Love on the Front Lines

 Ever get the feeling that every time you watch a buddy cop show the two leading men come across as totally hot for each other, or is that just me? Granted, any time I come across a pair of good looking men without a worthy love interest around, I think it would be better for the two of them to just make out already rather than wait around for their damsel in distress to show up. This is probably because in dramatic media, having the burden of a city's safety on your shoulders builds up a lot of tension, and general tension often leads to sexual tension, and sexual tension is best released through a hot, steamy love scene. *Nods*

In any case, the intense dynamics between two buddy cops is at the heart of shounen-ai manga series FAKE, a romance/drama set in a police precinct in New York City. I came across this title fairly early in my manga reading adventures, and it ended up being my first experience with Japanese BL, other than my rabid shipping of Ike/Soren and Lucius/Raven from Fire Emblem. Because I'm a huge fan of CSI shows, I did a little research to see if I could come up with an investigate-and-catch-the-criminal series, and FAKE was the first thing to come up. Once I saw the two bishounens on the cover, I knew I had to read it. And when the said bishounens started kissing, well, that pretty much sealed the deal. Ah, to be a hormonal young adult!

Dee and Ryo, the hottest cops in New York City. Sorry, Mac Taylor!

FAKE follows smooth talking New Yorker Dee Laytner and half-Japanese partner Randy “Ryo” Maclean as they take down the evil-doers of New York together and develop a complex, passionate relationship on the side. And when I say 'evil-doers,' I do not mean demon summoning magicians with a dark emotional scar. FAKE tries to stay a bit true to life, so the baddies in the series are your standard jailbirds: murderers, serial killers, mafioso, robbers, etc. Of course, Ryo and Dee usually manage to have fairly interesting cases and are often the targets of the killers themselves, but if it were too much like real life, where's the fun in that?

Dee, the love interest, is boisterous and hot-headed, saying whatever is on his mind without bothering to hide his true intentions or play around with people's feelings. He is an unashamed bisexual, but as soon as he meets his new partner Ryo, there's no one else in the world he wants but him. On the surface, Dee seems immature and child-like, but he is actually very mature about who he is and what he wants from life. His feelings for Ryo are incredibly serious, and he makes it known that he would happily settle down and build a life with him if it would make him happy. In contrast, central protagonist Ryo is outwardly mature and put together, but struggles with being honest with himself and others. Not long after their first kiss (which Dee initiated pretty much out of the blue, much to Ryo's shock), Ryo realizes that he is attracted to Dee, but thinks if he admits to this attraction, he will have to come to terms with his sexuality and the direction of his future, which he is extremely terrified of doing.

Dee may look more yakuza than NYPD, but he stands up for justice and love!

Which is one of the things I love so much about FAKE. There is clear cut chemistry between Ryo and Dee, but Ryo isn't some waffling-maiden type like other characters in the genre. He does go back and forth a lot on how he treats and interacts with Dee, but it isn't because of Dee himself or because he is a tease who gets a kick out of stringing his friend along. He is resistant because of himself and his own emotional burdens, and that is the most true to life thing about him, especially given that his crisis centers around his sexual identity. Falling in love is no simple thing, and it grows even more difficult when the way you fall in love doesn't align with the expectations of both others and yourself. Even if you know how you feel, acting on how you feel isn't always the clearest choice, especially if you think what you're feeling is wrong or inappropriate. In a sense, Dee struggles with the exact same thing at times. He loves Ryo, but is equally frustrated when Ryo can't bring himself to fully commit. A part of his heart wants to take Ryo whenever he has the chance and risk alienating him by coming on too strong, but his more mature, affectionate side wants to be patient with his partner, and wait until mutual feelings can openly blossom between them.

Poor Ryo knows who he is, but is terrified of crossing the point of no return

But of course, crime marches on, even in the midst of a romance. Dee and Ryo need to set aside their complicated feelings for each other when the bad guys are roaming so they can kick butt using their police smarts, even though they usually end up in some sort of fix and need to lend one another a hand to get out of tight scrapes. The police drama aspect of the manga is engaging, especially in Matoh-sensei's elegant and detailed artwork. I was always flipping through the pages in excitement, dying to figure out how each case would resolve, much as I am whenever I watch CSI or read Case Closed. Crime fans will not be disappointed by Ryo and Dee's cases, and of course, there's always the fun element of trying to figure out who is behind the capers and how he/she can be taken down.

Alongside Ryo and Dee is the secondary romance between Bikky, Ryo's biracial son-figure, and Carol, Bikky's pretty and charming childhood friend. Interestingly enough, their ages fluctuate between each of their sections, so we get to see their interactions at several different ages, from puppy love to a more adult and tender coupling. When Ryo and Dee are in the forefront, Bikky and Carol also provide the comedic relief, with Bikky constantly thwarting Dee's advances on his father-figure, and the two getting tangled up in the older men's adventure tag team style. For readers lukewarm about BL, the good thing about this series is that it isn't a complete BL-verse where everyone is gay (such as in Junjou Romantica) or wants to rape the protagonist even if they are straight (such as in Okane ga nai). FAKE puts a special emphasis on love in all forms, which makes it all the more enjoyable for someone like me who loves love no matter which shape it comes in.

Carol and Bikky as adults. They spend most of the series as preteens, but certainly improve with age!

That is not to say, however, that Ryo and Dee don't have any rivals in regard to each other (BL almost has to invoke this trope by literary law). Diligent English gentleman/investigator Berkeley Rose also has feelings for Ryo which he likes to convey with penetrating stares (he eventually ends up with minor character Diana, an FBI Agent who enjoys giving Ryo and Dee love advice), and fellow cop JJ Adams is obsessed with Dee in an overbearing stalker sense, though he eventually realizes it's a lost cause and starts focusing his attentions on his partner Drake instead.

One of the best aspects of FAKE is the artwork. The kissing scenes are quite tame compared to other manga in the genre, but they are so beautifully executed that they are even more emotionally evocative than full on saliva ridden french kiss and groping scenes. It makes it all the more amazing that Ryo is able to hold out for so long; if a guy kissed me like that, I'd probably marry him on the spot. But back to the point: I am a huge fan of the character designs, and you can tell a lot of effort was put into the 7 volume series through the loving details put into the characters.

Yummy. That's all I can say.

And best of all, there is an excellent, excellent OVA of FAKE based off of the 2^nd volume of the series, where Dee takes Ryo on a rustic vacation and they wind up investigating a serial killer plaguing the resort while dealing with having their lovey-dovey time interrupted by Bikky, Carol, and JJ. The romance is tastefully done; the kiss scenes are kept true to detail, and the closest they get to anything particularly naughty is attempted sex on Dee's part that is quickly put on hold by Bikky and Carol. For fans of the manga, watching the OVA is a must... it is definitely that good. If you are a BL fan reading this and for some reason haven't checked it out yet, do it now. You get all the fun of bishounen flirtation paired with the suspense and terror of a murderer targeting people a little too close to home.

More kisses? Why not?

FAKE was my introduction to BL, and in my opinion, it is probably one of the best representations of the genre out there. It is truly a pure hearted romance, and for readers worried about things going into graphic territory, the two risque scenes are left to the final manga, and are kept between the sheets so the explicit details are covered. However, those of you into things a little more intense shouldn't write it off. The emotional aspect of the romance is better than what you get in most yaoi, and, as I've already said, the kisses are almost sexier than sex.

And for readers less crazy about shounen-ai goodness, there is plenty of enticing police drama and killer crime to make the series just as much of an action adventure as it is a romance. Any way you read it, FAKE delivers, so why not buckle down and enjoy the thrilling ride?

Next up will be CLAMP's Angelic Layer. Thanks for reading!

Carol, Ryo, Dee, and Bikky. Stopping crime in style!