I just finished the current version (v0.2), and I am very impressed with Wild Cats, much more than I expected. Even though I used to play volleyball in high school myself (for a while), and that premise did attract me, but I am a sucker for stories that center around a group of seemingly random individuals working towards a common goal with varying degrees of commitments/interests (Yes, Lord of the Rings is one of favorite movie franchises).
It's also nice to see the MC (Johan) struggle with fixing the wrongs of his past (both in references to being a Wolf or more recently at BSU) and trying to apply his newfound knowledge to each of the volleyball players' personal challenges.
My favorite undertaking by Johan so far is Zoe barely in front of Saki. Even though Zoe and Johan possessed misconceptions upon misconceptions about the other for a good while, it is nice to see Zoe bond with her hero more personally and witness firsthand, rather than from a distance, how Johan truly is. Also, cherry on top, Bianca so far, is an amazing character, and I was stressing if she was going to the team or not lol. I honestly believe Bianca and Desiree would be the glue(s) that hold the team together, because of how forgiving/selfless (to a fault) Desiree is and how blunt, yet laid-back Bianca is.
Meanwhile, yes, Johan, has made waaaaaayy more progress compared to his predecessors with recruitment for the volleyball team, as well as maintaining consistency with members coming to practice as a coach, but the next hurdles are still filling out the roster, and getting the women to work as a team. Yes, Zoe is a great addition, with Saki and Eve possessing immense potential, but even Johan know they aren't making any noise without established, experienced players (especially competitive matches) like Fiona and Lexi. I'm not sure how Johan is going to convince Lexi to once again have a passion for volleyball, but I would go for recruiting Fiona BEFORE Lexi. I only say this because their rivalry can still go on within practice and competition, but not against themselves anymore, which is a challenge that may or may not entice Lexi to consider the volleyball team entertaining enough, but only if Fiona is already present.
As for the team dynamic, again, Bianca is going have to play peacekeeper/act as the glue for Zoe and the other girls, since Zoe is already starting off on a bad foot with Saki and Eve. I hope she truly learned from Johan to keep her opinions to herself until she can get a better grasp on Saki and Eve's character, which we have already seen tension between the two latter. However, there's plenty of time, yet at the same time, not enough since we are in the middle of the school year. At least, the core group are basically all 1st and 2nd years. A lot of time to grow together beyond this school year.
Last, but not least, these updates harbored a lot more content than I expected, which is ALWAYS a plus for me. I appreciate being able to see more the build-up of these girls' growing dynamics with each other and having Johan being their confidant/coach. Please keep up the good work, LopaPhi, you have earned a fan in me.
