Finder, Volume 5: Truth in the View Finder

ファインダー / Finder #5

by Ayano Yamane

When Fei Long agrees to a deal to trade Takaba back to Asami, things begin to look up. But is it really true? Or is something else going to prevent Takaba from being reunited with the one he has been waiting for? When the Russian mafia takes advantage of the situation and force their way into the negotiations upon Fei Long's casino ship, it looks like all bets are off. But is Takaba going to allow things to end so easily this time and be a victim once more? It's the exciting conclusion of the Naked Truth arc, available in English now for the very first time!

Genres: Manga, Yaoi, M M Romance, Romance, Graphic Novels, Boys Love, LGBT

214 pages, Paperback

First published June 10, 2009

About the author

Ayano Yamane (native name: やまねあやの) is one of Japan's most popular Boys' Love genre manga artist.
She debuted as a professional manga artist in 1996 and since then has published several BL series and illustrated many light novels. She is one of the top selling BL manga artists in Japan. Her most successful work is the Finder series.

Reviews

[L Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume finally brings the Naked Truth arc to a conclusion, and thank God for that because my poor heart couldn't take any more. 😵‍💫 A lot of unexpected developments took place (...most of which resulted in Akihito getting smacked around yet again 😬) but seeing everything come to a satisfying conclusion made it almost worth it. Fei Long and Asami have come to an understanding about their relationship and, hopefully, will stay out of each other's business for the time being.

I've really enjoyed this series so far. I can't believe how much I've come to care about Akihito and standoff-ish Asami. I stated in my review of volume one that the art style didn't seem to change much with each successive volume, but that isn't true. I've noticed that the characters' facial features have softened somewhat, giving them a more nuanced range of expressions as well as making them, imo, more attractive. 4.5 stars

Aside: You wouldn't believe how many times I referred to Fei Long as Yut Long from Banana Fish. They are so similar in both appearance and personality that I'm convinced they are the same person, just in different universes. 😆

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mafia love stories be this messed up 🤦

[Repellent Boy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pese a que hay momentos que lo turbias que son las relaciones entre los protagonistas me abruma, no puedo dejar de ser sincero, y admitir que lo estoy disfrutando mucho. Lo único que temo es que vaya a más y me termine horrorizando, pero por ahora enganchando me hallo.

[Lelyana's Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is super sexy.
And addictive, I can't stop reading the whole series all day, and I think I will read it again.
And re-read it again, as many time as I could!

[Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very satisfying conclusion to the Hong Kong kidnapping storyline. The pages showing the reunion between Takaba and Asami are gorgeously drawn.

[MaDoReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sentimientos los justos por lo que veo. Akihito no sé muy bien qué leches hace, pero aquí sigo, esperando...

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more like 2.5 stars, and that extra .5 is because this was the first volume where I really felt like the characters actually have an emotional connection, plus all of the sex was consensual. (I may be setting the bar too low for yaoi...) The author interview is also very interesting, and I do like that she strives to make both of her leads masculine.

[Tully Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this volume. The depth of the characterizations grew so much, and the art is stunning. The arc of the Hong Kong story has ended but there are certainly many loose ends that I hope will be explored.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awww, I love these guys' possessiveness.

Although this is the end of the Tokyo story arc I hope Fei Long will reappear in their lives at some point in the near future. For a murdering Triad boss he's such a sweetheart.

[Γιώτα Παπαδημακοπούλου · Rating 5 out of 5]

To vol. 5, αποτελείται από 7 βασικά κεφάλαια και 1 extra, χωρισμένο σε 2 πράξεις, με τη μία εκ των δύο να είναι πιο κωμική. Το mai story, θέλει τους πρωταγωνιστές μας να βρίσκονται πάνω στο κρουαζιερόπλοιο όπου θα γινόταν η ανταλλαγή ανάμεσα στους Asami και Fei Long, πριν τουλάχιστον η Ρώσικη μαφία απαγάγει τον Akihito, έχοντας καταλάβει την σπουδαιότητα του ρόλου του, προκειμένου να μπουν κι εκείνοι στο παιχνίδι. Ο Asami και ο Fei Long, έχουν μια στιγμή καθαράς προσωπικής κόντρας, η οποία γίνεται αφορμή να ειπωθούν πολλά και τελικά, ο δεύτερος, να παραδεχτεί πως πίσω από τα κίνητρά του, κατά βάθος, κρύβεται η επιθυμία του για τον Asami, που παρά τα όσα έγιναν και τα 7 χρόνια που μεσολάβησαν, δεν έσβησε ποτέ. Την ίδια στιγμή, ο Akihito, βρίσκεται σε πολύ δύσκολη θέση, με τους Ρώσους μαφιόζους να τον έχουν περικυκλώσει, νιώθοντας απελπισμένος ξέροντας πως ο Asami ήταν τόσο κοντά του και έχασε την ευκαιρία, κινδυνεύοντας να γίνει και πάλι σεξουαλικό παιχνίδι, κάτι που από το να συμβεί, προτιμά να πεθάνει. Επιτρέποντάς του να μιλήσει με τον Asami, και με τον δεύτερο να συνειδητοποιεί πως ο δικός του Akihito έχει σπάσει και έχει αλλάξει από αυτό που γνώριζε, παρά που δέχεται μια κοινή συνάντηση όλων των αρχηγών προκειμένου να καταλήξουν σε μια συμφωνία, δεν μπορεί να μην ξεσπάσει στον αγγελιοφόρο της υπόθεσης, έχοντας χάσει τον έλεγχο. Με τα πολλά, οι τρεις τους συναντιούνται, χωρίς να αποφύγουν τις όποιες εντάσεις, καταλήγοντας ωστόσο σε μια συμφωνία που θα τους ικανοποιήσει όλους. Κατά την μεταφορά όμως του Akihito στο σημείο συνάντησης, ένας από τους Ρώσους που δεν τον έχει πάρει με καλό μάτι, αποφασίζει να τον βγάλει από τη μέση, έστω κι αν αποτυγχάνει, με τον Asami να είναι έτοιμος να φτάσει στα άκρα, την ίδια ώρα που ο Akihito έχει φτάσει στα όρια της αντοχής του, αποφασίζοντας να πάρει την κατάσταση στα χέρια του, με όποιο κόστος, ακόμα κι αν αυτό σημαίνει ανθρώπινες ζωές. Προσπαθώντας να ξεφύγει από τον διώκτη του που δεν λέει να τον αφήσει αν δεν τον σκοτώσει, καταφέρνει να βρει τον Asami, όμως, πριν να τον πλησιάσει, δέχεται έναν πυροβολισμό πράγμα που όπως αντιλαμβάνεστε, τρελαίνει τον τελευταίο, για να ανακουφιστεί λίγες στιγμές μετά βλέποντας πως το τραύμα, είναι επιφανειακό. Με τα πολλά, καταφέρνουν να φύγουν, έχοντας μια συγκλονιστική στιγμή επανένωσης, μετά την επίσης συγκλονιστική στιγμή της συνάντησής τους έπειτα από 6 μήνες, που πραγματικά, είναι από τις κορυφαίες που έχω διαβάσει σε συναισθηματικό επίπεδο, καταφέρνοντας με πολύ λίγα λόγια και με βαθιά εκφραστικότητα, να μεταφέρει πηγαία αισθήματα, όπως μόνο οι άντρες τα βιώνουν, δίνοντας ωστόσο το βάρος που πρέπει στον καθέναν από αυτούς δεδομένου ότι βίωσαν την απόσταση και την απώλεια, υπό διαφορετικές συνθήκες, με τον Akihito να φέρει πολλά ψυχική τραύματα, πέραν των σωματικών, που μόνο ο Asami μπορεί να σβήσει.

[Marsha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though Asami eventually finds Akihito and frees him from Fei Long, the poor boy has undergone terrible trauma. Rape, brutalization, kidnapping and a near shooting all prey on poor Akihito’s mind. Presumably, only Asami can heal the festering wounds in his psyche.

Unfortunately, all his care of Akihito seems to center around sex, making Asami one of the most close-mouthed and sex-obsessed characters I’ve ever read. While his emotional distance and refusal to TELL Akihito how he feels are all part and parcel of the stern mob boss character he’s fashioned for himself, it’s aggravating nonetheless. When Akihito suffers nightmares and nearly drowns because of the horrors he suffered at Fei Long’s hands, all Asami has to offer is more sex to soothe his feelings. It’s boring and makes me wish Akihito would try sex with other people, if only to get the emotional sustenance he so sorely craves.

[78sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Das war der genialste Band der Reihe. Hier geht es ja um Mafias und einen jungen Fotografen der zwischen die Fronten geraten ist, da beide Mafiabosse Interesse an ihm haben. Das ganze hat wirklich Story und es macht richtig Spaß diese zu lesen. Aber was mich echt umgehauen hat, war der Humor dieses Mal. Das war in den anderen Teilen noch nicht so. Der Humor ist nicht dieser typisch alberne Mangahumor sondern richtig witzig und passend zur Szene. Die 'Liebesgeschichte' wird auch toll umgesetzt. Der Hauptprotagonist strebt ja nach etwas mehr Freiheit aber man merkt trotzdem, dass ihm viel an Asami liegt und er doch nicht ganz von ihm weg kommt. Toll einfach toll!Der bisher spannendste und heißeste Teil der Reihe.

[Kati · Rating 3 out of 5]

Asami and Akihito's relationship is obviously not a healthy one. Asami is a domineering bastard and Akihito has a huge case of Stockholm Syndrome - and both pretty much acknowledge it. As Akihito said, Asami basically took over his life and became such a big part of it that Akihito couldn't even imagine his life without Asami anymore.

This volume concludes the series. For me, it was a bit too wordy, a big part of it was just Asami, Feilong and Michel talking. But the sex scenes were really hot - and as graphic as is usual for Ayano Yamane. And the drawings were top notch - again, as is usual for this mangaka.

[Chocobox]

[Not rated, because I didn't actually read it, just looked at the pictures.]

OK guys, I know, I get it, Asami is hot, he saved Takaba from Rapefest '08, but...really? KBLY #3 of the year? REALLY? I can get that the series is popular because it's pretty (fangirls are shallow, I can accept that [because I am too]), but then once in a while I accidentally read a page or two and I see things like Asami saying, "Fei is not allowed to hold Takaba prisoner, ONLY I CAN DO THAT HAHAHA," which just CREEPS ME THE HELL OUT ahhhhh.

...I don't think I'm in the target audience for this series. :/

[Diana Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok this series is soooo good. I don't know where we are going to go from here since the arc ended! It was quite an ending too. I loved everything between Feilong and Asumi. The character development is really prominent and I was also happy about how things grew (get it? Lol) between Asumi and Takaba. It was super hot. I liked the bonus beach chapters too. This series is definitely up there in my yaoi favs. On to the next.

[Felicia (Ferishia) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finder Series: You're My Naked Truth in Viewfinder: Vol 5 (Japanese Edition)

[L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume continues, and finishes, Finder's "Naked Truth (Hong Kong Arc)" and also includes "Naked Truth Zero" and "A Fleeting Paradise," which is the chapter immediately following Akihito's rescue.

Naked Truth Zero
I really liked this inclusion of Fei Long and Yè's backstory. I neglected to mention him in my review of volume 4, but I really like Yè as a character. He is ultimately loyal to Asami, but he has spent such a long time with Fei Long, it appears that he cannot help but care for him as well. He's similar to Akihito in that way -- caught between the two of them in their endless spiral of obsession.

Naked Truth (Hong Kong Arc)
Naked Truth Hong Kong Arc 2, electric boogaloo. I still love this arc so much; it does so much to and for Akihito and he's one of my favorite characters, like, in general, in all media. Akihito ends this arc bemoaning his own weakness -- how he couldn't escape, how he was powerless against Fei Long, how all he could do was wait to be rescued. But Akihito is massively underselling his own worth, and how strong he was throughout this arc; he fought back when he could, he stood his ground, he laid low when he had to, and he never gave up, and I love that adaptive and resilient side of him so much. He even told off two mafia leaders and made them both stand down. This is Akihito Takaba's world and we're all just living in it...

This volume also did so much for my love of seeing my favorite characters bloody, beaten, broken, bruised, and traumatized (yay <3) and my dream power throuple of Asami, Fei Long, and Akihito... sigh... we could have it all...

A Fleeting Paradise
Ah,,, A Fleeting Paradise... home of the super icon scene of "I'm not traumatized" --> immediately has a panic attack and almost drowns.

All jokes aside, I LOVE this chapter. What happened to Akihito in Hong Kong, especially at the end, was extremely traumatizing, and I like that Ayano Yamane took the time to explore this. Up to this point, Akihito has been extremely resilient; in his ability to bounce back extremely quickly from his initial encounters with Asami and Fei Long. However, this is different, and so much more, than anything he's experienced before, so I really like that he was given time to be traumatized, to be 'weak' (at least in his own eyes; I do not consider him weak at all for being traumatized over what happened), to be cared for, to process what happened, and to begin recovering.

I also really, really love Asami vowing to overwrite every ugly memory of what happened in Hong Kong. Is it the proper way to handle this situation irl? No. Please get Akihito to therapy. Is it very fitting and touching in fiction and for this story? Yes. Yes it is. Overwrite that trauma, Asami! Akihito said he didn't want to have to think about any of it! Make his dreams come true!

I also love Akihito asking himself if he could really have Asami's heart... if he could really become more than just a 'possession'... like girl... bestie... darling... babe... do i have some news for you...

[J'aime · Rating 5 out of 5]

The exciting conclusion to the Arc of Truth storyline picks up right from the V4 cliffhanger. The book opens with Fei Long’s men torturing Asami’s spy, Yé, and then it flashes back to when he met Fei Long in prison. Is he truly working against Fei Long? Meanwhile, Fei Long and Asami play a deadly game trying to one up each other, and the Russian Mafia has taken Akihito prisoner. They want the casino deed as well. The Mafia’s leader, Mikhail, is a new character who will return in future volumes. One who has a fascination for Fei Long, and whose true intentions are unclear. Akihito manages to flee his captors, and is finally reunited with Asami, but Fei Long is right behind him. He pleads with Asami to walk away from their feud: can they maintain a truce long enough to overcome the Russians?

This book is action-packed with violence, intrigue, and sexual tension in spades! The characters have come to a new level; they are all three-dimensional and very real. Akihito, the usually bubble and cheerful photographer, is traumatized by what happened. Asami has to find a way to help him, and it finally moves their relationship from Yakuza boss and plaything to something more. I could not put this book down! Again, this SAuBlime volume benefited from a fantastic and much improved translation. Since this story was so heavy and completely wrapped up, the deluxe edition bonus is not a Finder interlude, but an extended interview with the Mangaka.

[Marianna Rainolter · Rating 4 out of 5]

La fine della saga di Hong kong, Sulla nave casinò la lotta tra Asami e Feilong arriva al suo culmine ma non sono solo i due uomini a contendersi non solo Akihito ma soprattutto l'atto di concessione del casinò. Adrenalina e mistero fino all'ultimo con Akihito che viene usato come merce di scambio, ma che comunque cercherà di rendersi utile in questa lotta, a dare il suo contributo e non essere di peso sopratutto ad Asami, un uomo che sta capendo di provare qualcosa nonostante tutto perché tra le sue braccia si sente al sicuro... E infatti dopo la conclusione avremmo dei divertenti episodi extra con il ritorno in Giappone a smorzare un po' la tensione accumulata in questo ARC. Ma questa saga è stata bella e appassionante, mi è piaciuta e anche se Akihito non mi piace, che pur provandoci non ce la fa e a volte il suo non capire/ammettere quello che Asami prova per lui è proprio da rolling eyes, voglio proseguire la serie e la sua storia.

Ho parlato dei primi 6 volumi di questa serie nella nuova edizione di Magic Press al seguente link: http://bookmarksarereadersbestfriends...

[Jessica Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I told myself I wasn’t going to write a review for this series.

And honestly, I’ve told myself that a couple times. Now I love this little blog I’ve created and all the amazing stories it allows me to share with everyone, but sometimes I really just want to read something for myself and not think about how I’m going to phrase a review for it in the background. So when I pulled this old school series off our shelf, some of the volumes were still plastic wrapped and I was thinking I was just going to fall into some old school mature yaoi and enjoy myself and nothing else.

But obviously, I’m writing this review, so we see how well that went. Oh well ^__^

Read my full review of volumes 1-5 on Well, Are They? A Queer Review Blog:
https://wellarethey.blogspot.com/2025...

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is such a trashy romance. Like part of me is like this is just so garbage, and the other part is eating that shit up. The author notes at the end I feel are getting longer and longer lol. I like reading them though. I think the way she talks about her work is very cute and the cat pictures are great.

Man that bonus chapter... spicy. 

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the whole volume.

Akihito and Asami feels closer than ever before,and Fei Long managed not to die on the way.Akihito has some leftover emotional trauma from the whole ordeal.

Akihito seems to doubt the severity of Asami's feelings for him,while the audience knows Asami is ready to lock that shit down.

I can't wait for what the next volumes will bring.

[Susanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good conclusion to the Hong Kong storyline. Asami and Fei Long cleared some air, though not well enough (seriously, those two), and Akihito was saved—though he wasn’t as willing to stay with Asami as Asami had hoped. Looking forward to reading more about how Akihito messes up his life and needs to be rescued by Asami.

[Jordan MacKinnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ding dong, TRAUMA is here!! And looking so absolutely fine!!! Poor Akihito but we love to see the hurt comfort!! Also the casino was delight!! And somehow in this dark and unfair world Akihito and Asami get to have a beach vacy!! Like this had everything I could possible want for a volume of manga!! All my fave tropes had assembled and gifted me this story with a bow on top!!

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ужасно напряжённый и стекольный том. Чуть не умерла от напряжения. Видимо, в награду за этот АД автор нарисовала аж 3 (!) длиннющих милых экстры. Ну спасибо. Куска моих нервов уже все равно не вернуть😅😅😅

[Marker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Por qué no le puedo dar más de 5 estrellas a este volumen?

Fue genial. Fue muy bueno y lo mejor fue el gran avance en la relación entre Asami y Akihito. Las escenas íntimas entre ambos fueron exquisitas. Ojalá haya más escenas así en los volúmenes venideros.

[J-Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m with that one German guy…. Why does everyone want him? Seriously, all the bad guys wanna do bad things with him or have bad things done to him while they watch!? Give the little photographer a break!

[Christina Mastoraki · Rating 5 out of 5]

At last they meet. I have to say, for someone who really wanted the deed, Mikhail didn't do much afterwards. And everyone, aside from Asami, needs shooting lessons. The number of times that anyone shoot someone and the victim got back up was amazing.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come!

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

FINALLY the kidnapping arc ended and Akihito and Asami can go home and just be home. AHH IM FREE