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AndoCommando

_“He very definitely told your father there's a chance – a very great chance, he said – that Seymour may completely lose control of himself.” – J.D. Salinger._ A soldier’s life is one of hardships. Seen as the pride of a nation, they are tasked with defending the honour of their motherland with both flesh and blood. A life that requires chivalry, discipline and steadfastness. Their existence serves as a beacon light to the tame and cowardly; a source of inspiration for the youth to grow strong. But underneath all the glory and medallions reveal a darker tale more telling of their lives. Ordinary people before donning a uniform and sent off to war, a life of violence and suffering entails them. A hellish nightmare seeming to never end makes it near impossible to return to their former self. One must be physically and mentally tough to ever hope to survive such a turbulent time, but not everyone is capable of carrying that weight. J.D. Salinger was one writer who certainly understood the pressures put upon people in severe circumstances such as war, through first-hand experience being drafted into the US army in 1942, even being hospitalized by ‘combat stress reaction’ months after Germany was defeated in World War II. He was clearly affected, going so far as stating “[he] found it impossible to fit into a society that ignored the truth that he now knew.” These events all informed his writing of the short story titled “A Perfect Day for Bananafish”. While numerous interpretations of the story do exist, the common belief is that it symbolizes those soldiers sent off to war and came back traumatized; gorged by the anguish brought on from war and stained of bloodshed. Decades later this short story would be loosely referenced to in the successful shoujo manga series Banana Fish, written and illustrated by Akimi Yoshida that would later be considered highly influential to the BL subgenre. And now over 20 years since the manga’s initial release, Banana Fish received an anime adaptation produced courtesy by Studio MAPPA to run for 24 episodes in the latter half of 2018. Banana Fish focuses on the relationship between Ash Lynx, a cold ruthless teenage gang leader in New York City, and a naïve assistant photographer from Japan in Eiji Okumura. Both men, despite appearing as polar opposites in personality and upbringing end up being caught in a fallout over an entity known as “Banana Fish”, that also happens to be related to Ash’s brother and what occurred on his stint in Iraq. The pursuit of this mystery further pulls Eiji to the centre of this conflict, thereby leading to Ash pushing against the wishes of his bosses and gang members who put the safety of his newfound friend in jeopardy. It would be easy to summarize the story as simply a developing romance between two men, but the series is more concerned in making the story and overarching weight of it at the forefront of the tale, causing the narrative, despite being heavily reliant on genre tropes, works effectively as a fast-paced charming thriller. The series uses heavy topics regarding drugs, sexual abuse, corruption and other mature themes to craft a careful drama that avoids sensationalizing the sheer brutality inherent with such subject matter. Likewise, these ideas further accentuate the thematic correlation between Salinger’s “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” and this loosely inspired adaptation. No other character is as carefully crafted nor developed to the same degree as the main protagonist Ash Lynx. His backstory alone would be enough to garner the sympathy of many: a boy who ran away from home at 8 years old only to be taken into custody by the head of the Mafia. Having been kidnapped as a sex slave numerous times later before being granted leadership of a street gang years later, he has seen his fair share of violence and trauma. Part of his likability derives from him never seeing himself as a victim and therefore is able to overcome adversity. However, his meeting of Eiji is what ultimately acts as the cause for Ash to slowly reveal himself emotionally and properly recover from trauma accumulated throughout the years. His character easily parallels that of Salinger’s protagonist, as someone who has been exposed to so much that the idea of recovering from it all is improbable. Both of these characters take a liking to their more innocent counterparts, seeing in them what they once had but now have lost for reasons that were outside of their control. Clinging to that one person in the hope to keep them sane, and in the case of Banana Fish, no matter how the world might see Ash, Eiji will remain by his side. But similarly to Salinger’s short tale, it may not be enough to help Ash change to a more civil lifestyle. Despite the original manga being set in the 1980’s, Studio MAPPA decided to move the setting to a more modern time and as such caused various changes to the anime that deviate from the original source. Some of the most obvious examples include using character designs typical of the current animation standards rather that the original’s well-defined character models, and the implementation of technology such as smartphones used by the majority of the cast. These changes, whilst they may come off slightly off-putting are fairly harmless in the grand scheme of things. Although when it comes to contemporizing the story and its themes, there are numerous issues that arise. For example, by revising the setting to present day, many of the topics covered can be considered outdated and requires a certain suspension of disbelief not to lose any immersion the viewer has with the world established. This take also renders most of the social commentary the original story had as nearly obsolete, which was one of the aspects that made the manga so important for its time. It’s something that most viewers probably wouldn’t have a problem with, as it still remains a piece of fiction that can be enjoyed without social context. But for those that want to look at this show deeper that the ordinary fan, it’s an issue that can easily cause disappointment amongst certain anime fans. Another key issue that I personally had throughout watching was how many elements regarding the plot and characters slowly become narrowed as the series continues. Allow me to elaborate; the beginning of this show was really appealing, not only on a visual level with how vibrant the settings were and the distinct designs on display, but with how many different parts there was to the plotline. From the main characters, to the supporting cast gang members, to the numerous villains, to everyone else involved, each of these groups felt like their own intricate parts to the storyline that had the potential to create something truly special. But as the plot continues, it becomes apparent that the storyline is only meant to focus on the relationship between Ash and Eiji. This is not necessarily a bad thing – Banana Fish revolves around this in particular. But I can’t help but feel disappointed when a show with so many moving parts to begin with are funnelled out to prioritize all the screen time on the core plotline. Especially if comparing the anime to the manga, which gave more balanced attention to the large cast of characters intertwined. The villains all had varying degrees of depth but none of which I would honestly call complex, most characters not associated with a gang are shafted halfway through the anime and the gang members that are fleshed out are always given time and focus corresponding to their relationship with Ash. This is not a severe knock against the show, but I can’t help it when I see a series like Banana Fish have so much potential and not seriously capitalize upon it. The visuals for Banana Fish are a solid outing for Studio MAPPA. While I have my personal preference for character designs, the animation present here is energetic in how it depicts character movements and expressions, as well as providing the audience with some very exciting action scenes. The dynamic colour palette and background art are both visually appealing that while some might consider it detrimental to the tone of the show, I believe do better to initially attract anime fans to the series in general, acting as a pleasant treat for the eyes at first glance. The framing of the most controversial events that took place in Banana Fish was also commendable in giving the series a good sense of artistry. The audio for Banana Fish is also praiseworthy with strong performances for voice acting overall, really capturing the essence of each main character. The soundtrack also fits most scenes well despite none particularly standing out, except for the OP and ED tracks which is just simply fun to listen to. No matter what your music taste, these tracks are pretty accessible and make for fun openers to each episode. The translations however could definitely act as a detriment to the series as a whole depending on your take of the sensitive topics covered in Banana Fish. Personally I found it funny when Ash calls a separate character a “fag” in the translation considering what the series is about, but some could easily take such as a homophobic slur and the anime as a whole as tone-deaf. Just be careful what you’re getting yourself into, k? :) Looking back on Banana Fish, I see a series with a lot of upside to it. A carefully handled crime drama, innovative for its time, critically acclaimed source material, etc. And despite having my own criticisms against the series I would still recommend this to anyone interested in the series at all. Despite creative liberties it is at its core a well-made drama with emotionally powerful moments that are likely to entrance you in a tale barely brought to light by anime. There may be homoerotic undertones present, but the series was not made solely for such. Instead it clearly values a strong appreciation for storytelling, for that is how people from all different backgrounds can relate to fiction at a fundamental level.

Bloodvein

Pardon me this is my 1st and who knows maybe there will be more to come.After knowing about lack of prominence about this anime I decided to write a review to hopefully shed some light about the beautifully and intricately illustrated story that is Banana fish.Now do not let the title fool you.Many people who look at things in the superficial will never discover the depth of anime.Also do not pay to much heed to the fact that there is yaoi(gay) themes about this anime for those who are homophobic or even just a little put off by it.Such themes are handles masterfully by the illustrator throughout the anime in fleeting. Now,lets us get down to business shall we? Banana fish was set in the backdrop of 1985 New York. Amongst the chaos as Ash Lynx rebels against his cartaker Dino Golzine the head of an influential mafia in the city.He come across Eiji Okumura a Photographer from Japan.This two world will clash when a trained killer and a pure heart intermingle.Throw in banana fish; a drug which will send them on a mind gripping adventure. The plot in itself is exemplary as it follows very closely to the manga and is adapted with appropriate pacing and structure to grip the audiences attention well.Not for the faint of heart as anime touches heavily on the vices of the world such as drugs, prostitution , child abuse amongst others unlike many other anime which do not take such themes seriously .Many of which is still rampant in many communities around the world to day and is still relevant as it was back then.Gang warfare and violence in generally in the slums still perpetuate America today.Although there have been times the anime seem to be set abit to close to the present which could be a minor slip. The character progression through the episodes slowly build and like any good anime could make you both love and hate the actions which make them who they are . Our main man Ash though abused from childhood and sold into prostitution is broken in spirit.Yet he does not wallow in himself but carries not living as and empty shell not forgetting to mention that he is a highly proficient killer and a genius in every expect of the word.Did I not mention handsome as hell?A man who as the willpower to overcome and move forward physically.Both mind and body functioning at the man's optimum capacity but heart all but broken. Eiji is everything that ash isnt a person of great heart and is willing to help all but is naive,pure and his sheltered life is painstakingly obvious at first as he gets a culture shock when experiencing America but he prove his mettle as time passes on.Showing that he isn't just a pretty face.He give Ash his yin or yang however you may perceive it to be. Shorter is Ashes right hand man you could say helping him keep the streets under control.He slowly grows in importance as time goes by and will follow Ash to the death. Yut lung is a mysterious person that slowly gets introduced as the anime move on and plays a pivotal role in how the story progresses. Another thing this anime does too well maybe is to stir up the hearts of every soul against the antagonist Dino Golzine the head of the mafia wishing death and curse upon the vile man. Art is well done by the studio, the use of different shades of colour portraying the angsty themes that haunt the anime.The colour keeps well with the 80s and gives life to characters.Must give props to the animation as well,very fluid crisp solid performance both during action seqeunces as well as still motion.Emotions are portrayed well enough that I could get stirred to say the list.Hey i dont get stirred often okay. With regards to the sound,I'm not an expert in voice acting but i can say the voices for the main characters were very fitting to their roles.For the OST and EST I have to say Survive Said the Prophet is disgustingly good.Both song just harmonizes like honey with the themes of the anime and just accentuates the anime a tad bit more , I specially love ending to such an extent that i immediate got the full version of the song moments after it came out. All said and done , many might be put off by its yaoi themes i assure once again you that there is nothing sexual about this. Intertwine with gangster-ism, politics, and power is intrigue,drama and romance. Howbeit a deep meaningful connection even a self realization between the pure and the broken.Its just mental that the manga for this story came out in the 80s .Now I would easily put it as a forerunner for Anime of the Year. Put the spotlight back on this story and learn that relationships go beyond sacrifice.

conceptjunkie124

Maybe I've just run out of patience. After fifteen years of seeing/reading queer-adjacent stories that think this kind of subtext is good writing, that refuse to just spit it out and make it official, that's a distinct possibility. But even with that taken into account, Banana Fish is one of the most extreme examples I've ever seen. I started watching this anime because drug mystery intrigue with gang wars and two guys falling in love among the chaos? Sign. me. up. However, around the halfway point I started to get the feeling that they were either A. heavily delaying the inevitable, or B. never plan on turning the subtext into text. So I looked up what to expect (even though I'm violently anti-spoiler) and I'm extremely happy I did. Because if I had to watch gun shooting lessons draped in sunsets, declarations of "I'll wait for you forever," super zoomed in closeups of deeply affected reactions to what the other was heroically doing, tongue kissing for strictly plot purposes, tearful confessions of guarded secrets in the dead of night, "one of them thinks the other is dead" tropes, etc etc etc with no actual romantic payoff, I would have been _livid_. At some point, calling it a 'friendship' becomes irresponsible writing. If you're treating it like a romance, developing it like a romance, and giving it all the emotional cues of a romance, but don't turn the corner and make it a freaking romance, that is bad writing. That's setting up viewer expectation and not delivering. At all. May as well pull the rug and yell 'sike!' while you're at it. And what's more, apparently the original manga (that came out in the _1980s_ for crying out loud) called a spade a spade! They actually called them gay! So why not the anime? The whole thing is baffling, especially since the rest of it is damn compelling. Sure, some of the twists and turns aren't terribly surprising or imaginative, but it's sourced from the 80s. As a whole it keeps you engaged, keeps things moving, and throws more obstacles at the main characters than they know what to do with. (Ash got hit with the Tragedy Porn in particular, but again...80s). They had a solid, entertaining, captivating thing here, all of it cheapened by robbing the core relationship of the show of its due.

Litxng

Review written by Loneli AND Jennadesu (<3) To start off, I always pondered starting this anime since I thought it's going to be yaoi. I have nothing against the LGBT community but I was just never interested in yaoi/yuri. My weeb friends watched it and they said it was good so I thought I would give it a try. I was instantly hooked by the gangs and fights.__ Spoiler Warning: __ I'll give a quick, not very accurate summary . So basically our main character is Ash who is involved in gang activities since unfortunately that's how he was raised. The setting is in America, where Ash meets Eiji, if you didn't already know hes from japan and hes the lover but hes useless, and Ash grew up with mental and physical scars. He has been through child prostitution and other fucked up shit. This is all based on our opinions, dont get triggered. Moving on, there seems to be a lot more cons than pros but the anime is still amazing. Pros: For those who love action, this would be perfect for you since it was so action packed. For the most part, it was all serious but comedy was a good windbreaker from all the tension. This is also about loyalty and friendship. For all of y'all who like emotional stuff, this is for you. This anime brings attention to child trafficking and child prostitution. Many people are ignorant to this serious issue and this anime did a really good job showing how bad this topic is. Cons: Ash Lynx was a victim of children prostitution. Many people are discouraged by the main theme of yaoi, which is a central part of the storyline. There's no variety since every character you are introduced to are GAY, every single one. Not to mention, most of the time when you are introduced to FEMALE characters, they are killed off or used for comedic purposes (barbara LOL). Another thing, some people might be asking is why Ash is so protective of Eiji. Ash has gone through so much already. Witnessing the death of Skipper and couldn't do anything. Not being able to save his own brother and father. Having to shoot his best friend because he was drugged, rest in peace shorter <3. He doesn’t want to lose anyone close to him anymore. Ash feels the need to fight for him in order to not lose another loved one. Eiji was his last hope. I thought that it was unnecessary to kill off ash at the end. He lived through everything for what? Just to die of a stab wound in the library in the middle of reading a letter that could of been evitable? That’s quite disappointing if you ask me. I really recommend this anime. Enjoy if you decide to watch it!

shisha

~~~img420(https://de7i3bh7bgh0d.cloudfront.net/2019/04/17/16/31/13/93b758dd-d56f-43ae-9db4-fc9c6b17dda9/122-final.jpg)~~~ __Did I read the manga__: no __Score__: 7.5/10 - __Plot__: 6.5/10 - __Characters__: 8/10 - __Art & Music__: 8.5/10 __Recommended for__: lovers of crime, conspiracy, character focused drama, fast-paced, action, lgbt inclusion that is not necessarily the focus of the plot. Let's keep it short and sweet, BANANA FISH was a highly enjoyable ride. It has elements of your typical crime/conspiracy drama coupled with exhilarating action sequences. This anime has a _pulp fiction-y_ vibe to it. The streets of New York come to life as we are introduced to the world of gangs, a prostitution ring involving underage boys, the Chinese mafia, and a Japanese photographer who is unluckily caught in the middle of everything. Also, what the h*ll is a Banana Fish anyways? __Plot__ Banana Fish is a modern adaptation of the manga and it does so very well. The modern setting sets the anime apart from the manga, while sticking close to the original story. There is a cast of colorful characters and the interesting dialogue gives them depth, simultaneously driving the plot forward. A point of criticism is that at some point the conspiracy evolves into something rather extravagant. How much this bothers you depends on your willingness to suspend your disbelief. Banana Fish's focus is not on presenting a realistic portrayal of crime, but it's a tale of characters and their choices. The plot grows more hectic, the action sequences become crazier, and I wondered: how is Ash still alive? He truly pulls some deus ex machina moves at some point, has unbelievable stamina, and the plot just won't give him a rest. Mentally, he's not better off. There's some emotional torture porn going on here, bad things keep happening to him and just when you think it can't get worse, it does. I enjoyed how Banana Fish gave us a scenario where, through a series of events, two people from opposite worlds clash, and learn to know and understand each other. All in all, I feel the story could have benefited from a less convoluted plot. ~~~img300(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/66/17/46/661746de4d86cc17e31cc1e98d1677f8--manga-art-anime-manga.jpg)~~~ __Characters__ Ash and Eiji are the center of the series. Ash is a morally gray character. We often see him through the eyes of Eiji, who cares for him deeply. Eiji recklessly throws himself in the face of danger, and stays by his side even though any sound person would flee the situation. He does not shy away from Ash, and Ash appreciates that Eiji doesn't tip-toe around him like everyone else does. Ash is a beautiful character with a sophisticated mind. Despite his lack of formal education, he enjoys reading, and abides by his own moral code. He is painfully human and beneath that cold exterior he is wounded. We see Ash deal with the repercussions of his (childhood) trauma, he is reluctant towards affection and goes through great lengths to make sure his comrades don't suffer from his mistakes. And as he is hurt again and again, Eiji is always there: patient, undemanding. Eiji, in my opinion, deserved more development. His arc revolves around transforming Ash's life. But we see little of his own motivations. Why does he feel the need to stick to his side? Does he view Ash as the courage and determination that he doesn't believe he have? What moves him to go against better judgment? Does Eiji look up to Ash? I wonder. I feel that Ash and Eiji in many ways resemble the dynamic between Achilles and Patroclus. Even though from the outside it may appear that Ash is the one protecting Eiji, they see each other as equals. Eiji has a boldness to him and Ash acknowledges that. Despite knowing each other for such a short time, through mutual trust and support, they developed a bond that is transcendent. __Art & Music__ The art & music is superb. New York is painted with a grungy undertone. The action scenes are gripping. The soundtrack hypes you up and tears at your heartstrings. The title card and poster design deserve some love as well. 「I definitely recommend this anime, it's a delightful experience that portrays America through the lens of a Japanese artist, has great characters, and keeps you at the edge of your seat with its fast-paced action.」 Thanks for reading this review, _sayonara!_

GoneToMars

______Banana fish first 2 Episodes____ Going into banana fish completely blind not even watching a single trailer, Going into this anime just knowing the premise and what the poster looks like, that was enough to make me want to check out this anime. The op for banana fish is a bop and I love how it doesn't show too much and shows just enough to keep you interested. This is my first anime from this studio but just from a few things I've seen its made me excited ____Banana fish Episode 1____ This anime is already off to a great start establishing all the main characters and cast, I love the character design and the animation is great. This anime reminds me of cowboy bebop with the fighting and also reminds me Akira in a way with all the gangs and motorcycles. Everything about episode 1 was really good and ending it on a cliff hanger is a little ballsy but I respect it. This is my first anime from this studio MAPPA is looking really good and just this episode alone has made me want to check out more of their other stuff like the god of Highschool and Dorohedoro: Ma no Omake. The characters in banana fish are super cool and memorable, i often find myself forgetting names of characters in anime but I remember these, probably because a lot of them have American names. This is also one of the first anime I've seen that is set in America and from the first episode you know everything you need to know. Voice acting is good as you'd expect with any studio of that size but I think the strongest points about this anime is the character design, fighting choreography and the animation. ____Banana fish Episode 2____ The 2nd episode is really cool a little better than the first. I felt a little awkward at some points but the anime continues to build the world and characters well. Stays grounded to reality mostly and the fights are really fun to watch. The bad guy is kinda just a cookie cutter kind of guy typical bad guy, double crossing you and all that jazz. In this episode you learn more about shorter which is probably my favorite character at this point, he looks really cool and he saves skip and ash so hes a bad ass. __Spoiler Warning__ Skip dying sucked I had a feeling it was coming but I didn't think it would be this soon into the anime, It didn't really set him up to be a character we fell in love with, sure he was cool and a chill kid but I feel as though his death would have been so much more impactful later in the series. Half way through episode 2 you find out ash was involved in a number of videos which exploited him as a child. Just from the name and seeing a few posters I didn't think this anime would have these kind of things happen, I thought it would have been a simple kick ass anime but its so much more than that and it leaves you in the dark for alot of stuff which I like. Overall alot of stuff I really enjoy about this anime and Im excited to watch more episodes, Id definitely check this anime out if youre a fan of Cowboy BeBop or Akira, if you dont check out this anime you should definitely check out the studio. The first 2 episodes id rate a solid 60-70/100

Meistro

__Trigger warning due to mentions of sexual assault, but I won’t be going into explicit details.__ ~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/mYFMi1Y.jpg?1)~~~ _I’ve been ignoring everyone I’ve been wandering around I’ve been deceived everything At that time Then you appeared in front of me Ignited my pale heart We’ve been looking for each other from now on Save you ~ Opening lyrics to Banana Fish’s second opening theme, “Freedom” by BLUE ENCOUNT_ The above lyrics pretty much sums up what Banana Fish is about: a traumatized kid meeting someone that heals his heart with love, thus leading the two of them on a quest to protect each other. Banana Fish is not an easy anime to talk about, not least because of its mature content about rape, child trafficking, and pedophilia. In spite of its lack of blood and gore that many anime viewers mistakenly associate with “maturity,” Banana Fish can still be an uncomfortable anime to watch because it explores the effect of the trauma the characters endure. Yes, the effect of it, not the trauma itself. Something unique about Banana Fish that separates it from similar anime about rape is that it doesn’t really show the act itself in any exploitative manner. It shows just enough for the audience to know what happened, but it’s more interested in showing the aftermath and the way horrific acts like these would change a person. ~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/lfKZDi9.jpg)~~~ Based on an ’80s shoujo (young girls) manga of the same name written by Akimi Yoshida, the title of the name comes from the J. D. Salinger novel, “A Perfect Day for Bananafish”. The usage of this title would make a lot more sense upon its ending, but for the naming of every episode, the anime has also borrowed the titles of other famous literary works by the likes of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe, William Faulkner, and Salinger once again, featuring episode titles like “The Catcher in the Rye”, “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, “Islands in the Stream”, and “The Beautiful and Damned”. I tried comparing thematic similarities between the books the episodes are referencing and the episodes themselves, but I only found surface similarities that are superficial. I could be wrong though, as these allegories and symbolism could sometimes prove challenging to analyze during the first viewing. The anime is about a young gang leader in New York named Ash Lynx who become involved in a conflict over an eponymous drug, “banana fish.” He meets a young Japanese pole vaulter named Eiji Okumura who has come to America to recuperate from his injury. Over the course of the anime, Ash comes to appreciate Eiji’s innocence from a world of violence like his home, and he would confide in him his past trauma of abuse that turned him into a cold-blooded killing machine. Eiji feels sympathies for Ash and seeks to save his soul from damnation, and Ash in return wants to protect him from the ugly world he’s familiar with. Beyond the gun action and urban warfare, Banana Fish is a tragic but endearing tale of two kindred spirits who find a greater purpose of living than their own trauma. Even in 2018, it’s uncommon for mainstream anime to feature romantic relationships between two men, though “boys’ love” was far more common among ’80s manga. However, Yoshida has stated that Ash is not gay, and there hasn’t been any explicit evidence that Ash and Eiji share a homosexual relationship. There is a kiss in one episode, but its context is technically not a romantic one and is done out of necessity. ~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/CdVvRVx.jpg)~~~ The anime also features other colorful characters like Shorter Wong, Ash’s closest ally prior to Eiji’s arrival; Sing Soo-Ling, a young 14 year old forced to take up the role of a gang leader in Chinatown; Lee Yut-Lung, the youngest son of the Chinese mafia; Max Lobo, a war veteran and freelance journalist who was in the same platoon as Ash’s elder brother, Griffin Callenreese; Blanca, a Kazakh assassin and former KGB responsible for training Ash into an effective killer; and last but not least, “Papa” Dino Golzine, the American mafia crime lord who bought Ash as a child, grooming him to be his right-hand man. A number of these characters turned out to be quite morally ambiguous, including Golzine, whose viciousness and threats of enslaving Ash belies his twisted love for him as a surrogate father. Yut-Lung is your basic “dark reflection” character for Ash, having endured the trauma of witnessing his mother raped and murdered as a child and growing up seeking vengeance against the perpetrators. In fact, a number of the characterizations in the anime are in relation to Ash, such as Frederick Arthur, a former member of Ash’s gang who’s jealous of Ash’s purity and perseverance in the face of trauma, or Blanca who, even during his employment with Golzine, has a soft spot for his former student and his newfound Japanese friend. There are less significant characters that feel more like a typical boss in a video game one has to defeat, such as Eduardo Foxx who shows up in the last few episodes of the anime without much development or build-up. His existence and the gang war storyline of the anime are some of the things I’ve found to be superficial compared to the more interesting development between Ash and Eiji. In fact, during the second-half of the anime, instead of exploring the dynamics between the two and how they affect each other’s lives, the story becomes more of a tug-of-war with one party kidnapping or attacking another party’s members, becoming something of a generic crime drama that’s so ubiquitous on American television. In its defense, some parts of this gang war are utilized to develop Ash and Eiji’s character, in that Eiji is shown to be Ash’s one weak link in spite of being this overpowered and seemingly invulnerable protagonist. And that’s another thing I’m bothered by: the super-human skills of the characters that sometimes break my suspension of disbelief, particularly Ash and Blanca. While I could buy that some of these people were specially trained armed forces armed with top-notch military tactics, the characters sometimes feel like they’re protected by plot-armor and couldn’t die until the plot allows them to. Having seen my share of military anime like “Black Lagoon” and “Jormungand” (not to mention the many, many American military media), this familiar trend of superpowered soldiers does get a little stale over time, becoming the equivalent of a Dragon Ball character who lives and dies as the plot dictates. But to be fair, characters are written realistically enough that they do still die, and if they do survive, they become overpowered by the suppressing fire of the opposite party who has a lot more guns and bullets. They don’t really utilize the kind of brilliant strategies seen in other anime like “Death Note” or “Legend of the Galactic Heroes” (with other characters often attributing their moments of brilliance to some magical talent they have), but that’s probably expecting too much from an ’80s shoujo manga. ~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/xkBllnY.png?1)~~~ A more minor detail that caught my attention is that, unlike the manga, the anime sometimes exclude details that would make viewers aware that a character has been raped, which undercuts Yoshida’s intention of focusing on the effects of such trauma. For example, when a certain female character was attacked, the aftermath of the assault wasn’t animated in a clear way what actually happened until she mentioned it several episodes later (unlike the manga, which actually portrayed her in her undergarment). It’s a more minor flaw because it still feels true to the spirit of the manga in its avoidance from showing such horrific acts in any exploitative manner, even if it overdoes it to the point of excluding the audience from the conversation. The biggest controversy, however, has to be the ending, where a certain bad thing happens to a certain character whom I shall not name. A lot of fans were left confused and even infuriated by such an action, but Yoshida’s defense was, “Because he’s a murderer that deserves to be punished.” (I’m paraphrasing to avoid spoilers) It’s an odd way to write a character that way, as if it’s some sort of propaganda to impart a moral lesson on its readers, but it makes a lot of sense in the context of Japanese culture, which encourages its citizens to put up a positive image, especially towards foreigners (and presumably media that would be accessible to foreigners like Banana Fish). On an unrelated note, it’s also where the myth of Japanese politeness comes from. For what it’s worth, I wasn’t as bothered by how the ending turned out until I found out the context behind its execution. I thought that it made a lot of sense, that the character couldn’t have easily achieved happiness because of what he went through, and his choice appropriately mirrors Salinger’s novel, calling back to the title of the show. It wouldn’t have ended any other way. I knew of that the moment I found out what the novel was about. ~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/AiPCm9A.jpg)~~~ When it comes down to it, Yoshida wanted to tell a story of heart, something that would appeal to female audiences. She admitted so when asked about writing it for a male demographic, claiming that “boys have such simple tastes as opposed to the complex emotions of a girl.” Ironically, the anime at least would seem to be more appealing to a male demographic with its many action sequences that overshadow the more intimate moments Yoshida speaks of. A story about healing one’s heart from years of sexual trauma can be a powerful and timeless tale, especially when paired with the loving friendship between two men, something that’s exceptionally rare compared to the more naïve ideals of friendship in anime catered towards the younger male demographic (commonly referred to as “shounen anime”). Friendship is more than just about platitudes of courage or loyalty; it can be something far deeper and personal even among children. It can be two people learning to accept each other through the worst imaginable circumstances they have to endure. Banana Fish could’ve been something more.

biakkin

Primeiro de tudo, eu queria saber por que esse anime é classificado como Shoujo? Não acho que ter um "romance" gay faça com que seja motivo para classificar esse anime como Shoujo. Pra mim é claramente um Seinen, se alguém souber o porque dessa classificação e puder me explicar ficarei agradecida. A história gira em torno de uma droga produzida em laboratório chamada Banana Fish, e todas as consequências que ela causou na sociedade. É ambientado nos EUA e mostra um conflito entre gangues, máfia e o governo, que é bem legal porque mostra um choque cultural bem forte entre os americanos, chineses imigrantes, negros e italianos. Fui assistir esse anime sem saber absolutamente nada sobre, nunca tinha nem visto a estética dos personagens e desde o primeiro episódio eu já percebi que eu iria gostar muito porque eu gosto de animes que retratam a violência, maaaaaas, como trata de alguns assuntos bem chocantes e tem cenas bem fortes eu fiquei um pouco assustada. Cada vez que o Ash era abusado sexualmente me deixava muito mal e eu sofria muito porque eu gostei muito do personagem e não queria que ele passasse por isso. Cheguei em um ponto em que não queria continuar assistindo pra não sofrer mais. Mas continuei porque gostei muito do desenvolvimento dos personagens e da relação deles entre si. O Shorter foi o meu favorito desde o início e a situação em que colocaram ele me deixou bem tensa. E aí chegou o episódio 10 (eu acho), onde acontecem coisas que me derrubaram totalmente e me deixaram muito bad, eu chorei de verdade nessa parte. Fiquei mais ou menos uma semana sem assistir mais nenhum episódio e depois voltei preparada psicologicamente pra continuar... e acontece mais uma desgraça pesada. Em um ponto você começa a achar que a felicidade não existe mais. A história continuou se desenvolvendo muito bem, mas eu tive a impressão de que nos ultimos episódios eles deram uma corrida na história (não li o mangá ainda), mas nada que prejudicasse muito. O final pra mim fechou perfeitamente a história. Não tinha como ter nada mais coerente que isso. Apesar de ter sofrido muito terminei com saudades do anime e penso seriamente em assistir de novo para perceber detalhes que eu não vi antes por estar chorando KKKKK Eles mudaram o traço dos anos 80 o suficiente para que não perdesse a característica mas pra ficar mais fluido na animação, que merecia ser melhor mas as cenas de ação ficaram boas o suficiente. E as músicas das openings são maravilhosas, escuto todos os dias. Algumas coisas foram censuradas mas eu já sofri o suficiente mesmo com censura então não acho que foi ruim. Enfim, minha nota só não é 100 pela acelerada que deram na história no final que deixou algumas coisas em aberto. Mas é um anime maravilhoso, que eu recomendo pra quem não é muito fragil psicologicamente, e é um dos meus favoritos hoje.

forlvrs

_Banana Fish_ is undeniably one of the most influential pieces of media that I have ever consumed. There is not a single moment during the anime or manga where I wasn't on the verge of tears or when my heart wasn't clenching and threatening to burst out of my chest due to stress and pain. There is something so visceral about _Banana Fish_ that it took me a while to even begin to compose coherent thoughts about it. The characters are one thing; you easily fall, creating a deep and harsh connection with almost every single one of them. That connection can be filled with hate, love, remorse, and pity; whatever that may be, the connection is there. They are so well written it is almost unimaginable to think that such authenticity was poured into a piece of work. I could understand why certain characters made those decisions, even if I hated them. Yut Lung, for example, is an enigma of a character. He makes so many stupid decisions, ones that made me hate him with every bone in my body, but at the same time, I could completely understand why he made such rash decisions. The reason is his past. He was never showed any form of love before, only ever being surrounded by hate and conflict. That changed him. That made him become a hateful person, one that didn't even really knew what they wanted. Ash Lynx, however, is the complete opposite of him. Despite being raised in similar situations, they turned out different. Ash is loving. He is caring. He is understanding. He devotes his time to taking care of and protecting those that he loves, even if it means that he will be in harm's way. He is like that for a reason; the reason being that he has felt _love_. Love from Skipper, from Shorter, from his brother, and eventually, from Eiji. The dynamic between Ash and Eiji is so raw and authentic that it almost hurts to see. They are the true definition of what I think love is. It's painful, but also so incredibly compelling, that I can't bother to look away no matter how much it hurts. They are in love, it's incredibly foolish to deny that, but if you go into _Banana Fish_ thinking that it is simply a romance/boys love, then you are setting yourself up for disappointment. _Banana Fish_ is a lot more than that. It is a story about healing and finding hope where there seems to be none, the abuse of power, and most evidently, it is about the corruption of America and how it constantly fails its people, especially its children (evidence of this is the scene between Ash and Papa Dino where he yells in a bittersweet tone, "_Is the American dream?!"_). Ash is a reflection of a character who could've been saved from pain (Blanca, for example, could've somehow aided Ash and removed him from the situations that he was in) but he never got that help. He had to be his own hero and try and save himself from the world that he was in, or else he never would've survived. Seeing _Banana Fish_ as a boy's love is so narrowminded, because that perspective does not capture the true essence of the show! As a pansexual person, I will say that it would've been nice to add _Banana Fish_ to my pile of "feel-good gay shit romance", but I simply cannot. That's not what the anime and manga are for, and that is not what I (or anyone, really) should categorize them as. _Banana Fish_ is a timeless piece of art, one that truly depicts the idea of corruption and abuse. I would 100% recommend it to anyone that is not extremely sensitive to themes such as child abuse/prostitution, gang life, and violence, as well as drug abuse. It heavy and hard to read and watch, but God, do I love it. I hope my love for _Banana Fish_ can somehow be shared through this review.

mikasaackermanswife

Summary: Aslan Jade Callenreese, known as Ash Lynx, was a runaway picked off the streets of New York City and raised by the infamous godfather of the mafia, Dino Golzine. Now 17 years old and the boss of his own gang, Ash begins investigating the mysterious "Banana Fish"—the same two words his older brother, Griffin, has muttered since his return from the Iraq War. However, his inquiries are hindered when Dino sends his men after Ash at an underground bar he uses as a hideout. At the bar, Skip, Ash's friend, introduces him to Shunichi Ibe and his assistant, Eiji Okumura, who are Japanese photographers reporting on American street gangs. However, their conversation is interrupted when Shorter Wong, one of Ash's allies, calls to warn him about Dino. Soon, Dino's men storm the bar, and in the ensuing chaos kidnap Skip and Eiji. Now, Ash must find a way to rescue them and continue his investigation into Banana Fish, but will his history with the mafia prevent him from succeeding? Trigger Warning for: sexual assault, CP, drugs, gang violence, sexual trauma, rape, etc (please make sure to understand the possible triggers of this show before watching) also __SPOILERS AHEAD__ Let me just begin by saying that this story is one of the saddest most gut-wrenching works I've ever seen. BANANA FISH will always hold such an important place in my heart. One of the many reasons that this show remains with its viewer long after watching is because Ash's story is so real. The things that happened to him were something that is happening right now to so many kids in America. He is so unlike any character I've ever come across. Ash and Eiji's relationship also resonates with me to this day. Due to all of Ash's trauma, he didn't trust anyone or let anyone in. But, he trusted Eiji unconditionally. During some of his most vulnerable moments, Eiji was right there by his side. They were literally the textbook definition of soulmates. Another thing I absolutely loved about BANANA FISH was its use of the theme of "flight." In the first episode after Ash rescues Eiji from being kidnapped, he says to him in the hospital "I envy you. You know how to fly." We come to later understand that he meant Eiji could "fly away" from the situation. Ash never believed he could. In his mind, there was always something holding him back and keeping him in that violent cycle. We would notice upon further inspection that whenever Ash is seen (alone) looking out a window, there is always something in front of it. Eiji on the other hand is never see like this. In closing, BANANA FISH left me with emotional wounds that I don't truly believe will ever close. If you take anything away from this, please remember: It's Blanca's fault that Ash decided to go to the library instead of the hospital :) BTW: sorry that this was really rushed. I'll probably end up making a better one later

LePhePhe

~!Eiji and Ash deserved to be together !~ and that is just faX, the anime itself has an insane story line and does not hold back with hard hitting emotions, they don't hesitate to build your love and respect for a character only to ~!literally kill them and destroy every fibre of your being!~ Shorter is favourite overall besides my boy Eiji, he was there for Ash no matter what and did all he could even when put in the worst manipulative position he still tired to protect those he loved which was OOOOOOO yesh yesh. Sing Soo-Ling is an awesome dude who had his moral's his members and respect in the end of the day he was probably my third favourite and his arch was quite good and different (not then any of them really had the same character growth or arch). SPOILER ~!FRICK THAT MUTHERTRUCKER LAO FOR STOPPING MY BOYS ASH EIJI NOT BE HAPPY TOGETHER WHEN ASH WAS FINALLY READY TO PUT ALL HIS NEGATIVITY AND GANG LIFE BEHIND HIM YOU TRUCKERS JUST NAH NAH ENMD HIM IN THE LAST WHAT? 20 SECONDS OF ONE OF THE MOST HEARTBREAKING ANIME'S OF ALL TIME BRO WHAT THE FRICK!~ Bones is my fav support character, he cool as heck and i liked the relief he gave plus he did do best he could while letting Eiji do what he had to without causing trouble but the fact he is so scared of Ash does indeed give me a good chuckle. Skip is wholesome and adorable ~!and deserved better as we all know!~ Now when I heard of banana fish all I knew was that it was apparently sad and all I'm going to say on that is..... yeah..... prepare the tissues. Dino is a straight bad dude we don't stand ~~SA~~ or weido's like Dino who take advantage of sweet blessing to this world like Ash Lynx and his beautiful Eiji but the beginning is good it starts off as basically Ash trying to discover what happened to his older brother while he was serving in a war, the only phrase his brother had said was 'Banana Fish' hence why Ash is trying to find out what the meaning is behind this is and if he can save his brother. that is the basis from what i gathered that won't spoil the actual anime however give you slight idea on what it is actually about and for added context that may spoil a little uncover below ~!Ash spends most of the anime fighting his old Don/boss Dino whom was very bad man we no like him while meeting Eiji a photographer working with his journalist uncle whom is trying to help Eiji out of a blip in his life, Ash and Eiji find a special connection that progresses throughout the anime however is left bittersweet to all!~ __Is it worth watching? __ _HECK yeah_ Banana fish as a whole has one of the most original and genuinely good story line, there was not a single episode where I was not invested in what was happening, there also has never been an anime that takes me through so many waves of emotions in a few sittings before, it only took me about 4 days to finish and it was well worth it so I recommend going out of your way to view.

Neza

This is not exactly a review but a general look at the anime from my pov. I'd been putting off watching banana fish for a while. The title sounded so weird to me but at the same time a little inviting. I didn't have much thought about how it would be going in, I just one day randomly decided to watch it. And when I did, it impacted me in a way I can't describe. Banana Fish is a lot more than its title gives on. It is a heartbreaking story about those who never get a chance to live a truly happy life. It revolves around topics of abuse, street gangs, drugs, trafficking, prostitution, and such. The anime makes these scenes so painful and uncomfortable to watch (which is how it should be). Oftentimes, most shows don't portray them accurately or not as realistically. Our main character 17-year-old Ash is one of the victims of Dino Golzine- a crime organization leader. Ash is incredibly smart with an IQ of 200, rational, far-sighted, and is very good-looking too. Dino abuses Ash, mentally and physically throughout his life since he was a little child. Dino favors Ash and views him as his pet. However, when he finds out Ash knows of a substance called "banana fish" that could help him in his crimes, he wishes to make Ash his heir, murder him or torture him till he surrenders. Ash rebels against Dino while trying to protect those who support him. And this is where the story takes off. In Ash's mission to fight Dino, he encounters Eji Okumura from Japan. Eji is a 19-year-old boy who comes to New York as an assistant to help Shunichi Ibe. Eji is kind, innocent, strong, has a welcoming personality, and is also childish and stubborn at times. As the story progresses, Ash and Eji's lives collide as they begin to form a strong bond. Eji is exposed to the harsh reality Ash faces, as several events take place. As he witnesses this cold, brutal environment, he strongly feels that Ash deserves to live free from the violence. He deeply cares for Ash, wants him to be happy and safe while asking nothing in return. Ash, on the other hand, had never experienced this selfless love before. Eji's warmth comforts Ash and he finds a safe place(mentally) when he is around Eji, even if it for a short period. Ash too, shares the same emotions towards Eji and tries his best to protect him. However, he often feels like he dragged Eij into his mess and his feelings of guilt and sadness are sorrowfully portrayed. This bond they share is depicted so preciously, you can't help but cry. The supporting characters each have a notable role and contribute a lot to the story. No character feels out of place, and their actions don't look forced for the sake of the story. The warm undertones in wholesome scenes and the cool undertones in intense ones add so much depth to the story overall. The animation is top-notch and the voice actors bring life to the characters, giving them a strong personality as if they were real people. The soundtrack blends perfectly with what is being shown. (my personal favorite is Liberty by Shinichi Osawa) I think what touches people most after they watch Banana fish, is the ending. It goes on to show that love goes beyond sexual relations and other unwritten rules people have created over time. The story of Ash Lynx is something that real people face in the real world. The real world where a lot of times, hopes are engulfed by fears and circumstances that can't be controlled. The happiness people deserve is not always present and the question of do they even deserve it? creates a certain kind of emptiness. It depicts that what we want is sometimes too far to achieve but too dear to not try at all. A story of sacrifice, fate, love, and loneliness, is painted in a heartwrenching way in the last five minutes of the show as we see Ash while Eji narrates his monologue. Tldr- watch banana fish<3< /p>

dommywommy

#~~~___Banana Fish Review___~~~ img520(https://theawesomeone.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/08583_banana-fish-anime-critique.jpg) ~~~_Before the review starts, I wanted to take a moment to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day! If nobody else is your valentine today, then it's me! I love you!!!!_~~~ ~~~___Summary___~~~ _Banana Fish_ is a really rough story about some really rough characters who live in a really rough world and are forced to do some really rough things. It’s __rough.__ But _DAMN_ it’s good. Watch it! You’ll be better off for it! It was amazing. But also, _prepare yourself to be depressed for approximately 4.5 days after you finish. Honestly, it’s been like two weeks and I’m still depressed._ WATCH THIS SHOW. And then talk to me about it  ___SCORE: 9.5/10___ img520(https://www.theanimedaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Banana-Fish-Season-2-1.jpg) ~~~___Story___~~~ Ok. I want to start by throwing out a warning because NOBODY told me what I needed to prepare for before watching _Banana Fish_. Ok, well, @KisaDi might have mentioned something but I don’t really listen to her for whatever reason (clearly a result of my own stupidity maybe?). Anyway, if you _haven’t_ watched Banana Fish yet and don’t know what it’s about, do yourself a favour and prepare for an extremely good story that takes place under an extremely depressing and upsetting backdrop. I would consider myself somewhat of a _connoisseur_ of depressing television. I thought I had seen the worst environments that writers had to offer. __BOY was I wrong__. I don’t want to give anything away in the story so I will stick to generalities for this discussion, which is actually somewhat saddening because there are so many nuances and little events that underpin the story that I would love to discuss. The story is sad. It starts off sad, then get’s sadder, then _gets sadder again_. Just when you think it’s about to get better and things will shape up for our best-friends-who-could-also-be-boyfriends protagonists, __it gets even more sad.__ Banana Fish tells a story characterized by pain, sadness, and loss. And it’s __damn good__. Honestly, this is one of my favourite stories in anime and it made me curious about some of the darker, more depressing anime storylines. More importantly, it made me question the reality of the life I live and the world I’m surrounded by. I like art that makes me think. That’s saying something because I have a very limited brain cell count (@KisaDi would tell you that count is 2, give or take). Anyway, _Banana Fish_ was amazing and I definitely recommend you pay attention, internalize the story, and let it consume you. ___SCORE: 10/10___ img520(https://static1.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Banana-Fish.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=943&h=500&dpr=1.5) ~~~___Characters___~~~ The characters in Banana Fish are incredible, and I would consider the characterization to be quite an achievement for the studio. Each character feels very grounded and realistic. Characters are complex and have (sometimes competing) motives and aspirations. More importantly, the character development is deeply tied within the plot and so much is revealed and revisited across the series. You know the characters are well written when they make you yell at your computer monitor at 2 AM something along the lines of “DUDE **** YOU HOW CAN YOU DO THIS WHAT THE **** IS WRONG WITH YOU” and you wake up your roommates and they yell at you and ask what you’re doing. Banana Fish’s characters are _that_ good. I’m a person with… let’s call it _limited_ emotional attachment to digital characters, yet Banana Fish had me… _feeling things._ ‘Nuff said. Watch the show. ___SCORE: 10/10___ img520(https://c.tenor.com/zUEEhjBaLjgAAAAC/banana-fish-ash-lynx.gif) ~~~___Visuals___~~~ I actually quite enjoyed the visuals of Banana Fish. The entire colour scheme is kind of… muted? All of the colours are very lifelike and have a grey tone to them, probably to reflect the grim reality of the world the characters are a part of. Additionally, the character design feels very traditional, even though the anime is relatively recent. This is probably because the manga is so old, but I’m happy they stuck to the original character designs, as the visual aesthetic has a certain _authenticity_ to it that’s hard to quantify. Either way, I liked it, even though I’m a fan of saturated colours. I feel like the style really worked for the content of the show. Scenes were also well animated and everything feels very real. Nothing too flashy. It _just makes sense_. ___SCORE: 8.5/10___ img520(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/84/9e/95/849e95095d308c59b1ecacb8a916d602.gif) ~~~___Music___~~~ Usually I try to remain impartial for these reviews (who am I kidding here?), but I’m __heavily__ biased towards the soundtrack for Banana Fish. Not ___ONLY___ is it kick-ass, but the first opening is sang by my favourite band!!!!! Survive Said The Prophet absolutely smashed it out of the park. The second opening is fire but it’s no SSTP, and both endings are also quite good. Not much to say other than all 4 are in my Japanese playlist on spotify. Very good. ___SCORE: 10/10___ img520(https://78.media.tumblr.com/8d60859272efa32abfc737e0094e57d4/tumblr_peqb2imlNp1xc5ua3o1_540.gif) ~~~___Enjoyment___~~~ I _really_ enjoyed this one. It made me think, made me sad, made me hopeful, and then made me sad again. And I _loved every minute of it_. Honestly it’s worth your time. The show presents a stark look at the reality of some _very_ tough subject matter, and it handles all of these subjects with grace and beauty. It really is a timeless tale, and one that is just as relevant today as it was in the 80s. Unfortunately, it will probably continue to be relevant for the foreseeable future, which is extremely upsetting. But hey, _at least the show was frickin’ amazing_. ___SCORE: 9/10___ ___P.S___ _If you enjoyed this review, please feel [free to check out my other reviews. ](https://anilist.co/user/dommywommy/reviews)  Also, feel free to start a conversation with me about this series or any other great series you like! I’m new to anime/manga so I’m always looking for recommendations. I appreciate you reading until the end! Thanks so much!_

Takaragomy

I really expected more from a series that has been so well rated, but "my disappointment was immeasurable and my day was ruined." After watching the anime I was very disappointed, so I went back and read the manga from the beginning past the point where the anime ends, and I have to say that the manga is much better than the adaptation. First, the biggest issue I see most people have with this series is the way the anime handles the relationship between Ash and Eiji. In the manga, this is explicitly made a gay relationship, but in the anime... They can't say gay, this aired on television... So this just has to be some kind of weird intimate friendship, which takes away so much from the story itself and redefines several major plot points. This "friendship" causes Eiji to follow Ash around like a lost puppy, as he receives special treatment, and causes nothing but problems for the characters around him. In addition, I found Eiji to be an extremely annoying character in the anime (less so in the manga). He basically fills the damsel in distress cliché and brings very little to the story. His character does not develop throughout the series, and he very rarely is helpful in any way. He exists solely to push the plot forward. His primary role in the manga was to develop a romantic relationship with Ash, helping Ash grow as a character, but the anime doesn't do this. They just put romantic subtext under a "friendship" with a will they-won't they set up. This is not only disappointing from a romantic perspective but really takes away from the overall narrative of the series, and any character growth that Ash may see. The plot itself has some interesting ideas but again, I feel that the anime failed to capture what made the manga great. The character development was much weaker in the anime than in the manga, to the point where I really didn't care when characters died. Character deaths felt like they were set up more for shock value and plot than any actual emotional impact, and it felt like when characters died, there was very little grieving in the aftermath as the story jumped right into the next plotline. On a separate note, the art style from the manga did not adapt very well to animation. This is just my own opinion, and I guess a lot of people really liked this anime, but I just don't see it. I probably wouldn't have even sat through the entire series if I weren't watching it with my wife. My wife enjoyed the series more than I did but was also disappointed by the end. I really don't recommend this anime at all. Just go read the manga for a better experience. If you are anime-only, then I would just pass on this series.

ACasualViewer

THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS Story: 9 Banana Fish is a beautiful story about the adventures of a New York gangster with a dark past named, Ash Lynx, and a Japanese boy visiting America who gets caught up in it, Eiji Okumura. The story starts with 2 things first a flash back scene in the middle east where a soldier kills his comrades and then gets shot in the legs. Second largely with Ash being portrayed as a real tough gangster who is controlling the streets on behalf of the local mafia. However, this sort of story quickly takes a turn into something else, Ash Lynx ends being the little brother of the guy who went insane in the Iraq and believes Golzine the leader of the mafia is responsible so he betrays them and steals a drug called Banana Fish. From this point on the main characters get wrapped up in a huge conspiracy involving congress men, the military, and a large criminal syndicate, and Ash Lynx with his gang and Eiji try to uncover the truth and expose Golzine. The anime was largely faithful to the source material and did not change all that much, although they did not keep the era the series took place in, it covered the original work well enough. In fact I personally love the atmosphere of New York and the modern interpretation of the series, instead of Vietnam they used a more current war, and they represented current american demographics a lot better. They also changed a few characters backstories to make them more current for example the former Russian agent is now a former Russian special forces member and such. Overall though they kept it faithful to the source material and it was an amazing ride. Art: 9 The animation is smooth and clean, there were no major problems with it, the fight choreography was pretty beautiful as well and the character design, which really suits the manga version of the characters. The background art for the city was beautifully done, it seems like some of the animators have actually been to New York or at least looked at street views of the city. The weapons in the show could have been done a bit better, and the series decided not to show the aftermath of a lot of the more violent scenes but that's alright the show was aiming to be dark not edgy. The sound: 8 The openings were absolutely amazing some of the best of 2018, both were great songs, the sound track for the fight scenes and whenever Golzine showed up were very good and livened up the show. I love how the OP songs and the main story were connected really well, and the use of lighter music and background sounds when the characters were doing more slice of life things helped give some relief in a fairly dark show. Characters: 8 The character development between Ash and Eiji were pretty amazing, Ash starts off being really isolated and closed to the world due to past trauma however with Eiji he beings feeling more human and even able to love like a normal person. Its important to note however, if you are coming into this anime expecting a boys love show, you're going to be disappointed. Although its almost certain Ash is bisexual, Eiji and Ash do not have a romantic life together, the story is primarily focused on the main plot involving Banana Fish, and although Eiji really cares about Ash I dont think hes romantically interested, its closer to brotherly love if anything. Enjoyment: 8 I really enjoyed this series, its one of my top 5 for this year, and its definitely one of the top 24 episode shows we have had, I believe if you enjoy animes with gangs, street fighting, interesting plot twists, strong but flawed main characters, and a dark atmosphere, then this show is for you. Overall: 8 I give this show an 8, it was really hard deciding whether or not to give this show an 8 or 9 since it was very close, however I will give it an 8 for 2 reasons. One because although the story was great it relied way to much on Ash or Eiji being kidnapped to move the plot forward, felt like this was a Nintendo game and they princesses. Second because the ending was a little rushed and they couldn't fit in everything important, and had to rush some fights. However it is still a very strong show and definitely a top 5 of 2018.

dihahah

__Plot__ Each episode had some development and it was exciting at every turn of the corner. The show was well paced and we managed to get a full fleshed story at the end of the 24 episodes, leaving no cliffhangers (albeit some speculation). The show was also humorous at times as we saw multiple sides of Ash and his interaction with his friends. It had a good balance between these light hearted, painfully emotional and action packed moments. I felt that Banana Fish is all rounded in this sense. We were given a glimpse into the street gangs of New York and how they are controlled by the mafia and other bigger powers. The camaraderie between the members, the hierarchy that exists within the gang and collaboration with other gangs were interesting to watch. The addition of a lethal drug created some suspense and mystery and kept the stakes high. Although, the main mission kind of strayed away from Banana Fish nearing the end. This show also had a lot of contrasts that added flavour to the show. Firstly, cultural difference. Set in America, the show tried to emulate the American culture. With Eiji’s and Ibe’s entrance there was a clash of cultures. Paralelly, Ash’s and Eiji’s personalities clashed as well. It was mentioned many times that they lived in different worlds and it was evident it many scenes of the show. I liked the diversity in the show, represented by the Lees and Cain. This set up more tension but friendship at the same time and gave way to more heartwarming moments which really made the show more enjoyable. Another contrast was the age difference. It was heavily emphasised that Ash was young for a gang leader, yet he led two middle aged men, namely Ibe and Max. The show also featured some sensitive topics which I did not expect. However, it gave more background into Ash’s life and what he has been through. __Characters__ I liked Ash as a protagonist a lot. He is not just a cold hearted killer, he has a heart and it is proven multiple times during the show. Most importantly, he acts his age. Watching him cleverly fight his opponents was entertaining and his leadership was commendable. At the same time, we see the teenager side of him through his small talks with Eiji. The chemistry between him and Eiji was wonderfully done and it was so nice to watch. From the moment they met and Ash handed him his gun we can tell there was a spark between them. I was not expecting such a romance but it made the show more meaningful and added more depth rather than being simply a mafia anime. It was reinforced in the show that Eiji could be Ash’s weak point but then again he gave Ash strength and hope. He made Ash realise another side of him even though he denied it. Supporting characters I liked were Sing and Blanca. It was not easy for Sing to support Ash but he still did so despite opposition from his men. When first introduced, he seemed tough on the outside but as time passed by, we got to see the emotional side of him. He managed to confront his feelings that being a leader is not easy. Blanca might also seem like a bad guy, siding with Dino and Yut Lung, but always cared for Ash. Although Ash hated him, I felt he always had Ash’s best interests in mind. I liked his calm demeanour and making decisions for himself. __Animation__ Nothing spectacular about the animation. The show tried to be as American as possible and gave us insight into the gang hideouts and hotspots, from bustling Chinatown to dingy subway stations. The dramatic scenes were indeed done dramatically and emotions were heightened. I really appreciate the OPs and EDs for this show, they help to bring out the true meaning of the show and aligned perfectly to Ash’s feelings. They encapsulated the melancholic nature of the show as well as the ruthless nature of gangs. Overall, Banana Fish was an emotional rollercoaster. When I first heard of this show, it was described as sad, which it is. However, there are some wholesome and memorable moments that should not go overlooked. With unique characters, exciting plot and moving music, the show will definitely leave an impact.

Lym

__A quick review of Banana Fish (No open spoilers)__ I was totally blind before going into Banana Fish, I didn't know what to expect and how should I prepare myself before going into it, maybe that's the reason I was so shocked when the show was taking some really dark turns. But epsiode 9 just made me realise what I was watching and how I should perceive it. Even if Banana Fish dwells into variety of topics, in its roots, it's still about human conflict, cycle of hatred and revenge. Ash, who is already stuck in the world of hatred and revenge and has suffered since he didn't even have basic understanding of it, meets somebody who is completely unaware of those things and his life is totally devoid of that kind of circumstances. I think what Ash saw in Eiji from the start, that was something Ash couldn't get in his life ever, which is... img300(https://i.postimg.cc/bNksrZVR/Ecd501b6c825dad1794fe873141f9a4c.jpg) Freedom is a reoccurring theme in Banana Fish, the name of the second opening song is "Freedom" and it talks about getting away from the nightmare, the nightmare that the drug Banana Fish causes and the nightmare that the drug named "hatred" causes. Ash tells Eiji that he envies him because "he knows how to fly", not only this but there is so much beautiful symbolism in dialogues throughout the whole show. Akimi Yoshida is just a brilliant author in all aspects. The manga is old and the artstyle reminds me SO MUCH of Naoki Urasawa's artstyle, Idk it just looks so similar for some reason. Well getting back to the theme of freedom of Banana Fish, there's a really similar character to Ash which is also brilliantly written... img300(https://i.postimg.cc/tJPCsckg/Screenshot-20230711-205638-VLC.jpg) img300(https://i.postimg.cc/ZKt5GTYv/Screenshot-20230711-205657-VLC.jpg) img300(https://i.postimg.cc/2jB59qYf/Screenshot-20230711-205706-VLC.jpg) The living hell Yut Lung talks about is nothing but the cycle of hatred and revenge in which both him and Ash are stuck. And Yut Lung doesn't want to drag Sing into it because similarly the last time Ash dragged somebody into it... that ended up real bad. ~!Yes I'm talking about the best boy Shorter 😭!~ I think the drug Banana Fish is nothing but like a physical manifestation of the concept of cycle of hatred and revenge, a person doesn't consume it, it consumes the person just like hatred. Well then how do you get out of this cycle of hatred and revenge? How can two people living in completely different worlds manage to exist together? The answer is simple... By adapting to that particular world. Basically if you live in a world full of hate, you just have to learn how to love and Eiji is the one who keeps that possibility, that chance to learn to love, alive for Ash. I don't know what I expected from the ending but I was kind of shocked by it, they left it open for the viewers but in my opinion, it's obvious that ~!Ash is dead,!~ there were just so many death flags for him throughout the show and I think he was really into the depths of cycle of hatred to just get out of it that easily, there were just so many people after him after all the chaos he caused, Lao happened to be just one of them. Besides learning to love, there's one more way to achieve freedom... one more way to achieve the essence of love... img300(https://i.postimg.cc/VLLVLtkx/Screenshot-20230711-215431-You-Tube.jpg) The first opening song briefly foreshadows ~!Ash's death!~, if love can't be the hope for him, then there's no hope other than his fate, his death for him. img300(https://i.postimg.cc/9MYLcX5X/Screenshot-20230711-205922-VLC.jpg) Banana Fish really focuses on emotions of the characters which makes the characters just even more loveable and relatable. Not just the main characters , there are so many loveable side characters which have really less screentime, Max, Blanca, Arthur, Cain, Jessica, I even remember the gigachad Fly lol. The OSTs also improve the experience of anime and MAPPA again didn't disappoint with the animation. It's just an immediate classic and I don't think there are many shows which can give me the vibe of Banana Fish. I can't think of any negatives except probably, some dialogues felt like too cheesy and edgy, I don't know if that's even a negative cuz most of the characters are teenagers and teenagers are edgy lmao. Also some supporting characters feel slightly ignored in the last five episodes and I also wished them to show some aftermath of everything, but honestly, you can ignore all these negatives because of how great the whole ride of Banana Fish is. So yeah, Banana Fish is just a really really great show and I don't want to be repetitive about it SO GO AND WATCH IT RIGHT NOW IF YOU HAVEN'T YET! About rating: I rate shows only in the multiple of 5 to not make it complicated

Pablosan

# ~~~__Review sin spoilers__~~~ >Noche cerrada, callejones del centro de Nueva York, un chico joven, rubio y atractivo, Ash Lynx, pasea en busca de algo, desde hace días sospecha que alguien está moviendo los hilos en su territorio sin que él se de cuenta, y no está dispuesto a permitirlo. Escucha ruido de gente y al girar una esquina ve a un hombre desangrándose, no lo conoce, intenta acercarse para ayudarlo pero este sólo alcanza a darle una bala y una dirección: "Westwood 42, Los Ángeles"... img720(https://www.hdwallpapers.in/download/ash_lynx_eiji_okumura_banana_fish_4k_hd_banana_fish_anime-HD.jpg) --- Sinceramente no tenía claro qué iba a ver cuando empecé este anime, había varias personas que me lo habían recomendado, y después de mucho tiempo me lancé a verlo. La verdad que me ha enganchado bastante, aunque abusa de algún tópico (como el efecto stormtrooper) la historia atrapa y ver un anime sobre mafiosos (mafiosos estadounidenses), siempre mola, sumado a todo el drama, traición, corrupción, traumas... bastante completo en general. --- # __- Trama (9/10)__ Como debe ser en este tipo de series es su mayor fuerte, empieza de forma contundente y va avanzando a buen ritmo toda la serie. Conoces a Ash Lynx, el joven líder de un grupo de jóvenes mafiosos que funciona en el centro de Nueva York y busca no matar gente en sus operaciones, y a un chico japonés, Eiji Okumura, que acompaña a un periodista estadounidense a hacer un reportaje. Rápidamente el joven nipón se ve envuelto en los problemas que persiguen a Ash allá a donde vaya, e irán buscando descubrir un complejo entramado de corrupción entorno a algo llamado "Banana Fish". Uno de los ejes principales de la historia será como irá evolucionando la bonita relación entre Ash y Eiji, aparentemente incompatibles por venir de dos mundos completamente distintos pero que se irán descubriendo el uno al otro. --- # __- Personajes (9/10)__ El otro gran pilar de este anime. Contamos con un gran personaje principal, Ash Lynx, carismático, inteligente, determinado; acompañado por el más despistado e inocente Eiji. Además también contamos con compañeros de la banda de Ash como el chino Shorter, o periodistas como Max "Lobo". Por otro lado el elenco de antagonistas no se acaba, con la figura principal de Dino Golzine, gran jefe de la mafia organizada de Estados Unidos, con estrechas relaciones con Ash y que no dejará que este campe a sus anchas. Gran parte de la historia consiste en ver la evolución y la madurez que alcanzan algunos de los personajes, por lo que aviso ya que hay peligro de encariñarse más de la cuenta :) img720(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e2/ba/83/e2ba83cee83ac22e76cba42db68404c4.jpg) ~~~Eiji y Ash~~~ --- # __- Animación (7.5/10)__ A pesar del aparente estilo antiguo de sus personajes, ya que el manga salió en los años 80, el anime, de 2018, se ve bastante bien, la mayor parte del tiempo cuenta con una animación normalita pero se desvive por representar a su protagonista. --- #__- Banda sonora (Ops y Eds) (7/10)__ La música en general cumple en cada momento sin ser protagonista. Respecto a openings y endings, el primer opening es a mi parecer el mejor, con un rollo rockero muy bueno; el segundo en mi opinión se queda un poco atrás. En los endings a mi gusto pasa al revés, siendo el segundo bastante más bonito y que probablemente me acompañe durante mucho tiempo. - Opening 1: Found & lost -- Survive Said the Prophet youtube(https://youtu.be/VekCU4YJiR8?si=WDTjAR0Trf1jndbl) - Ending 2: Red -- Survive Said the Prophet youtube(https://youtu.be/_rU86Gl7bP8?si=1V-0W0_rl2jdGLFg) --- # ~~~__Conclusiones__~~~ Una bonita e interesante historia, con dramas en cada esquina, y que te invita a acompañar a sus protagonistas para ver lo más bonito y más deplorable que puede hacer el ser humano, muy recomendable en general ~~~~~~

Dreamweaver99

# L'eros maschile nel mondo della mafia ~~~img220(https://s4.anilist.co/file/anilistcdn/media/anime/cover/large/bx100388-cWhcdD5qNj7i.jpg) ~~~ È possibile produrre con ottimi risultati un anime sui lati più sordidi della mafia, fatto di soli maschi protagonisti maschi, ma dedicato ad un target femminile anche di età giovanile? "__Banana Fish__", che trae il suo titolo dall'omonima razza animale e da una citazione dello scrittore __J.D Salinger__, è un anime che parla di __Ash Lynx__: un teppista New Yorkese di 17 anni reduce da abusi continui della mafia americana che cerca di liberarsi degli inseguitori e, al contempo, di rifarsi una vita con i sottoposti della sua banda e un nuovo legame con __Eiji Okumura__: un ragazzo giapponese venuto negli Stati Uniti per un'intervista ad Ash, ma finisce inevitabilmente in un turbinio di pericoli e persecuzioni della malavita, di cui vengono esaminati alcuni degli aspetti più turpi e, spesso, emotivamente pesanti per qualunque tipo di pubblico. Il concetto di anime dedicato ad un pubblico femminile viene dunque scomposto nei suoi minimi termini, privandosi delle sue tipiche caratteristiche di ottimismo, dolcezza e delicatezza per essere un anime dove la fedeltà allo standard è "solo" nell'importanza dell'amore nella trama e nell' occhiolino erotico dei temi omosessuali con personaggi bellocci. L'ingegnosità di quest'anime è, però, di non auto-ghettizzarsi con topos troppo ristretti per il target di riferimento, ma di andare oltre un'etichettatura facile. Come guardare un anime dove l'unico tema è il combattimento (persino anime come Dragon Ball parlano pure di altro -e un "altro" rilevante-) può essere noioso e tutt'altro che arricchente, lo stesso vale per una storia dove esiste solo l'amore. Nel caso di Banana Fish, non solo vi sono le differenze sopracitate con gli stereotipi, ma si tratta di una storia in cui la relazione d'amore (mai dichiarata veramente ma facilmente desumibile dal contesto) viene posta in un contesto di prostituzione minorile e maschile, di manipolazione psicologica, dove in generale l'eros e l'omosessualità sono la cornice, espresse sul piano collettivo del conflitto mafioso e sul piano privato dell'amore, che si incrociano in più occasioni. Tutto è, quindi, una riflessione organica e a tratti tragica su come il sesso e i legami umani, sia sentiti che utilitaristici, muovano il mondo e l' autorealizzazione delle persone. Per gli spettatori che non fanno parte di quel tipo di pubblico come me, è inevitabile porre l'accento sul fatto che il target sia solo una nicchia immaginaria a cui interfacciarsi nella scrittura per riuscire a comunicare e "vendere" quello che si vuole pubblicare, per fare capire come mai il sottoscritto abbia voluto vederlo e lo abbia tranquillamente apprezzato come chiunque altro. Però un discorso del genere è importante anche a causa dei pregiudizi che ricorrono sugli anime con questo tipo di contenuti, ma, più in generale, sul presupposto superficiale di molti spettatori che ognuno debba guardare e apprezzare solo le opere d'arte dedicate al proprio target. La bellezza di Banana Fish va, però, ben oltre i soliti discorsi di genere, perché questo respiro ampio viene applicato anche alla qualità dell'intreccio, alla rappresentazione della storia d'amore, alla caratura dei personaggi, quasi tutti ben caratterizzati e pieni di sfumature, che vengono trattati quasi tutti con grande rispetto. Anche gli esseri più schifosi tra i protagonisti non sono resi pura cattiveria su cui accanirsi per soddisfare la botta di dopamina dello spettatore con facili trattamenti vendicativi e che accentuano lo squallore di questi personaggi in oltranza per farci stare apposto con la coscienza, ma c'è invece una cura da fine scrutatore dell'animo umano, che solo con certi momenti bruschi (una morte avvenuta forse un po' troppo presto o certe scelte del cecchino negli ultimi episodi) perde qualcosa nella fluidità e nella profondità di introspezione. Il personaggio di Ash è, per esempio, basato su tanti contrasti: l'essere intelligentissimo e l'essere visto come un oggetto che lo porta a sfruttare quella stessa percezione a suo favore, l'essere diventato maturo troppo in fretta e avere un lato infantile ancora presente ma da riportare alla luce come in un iceberg Freudiano, il rapporto ambiguo con il sesso: da un lato c'è una pace con i propri lati femminili, dall'altro un orgoglio a tratti machista che cozza con certi stereotipi sul tema. Avendo avuto una storia di prostituzione e violenze sessuali, un rapporto omosessuale sano è, dunque, da un lato, un modo di liberarsi in anticipo da possibili accuse di omofobia per averne mostrato solo lati pessimi, dall'altro è soprattutto un modo per riconciliare la propria sessualità con il genere che ha peggiorato la sua vita, alienandolo dal resto della società. In un caso come quello di Banana Fish, la tematica è dunque narrativamente essenziale e non fine a sé stessa, in grado di offrire qualcosa in più e differenziarsi da temi come quelli della prostituzione femminile e del maschilismo in generale, già inflazionato rispetto ai temi di quest'anime, ma di cui comunque parla pure, in alcuni rari casi dove si parla della figura della donna (volontariamente trascurata per riflettere sulla figura dell'uomo, eterosessuale o LGBTQ+ che sia) in un contesto malavitoso. Eiji è, invece, un personaggio che era stato originariamente concepito come una donna e che ha, infatti, un ruolo che tipicamente viene attribuito alle donne: quello del "punto debole" dell'uomo, della figura dolce, tranquilla, indifesa e brava nel prendersi cura della gente, ma è, ironicamente, anche colui che protegge l'amante in una maniera diversa, meno sanguigna e più emotiva e che inevitabilmente nel corso della serie imparerà ad affrontare i propri limiti. Anche personaggi come __Max__, __Sin__, __Golzine__, __Blanca__ e __Yut-Lung__ sono tasselli fondamentali dell'affresco ed è straordinario come tutti questi personaggi siano stati valorizzati e mostrino ognuno una prospettiva diversa del tutto. Max che è l'amico per eccellenza ma anche un uomo normale costretto dalle avversità a rinunciare alla propria fedeltà, Sin che è un personaggio costretto a raccogliere l'onere della leadership nonostante i suoi problemi, il rapporto ambivalente di Golzine con il suo malato bisogno di prevaricazione e un senso di ammirazione/affetto paterno, l'ambigua umanità di un'assoldata macchina di morte come Blanca, la figura speculare ad Ash di Yut-Lung dal passato simile ma con temperamento e valori differenti. Tra le tante cose, è interessante anche il valore cosmopolita di Banana Fish, a cui mi riferivo prima quando parlavo di universalità. Con la scusa delle gang, i creatori (l'autrice del manga è __Akimi Yoshida__, nell'anime se ne occupano __Hiroko Utsumi__ come regista e __Hiroshi Seko__ come sceneggiatore per lo studio __MAPPA__) hanno l'opportunità di essere l'affresco di un'America multietnica, con la gang nera di Harlem, il mafioso corso (Dino Golzine), le gang di Chinatown, i normali americani bianchi come Ash, infine Eiji e Ibe (quest'ultimo, che gli fa da accompagnatore è, purtroppo, stato un po' trascurato nonostante la sua massiccia presenza tra i vari episodi) che sono un po' la trasposizione patriottica (nel senso buono) dei giapponesi che hanno lavorato con l'anime e che sono il suo principale target, unica etnia che non ha chissà quali rapporti politici con gli Stati Uniti e che sono dunque gli unici veri e propri stranieri della serie, portatori di un confronto tra la società giapponese e la società americana con i loro diversi modi di esprimere emozioni, di mangiare, di gestire le armi, insomma tutte informazioni che chi mastica un po' di geografia culturale conosce già, ma che sicuramente danno quel giusto grado di riflessione sui pregi e i difetti della società americana se paragonata ad altre e che permettono, insieme ad altri aspetti, alla produzione di non rinunciare alla propria identità semplicemente per l'ambientazione. Tutto questo dà quel tocco in più e dipinge un affresco impietoso ma tristemente veritiero sugli Stati Uniti da un lato piena di opportunità, dall'altra come nazione piena di violenze nascoste, armi vendute come il latte, corruzione tra i piani alti e bassi delle forze dell'ordine, degli scienziati e dei politici; dunque una lettura critica che di solito solo uno straniero ha il coraggio e il desiderio di mostrare. Se c'è un respiro cosmopolita che usa gli Stati Uniti come sineddoche di una qualsiasi società piena di divisioni, d'altra parte tutto questo viene, a tratti rappresentato con la tipica goffaggine degli anime, dove l'eccellente stile visivo che accentua l'eleganza estetica dei personaggi, finisce per non saper distinguere adeguatamente le etnie, venendo meno ad un certo realismo. Se certamente è sempre stata caratteristica giapponese quella di rappresentare chiunque come un bianco senza occhi a mandorla, buona parte degli anime ha una relativa uniformità etnica dei personaggi che ti fa abituare allo status quo senza fartici badare. Non è, però questo il caso perché ci sono personaggi di etnie completamente diverse tra di loro, ma con i neri che hanno tratti somatici molto sottili e sembrano quasi bianchi dipinti, peggio ancora gli asiatici si confondono spesso con i bianchi, differenziandosi per pochi dettagli spesso incoerenti e non sempre immediatamente percettibili. Purtroppo, l'anime in maniera (involontariamente o meno) furba trascura gli afroamericani che nella vita reale sono ben più impattanti rispetto ai cinesi o i giapponesi nella società americana, probabilmente per mancanza di affinità culturale e iconica e insieme a tutti questi altri aspetti crea anche un piccolo manifesto di come i giapponesi probabilmente vedono la nazione più ammirata e criticata del mondo. Questo pressapochismo in molti dettagli si vede anche nella reiterazione di certi stratagemmi narrativi e tira-molla continui dell' intreccio che tolgono talvolta il brivido dell'imprevedibilità, sebbene per fortuna non abbastanza da ledere la fluidità del ritmo e la qualità di certi colpi di scena. In conclusione, Banana Fish è un gioiello dell'animazione anche se con dei difetti evidenti, ma che sono sicuramente sovrastati dai pregi di un anime che è in grado di toccare il cuore con il suo pathos romantico e le sue vicende umane e che rilegge e aggiorna in maniera adulta molte tradizioni: il dramma adolescenziale, il racconto d'amore omosessuale tipico di questo tipo di target, ma anche le storie di gangster viste dall'interno quotidiano a-la __Scorsese__ e il racconto di formazione a-la Salinger che l'anime cita in più occasioni come nel termine "Banana Fish", che, in questo caso è un po' un'allegoria fantasiosa della prevaricazione e dell' alienazione degli oppressi in generale e che si lega saldamente a tutte le altre tematiche.

Conucos

~~~img400(https://64.media.tumblr.com/750bc53eec8a69f0d115f60001ff19f8/251fa922db289986-b3/s2048x3072/9420c0a2e2aef8333a79a63d958d5dbb832be436.gif)~~~ To put it plainly, Banana Fish might be the least binge worthy piece of media I’ve ever seen…in the best possible way. At its core, this series is your standard crime thriller, filled to the brim with heart-pounding action sequences, cliffhangers, and compelling protagonists. Rather than devote the first few episodes to set-up and steadily build up to a climax, however, Banana Fish adopts an almost off-the-rails approach—from the start, each episode is chock full of world-building elements and gun-fire sequences, practically to the point of bewildering the viewer. In the first two episodes alone, we’re introduced to numerous seemingly distinct plotlines: gang dynamics in New York City, Ash’s vendetta against Golzine, Eiji’s disillusionment with the status quo, unresolved trauma from Ash’s childhood, and the meaning of the elusive “banana fish.” That said, these creative choices constitute far more than a lazy exposition dump, serving to introduce the viewer to the grander narrative that lies in store and cause them to question the dynamics governing the show’s world. Indeed, out of respect for the show’s hefty world-building, I hardly ever watched more than two episodes at once, simply because I had to mentally sift through each episode’s events to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Consequently, each episode only felt more exciting than the last, since I knew I was one step closer to resolving my questions and could always count on an action-packed sequence. With each new revelation, I was forced to constantly challenge my assumptions and kept on my toes, making the ultimate narrative payoff all the more striking. Episodes 9-13, in particular, are quite possibly the best anime arc I’ve had the pleasure of watching, somehow managing to fuse pure shock factor with introspective dialogue and well-choreographed fighting, all while keeping Ash and Eiji’s relationship at the forefront. ~~~img400(https://media1.tenor.com/m/-7vnNR6RUb4AAAAC/banana-fish-ash-lynx.gif) ~~~ Speaking of Eiji’s relationship with Ash, I cannot give enough praise to their character writing, particularly given this anime’s genre. Focusing entirely on the revenge plot line and sacrificing the characters’ development would’ve been an easy cop-out, and the merits of the action alone would nonetheless made Banana Fish a good anime in its own right. The show’s skill in giving equal care to both aspects, however, is what truly distinguishes it, drawing the viewer firsthand into each character’s psyche. Rather than rely on “love at first sight” or “unrequited love” tropes—again, an effortless cop-out, given the cult of personality initially surrounding Ash—their relationship is given space to organically develop. Beyond the politics governing gang life, Ash and Eiji are teenage boys at their core, and their relationship is written accordingly. Each character embodies what the other lacks, making for a classic instance of “opposites attract” that seems so outlandish that you can’t help but support it. Ash, for instance, is the more obvious case: a powerful gang boss, riddled with trauma and shoehorned into a role he never sought, lacking genuine companionship throughout his life. For all his strengths, I felt his character was written rather realistically; like any teenager, he acts rashly and bottles up his trauma, adopting a “me against the world” mentality and taking on challenges alone (to his detriment). In other words, remove some of the exaggerated “gang boss” elements and you get the core of an average teenager, overwhelmed by their surroundings and acting the best way they know how, which oftentimes isn’t the easiest or healthiest way. Consequently, notwithstanding the gravity of his talents and trauma, his unguarded discussions of his vulnerabilities allowed me to empathize with his character. To those in the show, Ash may seem like an idealized leader, yet many of us can likely resonate with his feelings of isolation and disillusionment with society, as well as the need to put on a facade to scrape by. Naturally, this is where Eiji—a somewhat sheltered and naive, yet equally rash individual, similarly disillusioned with his surroundings—comes in as Ash’s opposite. Though he may not have to contend with the reality of gang warfare, I’d argue his character is similarly nuanced. Rather than rely on the example of the “textbook” introvert who everyone is miraculously drawn to, the show depicts both positive and negative aspects to Eiji’s timid nature, and his shortcomings act as a constant source of ridicule throughout the story. That said, introversion is not synonymous with complacency and a lack of agency (as many writers seem to think); indeed, he’s rather unsure of himself in the first half, actively striving to break free of his shell with varying degrees of success. These flaws aid in humanizing his character and ultimately make his later development all the more satisfying, serving as a heartwarming example of overcoming one’s fears. Likewise, his character progression occurs in a palatable, realistic manner: though his soft-spokenness never completely fades, he learns to recognize his own worth and act accordingly, gradually coming into his own without resorting to uncharacteristic measures. It’s precisely Eiji’s groundedness that draws Ash to him, acting as a welcoming contrast to the unrelenting chaos of gang warfare. Above all, the extent to which they care and benefit from one another could not be more readily apparent: Ash finds new purpose in working with Eiji, who values him for his authentic self (rather than his public persona), while Eiji is pushed beyond what he thought possible in his endeavors to protect Ash. Meaningful heart-to-heart exchanges and realistic banter add depth to their connection as the show unfolds, making for one of my favorite relationships in all of anime. ~~~img400(https://media1.tenor.com/m/neBqLCZD0SwAAAAC/slightly-angry-eiji.gif)~~~ Rather than dive right into fights and action sequences, as so many contemporary anime seem to fall victim to, Banana Fish takes the time to flesh out each character’s motivations to give these confrontations the emotional significance they deserve. It may not be perfect—admittedly, some repetitive aspects drag ever so slightly in the show’s second half—yet its flaws are more than outweighed by the grander picture, which fosters an absolutely enrapturing, emotionally thrilling experience I’d be hard pressed to find in any other anime. Paired with its unique fusion of American and Japanese cultural ideals, this show truly makes for a one-of-a-kind watch, and the flood of emotions I felt during my first watch is something I will never forget.

BANANA FISH

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