Echizen Ryoma Team : Seigaku boys' tennis club Year 1 Birthday : 24 December Height : 151 cm Sakuno calls him : Ryoma kun
Ryuuzaki Sakuno Team : Seigaku girls' tennis club Year 1 Birthday : 14 January (the year after Ryoma's) Height : 151 cm Ryoma calls her : Ryuzaki and once, wobbly hips (according to Viz)

Sakuno first met Ryoma on a train. She was inadvertently bugged by 3 high schoolers during the ride. Ryoma 'rescued' her by interrupting the high schoolers.

She gave him the wrong directions to a tournament that he was competing in, which he was late for and forfeited. She ran around trying to find him. She asked him if it was her fault. He said yes. Awkward...

Sakuno apologized and felt terrible. She offered to buy him a drink. But he ended up buying the drinks as she didn't have any money. More awkward moment...

The earlier 'rescue'? Sakuno thanked him for the rescue but actually he just wanted the high schoolers to be quiet. The next day, Sakuno met Ryoma again in school. And ...he doesn't remember her name. (He did but a few chapters later)

With all these bad (?) moments, why the attraction to this pair? Because it gets better, that's why. :P

He's related to a perverted father and she's related to a scary grandmother. Sakuno's grandmother is the coach of Seigaku's boys' tennis club and has been for a long time. Ryoma was conned by his father to coach a daughter of a friend of Nanjiroh. It turned out to be Sakuno (and Tomoko).

Prince of Tennis is not a series focusing on romance. So chances of seeing Ryoma and Sakuno having a romantic relationship are pretty slim. Ryoma is not one to express his feelings. Sakuno is too shy to make a (bold) move. They are only 12 years old. But it's the small things that Ryoma does that makes me feel mushy about this pair.

About the Layout

The layout is an extract from Genius 306. It's a vector art traced from that chapter. It probably looks like they are looking at each other.. but they are actually looking at Kintarou leaving. Yes, the third wheel of the 'relationship'. Okay, that's not a fact only a speculation. ^_^ When it gets scanlated, you read it and make up an opinion about that.