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Fence #1
Fence, Vol. 1
Novelist C.S. Pacat (Captive Prince) and fan-favorite artist Johanna the Mad team up for a new series perfect for fans of Check, Please! and Yuri!!! on Ice. Nicholas Cox is determined to prove himself in the world of competitive fencing, and earn his place alongside fencing legends like the dad he never knew, but things get more complicated when he’s up against his golden-boy half-brother, as well as the sullen fencing prodigy, Seiji Katayama. Collects issues #1-4.
107 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2017
204 people are currently reading
26207 people want to read
About the author
C.S. Pacat
71 books16.6k followersC.S. Pacat is the USA-Today best-selling author of Dark Rise, the Captive Prince trilogy, and the GLAAD-nominated graphic novels Fence.
Born in Australia and educated at the University of Melbourne, C.S. Pacat has lived in a number of cities, including Tokyo and Perugia, and currently resides and writes in Melbourne.
Born in Australia and educated at the University of Melbourne, C.S. Pacat has lived in a number of cities, including Tokyo and Perugia, and currently resides and writes in Melbourne.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,528 reviews
May 19, 2020
oh my god they were roommates
July 22, 2020
Friends, I love this story, this art, and these characters with the sum of my being. This is such a diverse cast, from sexuality (seriously, I think everyone is queer), to race, from social and economic backgrounds, to different family dynamics; there is so much to love about Fence. Like, C.S. Pacat’s writing and Johanna the Mad’s art is honestly a match made in Heaven, and these four issues were absolutely perfection.
Fence surrounds a boy’s boarding school, where many of the students are trying out for the fencing team. They all come with different levels of experience, with different strengths and weakness, but they are all competing for one of three open spots on the varsity team. And even though everyone wants to make the team, it is absolutely dire for Nicholas Cox.
“I know I can fence.”
I so very easily fell in love with each and every single one of these characters. And I found these amazing character layouts on C.S. Pacat’s Twitter!
And the “treasure” and “trouble” are honestly a gift from a higher power. And, don’t be me wrong, Nicholas and Seiji and their dynamic is perfection, but I honestly fell the most in love with Harvard and Aiden. Like, I can tell you all right now that that is going to be the ship I go down with. But my favorite character is easily Bobby! He completely made the comic for me, and everything about him just felt like a shining light at this boarding school!
Okay, so like with every graphic novel that I review, I always do a breakdown on my thoughts and feeling of each individual issue. So, the next portion of this review will be a little more SPOILER-Y ! Obviously, I won’t give away anything too pivotal, but I will talk about some of the themes that each issue had inside.
Trigger and content warnings for minor bullying and for abandonment.
➽ CHAPTER ONE -
Oh my gosh, this first issue was everything! I loved being introduced to these characters, and I loved how Nicholas and Seiji literally first meet because they have to fence one another. I also loved getting to see a little more into Nicholas’ backstory and why he wanted to fence in the first place, and seeing him try to healthily fill that abandonment void with something positive.
➽ CHAPTER TWO -
This issue lets the reader see the boarding school that is really going to be the starting point of this story. It is six months since chapter one, and Nicholas is finally at Kings Row Boys School, where he hopes to get a scholarship from making varsity fence. We are introduced to a ton of new amazing characters that completely captured my heart; Bobby, Harvard, Aiden. And seeing the juxtaposition of Nicholas and Jesse Coste was really moving and powerful. I just want the best for my fence babies. Oh, and Nicholas also finds out who his roommate is going to be, and I actually screamed with pure joy.
➽ CHAPTER THREE -
We learn in this issue that there are only three available spots on the varsity team. And we also get to see all the people trying out’s different weaknesses and strengths. Nicholas is still hurting from an emotional wound that has never healed his entire life. Seiji still thinks he is God’s gift to fencing. We get introduced to Dante and Kally, who I easily fell in love with, too. And the round robin tournament for the three spots at stake begins.
➽ CHAPTER FOUR -
We get to see the fencer’s matches and that’s all I really want to say. But the ending of this bind-up volume was so damn brutal. Like, I need so much more! And I don’t want to way for Volume Two in January. I loved this, and it is easily my favorite graphic novel of 2018, so far.
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September 23, 2019
I just finished Fence, Vol. 3 and I need more!
These books are so addicting. I'm not even sure exactly why, though I suspect all the cute boys have a little something to do with it 😂. But I resisted this book for so long because I have zero interest in sports. Less than zero. When someone puts sports on the TV, I can immediately feel my mind turning to mush. Maybe it is because I suck so bad at anything that requires coordination, I don't know, but I avoid any book/movie/tv show about any kind of sport.
But this was quite thrilling! The competition, the ferocity, the tension between the boys-- it all works so well. Plus there's so many heartwarming moments about friendship, kindness and support. I can't wait to get my hands on the graphic novels to follow (soon please because that cliffhanger was evil!)
Also, I ship Nicholas and Seiji soooo baaadddd.
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These books are so addicting. I'm not even sure exactly why, though I suspect all the cute boys have a little something to do with it 😂. But I resisted this book for so long because I have zero interest in sports. Less than zero. When someone puts sports on the TV, I can immediately feel my mind turning to mush. Maybe it is because I suck so bad at anything that requires coordination, I don't know, but I avoid any book/movie/tv show about any kind of sport.
But this was quite thrilling! The competition, the ferocity, the tension between the boys-- it all works so well. Plus there's so many heartwarming moments about friendship, kindness and support. I can't wait to get my hands on the graphic novels to follow (soon please because that cliffhanger was evil!)
Also, I ship Nicholas and Seiji soooo baaadddd.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube
November 13, 2024
A boy who's jacked and kind / Can't find his ass to save my life (Slim Pickins – Sabrina Carpenter).
I’m insecure, don’t know what for. Wait, no that’s not right. I do know what for, it’s because I always feel like I’m out of my depth whenever I’m talking about something that everybody has already read! I guess you could say that I've got a bad case of FOMO. The thing is, everybody loves this author's works, and that's cool and all, but it's hard for me to not to feel the guy who's always late to the party whenever I get to the point where I'm reviewing something that's super popular. Seriously, now that I’ve finally gotten around to reading Fence, the super popular graphic novel series, Fence by C.S. Pascat, author of other very popular books that I was waa~aay late to, Captive Prince and Dark Rise, I’ve probably already been lapped, like, a hundred times by everyone else. Hold up, I'm starting fluff this out the same way I'd write an essay, like I'm working for the Department of Redundancy Department, so I'll move on now. Anywho, I promise that I’m not trying to flex my hipster status or anything, but I think this is the first book I’ve read in a while that’s actually popular with the good people of Goodreads. I skipped out on Heartstopper because it’s so popular that I feel like I’ve already read it by proxy, and let's not forget the months I spent on here dodging Spare, the book with a jump-scare cover, so this is new, finding myself in uncharted waters and all that. Oh, I guess this is kind of starting to sound like I’m humble bragging about being a hipster, my bad. I’m just trying to tell you that every now and then it gets kind of lonely to read things that nobody talks about. Did you know that whenever I finish a book that I loved, I go on Tumblr and search to see if there’s any pretty fan art posted? Because every single time I do, and every single time it’s to no avail. Yeah well, that definitely wasn’t an issue with Fence because there’s fanart for days! Hell yeah, I’ve made it to the cool kid’s table! And normally I’d have a good reason for taking the leap and diving into a new series, like if it has really good art or an intriguing story or something, but the truth is that I’ve really only kept Fence in my peripherals... because I think fencing uniforms are kind of hot. But because my love of Ichiro stays true, they're still second to baseball.
Anyway, yeah, this was pretty good! I liked it a lot because the premise was bit unserious, yet the story took itself very serious. I mean that as a compliment, really! I love a story that takes a niche interest and creates a narrative around it that makes it seem like it’s the most important thing in the world. The only thing is… aw man, I can’t seem to think of any examples off the top of my head. Just kidding: Stomp the Yard, Drumline, Prince of Tennis, Honey, Work It, and Yu-Gi-Oh, they all fit in this mold, and I think that they’re all the better for it. Really though, I truly believe that if the author cares enough about a certain subject, then it’s only a matter of time before we start to care too. A good writer can make anything interesting, and Fence more than lives up to the hype. But you know the one thing that this graphic novel has over everything else that I listed? Yeah, it’s gay. I know that that seems like a shallow reason to hold something in high esteem, but you know... that's just how I am. I mean, a graphic novel with nice art, features a fun story, and has gay stuff!? Man, this really does have it all! Well, I don’t want to oversell it (too late for that, I reckon), because it's true that there wasn’t really anything overtly gay (in bold) in this specific volume, but I’m sure things will get gayer in the future. Which is basically the mantra by which I live my life! Besides, I’m not disappointed at all because sometimes the promise of gayness is more powerful and impactful than whenever we actually arrive at said gayness. I'm just always so grateful to be in this new era of queer fiction, because I’ve already been through that time period where the only queerness in popular media was whatever Macklemore was up to with his “It’s cool that you’re gay, but I’m not gay, actually” song, or whenever John Green deemed it acceptable enough to allow us to be one note stereotypical side-characters in his meandering, overly self-indulgent stories, so I’m more than used to sustaining my life force on just a few crumbs like Raizen from Yu Yu Hakusho. I was there Gandalf, I was there 3000 years ago! I'm not going back!! I don't know, I just feel so incredibly spoiled that there are so many diverse queer stories out there at the moment, so yeah, I’m totally cool with a bit of a slow burn.
I’m insecure, don’t know what for. Wait, no that’s not right. I do know what for, it’s because I always feel like I’m out of my depth whenever I’m talking about something that everybody has already read! I guess you could say that I've got a bad case of FOMO. The thing is, everybody loves this author's works, and that's cool and all, but it's hard for me to not to feel the guy who's always late to the party whenever I get to the point where I'm reviewing something that's super popular. Seriously, now that I’ve finally gotten around to reading Fence, the super popular graphic novel series, Fence by C.S. Pascat, author of other very popular books that I was waa~aay late to, Captive Prince and Dark Rise, I’ve probably already been lapped, like, a hundred times by everyone else. Hold up, I'm starting fluff this out the same way I'd write an essay, like I'm working for the Department of Redundancy Department, so I'll move on now. Anywho, I promise that I’m not trying to flex my hipster status or anything, but I think this is the first book I’ve read in a while that’s actually popular with the good people of Goodreads. I skipped out on Heartstopper because it’s so popular that I feel like I’ve already read it by proxy, and let's not forget the months I spent on here dodging Spare, the book with a jump-scare cover, so this is new, finding myself in uncharted waters and all that. Oh, I guess this is kind of starting to sound like I’m humble bragging about being a hipster, my bad. I’m just trying to tell you that every now and then it gets kind of lonely to read things that nobody talks about. Did you know that whenever I finish a book that I loved, I go on Tumblr and search to see if there’s any pretty fan art posted? Because every single time I do, and every single time it’s to no avail. Yeah well, that definitely wasn’t an issue with Fence because there’s fanart for days! Hell yeah, I’ve made it to the cool kid’s table! And normally I’d have a good reason for taking the leap and diving into a new series, like if it has really good art or an intriguing story or something, but the truth is that I’ve really only kept Fence in my peripherals... because I think fencing uniforms are kind of hot. But because my love of Ichiro stays true, they're still second to baseball.
Anyway, yeah, this was pretty good! I liked it a lot because the premise was bit unserious, yet the story took itself very serious. I mean that as a compliment, really! I love a story that takes a niche interest and creates a narrative around it that makes it seem like it’s the most important thing in the world. The only thing is… aw man, I can’t seem to think of any examples off the top of my head. Just kidding: Stomp the Yard, Drumline, Prince of Tennis, Honey, Work It, and Yu-Gi-Oh, they all fit in this mold, and I think that they’re all the better for it. Really though, I truly believe that if the author cares enough about a certain subject, then it’s only a matter of time before we start to care too. A good writer can make anything interesting, and Fence more than lives up to the hype. But you know the one thing that this graphic novel has over everything else that I listed? Yeah, it’s gay. I know that that seems like a shallow reason to hold something in high esteem, but you know... that's just how I am. I mean, a graphic novel with nice art, features a fun story, and has gay stuff!? Man, this really does have it all! Well, I don’t want to oversell it (too late for that, I reckon), because it's true that there wasn’t really anything overtly gay (in bold) in this specific volume, but I’m sure things will get gayer in the future. Which is basically the mantra by which I live my life! Besides, I’m not disappointed at all because sometimes the promise of gayness is more powerful and impactful than whenever we actually arrive at said gayness. I'm just always so grateful to be in this new era of queer fiction, because I’ve already been through that time period where the only queerness in popular media was whatever Macklemore was up to with his “It’s cool that you’re gay, but I’m not gay, actually” song, or whenever John Green deemed it acceptable enough to allow us to be one note stereotypical side-characters in his meandering, overly self-indulgent stories, so I’m more than used to sustaining my life force on just a few crumbs like Raizen from Yu Yu Hakusho. I was there Gandalf, I was there 3000 years ago! I'm not going back!! I don't know, I just feel so incredibly spoiled that there are so many diverse queer stories out there at the moment, so yeah, I’m totally cool with a bit of a slow burn.
January 19, 2022
ESTOY OBSESIONADA?
YES I AM
NECESITO MÁS
YES I AM
NECESITO MÁS
January 17, 2021
I kept seeing this pop up in my feed with people gushing over it, but I was like... angsty high school boys fencing? Hmmm. I don't see how that would be something I'd like.
And it turns out my gut feeling was correct.
I thought it was silly and weird.
But maybe that's because I don't know much about fencing?
I don't think so, though. It was a bunch of dramatic sports shit, and that's never been my bag.
BUT. A lot of people loved this, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
And it turns out my gut feeling was correct.
I thought it was silly and weird.
But maybe that's because I don't know much about fencing?
I don't think so, though. It was a bunch of dramatic sports shit, and that's never been my bag.
BUT. A lot of people loved this, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
July 15, 2019
*gasp* and they were roommates
September 28, 2025
Great cast of diverse characters, interesting storyline and beautiful artwork. I love the dynamics between Nicholas and Seiji, but I'm also equally invested in all the other characters.
*I initially read this online as single issues #1-4.
******
Re-read 9/2025 - third read
*I initially read this online as single issues #1-4.
******
Re-read 9/2025 - third read
June 13, 2019
HELLO I LOVED THIS WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY SOUL I CANNOT BELIEVE I PUT THIS OFF FOR SO LONG
December 16, 2020
In this fun and queer young adult contemporary comic series, you’ll be treated to ⤵
✦ A chemical and explosive enemies-to-still-getting-there gay romance between two teen fencers who want to throttle each other. There is building tension, deliciously taut; there is petty rivalry, childishly entertaining; and there is sports—oh yes there is sports with stressful competition and tragic heartbreak and whatevernot.
✦ Lots and lots of casual, delightful queerness and diversity—from bi boys and gay boys and transboys to racial diversity and various social classes and family backgrounds. My rainbow heart was weeping in joy. Someone give this book an award for glorious beauty. *clutches chest and dies*
✦ An overwhelming amount of heartwarming cuteness in lessons of kindness, adorable bonds between characters, and friendships peppered with boarding school misadventures—what more do you need? Oh, you need more? Alrighty.
✦ The confident and stubborn sweet little puppy by the name of Nicholas Cox whose life is a tragedy but his will will shake worlds. He’s my angry baby and I love how he handles bullies with style—meaning he doesn’t let them drag him down and marches into battle with his unpredictable cluelessness and bold hotheaded attitude.
You might say he’s too angry and overconfident; if you do, I’ll tell you to kindly shoo. Because when your life starts at the rock bottom, when your privileged half-brother has everything you can only dream of, the only way to rise, to succeed, is through sheer determination and certainty that you can and that nothing can stop or beat you.
✦ Also an arrogant, holier-than-thou jerk named Seiji Katayama whose arrogance is not unfounded (he truly is exceptionally skilled) and whose infuriating shetbag attitude makes sense because of his secret insecurities, but that still does not change the fact that I want to pummel him. Just why, no why, should he be named Seiji and keep reminding me of my Robin Hood Souji in The Burning God?
✦ If you’re still unconvinced, then I give you: C.S. Pacat’s LOL-inducing, stomach-aching humour and top notch storytelling technique—both getting better and better with each issue as the hilarity grows and the writing awes you with its perfect building of drama and tension.
✦ And last but not least, Johanna the Mad’s madly scrumptious and captivatingly refined art that turned this series unforgettable, making characters and stress jump out of the page and greedily drag you down into their depth and adding to the humour until it chokes you. I stan.
What are you waiting for? If you enjoy young adult contemporary comics and gay boys being in love, then read this. I went in with no expectations, I came out addicted—even though I needed more from this graphic novel in some cases. Still, I loved it and here’s the character sheets for your amusement ⤵
Companions: Playlist & Related Reviews
Book series playlist: Spotify URL
Books in series:
↬ Fence #1 ★★★✯☆
↬ Fence #2 ★★★✯☆
↬ Fence #3 ★★★★☆
↬ Fence #4 ★★★✯☆
↬ Fence #5 ★★★★✯
↬ Fence #6 ★★★★✯
↬ Fence #7 ★★★★✯
↬ Fence #8 ★★★★✯
↬ Fence #9 ★★★★✯
↬ Fence #10 ★★★★★
↬ Fence #11 ★★★★★
↬ Fence #12 ★★★★☆
↬ Fence, Vol. 1 (Fence, #1-4) ★★★★☆
↬ Fence, Vol. 2 (Fence, #5-8) ★★★★✯
↬ Fence, Vol. 3 (Fence, #9-12) ★★★★★
↬ Fence, Vol. 4 (Fence, #13-16) ★★★★✯
✦ A chemical and explosive enemies-to-still-getting-there gay romance between two teen fencers who want to throttle each other. There is building tension, deliciously taut; there is petty rivalry, childishly entertaining; and there is sports—oh yes there is sports with stressful competition and tragic heartbreak and whatevernot.
✦ Lots and lots of casual, delightful queerness and diversity—from bi boys and gay boys and transboys to racial diversity and various social classes and family backgrounds. My rainbow heart was weeping in joy. Someone give this book an award for glorious beauty. *clutches chest and dies*
✦ An overwhelming amount of heartwarming cuteness in lessons of kindness, adorable bonds between characters, and friendships peppered with boarding school misadventures—what more do you need? Oh, you need more? Alrighty.
✦ The confident and stubborn sweet little puppy by the name of Nicholas Cox whose life is a tragedy but his will will shake worlds. He’s my angry baby and I love how he handles bullies with style—meaning he doesn’t let them drag him down and marches into battle with his unpredictable cluelessness and bold hotheaded attitude.
You might say he’s too angry and overconfident; if you do, I’ll tell you to kindly shoo. Because when your life starts at the rock bottom, when your privileged half-brother has everything you can only dream of, the only way to rise, to succeed, is through sheer determination and certainty that you can and that nothing can stop or beat you.
✦ Also an arrogant, holier-than-thou jerk named Seiji Katayama whose arrogance is not unfounded (he truly is exceptionally skilled) and whose infuriating shetbag attitude makes sense because of his secret insecurities, but that still does not change the fact that I want to pummel him. Just why, no why, should he be named Seiji and keep reminding me of my Robin Hood Souji in The Burning God?
✦ If you’re still unconvinced, then I give you: C.S. Pacat’s LOL-inducing, stomach-aching humour and top notch storytelling technique—both getting better and better with each issue as the hilarity grows and the writing awes you with its perfect building of drama and tension.
✦ And last but not least, Johanna the Mad’s madly scrumptious and captivatingly refined art that turned this series unforgettable, making characters and stress jump out of the page and greedily drag you down into their depth and adding to the humour until it chokes you. I stan.
What are you waiting for? If you enjoy young adult contemporary comics and gay boys being in love, then read this. I went in with no expectations, I came out addicted—even though I needed more from this graphic novel in some cases. Still, I loved it and here’s the character sheets for your amusement ⤵
Companions: Playlist & Related Reviews
Book series playlist: Spotify URL
Books in series:
↬ Fence #1 ★★★✯☆
↬ Fence #2 ★★★✯☆
↬ Fence #3 ★★★★☆
↬ Fence #4 ★★★✯☆
↬ Fence #5 ★★★★✯
↬ Fence #6 ★★★★✯
↬ Fence #7 ★★★★✯
↬ Fence #8 ★★★★✯
↬ Fence #9 ★★★★✯
↬ Fence #10 ★★★★★
↬ Fence #11 ★★★★★
↬ Fence #12 ★★★★☆
↬ Fence, Vol. 1 (Fence, #1-4) ★★★★☆
↬ Fence, Vol. 2 (Fence, #5-8) ★★★★✯
↬ Fence, Vol. 3 (Fence, #9-12) ★★★★★
↬ Fence, Vol. 4 (Fence, #13-16) ★★★★✯
March 26, 2025
I don’t really know what to say at one volume in, there is fencing and rivalries and they are room mates, but I’m fucking sat regardless.
🤺
The art is cute.
🤺
The art is cute.
April 30, 2018
C.S. Pacat escribiendo esta novela:
ESTOY MUERTO Y ENTERRADO CON ESTA NOVELA GRÁFICA. Tiene todo lo que quería y más. O sea, que va de unos niños súper guapos que hacen esgrima, van a un internado juntos y tienen una tensión sexual increíble. Que es un enemies to lovers clarísimo y no puedo esperar a que todo se vuelva aún más gay y que se peleen y luego se coman la boca.
Y LAS ESCENAS DE ESGRIMA?????? WIIIIIIIIIG. De verdad. Que a mí me la sudan todos los deportes en general pero que yo cada vez que tenían que pelearse lo he vivido. Y hasta he aprendido cosas. No me puedo creer que esta novela gráfica vaya a hacer que me guste el deporte.
Y LOS PERSONAJES. Es que mira, me encantan. El prota, Nicholas, es guapísimo y quiero saberlo todo sobre él y darle un besito y decirle que todo va a salir bien. Y que Seiji y él sean roommates??? ES QUE ME ESTÁN DANDO TODO LO QUE QUIERO.
En fin. Que lo voy a pasar fatal hasta que salgan más issues. Pero vamos, que me encanta y estoy living con todo.
ESTOY MUERTO Y ENTERRADO CON ESTA NOVELA GRÁFICA. Tiene todo lo que quería y más. O sea, que va de unos niños súper guapos que hacen esgrima, van a un internado juntos y tienen una tensión sexual increíble. Que es un enemies to lovers clarísimo y no puedo esperar a que todo se vuelva aún más gay y que se peleen y luego se coman la boca.
Y LAS ESCENAS DE ESGRIMA?????? WIIIIIIIIIG. De verdad. Que a mí me la sudan todos los deportes en general pero que yo cada vez que tenían que pelearse lo he vivido. Y hasta he aprendido cosas. No me puedo creer que esta novela gráfica vaya a hacer que me guste el deporte.
Y LOS PERSONAJES. Es que mira, me encantan. El prota, Nicholas, es guapísimo y quiero saberlo todo sobre él y darle un besito y decirle que todo va a salir bien. Y que Seiji y él sean roommates??? ES QUE ME ESTÁN DANDO TODO LO QUE QUIERO.
En fin. Que lo voy a pasar fatal hasta que salgan más issues. Pero vamos, que me encanta y estoy living con todo.
December 2, 2020
Hace unos meses empecé a leer las entregas individuales de Fence y las amé. Nada nunca hará que supere Yuri On Ice, pero la historia y la rivalidad de Nicholas y Seiji llena un poco el vacío.
Todo empieza en un campeonato regional de esgrima. Nicholas Cox, el hijo ilegítimo de quien fue campeón mundial de esgrima, debe enfrentarse a la mueva promesa del deporte: Seiji Katayama. A pesar de su confianza, Nicholas pierde estrepitosamente con un 15-0 y, a partir de ese momento, se propone mejorar y derrotar a Seiji en algún campeonato. Pasa un tiempo y, gracias a una beca, Nicholas logra entrar a King’s Row, un internado con un gran equipo de esgrima. Pero lo que él no espera es que Seiji también se haya matriculado allí y, encima, sea su compañero de habitación. Así que de esa manera empieza una rivalidad muy tensionante entre ellos.
Obviamente, al ser esta una historia gráfica, va pasando todo muy rápido, pero el estilo de dibujo y las viñetas hacen que sientas toda la rabia, frustración y tensión que hay entre los personajes. Y no sólo entre Seiji y Nicholas, sino también entre los otros esgrimistas que están intentando conseguir uno de los tres puestos para participar en los regionales y poder enfrentarse a Exton, el internado rival que ha salido invicto durante años.
En serio me encanta todo y quiero ver más de la relación de odio (que espero que se convierta en amor) de Seiji y de Nicholas. ¡Y también quiero ver más de los otros esgrimistas! Aiden es un coqueto sin remedio y también me fascina.
Todo empieza en un campeonato regional de esgrima. Nicholas Cox, el hijo ilegítimo de quien fue campeón mundial de esgrima, debe enfrentarse a la mueva promesa del deporte: Seiji Katayama. A pesar de su confianza, Nicholas pierde estrepitosamente con un 15-0 y, a partir de ese momento, se propone mejorar y derrotar a Seiji en algún campeonato. Pasa un tiempo y, gracias a una beca, Nicholas logra entrar a King’s Row, un internado con un gran equipo de esgrima. Pero lo que él no espera es que Seiji también se haya matriculado allí y, encima, sea su compañero de habitación. Así que de esa manera empieza una rivalidad muy tensionante entre ellos.
Obviamente, al ser esta una historia gráfica, va pasando todo muy rápido, pero el estilo de dibujo y las viñetas hacen que sientas toda la rabia, frustración y tensión que hay entre los personajes. Y no sólo entre Seiji y Nicholas, sino también entre los otros esgrimistas que están intentando conseguir uno de los tres puestos para participar en los regionales y poder enfrentarse a Exton, el internado rival que ha salido invicto durante años.
En serio me encanta todo y quiero ver más de la relación de odio (que espero que se convierta en amor) de Seiji y de Nicholas. ¡Y también quiero ver más de los otros esgrimistas! Aiden es un coqueto sin remedio y también me fascina.
May 1, 2019
Vol. 1 ★★★★★
Vol. 2 ★★★★★
Vol. 3 ???
Please, universe, if you're listening, don't ever let C.S. Pacat stop writing amazing queer stories. ♥
Seriously, though, I knew I would adore this and I was right. Pacat is an absolutely wonderful writer who is so proficient at scripting these lovable (or hate-able) characters and storylines. I was interested to see how she'd handle a contemporary sports-based plotline, with how vastly different it is from the Captive Prince series I cherish so dearly, but she did an amazing job with this, too.
On top of how fun and quick-paced the plot is, there's a delightful (and diverse) cast of characters—my favorite, of course, being the sweet, effeminate Bobby—and Johanna the Mad's artwork fits the story perfectly with its bright colors, expressive faces, and occasional homages to typical manga-inspired art moments (i.e. the random switches to chibi faces ♥).
The entire volume is honestly just perfection. I got to root for a lovable underdog, rage at a hate-worthy-brooding-arrogant-jerk antagonist, learn a little about fencing, and get wholly sucked into this little universe to the point where I'm already dying for volume 2 to release. I will probably read and recommend everything Pacat ever writes, and Fence is no exception.
December 31, 2018
Fencing: a sport nobody cares about for a reason - it boring! Does Fence make me like it any more? Nuh to the uh uh!
Cliched underdog protagonist from a poor family gets scholarship to posh gay boarding school obsessed with fencing (those very specific and conveniently very acceptable for our current ultra-sensitive political climate places exist apparently!). He take on rivalries with upper class fencing champions! He might win! But not for now! Gawd awmighty shoot me please…
It’s like a kid’s cartoon for the dumbest kids. All the characters are cunty stereotypes - the heartthrob, the team captain, the dork, the overachiever, the underdog - with not one of them remotely likeable! The story is so bland and by-the-numbers - it’s a tournament but d’you think the hero wins straight away? Course not! Stoopid rivalries have to happen first along with unexpected friendships and obvious life lessons and blah blah blah, come on, who hasn’t seen this shit a thousand times before?!
That this is about fencing is completely arbitrary - you could substitute any rando sport in place of fencing and this story still functions. Functions poorly and bores you to tears, but still functions.
The only thing I liked about this book was that the artist is called Johanna the Mad. We need more creators with Viking names. Unless all they produce is pap like this in which case fuck em! Fence is utter rubbish. I felt dumber for reading it and know I completely wasted my time here - don’t you make the same mistake!
Cliched underdog protagonist from a poor family gets scholarship to posh gay boarding school obsessed with fencing (those very specific and conveniently very acceptable for our current ultra-sensitive political climate places exist apparently!). He take on rivalries with upper class fencing champions! He might win! But not for now! Gawd awmighty shoot me please…
It’s like a kid’s cartoon for the dumbest kids. All the characters are cunty stereotypes - the heartthrob, the team captain, the dork, the overachiever, the underdog - with not one of them remotely likeable! The story is so bland and by-the-numbers - it’s a tournament but d’you think the hero wins straight away? Course not! Stoopid rivalries have to happen first along with unexpected friendships and obvious life lessons and blah blah blah, come on, who hasn’t seen this shit a thousand times before?!
That this is about fencing is completely arbitrary - you could substitute any rando sport in place of fencing and this story still functions. Functions poorly and bores you to tears, but still functions.
The only thing I liked about this book was that the artist is called Johanna the Mad. We need more creators with Viking names. Unless all they produce is pap like this in which case fuck em! Fence is utter rubbish. I felt dumber for reading it and know I completely wasted my time here - don’t you make the same mistake!
February 22, 2023
Perfection. Gimme more☝️
February 20, 2019
Amazing characters with an amazing plot.
March 15, 2021
Picked this up on a whim and it was so good?? And cute?? And everything I wanted?? And I like fencing??
April 15, 2021
4 Stars
A compelling start encompassing the first 4 comics in this series, where newbie fencer Nicholas, has so much to prove and everything to lose.
The enemies to lovers vibe between him and his rival Seiji, has barely just begun.
A compelling start encompassing the first 4 comics in this series, where newbie fencer Nicholas, has so much to prove and everything to lose.
The enemies to lovers vibe between him and his rival Seiji, has barely just begun.
June 2, 2023
I'm obsessed with this series. It has everything I love and the characters are so well thought out and well written. The art is gorgeous and perfectly matches the mood of the story.
September 1, 2018
I love that graphic novels are taking us into these more unknown sports like figure skating and now fencing. It's an interesting world with their own social order. The story is centered around Nicholas who is an underprivileged kid who joins a fencing team on scholarship. He traded free work for free lessons from a guy who saw potential.
He gets to the boarding school and the interesting thing is most of the guys seem to be at least bi if not gay. I find it funny and at least interesting. I would doubt that all fencers are gay, but this story choses to have that. Maybe not all of them, but the couples we are are boy/boy. The two main characters, we don't know about them yet.
Seiji is the perfect fencer that everyone wants to beat. He ends up being Nicholas's roommate. They hate each other. The volume ends on a huge cliffhanger. I mean what?
The next one doesn't come out until January 2019 and I am already hooked on this comic. I was engrossed and I just love this story. I love the world they inhabit and I like the story. I think the art is exciting also. I can't wait to know how the next volume will be.
He gets to the boarding school and the interesting thing is most of the guys seem to be at least bi if not gay. I find it funny and at least interesting. I would doubt that all fencers are gay, but this story choses to have that. Maybe not all of them, but the couples we are are boy/boy. The two main characters, we don't know about them yet.
Seiji is the perfect fencer that everyone wants to beat. He ends up being Nicholas's roommate. They hate each other. The volume ends on a huge cliffhanger. I mean what?
The next one doesn't come out until January 2019 and I am already hooked on this comic. I was engrossed and I just love this story. I love the world they inhabit and I like the story. I think the art is exciting also. I can't wait to know how the next volume will be.
August 17, 2021
hell yeah sports gays
May 1, 2020
so entertaining!! i’m gonna binge the rest👀😁
January 24, 2021
Now wasn’t that just CUTE?!! I loved this so so much. Super fun and hilarious and adorable. Gonna need more.
July 15, 2023
Relectura ❤️
Primer volumen de esta novela gráfica, por tanto, es normal que sea bastante introductoria.
En esta entrega se nos presenta a los personajes, sus motivaciones por este deporte, y da inicio a la rivalidad que surge entre los protagonistas y que acompañara (al parecer) al resto de la historia.
Por un lado, tenemos a Nicholas Cox, quien no ha tenido una vida fácil, siempre ha tenido que luchar por alcanzar sus sueños (en este caso aprender el arte de la esgrima), además de tener una mala situación económica, también nos deja entrever parte de su historia de vida.
Por otro lado, esta Seiji Katayama, quien ha practicado este deporte desde la infancia, siendo uno de los mejores, por lo que Nicholas lo que más desea es derrotarlo.
La historia es entretenida, las ilustraciones son maravillosas, logrando transmitir las situaciones y emociones sin la necesidad del texto excesivo (así que cumplen su cometido). Ahora solo estoy deseando leer la segunda entrega.
Primer volumen de esta novela gráfica, por tanto, es normal que sea bastante introductoria.
En esta entrega se nos presenta a los personajes, sus motivaciones por este deporte, y da inicio a la rivalidad que surge entre los protagonistas y que acompañara (al parecer) al resto de la historia.
Por un lado, tenemos a Nicholas Cox, quien no ha tenido una vida fácil, siempre ha tenido que luchar por alcanzar sus sueños (en este caso aprender el arte de la esgrima), además de tener una mala situación económica, también nos deja entrever parte de su historia de vida.
Por otro lado, esta Seiji Katayama, quien ha practicado este deporte desde la infancia, siendo uno de los mejores, por lo que Nicholas lo que más desea es derrotarlo.
La historia es entretenida, las ilustraciones son maravillosas, logrando transmitir las situaciones y emociones sin la necesidad del texto excesivo (así que cumplen su cometido). Ahora solo estoy deseando leer la segunda entrega.
March 29, 2020
4.5/5
Wow such a beautiful, fun and exciting comic with cute characters! I couldn't stop reading it I just wanted to know what's going to happen next; so right now I'm going to start vol 2. actually I don't have any interest in sports but this comic Changed my mind and I thought with myself I should try more sports sometimes. I love seiji and Nicholas and their relationship so much (their friendship remind me of Simon and Baz.)
Wow such a beautiful, fun and exciting comic with cute characters! I couldn't stop reading it I just wanted to know what's going to happen next; so right now I'm going to start vol 2. actually I don't have any interest in sports but this comic Changed my mind and I thought with myself I should try more sports sometimes. I love seiji and Nicholas and their relationship so much (their friendship remind me of Simon and Baz.)
January 1, 2019
I had not expected to like this first volume of a comics series about all-boys high school fencing, but I did, a lot. I do like sports, but know nothing about fencing, and the only reason I read it is because it is one of the 2018 Goodreads award nominees for graphic novels/comics. Then, to top it off, it is a story of 1) all boys (how revolutionary, in a time of Monstress, Bitch Planet, and so many girl-centric comics! With one exception: a woman coach, who is awesome!)); 2) rich, privileged boys either at or hoping to get into a boy's private school 3) that fencing competition focus.
But I end up really getting into it! There's that low expectations thing going on, again. And then, Pacat and Johanna the Mad know that they cannot just simply make a series for rich kids about a pretty marginal sport (in this country) and expect everyone to love it. So what do they do? 1) They introduce you to a wide range of interesting boys, straight, gay, black, white, large, small, and so on; 2) they teach you just enough about fencing to get interested in it; and 3) they tell the story from the perspective of a working class kid who wants to be successful in fencing (an outsider; i. e., such as we who are reading it).
So we know very little at this early stage of the series about any of the boys, though we have some ideas here and there, and it really does focus on the competition of trying to get into this private school on the fencing team, and I say it works. If you like sports, or your teens like sports, I think you will like this. But even if you don't like sports, I think you might like this.
But I end up really getting into it! There's that low expectations thing going on, again. And then, Pacat and Johanna the Mad know that they cannot just simply make a series for rich kids about a pretty marginal sport (in this country) and expect everyone to love it. So what do they do? 1) They introduce you to a wide range of interesting boys, straight, gay, black, white, large, small, and so on; 2) they teach you just enough about fencing to get interested in it; and 3) they tell the story from the perspective of a working class kid who wants to be successful in fencing (an outsider; i. e., such as we who are reading it).
So we know very little at this early stage of the series about any of the boys, though we have some ideas here and there, and it really does focus on the competition of trying to get into this private school on the fencing team, and I say it works. If you like sports, or your teens like sports, I think you will like this. But even if you don't like sports, I think you might like this.
August 17, 2020
A sports manga filled with every sports cliche you can imagine. Younger readers will probably enjoy this though. The only thing I took from it is that I'll know what I'm looking at the next time fencing is on TV during the Olympics. In fact I learned more than I ever wanted to know about fencing.
This is the traditional, poor underdog with natural skills and a chip on his shoulder tries to beat the rich kids to succeed. It moves at a snail's pace. When they were fighting, I couldn't tell what was going on because both fencers looked exactly the same. It completely took any excitement out of each match.
The school our main character goes to is certainly LGBTQ+. It's an all-boys school where everyone appears to be gay or transgendered. It certainly felt odd, not because there were gay characters, but because everyone seemed to be gay. So while the cast was ethnically diverse, it didn't seem to be diverse in sexual orientation at all.
This is the traditional, poor underdog with natural skills and a chip on his shoulder tries to beat the rich kids to succeed. It moves at a snail's pace. When they were fighting, I couldn't tell what was going on because both fencers looked exactly the same. It completely took any excitement out of each match.
The school our main character goes to is certainly LGBTQ+. It's an all-boys school where everyone appears to be gay or transgendered. It certainly felt odd, not because there were gay characters, but because everyone seemed to be gay. So while the cast was ethnically diverse, it didn't seem to be diverse in sexual orientation at all.
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