We commented about our like and dislike about Asami Ryuichi . What do you like and dislike...

Sorry for the double post. I can't see a way to delete it.

I think it's already been clearly laid out that Akihito in fact does not make the same mistakes and fall into the same traps over and over. That's a mischaracterization. He literally does not do the same thing over and over. Does he still make mistakes? Yes. Are they identical to the mistakes he made before? No. Does everyone in the world make just one mistake and then make no more? Hardly. Yes, he is very trusting, but the traps he has fallen into are hardly obvious and never exactly the same. But if you don't see it, you don't see it. I think some readers have just taken up this particular false image of Akihito and it colors the way they read.

It's not necessarily a mischaracterization - A lot of it is in the eye of the beholder. Sure, his mistakes aren't necessarily exactly identical, yet they're similar enough to his past ones and the traps ARE often obvious enough that he could figure it out with just a bit of deduction. The things you learn from situations aren't only there to help you in the EXACT SAME situations, they can also be of use in SIMILAR ones. And deduction isn't an unimportant skill in Akihito's field of work. I don't really mind that he gets in trouble constantly, just the ways it happens...there were several times where he should've known better.

And no, of course not everyone learns from mistakes instantly, and some people never learn, but this wasn't about what's realistic or not, it was about what we like and dislike about Akihito's character.

I agree. I also think there is a certain "career savvy" element that Aki is missing. This element is sort of similar to being genre savvy as a reader.

Many of you have seen the poster with the tentacles that says, "I have seen enough hentai to know where this is going." I suppose somethings just seem obvious to me because I have seen them before (but then, so has Aki). They are not *exactly* the same, but we all know what is coming. If we are watching a horror movie, we know that when the power goes out, the teenage girl should not go into the basement to investigate odd noises. We know in a thriller, when there is a mass murderer on the loose, the party girl should not go down the dark alley alone in her high heels and tight skirt. So we know that when a MC is investigating a potentially criminal activity, he should never take a drink from the suspicious sex worker--because we have seen Aki drugged enough to know what's coming next. There were other very obvious traps, but that was the one that screamed "Don't go into the basement!" the loudest to me.

If Aki ran a flower shop, or a youth center, or took artsy photos, then maybe I would not expect him to look at people's motives and look for traps. However, Aki is essentially an investigative reporter with a camera. If he wants to survive, he has to start thinking.

First of all, Mayu is not "a suspicious sex worker." In Akihito's eyes, she is an innocent victim, the missing person he has been trying to find at the request of a friend. Finding and talking to Mayu was first and foremost about helping HER. He has no reason to suspect her. He CERTAINLY has no reason to correlate this situation with Asami drugging him in volume three. These situations bear no resemblance to each other so one cannot be considered a learning experience that should have informed his actions in the next.

And we've seen Akihito drugged via a drink exactly one other time. I don't think that counts as "enough," especially when the situations and the people involved are so very different. He wasn't investigating Asami when Asami drugged him. Asami wasn't an enemy any more than Mayu was. It is not ridiculously trusting to accept a soda from the man who just proved how much he wants to make you feel good. Or to accept a drink from a girl you believe to be an innocent victim. By your logic, Akihito should now never accept a drink from anyone ever anywhere.

See, when you stop and really examine the situations, you find that yes, this characterization of Akihito as never learning from mistakes is not apt because the situations he finds himself in a not as similar as you seem to think they are--nor are they as rife with obvious flashing "danger!" signs as you think they are.

I think you read the same text very differently than I do. Once Aki found the sex worker, she indicated she was not in danger, and at that point Aki's primary goal was to investigate for Asami. If she was not in fact kidnapped, a reasonable person (or half-way competent reporter) would question what her role was in the shady activities and at least be wary. It was painfully obvious the drink was a trap. Aki was already drugged many times, once directly by a drink, so he should be on guard for drugs in any dangerous situations. It's just stupid not to be, no matter how you try to justify it.

I will never convince you that Aki repeats the same sorts of mistakes over and over, but whenever read the story, I have a hard time understanding how you could not see it. I guess we are each entitled to see it our way, but know that I think the facts support me as much as you think the story supports you.

Let me ask you this: Why do you think it was okay for Aki to leave Asami's key with Sudou? I understand why Aki chose his career at that point, but not why he simply accepted that Sudou had the right to give him an ultimatum right then and there. Even if he chose to run away, Aki should have had sense not to go leaving Asami's key with a suspicious character like Sudou. Aki could send the key back by mail if he was that scared to go and leave it. Why should he trust Sudou with Asmai's key at all? You don't just go leaving keys with anybody, and it was clear the Sudou was up to something. Aki knew there were powerful people who would like to get Asami (because of the whole deal with Feilong and Michail, and also from Aki's recent work), and he knew there was something going down that involved Sudou in some way. It's not a stretch to see he should be careful around Sudou. Aki could take the key *and* run away. Why didn't he?

I'm not sure why you insist on calling Mayu a sex worker. Thinking of her that way maybe helps you to dehumanize her and forget that she started out in this story as an agented talent who was manipulated by those around her and had no choice but to go into this line of work.

Read the scene again where she takes Aki into the private room. There is nothing threatening about her. He knows that Kuroda is right there and knows where he has gone and who with. He isn't there on a life-or-death mission. Yes, now that he knows where she is and that she is safe--although unhappy (see, she did explain why she was there), he turns to finding out information for Asami. But again, it's not life-and-death stuff. He's just looking for the name of a source. There really is no reason for him to be so on guard against this young woman who in his eyes is a victim.

Why did he leave the key with Sudou? Was he supposed to fight him for it? He'd just had the crap beaten out of him to the point of losing consciousness and you want him to take on someone who's bigger than him now? Grab the key and run? He could barely walk. (See chapter 40, page 21) Sudou wanted to send him to a hospital. Really, you expect him to be Superman and Sherlock Holmes and a mind reader rolled into one.

And while he felt that Sudou was involved in shady dealings, he had no reason at that point to believe Sudou meant Asami harm. Quite the opposite. You have to remember that you, the reader, are privy to information about Sudou that Aki doesn't have at that point.

He has not been drugged "many times." Aside from the two drinks, he was given an aphrodisiac once and a single puff on an opium pipe once, both when he was tied down and unable to resist, not instances where he blindly trusted someone. So I maintain that these are not similar enough experiences to make him walk around assuming absolutely everyone is out to drug him.

I call Mayu a sex worker because that's what she is. I see nothing dehumanizing about being a sex worker, but it is suspicious in these circumstances, given the rest of the investigation. It's not clear to me that she was manipulated--I think that she is legitimately loyal to Sudou and was always acting as his agent, even as an actress. And although there is nothing inherently wrong with her line of work, she was a sex worker before she was an actress, and she chose to go back to being a sex worker. It was clear to me that she was not forced and she was somehow involved in the matters under investigation. It is very common for sex workers to put something in people's drinks in such scenarios (more so than, say, people who work in real estate or teach high school--not that other professions can't also drug others, it's just as sort of association that an experienced reporter may consider). In most stories, I would hold any mysterious pretty girl who offers an drink in a private club you are investigating to be suspect--at least suspect enough not to take that drink. Taking the drink is a total noob move, and Aki should no longer be a total noob.

Aki has been drugged many times, and he should know it is a tactic many people like to use against him. Asmai had him drugged in the very first story (that puts Aki on notice that Asmi will, in fact, drug him if Asami finds it to expedient), Feilong drugs Aki. Asami drugs Aki's drink. Fielong's men drug Aki. Feilong drugs Aki some more. Aki knows (1) he gets drugged a lot, (2)drugs can be slipped into drink, and (3) it is a good idea to try to avoid anything that may potentially have drugs in it drugs when conducting an investigation in to shady, underworld activities. This doesn't mean he has to think everyone is drugging him all the time--just that he should be careful in this particular kind of situation.

Aki knows that the police officer pretended to be his friend and betrayed him. This puts him on notice that many people are not what they seem, and he may have to be careful until he knows he can trust them. He knows Feilong played him (though Feilong did become a friend later). He knows the other photographer has repeatedly played him. He's just been played by Sakazaki. Now he sees the "victim" is fine and well, and not at all in need of recuse. If a red flag isn't waving, then he is not learning anything from past experiences. If she is still a victim in his eyes at this point, he is a dolt being led around by others.

Should he have fought Sudou for the key? I don't know that it would have come to that, but he could have asked for the key too. If Sudou had refused, he should have left a message for Asami or Karishima warning them that Sudou had the key and would not return it. It doesn't take a lot of strength--just a little thought and consideration. If he had thought at all about Asami's security, he would at least have given Karishima a heads up.

Well stated. I agree wholeheartedly

Okay, let's look at Chapter 45. On the first page, we learn Aki is going into Sudou's secret cat house. Asami phones and Aki says he is looking for someone closely associated with Sudou.

http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/you_re_my_loveprize_in_viewfinder/mh/v07/c045/3/

Then we meet "Aya"/"Mayu"/shady-unknown-real-name sex worker, who says she is happily and willingly working with Sudou--almost like someone with a connection to him. What were we looking for again? Oh yeah--someone with a connection to Sudou. Hmmmm.

Aki is asking whatever-her-real name is questions about what happened that highlights her involvement in shady business he is investigating, and her posture and body language clearly show she is playing him. She reacts badly to the things he says. Almost as if she were working with Sudou. Then we have this:

http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/you_re_my_loveprize_in_viewfinder/mh/v07/c045/17/

She looks down to hide her facial expression, then pours a drink over ice and stirs something into it in front of him. What is he, blind? and then she slithers over and has him drink it without having any herself.

You don't have to be smart or a mind reader to see what she did--you just have to pay attention. My six year old nephew wouldn't accept a drink from a girl who acted like that. He'd probably just think she put bugs or something gross into it--but he's been on the playground enough to know that when girls get all cute and coy like that, they are up to something.

How can you look at that page and not see that it was obvious?

It's dehumanizing because she is not introduced as "a sex worker." She is introduced as Aoki Mayu, a character with an identity. You are reducing her to a profession. And you don't know that she was a "sex worker" before she was an actress because we don't know her entire life story. And she says she was forced to leave her acting agency because of the circumstances around the photo that was published. So yeah, she was pushed back into a profession she obviously was trying to leave.

And since when is it common for "sex workers" to drug people? That's not true at all. Plenty of sexual commerce takes place without either party being drugged against their will.

And Akihito isn't approaching her as a "sex worker." He's approaching her as the friend of a friend who he has been told is in trouble and needs help. And she is not "fine and well." She's clearly distressed. Aki believes her to be on bad terms with Sudou because of what he's overheard and thinks she is in danger because of that. She does not clearly deny this until after he has taken the drink. But you've obviously decided everyone should consider all prostitutes liars who will drug you for no reason.

Asami gave him an aphrodisiac during a rape when Akihito had no choice. The second time he drugged him was after they had established something of a relationship and trust level. Or should he suspect every drink Asami hands him from now on? How about that beer Asami gives him in volume six? Should he have asked Asami to taste it first?

Fei Long drugged Aki once. One puff of an opium pipe. He did not drug him again unless you count a mouthful of bourbon drugging. His men did not drug Akihito.

So Akihito was slipped a drug exactly ONCE before Mayu drugged him, and the situations were totally different. This is not an established pattern.

If one friend betrays you and you subsequently question every single person you meet after that, that is a terrible way to live. You yourself surely do not operate that way. The only time we see Aki trust Fei Long before the end of the Naked Truth arc, it is actually justified. He trusts that Fei Long will release his friends in exchange for Asami's location. And Fei Long does release his friends. And Aki never trusted Sakazaki. He knew he was dancing with the devil there. But he wanted information. He went into that with his eyes reasonably open.

And he did tell Asami he lost the key and the locks were subsequently changed.

We don't know her real name--she uses aliases. She was introduced as "Mayu", but then she said she was "Aya," and we don't really know her real name--they could both be aliases. All we really know is that she is a sex worker with some connection to Sudou, and that she was involved with suspicious activity connected to the manager of club Decrcaena. She has more a series of aliases and cover stories than an "identity", so I don't think it's dehumanizing to referred to her by the one thing we know for sure that she is--a sex worker. She doesn't look at all distressed to me. You must be looking at different pictures. To me she looks calm, in control, and manipulative as hell.

Aki has been drugged many times before even if only one time was by having something slipped into his drink. The point is, in this situation, he should have been on guard. Come to think of it, Aki knows he's a light weight and probably should not be drinking while investigating, even if it were not drugged, which this one clearly was, right in front of him. Again, it's not that he should think everyone is drugging him only that in *this type of situation*, it's a possibility he should avoid.

It's not a question of trusting everyone or trusting no one. It's a question of figuring out who to trust and looking for suspicious behavior while investigating criminal activities. Let's compare how Kuroda approaches "Mayu", aka "Aya", aka shady woman whose true name is unknown. Kuroda is on the lookout for suspicious behavior because he is in the middle of an investigation. He notices right away that she is acting hinky. She tries to play him when he confronts her, but he doesn't fall for it because it's his jobs to investigate criminals and he has learned to watch for things that don't make sense and look out for lies. Kuroda had even fewer clues than Aki did that she was mixed up with Sudou, but he figured it out because he was looking for it--that what people do when they are professional investigators.

As for the other situations, I would argue that Aki really thought Sakazaki would take money for the information (which is silly given how Sakazaki treated Aki before). I would say Asami already explained to Aki that Fei Long was not really going t hurt his friend. I would also say there is a big difference between saying you lost your keys 3 days later and letting Asami know right away that Sudou took his keys. But I don't think you are willing to admit Aki has any flaws.

All characters have flaws--at least if the writer is any good.

You asked how I live (or you made assumptions about how you think I live). I would say I tend to go by the motto "Trust but verify". I give everyone a chance to build trust, but I get to know who they are and what they want, because people have flaws. I am not paranoid, but I am nobody's fool either.

Has a series of aliases? She was introduced with one name - and took a cover name to work in the club - seriously a sex worker using their real name? There are only two names given, not a series (a series is a string or chain - what we have here is her name - as given by Momohara - and her club cover name). What story are you reading? You have your very stubborn views and that is okay - but you read too much into some things I think.

Oh, and she is likely trying to hide her public name because she is known publicly as an actress not an employee in a brothel

Okay, "Mayu" has at least two names that we know of. How do you know the original name was not an alias? Why should we trust her? I found her suspicious from the start. I also think my suspicions are supported by the story.

Isn't this her with a member of the house of representatives?

http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/you_re_my_loveprize_in_viewfinder/mh/v07/c036/11/

Right after that, we also see Sudou for the first time. They are possible connected right there. I thought both of them were shady right away on those pages. Aki saw them in context of an investigation. This is a reason to dig deeper, not to trust.

Then Korudu mentions "Mayu" have been killed or may be in hiding. After that, Momoraha Ai asks about her and mentions has has a part-time job at Club Dracena. Momoraha says that the manger probably made "Mayu" go with the politician--and who is the manager? Sudou.

From the get go it seems like this woman is setting up politicians on Sudou's orders--or that she is doing something with them for Sudou. Aki is an investigative reporter. He should be looking at that.

Later, "Aya" says she used to live in the same town as "Shuu-kun" and it seems to me she was working for him before she was an actress.

http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/you_re_my_loveprize_in_viewfinder/mh/v07/c045/18/

She knows something about the international crime, but she stays loyal to Sudou (mostly).

http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/you_re_my_loveprize_in_viewfinder/mh/v07/c046/7/

Aki is an investigative reporter looking into criminal activity. He should be looking for suspicious behavior and connections. There is no reason to trust this woman.

She doesn't look distressed? She's frowning and her eyebrows and raised in the middle. That is distress. She says flat out that she is troubled. She also says she had no choice but to leave the agency. So she's not where she is at this point because she wants to be. She has no choice.

No, Aki was not drugged many times. Three (before this one) is not many. Three is a few. Aki has been drugged a few times. (And really I don't think the aphrodisiac counts. That's like saying any man who takes Viagra is in an impaired state.) You are talking like this has happened dozens of times. It has not. But at this point, we're just contradicting each other.

And no, Akihito does not know he's a lightweight. You seem to frequently confuse what the reader knows with what the characters actually know.

So Asami--a guy who has abducted and raped Aki--tells Aki that Fei Long--another guy who abducted and raped him and then tried to shoot him--will not hurt his friends. And Aki is just supposed to trust Asami? You mean the Aki who trusts too easily is supposed to trust one bad guy's opinion of another, when he has direct negative experience of both? I would say that right there, Akihito is doing exactly what you want him to do and yet you're faulting him for it now. Your logic is seriously flawed.

She only looks "distressed" when Aki links her to criminal activities--not when she sees him or when she drugs him. She is only upset that Aki is poking his nose in where she does not want him to. I think she looks more irritated really.

Most of the time she is calm and manipulative--and she adores Sudoou. She is not afraid of him. She likes him and is loyal to him. Look at her conversations with Aki and Kuroda. She clearly is on Sudou's side. She had no choice to leave the agency because of Aki's picture that caused problems for her--she was willingly doing Sudou's bidding before that happened or she would not have been in the picture to start with.

How many times exactly does Aki have to be drugged that you know of before he knows to be careful of being drugged in a dangerous situation? The fact is he is not fresh off the turnip truck. He knows that drugs exist and that they can be slipped into his drink. He knows he should be careful when he is investigating.

How could Aki possibly not know he is a light weight? We see most of the story from his POV. He knows he got drunk easily with Asami--and Asami has commented on it. He also knows what happened on New Year's. He'd have to be stupid not to notice. He damn well should know he's a light weight and he should be careful not to drink during dangerous investigations.

I am not faulting Aki for not trusting Asami. I am faulting him for not listening to Asami's logic and noticing that the logic was correct. I am faulting Aki for not looking at the big picture and at least questioning others' motives and how they would behave. I am faulting him from not learning from past mistakes and being more careful in future situations. Aki is still too often blindly reacting like a pawn (like he did with Sudou). Even if situations are not *exactly* the same in every little detail, most people get better at their jobs over time and learn to apply past lessons to new situations. It's the failure to learn that bothers me.

Akihito isn't that bright. There's things he just don't see when he's focused on something. I like him like that, that's what makes him an adorable trouble maker, which is like the essence of his character :P

I mean, just because he amateurishly improvised himself an investigator doesn't make him a good investigator. That's just not his job. I think that's the point, lol.

He pretty much just barged in the club, unwillingly managed to bump on both Sudou and the gorilla, then he had to go away, then he "spied" on some shady guys, then he spaced out, they just knocked him out, Sudou was there and he took Asami's appartment key while Akihito stole him card, then he got in yet another fight, he went in prison (lol), Asami had to get him out, then he went in the club, where he finally found her but she got him drunk. And then he nearly got killed by Sudou.

The whole thing is hilarious, it's a mess, how is him getting drunk any worse than the rest of the thing? It's just the cherry on this magnificient cake xD