The backflip lob and gravity well returns stop being ridiculous the moment you accept they're not mechanics at all, they're just how these kids play when they stop thinking. Every match is five sets of watching a rival you actually care about realize something about themselves, then immediately try to destroy you with it. This show knows exactly what it is: high school tennis players who hit the ball so hard it rewrites physics, and that commitment to stupidity executed with total sincerity is the entire point.

Youth tennis teams from around the world gather in Melbourne, Australia, for the U-17 World Cup. Germany, a nine-time champion, wants to hold on to its title, while Switzerland, France and the United States arrive as strong contenders. Japan sits at the bottom of the rankings, but bringing in its strongest middle school players has revived its hopes. Led by the ruthless captain Houou Byoudouin, the squad draws defending champion Germany in an exhibition match before the real competition begins, and former allies resurface as rivals. Ryoma Echizen, thrown out of Japan's U-17 training camp for breaking the rules, gets a chance to try out for the American team, which could set him against his old friends. The mix is sports action with a comic streak.