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!
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Yummy. That's all I can say. |
And
best of all, there is an excellent, excellent OVA of FAKE
based off of the 2nd
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.
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| 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!
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| Carol, Ryo, Dee, and Bikky. Stopping crime in style! |
