Volume 3 of Princess Nine continues the same level of quality set by the previous volumes, with the added bonus of finally getting into actual baseball games! The only weakness of this volume is that it is a bit more by-the-numbers with less surprises and more standard plot twists.

The story continues to develop. Izumi decides to join the baseball team, her offense saving the day against the jr. high exhibition game the girls were playing. Izumi recognizes her defensive weaknesses, so she gets the coach to focus on her fielding work. Ryo also frets about whether her pitching will hold up against a more experienced team.

Trouble is brewing though. The high school baseball association will not allow the team to play against the boys, so the chairperson of the school (Izumi's mother) makes her case for the second time to the association. Izumi goes for the jugular as she attempts to rid the team of Mao, their catcher, because of her lack of confidence. And, due to a surprise benefactor, the Nine actually get a real game against one of the best teams in the nation.

The final episode details the first half of this game. The coach recognizes that the Nine don't have the experience to win, so they have to use psychology:

• It's an all-boy's school
• The players have always been in all-boys' schools
• All they've ever done is play baseball

Izumi finally joins the team and brings along her icy unwillingness to accept defeat.	The Princess Nine do their best to win the psychological war in their first game.

So, the coach's strategy? Field a team of nine hot women and stir. Predictable, but still funny as the girls carry out their psychological attacks according to their own personalities. What happens after that, you';; have to see for yourself.

Once again, you get four episodes for the spankin' low price of $19.99 (I found mine in a major retail chain for $14.99!); I consider this to be the current best deal in anime. The video and audio quality remain high, and the dub is still remarkably good. The cover is once again very attractive, focusing on Izumi this time.

Continuing on the high end of things, you once again get great extras. This time around you get voice actor profiles for both the American and Japanese actors; something I wish other releases would do. Although not as strange as the "how to cook oden" special on the previous volume, the "knowledge" special on this one has to do with the history of baseball in Japan. Very informative!

There isn't much more to say; if you have been enjoying the series so far, you'll love the latest installment, and you'll hate having to wait until the next volume to see the end of the game. Although a bit more predictable than the first two installments, it is still one of the best new anime series to be released in the US, and, honestly, the only good sports one.

Video Quality: A+
Audio Quality: A
Presentation: A+
Content: A-
Overall: A-