Fence

This is where the story (and the art) started going downhill. We continue with the matches between the boys for the position at the school's fencing team and this is the volume where the matches become more plot-device-y and it becomes really hard to grasp the actual skill of individual characters. This gets a lot worse in volume 3, though.

I also don't like the behavior of certain characters and the decisions that they make. Not because I disagree with those decisions, but because they seem kinda silly. For example, and this is a SPOILER

Seiji loses against Aiden and goes to the bathroom to sulk. He's the best fencer in the school, so a loss like this is not easy for him to handle emotionally. Once he enters the bathroom, the coach doesn't let anyone else get it. Anyone except for Nicolas, that is. I get it - she was protective of Seiji, but why let Nicolas in? For all SHE knows - they're rivals and Nicolas will tease Seiji just as much as all the other guys would. It's almost as if she knows that Seiji/Nicolas is the endgame relationship of this comic...

END SPOILER.

I also “like” how people in the audience seems to be able to read the fencers minds. When character A is fencing character B, but is thinking about fencing character C, there's always someone who notices that “it's like Nicolas is fencing a bigger opponent somehow.” It wouldn't be so annoying if it hadn't happened again in volume three...

Not all matches are completely baseless, though. Even though it is surprising how many boys end up with a tie (14-14), there were two matches the outcomes of which were sort of justified. I say “sort of”, because I'm not fully buying it, but I guess this still falls within the limits of my suspension of disbelief.

Now for the art. Sure, there's stuff that has been there since volume one.


Like the fact that the main entrance to the training hall leads to background that looks like a painting.

A lot of the faces (even in close-ups!) just look like this:


It's not just the faces - their bodies keep shrinking, too! Basically, it seems that the artist just turns them into chibis whenever she's tight on time.

There is one thing that I like about volume two - that Harward and Aiden's friendship is shown a bit more. Even though i hate Aiden with my very being (because he's a walking cliche - he's not a person!), his friendship with Harward gives him at least a little depth.