the Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Seigaku VS Higa |
| 2018 | 24 October | Musical the Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Dream Live 2018 |
| 2019 | 13 February | Musical the Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Nationals Seigaku VS Hyotei |
| 2019 | 12 June | Musical the Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Seigaku VS Shitenhoji |
| 2020 | 29 January | Musical the Prince of Tennis 3rd Season: Nationals Seigaku VS Rikkai First Half |