BANANA FISH

DESCRIPTION

CAST

CHAPTERS

ANIME ActionBANANA FISH
MANGA ActionPrivate Opinion: Banana Fish Another Story
MANGA ActionYasha
MANGA ActionEve no Nemuri

REVIEWS

• 

  justafreak

  90/100
  Banana Fish - First Impression

  Banana Fish, a story about the macabre of the human heart with a twist of romance.
  

  First of all, I went into this looking at the demographic and I can't believe that this is a Shoujo. From my point of view, it should be a Seinen or a Josei. I just don't see it.

  It was first published in 1985 so the art is a bit sketchy and it is a bit outdated so keep that in mind before buying it. Being an old series, the art is relevant to that period but I think that it has its charm.

  Everything starts in Vietnam where a group of soldiers hangs out one night away from the front when suddenly one of them goes nuts and starts shooting and killing his comrades while saying "I saw Banana Fish". That's right, you just got hit with the name of the series and with a mystery.

  After this incident, we're taken over 10 years in the future where a series of mysterious suicide cases are piling up on the desk of 2 detectives.

  On the second stage, we get to follow a character, Ash Lynx, 17 years old, a street punk with good looks and a bad attitude, head of a gang of runaway kids from Manhattan and with ties with the Corsican mafia. One night, on a dark alley he finds a dying man who gives him a vial and tells him to go to LA and search for Banana fish, just before he dies. Booom. We're hit again with the name of the series.

  On the third stage, we're introduced with two reporters from Japan, Eiji 19 years old and Ibe who kind of acts as his guardian. These guys are visiting NYC to write an article about the street gangs of America. And guess what? They plan to interview our boy, Ash.

  On the fourth stage we have the Corsican mafia, Triad. A whole bunch of sadistic fucks who somehow are involved in all of this.

  Put all these four together and you end up with a story where nothing goes as planned and where you always end up with the impression that things can get worse. On the other hand, there are that whole intrigues around Banana Fish.
  All of this has managed to keep me interested in reading the next volume.

  As an overall vibe, I must say that it reminds me of an old cop movie but with everything bad in this world thrown at it. It's an enjoyable read, a little bit text-heavy and I'm glad that it got a reprint and that I get to experience it.

  So those were my thought on Banana Fish from what I read so far. I recommend it but keep in mind that this is not a series for the light-hearted. If you can get over all of the horrific incidents that happen in it you will definitely get to love it.

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• 

  hdtcoa

  98/100
  A brilliant, near-perfect masterwork of character and theme

  WARNING: FULL SPOILERS FOR BANANA FISH

  Ash, Eiji, Yut-Lung. They're my holy trinity, 3 of the most well-written characters I've ever seen, who carry the manga's themes and ideas. To simplify my interpretation of the main theme: People can change through their close bonds and interactions with one another. But before we understand the trio, we must understand the other characters. I'm going to look at each character I deem to be significant, so sorry for this being way too long.

  Cain is less important to the main theme, but he is the best representation of a secondary one - racial ties. Japanese, Chinese, American and African American, the manga is full of a diverse range of races and ethnicities. Cain literally controls a Black gang - Black Sabbath - and while initially they seem reluctant and even downright hostile to Ash (The Whites), Cain convinces them to accept Ash through his fame and accomplishment, but signs of distrust still show among them. Similarly, Sing (The Chinese) is also accepted by them for his impressive leadership and skillfulness but is still not fully trusted. At first, the other races are only accepted by Black Sabbath for their "credentials", but through Cain's interactions with Ash and Sing, it becomes clear that a sincere bond has been fostered between them. They genuinely respect and care for one another, fully prepared to help one another, representing a wider racial acceptance. Cain reveals how relationships between races need to be fostered through mutual respect and understanding, not by using each other for personal benefit.

  Max contributes to the main theme in an obvious way (he plays a sort of father role to Ash, giving him another kind figure in his life which changes him), but like Cain, he represents another minor theme. The manga opens with the killing of Ash's brother, an event that deeply scars Max and sets him on a path to discover what the mysterious Banana Fish is. Max then represents the ironically everlasting effect that the past has on the present. Every single decision made by him is motivated by the sole reason of finding out what Banana Fish is and avenging Griff. This single event has shaped the rest of his life.

  Golzine is the purest symbol of evil. He is pedophilic, manipulative, violent, the list goes on. He is the main antagonist and villain, a malevolent force that has tortured Ash his whole life. Golzine himself doesn't have much complexity. He is your Blue from Pokémon Red, Hans Gruber from Die Hard, a hateable and despicable villain who mainly serves as the straightforward source of conflict. Yet, he still is part of the greater themes. While Max's connection with the past is Griff's death, Ash's is mainly the many years of abuse he faced from Golzine. He has shaped who Ash is, and as such serves as the catalyst for the everlasting effect that Ash's past has on the present. Of course, Golzine also represents violence and abuse, something that he shares with Foxx. Both show how violence is nothing more than a childish act which gives people a sense of power and superiority, yet this childish act's pervasive effects cause a cyclical cycle of violence, violence, and more violence.

  If Dino and Foxx are pure evil, then Blanca is more nuanced. He agrees to assassinate Ash. His reason? Wanting to see how much Ash has grown. Blanca is not so much immoral as he is amoral. He cares for Ash, but not for who he is, only seeing him as a proud product of his own training. He only wants Ash to survive so that his accomplishment as a trainer can be immortalised. Everything he does is done for personal benefit, on a whim, or simple apathy. Why? Unlike Ash and Eiji, he can only view love as negative. His wife was brutally killed, so what was the point of loving her so much. Because of this, he distances himself from all emotion, only showing any semblance of it when his wife is brought, to the extent of distancing himself from morality too. Blanca represents not really the negative aspects of love, but the outcomes of a negative viewpoint of love. This manga clearly wholeheartedly advocates for love.

  Shorter and Skip may not stay alive for long, but they play a nonetheless tremendous role to the theme. Both of them don't merely maintain a stable relationship with Ash because they fear him or want to use him, they have genuine friendships with Ash, shown through their casual banter and Ash's extreme reactions to their deaths. Because of how well Ash knows them, because of the time he spends with them, they are the main two sources of love that Ash experiences before meeting Eiji.

  If Shorter and Skip come to love Ash by knowing him so well, Arthur is their direct antithesis. Arthur despises Ash, feelings borne from his temper and ego, feelings further exacerbated by his deep understanding of Ash and vice-versa. He feels superior to Ash, and as such deems it unfair that Golzine places so much favour on Ash. Arthur serves as a direct contrast to Shorter and Skip. Knowing someone well won't always lead to a good relationship.

  Sing is the representation of legacy. Shorter's premature death forced him to take the mantle of leader, a position he plays almost too well. But with his newfound position comes the burden of legacy. He hates Ash at first for "killing" Shorter, and feels it his duty to avenge Shorter and carry on the legacy. But eventually, he manages to break away from this useless and negative burden by knowing the truth behind Shorter's death, as well as coming to know and accept Ash as a person. Sing is also another example of how people can change through relationships. Yet, he is never truly free from legacy. He will always be associated with and compared to Shorter. Banana Fish comments on the unbearable weight of a legacy and the futlity and hopelessness of preserving it.

  Finally, before we begin with the holy trinity, I need to point out some flaws. Banana Fish is not a flawless work of art, though it is a masterpiece. First of all, by the time Foxx is introduced, the manga feels overstuffed with antagonists. He may have been a threatening final boss, but he doesn't add much to the themes. Secondly, the manga loses a lot of focus on the actual Banana Fish, and though I know that that was not the main point, I still think more could've been done to make it more tense and mysterious. Lastly, the two police are useless, so much so that I can't remember their names. They don't add a single thing to the manga's themes, and they don't add much to the structure or plot either. You could completely remove them and only minor changes would be needed to make the plot coherent.

  Now, we're actually here. But, I cannot talk about Ash, Eiji, and Yut-Lung separately. By themselves I cannot say much. It is the relationships between them which define their impact. So, my paragraphing and sequencing will probably be extremely convoluted and I'd like to apologise for that beforehand. OK, now I'm ACTUALLY going to begin.

  Eiji was born adventurous, his spirit of freedom compelling him to become a pole vaulter, before an injury sets him back down to Earth, crushing his spirit. He becomes a photographer, passively observing others instead of jumping over the obstacles of his own life. Yet, deep down he wants to go back and become someone extraordinary. Ash was born beautiful, an innocent child whose special blessing of beauty became a curse, raped and abused from young. He comes to despise the exceptional, wanting nothing more than a normal life. Yet, he is constantly pushed to become a leader, a man of power, only exacerbated by the violence and trauma he experienced. Yut-Lung was born hateful. His very existence was caused by pedophilia, and he had to watch his very mother beaten to death by his kin. He becomes fueled by vengeance, only living to satisfy his yearning for revenge. Eiji and Ash change. Yut-Lung does not.

  Eiji and Ash, through their love for and interactions with each other, change oppositely. As Eiji gets sucked into the criminal world, he becomes more daring and less naive. By the end of the manga, he can confidently hold a gun. Ash, on the other hand, becomes more vulnerable and less cold as he gets sucked into normal life. He was trained to be a ruthless and clinical killing machine, yet his true heart is "soft", a petty adjective which replaces 'caring'. They change almost only because of each other, each pushing the other in the opposite direction, each helping them to regain what was taken away from them after birth. Yut-Lung, meanwhile, does not change like this. He didn't have the fortune of meeting any Ash or Eiji in his life. He continued to be fueled by hatred till the very end.

  Banana Fish suggests that people CAN change through relationships and interactions, Ash and Eiji being obvious examples of this. Yet, the 'can' is important. Yut-Lung can never change. His soul has been irreparably corrupted, and he is forever left an incorrigible harbinger of vengeance and hatred. His only interactions with others were overwhelmingly negative. What Banana Fish truly says is that people can ONLY change through the people around them. Without anyone to change you, you will forever remain static.

  Banana Fish's final trick up its sleeve is its other main theme: What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, but lose his soul? (Yes I know, The Godfather yada yada) Banana Fish posits the inverse statement of the question above: A man gains everything through gaining his soul. Ash's regaining and discovery of his own soul may have led to his death, but he does not regret it, he even dies with a smile on his face. The happiness gained from the process and his love for Eiji far outweigh the grief of his premature death. He doesn't even try to survive even though he easily could have. He understands that he has already gained everything he possibly could in his life, and for that he is fully content with his life. His life, in his eyes, is truly complete.

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• 

  NapoJ

  80/100
  Pandillas y conspiraciones en la lucha por la libertad (reseña en ESP y ENG)

  La siguiente reseña está en Español e Inglés (traducida con el apoyo de DeepL)

  La versión leída es la traducción al español por Deco Woo y Lyrica-chan de “Heart of Gold”

  Si bien es rápidamente asumido, el lector debería pensar más acerca de la interesante decisión de ubicar la historia en New York. La autora, Akimi Yoshida, realizó un gran trabajo en la representación de la locación, al punto que ni siquiera al lector le parece extraño o exótico, así de natural se siente la narrativa. Más allá de ser parte de una fascinación Japonesa por Estados Unidos característico de  ese momento, bien se demuestra en los intereses de la dibujante, por ejemplo en su primer trabajo (California History), sería una decisión que destacaría a la obra en múltiples corrientes.

  No es espacio de esta reseña abordar qué significó para la definición y evolución en el Shojo a Shonen o Boys Love, sólo quiero recalcar que parte de esa importancia histórica reside en esa decisión de situar la historia en la capital del mundo porque le permitió utilizar elementos que de otra forma no estarían, la más importante es la marcada presencia de bandas.

  Las bandas constituyen la columna vertebral de la narrativa, cada una es étnica, marcando una clara diferenciación entre sí que dan la pauta para establecer relaciones en declarado conflicto o tensa paz, siendo un escenario ideal en que abordar los principales valores de la obra: Lealtad, deber o tolerancia.

  

  Se construye el aspecto “callejero” de la ciudad que es sólo la base de un amplio entramado con policías, fuerzas especiales, mafia o prensa, con difusas relaciones entre los mismos. New York se consolida no sólo a través de la aparición de los puntos turísticos, sino entre las fuerzas que buscan controlar la ciudad a su manera, constituyendo ese aspecto real, peligroso e invisible para el ciudadano corriente.

  Correspondiendo a la oscuridad de esa presentación, las diferentes situaciones relatadas se encuentran nacidas en esa corrupción moral como son la distribución de drogas, tráfico de menores, asesinatos o chantajes. Una atmósfera que para ser explorada en sus diferentes facetas debía contar con personajes correspondientes a lo que quiere ser contado, y efectivamente, Yoshida realizó un fantástico trabajo definiendo a los personajes que gobiernan o buscar controlar a la ciudad, no son sólo despreciables, tienen complejidad en esa maldad.

  Y al destacar a la conceptualización de los personajes no puede omitirse al dúo principal, Ash y Eiji. Por sí sólo la construcción de Ash como personaje es admirable, hay una dicotomía entre quien parece ser y quien es, la cuál se desenvuelve conforme al desarrollo. Podría escribir múltiples adjetivos y admiraciones, sin embargo, considero que es más valioso si el lector descubre sus múltiples facetas, a la par que lo realiza Eiji.

  

  Eiji en principio parece ser la observación desde el espectador, pero al igual que Ash, también evoluciona, en un sentido inverso podría calificarse hasta cierto punto. La química entre ambos es el complemento incondicional platónico hacia el otro, una relación en que conviven debilidad y fuerza, resonando con las otras temáticas como el perdón, aceptación del pasado y amor.

  Si hay una lección que acaso englobe las diferentes reflexiones de su desarrollo sería: El pasado no define quién serás en el futuro, hay libertad en decidir qué quieres ser y cómo quieres actuar, para escapar del ciclo del que estás confinado necesitas valor para amar y aceptar el amor de otros; un cálido mensaje en medio de su oscura presentación de corrupción, poder y sometimiento.

  Su principal aspecto negativo está relacionado con el ritmo de la historia y una narrativa cuyo último cuarto se siente innecesariamente extensa, con una repetida dinámica de “X rescatando Y”, quedando Y ahora capturado para ser rescatado por X. Acarrea otras consecuencias, sobre todo en la aparición de nuevos personajes sin mayor trascendencia que ser un obstáculo, poco aportando a la idea temática a comparación de los otros. 

  

  Así mismo su ambición resulta en contra en según qué puntos, con la mención de tantas dinámicas y conspiración dentro de una conspiración, hechos de importancia al inicio apenas son mencionados hacia el final, y otros se convierten en mero trámite para llegar hacia otro desarrollo o revelación.

  Tiene un dibujo muy reconocible, y nuevamente, con importancia en su momento por la transición de un estilo más dinámico y enfocado a la acción que el acostumbrado de obras similares de otras autoras. Si bien la mayoría está constituido por paneles posicionados para la acción o conversaciones, en ocasiones se presentan las excepciones únicamente dedicadas a reflejar la emoción del personaje por medio de su expresión o posicionamiento.

  También he de destacar su diseño de personajes, refuerza esa variedad étnica neoyorquina que tiene tanta importancia dentro de la historia. Y claramente, la caracterización física de Ash es vital para su conceptualización como personaje, especialmente cuando es contrastada con el aspecto común e integral de Eiji.

  Banana Fish merece su reconocimiento histórico, es una sólida historia de atractiva ambientación con una multitud de personajes secundarios con motivaciones y personalidades únicas. Pese a que dura más de lo que debería, redundando en la cadena de sucesos y aprendidas reflexiones, una vez alcanzas el último panel sabes que recordarás tan única historia, te resonará la lección sobre que nadie más que uno mismo debe dictar el futuro que le espera.

  

  
  English

  The version read is the Spanish translation by Deco Woo and Lyrica-chan of “Heart of Gold”

  While quickly assumed, the viewer should think more about the interesting decision to set the story in New York. The author, Akimi Yoshida, did a great job in depicting the location, to the point that it doesn't even seem foreign or exotic to the reader, that's how natural the narrative feels. Beyond being part of a Japanese fascination with the United States characteristic of that time, well demonstrated in the cartoonist's interests, for example in her first work (California History), it would be a decision that would highlight the work in multiple streams.

  It's not the space of this review to address what it meant for the definition and evolution of Shojo to Shonen or Boys Love, I just want to emphasize that part of that historical importance lies in the decision to place the story in the capital of the world because it allowed her to use elements that otherwise would not be there, the most important is the strong presence of gangs.

  The gangs are the backbone of the narrative, each one is ethnic, marking a clear differentiation between them that give the guideline to establish relationships in declared conflict or tense peace, being an ideal scenario in which to address the main values of the work: Loyalty, duty or tolerance.

  

  The “street” aspect of the city is built, which is only the basis of a broad framework with police, special forces, mafia or press, with diffuse relationships between them. New York is consolidated not only through the appearance of the tourist spots, but among the forces that seek to control the city in their own way, constituting that real, dangerous and invisible aspect for the ordinary citizen.

  Corresponding to the darkness of this presentation, the different situations related are born in this moral corruption such as drug distribution, child trafficking, murder or blackmail. An atmosphere that to be explored in its different facets should have characters corresponding to what wants to be told, and indeed, Yoshida did a fantastic job defining the characters that rule or seek to control the city, they are not only despicable, they have complexity in that evil.

  And in highlighting the conceptualization of the characters, the main duo, Ash and Eiji, can't be omitted. Ash's character building alone is admirable, there is a dichotomy between who he seems to be and who he is, which unfolds along the story. I could write multiple adjectives and admirations, however, I consider it more valuable if the reader discovers his multiple facets, as Eiji does.

  

  Eiji at first seems to be the observation from the reader, but like Ash, he also evolves, in a reverse sense it could be qualified to some extent. The chemistry between the two is the unconditional platonic complement to each other, a relationship in which weakness and strength coexist, resonating with the other themes of forgiveness, acceptance of the past and love.

  If there is a lesson that perhaps encompasses the different reflections of its development it would be: The past does not define who you will be in the future, there is freedom in deciding what you want to be and how you want to act, to escape the cycle you are confined to you need courage to love and accept the love of others; a warm message in the midst of its dark presentation of corruption, power and subjugation.

  Its main negative aspect is related to the pacing of the story and a narrative whose last quarter feels unnecessarily drawn out, with a repeated “X rescuing Y” dynamic, with Y now being captured to be rescued by X. It brings other consequences, especially in the appearance of new characters with no greater transcendence than being an obstacle, contributing little to the thematic idea compared to the others.

  

  Likewise, its ambition works against it at certain points, with the mention of so many dynamics and conspiracy within a conspiracy, facts of importance at the beginning are barely mentioned towards the end, and others become a mere formality to get to another development or revelation.

  It has a very recognizable drawing, and again, with importance at the time by the transition of a more dynamic and action-focused style than the usual similar works of other authors. While most of it's made up of panels positioned for action or conversations, there are the occasional exceptions solely dedicated to reflecting the character's emotion through their expression or positioning.

  I must also highlight her character design, it reinforces that New York ethnic variety that has so much importance within the story. And clearly, Ash's physical characterization is vital to his conceptualization as a character, especially when contrasted with Eiji's common and integral appearance.

  Banana Fish deserves its historical recognition, it is a solid story with an engaging setting and a multitude of secondary characters with unique motivations and personalities. Although it lasts longer than it should, redounding in the chain of events and learned reflections, once you reach the last panel you know you will remember such a unique story, the lesson that no one but yourself should dictate the future that awaits you will resonate with you.

  
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