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Fake #5

Fake, Volume 05

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Ryo is on the biggest case of his life! He and Dee are on the trail of a cold-blooded killer named Leo. They're certain he killed Ryo's parents, but don't have enough evidence to prove it. With a little help from Diana Spacey, FBI agent extraordinare, Ryo soon cracks the case when he witnesses Leo murdering a man. When Ryo threatens to shoot him, Leo tells him he did indeed kill his parents. Dee arrives and threatens to shoot Leo himself. Finally, they let Leo get away, and Ryo breaks down in Dee's arms. Back at Dee's apartment, Ryo kisses Dee but Dee abruptly stops his advances. He wants their first time together to be for the right reasons...not to escape a horrible memory. The second story centers around JJ and his old friend and police academy buddy, Max. Max was once a good guy, but now he's a bad cop. JJ's faith in his friend (and the system) is put to the test when a shooting goes horribly wrong. Somehow, Ryo and Dee must somehow make this right.

183 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

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185 people want to read

About the author

Sanami Matoh

41 books76 followers
Japanese: 真東 砂波
Also read Sanami Matou.

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5 stars
699 (47%)
4 stars
465 (31%)
3 stars
237 (16%)
2 stars
47 (3%)
1 star
15 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
Profile Image for Carol.
1,357 reviews
November 24, 2021
I was sure this happened until book 6, but guess I’m wrong. Here is where we finally figure out what happened to Ryo’s parents, and man this is still so terribly sad and unfair, poor Ryo. And I think this is also where things state moving a little more between these two, because at least they’ve got to a point where they are sharing more of each other and getting to know more of their lives and feelings.
Two more books for the series to end. I kinda remember the case on book 6, but not on book 7, so that’s something to look forward to.
Profile Image for Ana Maria.
287 reviews1 follower
June 22, 2024
Ngl podrían haber hecho más (bastante más) con lo del caso de los padres así que si lo dejan así pues un poco decepción.
Ai y tengo que leerme el spinoff este del otro personaje pq lol.
Profile Image for Sammy Higgins.
440 reviews8 followers
February 21, 2022
After the explosion in the last Volume, our duo is stationed in the Bronx. They are called to a murder that reminds Ryo of how his parents died. One favourite FBI agent Diane is called in and we learn more about Leo. As Ryo and Dee investigate this case they are eventually removed from it. Due to Ryo's parent's death being connected he is too closely involved. That is not going to stop him so Dee is watching him closely. We learn more about Leo and how he was involved in Ryo's parent's death. When we learned the truth it was a sad story indeed. I felt so sorry that Ryo had to hear that and I can understand why he acted as he did. I'm just glad that Dee is there for him and you can see how much he loves him. We have a brief case involving our ever sweet JJ and I felt for him, he's such a great guy. His love for Dee is ever present but we do see a different side of him here. As usual we also have a short Bikky and Cal bit too.
Profile Image for Meg.
137 reviews4 followers
November 25, 2023
sometimes im like... huh? and then im like.... what?
Profile Image for Liekos.
105 reviews3 followers
October 4, 2025
Okay, Ryo is really beginning to piss me off. He is hypocritical in his dealings (kinda). He tells Dee not to run off seeking his own justice, then does the same thing. All by-the-book, then goes postal (multiple occasions over the series).

Mostly, though... we are five books in (out of 7) and this guy can't even admit if he is even remotely interested in his partner. Dee straight-up told him he loved him and... nothing. He plays hot and cold and it is seriously beginning to annoy me. We were at the "make a decision" point 2 books ago.

He doesn't need to jump into bed with Ryo (though, at this rate, that will happen long before he even admits he likes men, let alone Dee), but Dee has no clue whether this guy even likes him. Ryo is so firmly in the closet, he's practically in Narnia... then gets hot and steamy and puts Dee in an awkward situation of having to back off and behave when Ryo is throwing himself at him.

Honestly, this shit happened last book, too. It's old. It's gone past slow burn and beyond playing hard to get. This is straight into red flag territory, now. Ryo is just being cruel. Dee has real feelings and Ryo is stringing him along, enjoying the attention, but too scared to commit. I'm about ready to throttle him!

side note: I really need to re-read RA-I
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for machinaheart.
420 reviews6 followers
December 8, 2018
quick series review:
so, so good!
I had not read fake in years and oh, I am so glad I did so on a whim! the series is just so refreshingly free of many of the genre's most troubling and terrible stereotypes, it's a truly a breath of fresh air! and then there are the very lovable, well-rounded main and side characters... fake is just really, really good.
some of the smaller cases feel a bit rushed and I wish some arcs/cases had more time to them, but overall the crime story aspect of fake is solid.
content note:the manga can be quite graphic when it comes to the depictions of homicides, that's something to be aware of and maybe look into depending how sensitive you are to such things.
Profile Image for Sherri.
304 reviews6 followers
September 19, 2018
This volume really gets into Ryo's past and explains his parents' murder, as well as gives us the background around why Ryo decided to become a police officer. It also reintroduces us to Diana Spacey, who showed up in a previous volume and is absolutely amazing. I wish she was around more.

But, I think, most importantly, this volume shows that Ryo isn't as calm and unaffected by things as he tries to appear to be. And it was nice to see Dee show up in a role where he wasn't the hardhead for once.
Profile Image for amax.
238 reviews14 followers
July 10, 2022
Well, I guess it wasn't too bad that I stuck it out this far with this series. How this gets 5-star ratings is beyond me, but that's beside the point.

In this volume, we find out more about Ryo's parents and their mysterious death. In all respects, this volume and the previous one have been the best/most interesting ones so far. Still, I guess my journey with FAKE ends here because I've been reading them with KU up until now, and for some ungodly reason, the last two volumes are for purchase only, and I refuse to spend 10$ CAD on each just so that I can rate it 2 or 3 stars.

Sorry Ryo and Dee, this is where it ends for us. Good luck with your lives, I hope you finally get together (properly).
Profile Image for Newly Wardell.
474 reviews
December 29, 2018
Great illustrations but these guys are the worst cops on the planet. Seriously if there wasnt a homoerotic angle to this story, it would never have gotten printed. NO joke one of the main characters witness a murder. HE WATCHES a guy murder another guy after this guys openly admit to murdering his parents after making them look like drug smugglers. But because these guys MURDERED his parents he lets him go. I'm done
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Amberly.
799 reviews42 followers
December 15, 2022
This really enjoyed this book and I found this book to be funny in some parts. I'm like how characters and their relationships are developing but I would have like the side characters to be flash out bit more.

Both the ending and the atmosphere was that fine also I didn't really like the cover or art style.
Profile Image for Jade Dell-Allen.
41 reviews
July 20, 2018
I had to stop reading this volume because it was getting too late/early and I needed sleep. That does not mean I haven't been enjoying it any less than the rest of the manga. I honestly don't know what else to say other than that I've been loving this manga so much.
395 reviews
June 6, 2020
This volume demonstrates why I love manga. The relationships between all the characters are woven together by love and loyalty despite what they bark at each other. The story line gets a little thin sometimes but Ryo, Dee, JJ, Bikky and Carol keep it solid. The art is great.
Profile Image for Mosley.
1,415 reviews2 followers
June 11, 2022
I like the story more when it focuses on Dee or Ryo's background or builds up their relationship. The in between stories are hit and miss. Still not a fan of Bikky but with the time skip in the bonus stories it is a bit better, too bad they kept him a child in the main storyline.
Profile Image for Paloma Caballero.
Author 4 books15 followers
June 29, 2021
Me ha gustado la forma en que se abordó el pasado de Ryo y que se le diera un poco de protagonismo a JJ, aunque la seriedad del tomo aumentó, el manga se mantiene dinámico e interesante.
Profile Image for Wendy Schuffert.
295 reviews4 followers
August 9, 2024
Love this series.

I love this series. Although there are a few misspellings and wrong words in places, but still I love this series. I'm always a Ryo/Dee fangirl.
Profile Image for Claudia Marcela.
958 reviews80 followers
February 1, 2023
Vuelve a aparecer la agente Diana, ahora para investigar un caso demasiado parecido al asesinato de los padres de Ryo, pero ante los verdaderos culpables, Ryo debe decidir si toma la venganza en sus manos o los deja libres.
J.J se reúne con un amigo de la academia de policía, pero ya no es el chico honesto que conocía.
Bikky y Carol se reúnen con sus amigos y son secuestrados.
Como extra, continúa la historia del viaje de Ryo adolescente con su tía, y se enamora de la chica que conoció en el tomo anterior, pero escucha algunos rumores perturbadores sobre ella.

El punto álgido de este tomo es que Dee le pide a Ryo que tome sus sentimientos en serio, por más que payasee y bese a Ryo cuando menos se lo espera, está muy decidido a que Ryo le corresponda completamente antes de llevar las cosas más lejos. Me encantó su actitud, porque estamos muy acostumbrados a que en el yaoi se romanticen las relaciones forzadas, y Dee es un claro ejemplo de que tener el consentimiento de la otra parte siempre es importante. Por encima de todo, Dee y Ryo son amigos y compañeros de trabajo, y ninguno está dispuesto a destruir esa confianza por un calentón de cinco minutos.

This is like the umpteenth time I'm saying this, but I'm in love with you! Even if I do live by the motto "even the tiniest of beings have a soul," it doesn't mean I'll be satisfied sleeping with just anyone! It has to be you!! And yet-- don't you ever say I can do whatever I want unless you really meant it. I'm not that confident at my self-restraint."

Profile Image for Emily G.
559 reviews12 followers
February 12, 2011
In the first story, Ryo finds out more about his parents' murder, fortunately Dee is there to pick up the emotional pieces. Oh, and Diana turns up again, albeit briefly.

The second story focuses on J.J. with him meeting up with an old friend on the force that he was close to. For me this was a turning point, as I'd found his character pretty annoying and insubstantial up to this point in the series, but here he reveals himself to be so much more than his crush on Dee!

The last story is about Carol, Bikky, Lai and Lass. Lai invites them over to his place for a study sleep-over and they meet Lai's older brother, Law, who is in charge of their family's very successful business. Bikky and Lai then find out the lengths people will go to try and take advantage of that success, with Bikky and Carol finding out that there is more to Lai and Lass than meets the eye.

Profile Image for Sophie.
658 reviews13 followers
July 23, 2016
Yes! Finally this series seems to be back on track, with interesting and character-building stories. The first story adds on to the short story from volume 3 about the death of Ryo's parents. This shows a different side to Ryo, though it is diapppointing to not see the bad guys apprehended. The second story, whilst blunt and brief, does make JJ a more rounded character, than just being Dee's fanboy. I enjoyed the Bikky story at the end - it's one of the better Bikky stories. Though why do Lai and Lass suddenly have supernatural powers? This story is so centered on reality, that itjust came out if nowhere and seemed a bit bizare.

I still really dislike Dee. He's still forceful with Ryo and distinctly ignored Ryo when he clearly told him to stop.
I'm also starting to dislike Ryo, who is clearly just a massive tease.

Anyway, this volume is still better than some of the previous ones.
2,026 reviews19 followers
August 2, 2017
My favourite volume in the series so far. Ryo finds out who killed his parents and Dee is the only one who can stop him killing them in revenge. This is followed by another really dark story cenred around the annoying J.J - an old friend is transferred only it turns out that he's corrupt and tries to steal cocane from the evidence room. Finally we have a weird Bikky/Carol, Lai/Lass story in which Lai and Bikky get kidnapped. Lai and Less seem to have special powers - Lass is Telepathic and Lai telekinetic I think - he's able to make himself and other float. Considering the rest of the manga is so grounded in reality I did find that last story a bit strange. Still the rest of the volume is superb, dark emotional stories which believable characters and clean, clear artwork.
Profile Image for Luna Jordan.
Author 2 books53 followers
August 22, 2025
The following review is recycled for each book of the series.

I honestly can’t even with these two assholes. I love them so much. You know, it’s fucking hilarious how blind I fucking was to the tags for this manga when I first read it. I literally didn’t even know it was LGBT, because I didn’t look at the tags, and I was all “oh my god, they are literally boyfriends; I can’t”. And I usually avoid rereading certain things because I don’t want to risk ratings getting much lower (because thoughts and feelings, and opinions, change all the time) but I really wanted to reread this one and I’m so glad I did. I still love them. And I love how dumb this is.

The consent issue is probably the only thing that bothers me but it’s not bad enough that I’d lower the rating.
Profile Image for Laurie  (barksbooks).
1,937 reviews798 followers
November 12, 2009
Another fun entry in this series. I am going to be so sad when I finish up #7, the last book in the series. I didn't enjoy this one as much as #4 but it was still a solid entry in the series. This time the boys are investigating a murder case that has ties back to Ryo and tests his kinder, gentler nature (at least in comparison to Dee). Bikky and Carol (who start the book at 10 & 13 and age to 15 & 18 in the last chapter)interrupt Dee's latest attempt to deflower Ryo. JJ appears for some comic relief.
Profile Image for Aethena Drake.
1,181 reviews3 followers
December 19, 2021
An old favorite.

The Fake manga is an old favorite of mine. The art is nicely done. The characters are engaging. And the plot usually has an interesting twist. The translations and English adaptation have not aged well though. The dialogue and slang are a bit awkward sometimes. It is easy to see what the writer meant, but the follow through doesn't sound right and in some cases really isn't appropriate.

Still an entertaining read, and the extra backstory at the end was insightful into the main character's histories.
Profile Image for Kirsti.
2,495 reviews103 followers
November 12, 2012
What I really liked this one for was JJ. I mean, he's the obsessed, over the top cutesy character, although when he's not glomping Dee he has a sexy secretary look going for him. Here we find he has more than just feelings for Dee, but interacts with other characters as well. I mean, he's always hung around Drake, but we get a bit of back story that was nice. Another great book, another five stars :)
Profile Image for Mikael Kuoppala.
936 reviews36 followers
February 24, 2016
“Fake” started out completely silly but loveable, then progressed into more serious territories and lost some of that initial charm. Volume 5 finally sees the series find itself completely. It’s witty, clever, funny but loaded with dark themes the crime solving set-up offers. Corruption within the police force is the main subject this time, and it is approached quite well.
Profile Image for Ceejay.
555 reviews18 followers
September 2, 2015
This fifth volume of Fake continues the story of two gay New york cops. The stories are enjoyable, and the plots could be used with two straight cops. Have these two boys in blue fully expressed thsie love? You'll have to read it to find out!
Profile Image for Javier.
54 reviews13 followers
April 18, 2016
En este tomo hay menos comedia de lo acostumbrada, y también el extraña caída libre de 23 pisos de Bikky y compañía.
Una amiga me está presionando a que termine de leer para prestárselos; de otra forma yo seguiría en el dos.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews

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