FAKE

DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA ActionFAKE

REVIEWS

• 

  knightly

  85/100
  "Contains dipictions of alternative lifestyles" - Back of the DVD case, and yes it's spelled like that

  As someone who enjoys digging through old OVAs, I've seen a lot of garbage; and littered among that garbage have been some truly excruciating OVA adaptations of BL manga. FAKE, at first glance, may appear to be similarly formulaic and mediocre. I, however, absolutely believe that this OVA is worth your time. The blurb on here really tells you all you need about the plot (without getting into spoilers), so I'll spare you a summary and get straight into what I think are this adaptation's greatest strengths.

  For starters, this OVA is visually well-executed. I won't call it stunning, but the animation here actually stands on its own and scratches that late-90's itch I keep finding in my brain. Movement-heavy sequences & character expressions are pushed without feeling choppy or off-model. Each scene is colored with a wonderful consideration for tone as well- something I find is routinely lacking in current anime releases. Even if you aren't compelled by the plot, the art on display here really is lovely.

  Speaking of the plot; for those who have not read FAKE, this adapts a story arc from volume 2 of the manga. As someone who owns physical copies of both the OVA and manga, the OVA definitely pads this story to make it suitable for a 60-minute runtime. While I will say there is one slightly awkward instance of this at the very end, this is mostly done well. Some scenes are just ideas from the arc being expanded upon, while others are taken from different sections of the manga. These manga-reference scenes add some much-needed context for viewers who haven't read FAKE, while also serving as fun bonuses for those who have read it. I, personally, watched the OVA first and was hooked into reading the whole manga afterwards.

  Without spoiling anything, I think the relationship between Dee and Ryo is wonderful in this. It's a perfect little preview of how they develop throughout the manga. And yes, this series does technically fall into the now much-hated trope of having one character in a couple be too aggressive in their advances; with Dee in particular getting a little too frisky. But I put that lightly not to be dismissive, but because the scene itself is so short (and more importantly, not traumatic in the slightest) that I genuinely don't have it in me to find it offensive. That, and the actual development between these two is more than good enough to compensate. Their personalities bounce off of each other in a way that genuinely sells you on the idea that they're friends. They trust and rely upon each other constantly, and there are some very sweet, tender moments between them in this. At the same time, the slow-ish burn is believable- for as much as you understand why Dee is so in love, you completely get why Ryo is conflicted about taking that next step in their relationship. It's good, and refreshingly sweet in the face of the comparative slapstick so many other BL series try to pass off as romance. I don't regret buying the manga just to see how it all ends.

  A few notes before I wrap things up

  • The opening track for this is a BANGER, genuine top 10 anime openings for me, + the intro animation is super stylish
  • This was dubbed into English 2007, and the dub is pretty good! Dee's VA in particular does a fantastic job and lends a ton of energy to the character
  • I somehow managed to catch 2 different prints of volume 7 from this series? The content is the same across both, but only one has an explicit content warning plastered across the front cover

  In short, FAKE is an endearing OVA that honestly holds up pretty well. Visually great, tells a nice little story, and really sells you on the manga it's based on- making for an experience leagues better than some of its contemporaries. You should give it a shot.

  Continue on AniList

SIMILAR ANIMES YOU MAY LIKE

• ANIME

  ActionBANANA FISH
• OVA

  DramaOtohime CONNECTION
• OVA

  ActionKimera
• ANIME

  ActionBuddy Daddies