A review by afreema3
Fence Vol. 3 by C.S. Pacat
3.0
So, I felt like I needed to review the first 3 volumes all in one place because my rating stayed at a 3.
Is Fence bad? No. Is it a fun quick read about a bunch of boys at a boarding school with a diverse cast of characters? Yes. Did I keep comparing it to Haikyu!! the whole time? Yes.
I could not stop comparing the characters or the initial story and I think that made me unfairly judge Fence and C. S. Pacat. You cannot tell me that Nicholas isn't Hinata or that Seiji isn't Kageyama, or that Kally seemed a little bit like Sugawara, or that Harvard and Daichi are also really similar. But this is a sports story and there will be similarities, but the Karasuno Volleyball team to me is a lot more memorable. And each loss and each victory compelled me more. I was on my seat while reading/watching Haikyu!! I never really felt the intensity in the story so far. That does not diminish the story at all, it just means I prefered Haikyu!!
Fence has its strengths, like the diversity of its characters. It is set in the U.S. so the story will have a more diverse cast which was a strength. I did like the canonically Gay and LGBTQ+ characters, but it did make me feel like everyone at this school is Gay which to me was something I just couldn't get past, and as Queer man you'd think I'd be all over it. But, to have a large cast of LGBTQ+ characters did make me feel happy, and probably was the reason why I like Fence. I am a reader that likes to have a strong story just as much as strong characters, and Fence's story was just not it for me so I don't think I will continue reading the story even if people think Vol. 4 is the best one so far. I don't think I will be able to stop comparing Fence to Haikyu!! and that will prevent me from really enjoying the story.
Also one more little complaint, but when I finally find an " Aiden" in a book it's spelt with an "E" an "E"!!!! For once I'd like to find an "Aidan."
Is Fence bad? No. Is it a fun quick read about a bunch of boys at a boarding school with a diverse cast of characters? Yes. Did I keep comparing it to Haikyu!! the whole time? Yes.
I could not stop comparing the characters or the initial story and I think that made me unfairly judge Fence and C. S. Pacat. You cannot tell me that Nicholas isn't Hinata or that Seiji isn't Kageyama, or that Kally seemed a little bit like Sugawara, or that Harvard and Daichi are also really similar. But this is a sports story and there will be similarities, but the Karasuno Volleyball team to me is a lot more memorable. And each loss and each victory compelled me more. I was on my seat while reading/watching Haikyu!! I never really felt the intensity in the story so far. That does not diminish the story at all, it just means I prefered Haikyu!!
Fence has its strengths, like the diversity of its characters. It is set in the U.S. so the story will have a more diverse cast which was a strength. I did like the canonically Gay and LGBTQ+ characters, but it did make me feel like everyone at this school is Gay which to me was something I just couldn't get past, and as Queer man you'd think I'd be all over it. But, to have a large cast of LGBTQ+ characters did make me feel happy, and probably was the reason why I like Fence. I am a reader that likes to have a strong story just as much as strong characters, and Fence's story was just not it for me so I don't think I will continue reading the story even if people think Vol. 4 is the best one so far. I don't think I will be able to stop comparing Fence to Haikyu!! and that will prevent me from really enjoying the story.
Also one more little complaint, but when I finally find an " Aiden" in a book it's spelt with an "E" an "E"!!!! For once I'd like to find an "Aidan."