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In "Body Chase" Takaba gets a chance to target Asami in his own domain. A detective asks Takaba to help him snoop for information on Asami's dirty dealings and furnishes Takaba with an investigator's golden ticket: a membership card to Asami's private, high-class Shinjuku nightclub Shion. Takaba starts going to the club regularly and seems to think that he is getting away undetected. Of course, silly Takaba, Asami hears about it and corners him. Watching Takaba's detective friend from a secret monitoring room, Takaba is reminded – both ethically and physically – of everything he dislikes about Asami: his apathy, his distance, his treatment of other human beings as toys. At the same time, though, Asami shows hints of what is possible genuine empathy and concern. This throws Takaba's feelings into confusion. Asami is supposed to be the bad guy, so why is he actually touched by the little things Asami does? "Body Chase" sets the framework for Takaba and Asami's relationship. From here on out, it won't be so easy for Takaba to hate Asami even though Asami will continue to play with Takaba's emotions. Who knows, maybe Asami is doing nothing more than playing with him? His mysteriousness only makes him sexier. Oh, and they screw too.
On another happy note, my wish for a follow up to "Koisuru Shokubutsu", a one-shot in Finder no Hyouteki not related to the "Finder" series, was granted. "Koisuru DNA" (Loving DNA) is about Hiyama Takehiro and Mizuno Ayumu, two rival soccer teammates who in the first volume stalk their dads to found out if they’re gay lovers. They don’t get a straight answer, but find out something interesting about themselves. In "Koisuru DNA", Takehiro and his dad visit Ayumu and pop when Hiyama, Sr. learns that Ayumu is sick (and that Mrs. Hiyama is out of town). Takehiro doesn’t want to be there, but then again, he doesn’t say no when Ayumu starts to get feisty. I enjoyed "Koisuru DNA" just as much as the first story. It’s light and funny and sexy, especially with Takehiro and Ayumu in denial about their attraction to one another. On top of that, their dads seem to have figured their sons out, even though Takehiro and Ayumu don’t really know what’s going on. In the grand scheme of things it isn’t a particularly forceful or special story, but it a good break from the seriousness and melodrama of the "Finder" series.
Some might disagree with my wording, but I must say that Finder no Cage is a big improvement over Finder no Hyouteki. I’ve liked Asami, Takaba, and Fei from the start, but I was somewhat disappointed that there wasn’t much of a story surrounding them in the first volume. Now that we’ve got a context for Fei and Asami and a solid emotional conundrum for Takaba to work out, it feels like there’s something to look forward to along with the smut. I’m happy that there is a plot-springboard for future Asami, Fei and Takaba stories. At the end of Finder no Hyouteki was I afraid that the "Finder" stories would get old too soon. After finishing Finder no Cage, I can’t wait to read more. "Finder no Cage" has been released in English by Be Beautiful as "Finder Series 2: Cage in the Finder", but appears to be unofficially out of print. { boys love reviews - reviews - main } |
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Asami Ryuuichi, the smooth and enigmatic yakuza boss; Takaba Akihito, a feisty
freelance investigative photographer; and Fei Long, the beautiful and emotional Triad boss, are back for more cat-and-mouse play, confused feelings, impromptu sex, and
fanciful handling of firearms in Finder no Cage, the second installment of Yamane Ayano's popular "Finder" series. In
Finder no Hyouteki, the first volume, Asami takes an interest in
Takaba and has fun with him at the expense of Takaba's ass. Enter Fei, who finds out that Asami has his mark on Takaba and so leaves his own as a challenge. Two
handsome mobsters and an amateur detective, what isn't there to love? Well, to be quite honest, I was disappointed with how plot-light (but not plotless) the first volume was
and a little wary that Finder no Cage would turn out the same. It not only seemed sort of a waste of good characters to have so much sex but not much of a story for
them and their skank, but also a premise that would fast be too repetitive. Finder no Cage, however, is more oriented towards developing a broader context for the
series than Finder no Hyouteki. In "Body Chase" and "Kourou no Hana" (Flower of the Skyscraper) the reader gets a better understanding of why Takaba and Fei Long
have love-hate relationships with Asami (even if they deny the "love" part). Asami is still a mystery, only more so at the conclusion of this volume. At first I saw the appeal of
the "Finder" series but thought it a bit overrated. Now I can say that, yeah, now I'm pretty much enjoying it myself.
Fei Long suffers from the same mixed feelings as Takaba, only his are older, deeper, and fueled
by the hostilities of pan-Asiatic organized criminal activity. When Fei Long is introduced in Finder no Hyouteki, he mentions to a freshly and thoroughly shagged
Takaba that the bullet wound on his chest is Asami's doing. In Finder no Cage, the four chapter "Kourou no Hana" arc tells Fei Long's story and explains the
circumstances of Asami shooting him those seven years ago. Fei comes from a powerful but teetering Triad family. His father, the boss, is bedridden due to poor health and
has left the running of the business to his sons, Yantzui and Fei. Yan is the only one of the two brothers who is legitimate and has nothing but harsh things to say to Fei. Fei,
for his part, doesn't care about the family business. He is more concerned about how he looks in his father’s eyes; for being a vicious crime boss, Fei is quite the devoted
son. Yan sends Fei to Hong Kong when they learn of some business problems. One of those problems is Asami. Fei’s attempt to assassinate Asami ends up with Asami
cleaning and healing Fei’s wounded hand. Asami presents the same dilemma to Fei that he does to Takaba. On the one hand, he is vicious, arrogant, and condescending. Yet
at times he can seem almost compassionate. Fei goes so far as to put all of his trust and his whole heart into Asami’s care, but with disastrous results. Both stories reveal the
problem that Asami presents to his more intimate enemies without explaining anything about Asami himself. This is what makes the relationship dynamic, which is fairly typical
of those in other BL and even shoujo manga, different. The true Asami has yet to be revealed. Does he have an empathetic or caring side, as Takaba seems to think? Or does
he just use people, as Fei has concluded. While Takaba and Fei’s emotions are given more dimensions, Asami becomes more of an enigma. It’s almost a little frustrating, but in
a positive way; the reader can’t wait to delve deeper into these twisted relationships.
Yamane’s art is as fresh and stylish as ever. If you’re looking for a series
about men, not just boys, the "Finder" series is just for you. This volume is
special for the amount of action it has. You might be surprised, but Yamane can draw a pretty exciting fight scene. Even better, the art has been touched up and finished for
collection in this volume. Comparing "Body Chase" from its inclusion in b-Boy Luv #6, the anthology it was originally published in, and the same story in this volume you’ll
notice that much of the screen tone work and background filler was left out of the original. It looks much cleaner and more polished in Finder no Cage, so if you’re
reading a free pirated version I heartily recommend buying the Biblos or Libre Shuppan Japanese tank or, if you’re lucky enough to find it, the official Be Beautiful English
release.