Interest
Final Tally for Prince of Tennis Chocolates: Over 180,000
posted on by Eric Stimson
Every year, Prince of Tennis devotees in Japan celebrate Valentine's Day by sending their favorite characters boxes of chocolate. It has steadily grown in popularity and scale, to the point where Shueisha's basement appears to be buried under boxes upon boxes of chocolate.
A month after Valentine's Day — and in time for White Day, a Japanese holiday that obliges men to give women chocolate — Takeshi Konomi, Prince of Tennis's creator, announced the final tally: over 180,000. Unfortunately, he remains mum regarding which character won the competition, only clarifying that it was a showdown between Shusuke and Keigo. The announcement will be made in the 13th volume of The New Prince of Tennis, which will go on sale sometime in August. Konomi says he plans to spend White Day undergoing kugyou (Buddhist ascetic training) to express his thanks.
皆さんへの感謝を込めたホワイトデーのつもりが苦行でしたね…σ(^_^;)゜
今回のバレンタインランキングはこの2人の一騎討ちとなりました!
チョコの総数はなんと18万個を超え♪
(#´◇'#)
8月発売予定の13巻で詳細を発表します! pic.twitter.com/rFstybvXB3
— 許斐剛 (@konomi_takeshi) March 13, 2014
As a comparison, the Valentine's chocolate contest in 2001 attracted 313 boxes, and Shusuke won with 52 boxes.
Konomi has since started listing some of the rankings on his Twitter, along with with drawings and dialogue of the characters reacting to their standings.
[Via Yaraon!]
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history