On Tezuka.

[prillalar]

Oh, Tezuka, you keep me up at night.

Ryoma has both Nanjiroh and Tezuka to help him grow. Who does Tezuka have? We hardly see Tezuka play. When we do, we hardly see him challenged. (Moreso now in the manga, though it seemed odd that he was challenged in that last match

Comments

[wonapalei]

I'm rather in favour of the idea that he used to have practice matches with Yukimura and Sanada. For one thing, it would explain why they know about the FlamingBBQ!move whose name I have forgotten, while nobody on Seigaku has a clue. Perhaps he played against them in past years, but as his injury worsened and the prospect of Seigaku and Rikkai becoming serious rivals grew, they would have tapered off; Tezuka would not have wanted to give away too much information to his opponents, and Sanada and Yukimura probably felt the same

[prillalar]

I'm still hoping we'll get a manga flashback to sleepaway junior tennis camp. *g*

And I strongly disagree with those who say that he doesn't see Ryouma as a rivalI think this all hinges on how you define "rival". Certainly, Tezuka has set himself up as a goal that Ryoma has to reach, an obstacle he has to overcome. And you're right -- just because Ryoma may defeat Tezuka once, that's no guarantee he'll always do so

[wonapalei]

Oh, I didn't mean that he sees Ryouma as a rival at exactly this moment in time. What I said (and I can see, rereading, that it wasn't as clear as it might have been) is that he sees "that Ryouma will definitely become his rival." As in, he isn't good enough yet, but he will be eventually, and then the fun really begins as the two of them start pushing each other instead of Tezuka constantly pushing Ryouma (or pulling him up, I suppose). As you say, "that's when they can be happy." So, in short, I think we agree. :D

[prillalar]

Hee! You're right -- we do agree. :)

[insaneneko]

One possible explanation of Tezuka's drive for the Nationals (besides his promise with Oishi) is the fact that taking the entire team is a challenge.

[prillalar]

Do you mean bringing a whole team together with the skills to win their way to Nationals? I can see that. I sometimes wonder why Tezuka doesn't take a more active mentoring role with the club. He does sometimes, but it's not frequent, from what we've seen.

In fact, with the club as a whole, he's often more effective in his absence. (It's different with Ryoma, but isn't everything?) I was struck with Ryuzaki's comment in a recent (in my schedule) episode that Tezuka was necessary for them to win the Kantou tournament. Which turned out not to be the case. Or rather, the case in a different way than she meant it. His absence spurred everyone to try harder, in order not to let him down.

He seems to be a bit like that even when he's not away injured. He doesn't always come out to the court and when he does, it lights a fire in the club members.

He's still such a cipher to me. Which is good, I suppose, since it's interesting.

[insaneneko]

Does Tezuka really have the capability to effectively communicate with most of his age group? He seems to be comfortable being distant--a father figure. He inspires his team, motivates them, and provides a high standard to aim for just by his presence. Not necessarily by anything he does or says.

Maybe he can only truly relate to people on the court. Either directly, as an opponent (like Ryoma), or indirectly when people watch him (like the Atobe game).

[prillalar]

Does Tezuka really have the capability to effectively communicate with most of his age group?

That's a good question. And I think he really doesn't. Maybe that's why he always seems broken to me. (Not broken like the victim of a ff.n angstapolooza, but broken as in "doesn't work correctly".)

Maybe he can only truly relate to people on the court.

That seems likely. Good insight!

[heart_of_butter]

What about Yamato-buchou?

[prillalar]

Yamato was a significant mentor to Tezuka, but Tezuka was able to beat him in tennis when he was in his first year. It didn't seem like there was anyone in the club who could fill that role for Tezuka.

Which actually makes me wonder why he's at Seigaku in the first place. It seems like they have a good tennis reputation in the long-term, but in recent years have not done so well. You'd think Tezuka would have been better off somewhere else, like Hyotei.

[heart_of_butter]

If were talking about teams that Tezuka would fit in due to sheer skill, we might as well be talking Rokakku, but that's beside the point.

Tezuka is a befuddling character because he seems to exist on his own. It seems that he's the eternal father/mentor, even in his big-foreheaded youth. The truth is, Seigaku needs somebody like Tezuka- without him, they collectively might be where St. Rudolph's is now.

The question of where Tezuka's supreme authority came from is not anwered. It's just there.

That being said, it could've been his grandpa. He's seen hanging around in the background once or twice.

[heart_of_butter]

Did I say Rokakku? I meant Rikkaidai. Silly me.

[prillalar]

Aw, thanks. :) I'm glad to hear it!

[seii_ryu]

Psycologically, he's pretty alone too, although I think Yamato-buchou helped with that earlier on.

Isn't Fuji supposed to be able to challenge Tezuka? (and Atobe, but we all know where that one's going)

[prillalar]

Fuji certainly could challenge Tezuka. They just don't really seem to actually play. Which seems kind of dumb to me.

[wonapalei]

I think this goes back to Fuji's lack of a drive to win, except when he wants revenge. I simply can't see Fuji ever considering anyone his rival; he simply doesn't care about tennis that much. His personal relationships are what he really values. Tezuka is just the opposite: tennis came first, and it was only after the whole Yamato-and-Oishi thing that he actually really began to care about his teammates. As such, I think he has great difficulty understanding Fuji, and certainly would never consider him his rival. (Note: I have heard about the Tezuka-Fuji match towards the end of the anime, and I do not consider that to be canon. From what I understand, it comes out of nowhere, with no basis in their characterization apart from what was hastily added in order to justify it.) Fuji understands Tezuka rather better, but I don't think he'll ever truly understand what it feels like to value tennis so highly for its own sake. So Fuji plays for his teammates first, while Tezuka (like Ryouma) plays for himself first. As such, Fuji

[seii_ryu]

Eeep. Came to this late, sorry