Customer Reviews

Fake (Fake), Vol. 1

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I thought this day would never come while I was alive, but it has! Tokyopop finally took the stick out their rear and released some shounen-ai! Woohoo! It's nice to see they aren't only turning out all wimpy stuff... Well this is what I have to say about this manga, BUY IT ALL! It is sooooooo hilarious. I mean I read it during school, and people were giving me weird looks because I would burst out laughing in the middle of chemistry class... Back on topic, I guess I wouldn't recommend this book for you if homosexuality makes you nervous, doh. The story is about two NY detectives who fall in love, bla bla you can read the summary at the top. Unlike some shounen-ai and yaoi, this actually has a plot! Whee! Some parts are so touching, and so far, most of it is just silly! I really don't see how you could go wrong with this one... But I guess I should also say, don't get this kids under like 13, cuz of the language and gestures. Tokyopop says it's for 16+, but I think 13 year-olds can definitly handle it.

Most Shonen Ai (gay male themed manga) lacks story and emphasizes squidge over content in every conceivable way, but FAKE is the truly charming tale of a buddy police team, one very gay, the other very uncomfortable about his new partner. The resulting hijinks are often quite funny and the writing is clever. Don't even think that Matoh has a flipping clue about US police departments or procedures: like most foreign writers, she has not done her research in that department and does not come even close to capturing an authentic feel to police life in the USA (yes, I do know what I am talking about--three generations of cops in my family, thanks so much). Why am I still giving this five stars? Becuse the characters are so darned entertaining and the goofy premise is easily overlooked (especially if you realize that many manga are short on story and long on page count--this one actually has a story which puts it a cut above on many levels). I like the art style a lot-it is less sketchy than most manga. This book is genuinely sweet and entertaining. I have all the original books in Japanese, went to great lengths to get translations for them and am deliriously pleased to see this edition in English. Here's hoping the publisher continues to experiment with shonen ai themed books, especially considering the numbers of fans who have been spending BIG BUCKS for pirate editions over the years. All the money we now save will go into buying more legitimate english editions of manga.

The FAKE anime was my first introduction to shounen-ai (aka "boys in love" but not graphically sexual) and still is my favorite. Since the anime left something to be desire (it only covers 2 manga chapters), I was both surprised and thrilled to hear that FAKE was made into a graphic novel so I could actually read more about the adventures of Ryo and Dee.

This book is great on various levels. First, for girls (and guys) who like shounen-ai, there is the growing and tenuous relationship between the two main characters and the supporting characters (Bikky, Carol, and J.J.) who try to come between them. Second, there's the comedy of Dee trying to snare Ryo, the interactions between Dee and his boss, Bikky and Dee, and so on that's quite hilarious. Third, there's strong plots through all of the chapters: cops hunting down the wrong-doers and trying to save the day.

The other reason that this is so good is because the translator did a great job of changing the text to fit English colloquialisms. I don't read Japanese so I can't comment on the quality of the translation, but the book flowed nicely and was relevant to life today in America.

This is a definite reccomend. However, I would not reccomend this to someone who is homophobic or someone who does not like swears/sexual references. I believe the rating is 16+, so if any parents are thinking of this book as a gift, be aware that it is not meant for younger readers.

This is the first shounen-ai manga I've ever bought, though I'm quite familiar with shounen-ai through the works of others (fan fiction). FAKE, Vol. 1 starts off with Dee, a member of the NYPD. Next, we're introduced to Ryo, a part-Japanese cop, who's the newest member of the NYPD. At the time, you're completely oblivious to the fact that Dee is gay, and has a crush on Ryo. To not give away the majority of the first book, I'll leave it at after their first mission, things get interesting.

A great read, one I couldn't put down. Matoh doesn't treat sex like it's taboo, and the humor is enough to make you laugh out loud. Matoh has some memorable characters in this one, and it's done beautifully. The sexual tension is enough to make you smile, and this is a series that is sure to be a favorite among any shounen-ai fans, young and old!

FAKE is a frequently hilarious, sometimes touching, sometimes kind of lame series about a pair of male NYPD detectives who have the hots for each other. FAKE at its best often reads like an NYPD "Britcom", with an extremely unrealistic police department full of wacky gay detectives. At its worst, it's like a bad STARSKY AND HUTCH rip-off, or a scary date. If you want to try FAKE, I'd say that Volume One is a fairly strong showcase for its best qualities.

The best of its qualities would be Ryo: The blonde-in-more-ways-than-one, part-Japanese detective hero, who starts off the story by getting transferred into the standard rag-tag precinct of American cop show cliche. Ryo is earnest, well-meaning, and far too nice for his own good - which makes him an irresistible target for both the jokes and the come-ons of his mercurial smart-ass partner, Dee Laytner. Poor Ryo cannot figure out whether Dee's sexual overtures are sincere, any more than he can figure out whether he wants them to be. His deep-seated cluelessness about himself extends to weightier matters than romance, as we see in later volumes.

Dee is likewise engaging and energetic, with an overabundance of personality. Despite his confident swagger, he can be pretty clueless about his own intentions himself, which brings complexity and additional level of interest to his lecherous pursuit.

These complexities, and the unfolding of the relationship over the course of the series, is FAKE's greatest strength. FAKE's biggest flaw is that the ending fails to follow through on Ryo and Dee's character development to the extent I would have liked. Even Ryo's foster-child never becomes anything more than a device to break up Ryo and Dee's clinches, and Ryo never becomes self-actualized enough to do this on his own. The Dee/Ryo sexual assaults that start up in Book 2 are painfully unfunny: And while we can eventually deduce that rape is not Dee's intent in these scenes, what I suspect to be his (far more interesting) real motive is never properly addressed.

Other problems: While the epidemic of nonconsensual smooching which seems to plague this particular precinct is far too BENNY HILL-ish to be remotely offensive, Matoh's humor hits a nastily sour note in other cases. It may be funny when Ryo's homophobic foster-brat Bikky beats up on Dee. When Bikky beats up gay kids at summer camp, or when Dee threatens to molest Bikky's little girlfriend in order to get him to do something, then not so much. The precinct banter is hilarious, but there isn't enough of it. And the crime stories which take up such huge chunks of the manga are just plain bad; boring, implausible, and grim. Even Dee's backstory was forgettable.

On the plus side, FAKE doesn't present actual rape as part of the romance, which seems to be rare in the genre, and is therefore appreciated. The heroes are grown ups, look like men instead of girls, and are equals in age and strength. The art sometimes feels cramped and boxed in, but when it opens up (usually in kissing scenes) it's very nice, and Matoh doesn't sacrifice energy and personality for wan prettiness the way some mangaka's like to do. Likewise, the romance was frequently moving, Leo was cool, and I laughed out loud a LOT.

There is a lot to like about FAKE. Particularly Ryo. I think I might buy Volume 1, just so I can look his goofy expression anytime I feel blue. I just wish his story had a little bit more of a payoff, and a lot less filler.

I'm not usually into Manga, but for FAKE of Sanami Matoh. Here you have enchanting characters, a real plot, a sweet teasing seduction-type love story, where the gist of the plot is the sense of anticipation, will Dee succeed in making his beloved Ryo fall in love with him? The tough Dee and gentle Ryo are simply adorable, and the fact that they are both supposed to be detectives at NYPD Police requires only a moderate amount of suspension of disbelief. Bikky and Carol,two wayward kids entrusted to Ryo's (and Dee) care are absolutely endearing. Notably there is a zany humour pervading the series that, though for "late teens" and not recommended for the homophobic, is narrated in a gentle and poetic way, no concession made to vulgarity or crude scenes. I think that. as a graphic novel , FAKE ranks as one of the best, next to Monsieur Jean of Dupuy-Berberian. A must read for the comic novel connoisseur!

I bought FAKE for the good reviews, thinking that SO many people can't be wrong. As it turns out, they sure can be grossly exaggarated, at least.
FAKE isn't neccesarily a BAD series - it is a love story, after all, and the romance part DO work out. Just too bad that between every advance in the relationship between our heroes, there are thirty pages of neat cop action. These are in general badly written, full of factual mistakes, and seldomly provides any depth to the characters.

And it gets too long. After the fifth time Dee forcibly kisses Ryo and Ryo comes to realize that hey, he doesn't mind, I start wondering if something new is going to happen. And it doesn't, until the hanging story thread of Ryo's parents suddenly is picked up and resolved in the end. The story is episodic, and that's fine enough, but it throws away most chances it gets to give the characters - and the secondary cast in particular - any sort of background and motives beyond the ridiculously predictable.

FAKE, for those looking solely at the story, is a largely repetetive case of badly-plottet cop action, and m/m UST. It's not bad enough to turn me completely off it (once in a while, the comedy's even FUNNY), but it's not good enough to sit down and read over again. If the crime had been a better read, this story would also had been something I'd recommend to others, because it an okay waste of an hour of your life the first time you flip through it. But as a whole, FAKE is strictly for the shounen-ai audience. And preferably only those without too high standards as long as there is mansex.

Love this series very much. The characters are wonderfully developed. Dee and Ryo's relationship is an absolute thrill to watch. They're got their ups and downs like a real dynamic relationship. The stories are very enjoyable - it's got comedy, drama, and lots of unresolved sexual tension. You may be frustrated yourself by how much this series teases you when Dee and Ryo start getting intimate then BOOM - interrupted.

But I think that's what makes this manga so addictive and enjoyable and make me want more.

I love both of the characters dearly. Dee, the aggressive seme, is free-spirited and kind of sloppy. But he is extremely passionate. I find this quality of him irresistible. Ryo, the hardworking little police detective, is so good-natured and responsible, and very lovable. I don't blame Dee for wanting to make hot love to him. These characters have a strong contrast, and it makes them very attractive and a perfect match.

Throw in some crime plot dramas and other invading love interests (Berkeley, J.J.) and you get the comprehensivly thrilling series of FAKE. This goes down as a treasured favorite of mine.

Randy "Ryo" Maclean is new to the New York Police Department and is partnered with the black sheep of the department, Dee Laytner. Their first mission together is to protect a young kid called Bikky whose father was murdered. When Bikky and Dee are kidnapped, it falls to Ryo to find them. Ryo is developing a crush on Dee, but he's getting mixed signals. So is Dee gay or just harmlessly flirting? Later, Carol, another street punk and a friend of Bikky, comes under the protection of the two policemen and causes more confusion in their tentative relationship. Or is it all in Ryo's imagination? This popular Japanese manga, finally available in America, is loaded with adventure, romance, and humor.

I would say that the only other shonen-ai (boy love) title that I've ever read that could beat this would be Gravitation by Maki Murakami. You don't really have to be into the whole CSI thing to enjoy this, but if you do like forensic stuff, then this is definetely the thing for you. Sometimes, I gotta admit, though, the shonen-ai can be a bit overpowering and even mushy, but then again, if you're a fan, then this is perfect, eh? The art is beautiful here... Very realistic-looking. The details and background details are beautiful and believable, as are the characters. Each chapter or "Act" follow a different case or continue from one of the previous chapters. Although they don't seem to follow an actual line (like Gravitation, for instance) and just seem to be like seperate episodes, all of it will come together throughout the series. If you like Gravitation, I'm sure you'll love this.