CREATOR

:

Matoh Sanami

PlOTLINE

:

American cops Dee and Ryo, from the 27th Precinct team, take a much needed break in England. Dee has plans to seduce the virginal Ryo, and Ryo still isn't sure of his feelings for Dee. Unfortunately, all plans come to a screeching halt when murders start popping up and the victims are all of Japanese descent. Now our beloved cops are stuck on this new case, and things take an even worse twist when Ryo himself becomes the latest target.

COMMENTS

:

[Fake] is a classic in the same breadth as other much-loved series like [Zetsuai], [Kizuna], etc. I do realise why even if I've watched only the OVA. The chemistry between the characters is great, especially when it comes to the two main yaoi and het pairings. ^_^ The characters are loveable, and they grow on you.

MAIN CHARACTERS

:

In the OVA, there are 6 main characters. There're probably more in the manga!

DEE LATENER. He's this brash, arrogant yet completely charming cop who somehow gets paired with the newbie - Ryo. Mostly Dee gets into quite a bit of trouble but also always gets himself outta it. He's crazy about Ryo and is willing to do anything to get him, and also anything to protect him.

RYO/RANDY MCLANE. A gentle, mild-mannered but principled half-Japanese man, who is actually pretty steely beneath his exterior. He also plays father figure to both Bikky and Carol. As for Dee, it takes Ryo some time before he comes to terms with the fact that yes, he does love Dee - a lot.

BIKKY. A street urchin and smart-mouthed 12 yr-old who nearly died at the hands of criminals. After being taken in by Ryo, he makes it his mission to protect Ryo from Dee. Bikky also shares a special bond with Carol - see below.

CAROL. A pickpocket who was protected by Dee and Ryo, and later is also like a daughter to Ryo. Unlike Bikky, she is all for the relationship between Dee and Ryo. Later in the manga, her bond with Bikky will deepen further. ^_~

BERKLEY ROSE. He meets Dee and Ryo during the investigation, gets transferred to the 27th precinct, and is now their superior. He's also got a thing for Ryo, which incenses Dee, naturally. (Windy : I hated him at first sight *snarl*)

JJ ADAMS. An old classmate of Dee's, he later becomes a member of the 27th Precinct as a brilliant sharpshooter. He's loud, hilarious, outgoing, warm and nurses the world's hugest crush on Dee, lol. He is also COMPLETELY open in his ardent pursuit of his crush!

MANGA DETAILS

:

Number of volumes : 7
Status : Ongoing

I've searched so HARD and still couldn't find any in local stores. However, I've heard that the manga's very engaging, and the characters develop very nicely. The character design takes a while to grow on you but inevitably you probably WILL like it in the end. FAKE fans I know are ABSOLUTE fanatics of the manga, and not a single one of them passes up the chance to recommend the manga to me. So, there you go. ^^

ANIME DETAILS

:

Director : Suzuki Iku
Character Design : Miyazaki Nagisa
Episodes : 1
Status : Complete

ANIMATION

:

I thought it was good. Not brilliant, but better than mediocre. Some people have commented on the rather strange character design (droopy eyes, etc), but that never occurred to me until...well, until I read those comments. ^_^' But I've also heard that the OVA character design is like that because it remained very faithful to the original manga design. Who cares, really, the character design should grow on you sooner or later. I also like it when the characters go into comic mode, lol, which happens relatively often! ^o^

My main gripe is actually the severe shortage of what could be potentially sizzling yaoi. Hn! There are like...what, 3 kissing scenes only?! Also, the story is way too cramped for a one-episode OVA. It's not the greatest introduction to the series at all. Whatever it is, the OVA is good enough as an accompaniment to the manga, but the manga itself is still the best. ^_~

SCREENCAPS

VOICE-ACTING

:

Seki Tomokazu is great! o.o I swear I couldn't recognise his voice! Maybe usually I associate Seki-sama with boyish roles, rather than the seme Dee? LOL. Tobita Nobuo has done better though in other roles. You know what? I've figured why he doesn't stand out as Ryo. It's because Ryo isn't quite a twisted enough character for his voice. ^o^ He's bloody brilliant when he does perverse characters, lol. Ryo's too nice, man!

MUSIC

:

Ehmm...negligible? LOL. But these two are the better ones :

• Everbody! Shake it, buddy! (OP)
• Starlight Heaven (ED)

RESOURCES

:

FAKE PHOENIX (Fan site)