An awkward middle-school boy gets onto the school tennis team through the popularity of his older brother, but once on the court, he finds confidence, happiness, and a challenge to make himself better.
Chia Shih-Shu has always lived under the shadow of his elder brother, Chia Yeh-Nan – the brilliant, popular student who was good at everything his younger brother is terrible at. Yet the two boys are close, and one day, on his brother’s recommendation, the younger brother tries out for their school tennis team. There’s only one problem: Shih-Shu has never played tennis before.
Lucky for him, his elder brother once wrote the team an analytics program that sent them to the championship last year, and the team happily accepts Shih-Shu out of deference to Yeh-Nan. The coach and other team members guide Shih-Shu through rigorous practice towards greater skill and confidence; but just as victory seems within Shih-Shu’s grasp, his life’s strongest support is revealed as an illusion.
Tennis Teen boasts an easy, fast-paced narrative that handles themes of personal growth, familial love, and death with quirky humor.