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"Fake" is an adaption of the 5th story arc in Sanami Matoh's manga of the same name - NYC detectives Dee Laytner and Randy "Ryo" McLane are enjoying some down time in the English countryside together and Dee is preparing to take their long time flirtation to the next level...until a guest at their hotel winds up murdered. The story follows the protagonists' slow burn romance in media res alongside the developing case.

a) Story! - Fair

"Fake" doesn't adapt the entirety of the original manga; only the 5th chapter in Volume 2 out of the published 7. So, of course, there's a lot of missing context ... and the narrative feels isolated from the larger work. I was never confused about character dynamics however and always felt sufficiently informed about Dee and Ryo's history thanks to various quick flashbacks and context clues! It's just important to remember that you aren't going to get everything from this one OVA; this is a Free Sample at CostCo that you can taste before buying the whole box of crackers (i.e. reading the manga)

This OVA does tell a complete narrative though! It's most enjoyable aspects are it's character interactions and it's development of Dee and Ryo's romance. The two of them are in an awkward transitionary period where they know each others feelings, but Ryo especially isn't confident in persuing them - he learns to be more open and expressive with Dee via the help of some really well written secondary characters!

The mystery aspect is kind of subpar unfortunately. There are some surprising revelations and even a supernatural element that becomes apparent early on! But the overall murders are woefully predictable with no room for the viewer to make deductions on their own.

b) Art! - Fair

I'm honestly not a huge fan of the art style! It's an excellent 90s anime throwback especially character design wise, but the way resting facial features are drawn doesn't sit super well with me. The characters seem melty? Or droopy? It doesn't quite fit with the overall aesthetic.

The classic 90s facial expressions are SICK though!! The visual comedy is really well executed and will definitely do you right if you're looking for some of that nostlagia.

Background art is relatively unremarkable but well executed! The lighting is rendered very tenderly, especially at sunset and night time.

c) Sound! - Good

Kind of unremarkable! The music isn't exactly memorable?

The voice acting is really well suited to the characters! Dee's lines hit all the right notes of loud, exuberant, and comedic without becoming obnoxious. Dee's VA also balances the comedic and serious heart to heart scenes really well - it's incredibly organic and a huge part of why the character performance was so enthralling.

d) Character! - Great

The characters are the highlight of this OVA! Despite being only 55 minutes, you get a really good feel for Dee and Ryo early on that quickly endears them to you. Dee seems initially like the jocky, No-Homo stereotype that could potentially spend the whole OVA in an "AM I GAY??" panic scenario - but no! Dee is the character who's most confident in his feelings for Ryo and Ryo himself also avoids this annoying trope. His calm, collected presence juxtoposes well with Dee's energy and their banter and overall dynamic is a joy.

The secondary characters are less developed, but still interact well with the protagonists and are memorable! Berkley Rose specifically is a great addition, since most of the side characters are comedic relief and Berkley functions more so as a serious narrative foil to Dee.

e) Enjoyment! - Great

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Fake!! It's not a masterpiece by any means, but I mean. I had fun! I watched it with a friend, which maybe heightened the enjoyment factor since we were talking and theorizing and joking - but even if I'd seen it alone, I think I still would have enjoyed it because the concept and the character dynamics are just exactly up my alley!

OVERALL/TLDR:

yknow how police procedurals and buddy cop movies are kinda gay and people joke about it? "Fake" is a gay police procedural that plays that completely straight. to reference twitter account We Rate Dogs:

"it's a good ova Brent"