Banana Fish

[yude]

I've never thought I would make a thread here, I am a little bit nervous but Hi!

 

Have you ever heard of Japanese manga called "BANANA FISH"? It became anime recently and episode 2 was already aired. I don't usually watch anime (the last anime I watched was YOI, I watched it because it was about figure skating), but BANANA FISH is exceptional for me because I read comic books when I was young and I can not still throw them away. This manga was written in mid 80's to 90' and serialized on "Bessatu Shojo Comic", but apparently it was rare to see "hard action shonen manga" kind in there while others were mostly love romance of pretty girls and boys. So far, I like animation a lot and am so glad it will take 24 episodes (yeeess!), no wonder they do it though since the story is very long and it is almost impossible to finish in one season if they really want to try to true to the original story and characters.

 

This is official web site of BANANA FISH, we can watch some trailers here.

https://bananafish.tv/?from=lower

 

Brief translation of introduction of episodes 1 & 2 from official web site.

 

Episode 1

New York. A boy with an exceptionally well-formed appearance and with outstanding fighting power, Ash Lynx, has been the leader of the street gang at the age of 17. One night, Ash is told the word "banana fish" with the address from a man shot by his own minions. It was a word that Griffin, Ash's wrecked older brother, often mumbles. Around the same time, he meets Eiji Okumura, a Japanese boy who came as a photographer's assistant.

 

Episode 2

*Skip and Eiji have been taken away by *Arthur and his minions. Ash who goes to rescue them is caught by Marvin, a subordinate of Gorzine who joins forces with Arthur. The three try to escape with Ash's tact. *Shorter also appears and rough fight starts. Ash pursuits Marvin trying to run away, but when he enters the room, he sees an unexpected sight.

*Skip and Shorter are in Ash's group.

*Arthur is also in Ash's group but he is trying to revenge Ash.

*Gorzine is the boss of Mafia

 

I imagine there are many members love anime and manga here, so I thought it would be great if we can have fun discussion about this BANANA FISH (I confess I don't have any friend to talk about this ), please feel free to share information etc. Thank you

[kaeryth]

Banana Fish!!! What nostalgia..I've read the manga a loooong time ago. I'm not up to date with animes anymore because I prefer reading mangas now. Wow! I might just reread the manga first because I think I've forgotten the story now...

[Deliverpooh]

I read some of the manga as well (never finished because it was too expensive to buy), so I am looking forward to finishing the story finally

 

The Animation is really good and judging by the mobile phones in the anime, it's set in present times, not the eighties.

[yude]

 

 

Found episode 1 & 2 with English sub, please be aware that the show includes violence (gun action, blood), the drug and sexual content. 

[Maleko]

I really don't learn, I'm a masochistic but I love this tragic story so my heart will break again for my beautiful sons.

[mewana]

Ahhhhh Banana Fish was one of my fave mangas to read (i'm probs a masochist too)!!! When I heard it would be adapted like 9 million years after the manga finished I cried a little inside.

[yude]

15 分, Malekoさんが言いました:

I really don't learn, I'm a masochistic but I love this tragic story so my heart will break again for my beautiful sons.

 

4 分, mewanaさんが言いました:

Ahhhhh Banana Fish was one of my fave mangas to read (i'm probs a masochist too)!!! When I heard it would be adapted like 9 million years after the manga finished I cried a little inside.

 

Spoiler

Me, too! I'm not sure how this anime series will be popular or well accepted yet, but I'm very interested in people's reaction when they watch the ending 

 

[mewana]

7 minutes ago, yude said:

 

 

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Me, too! I'm not sure how this anime series will be popular or well accepted yet, but I'm very interested in people's reaction when they watch the ending 

  

 

Spoiler

 OMG TRUEEEE I wonder if the producers will follow the manga to a tee? Or change up some scenes to make them more pg..... I'm definitely the most curious of what their going to do about the ending tbh.... (Kinda hope they don't change it though b/c even though it was 10000000% depressing I feel it wouldn't be the same without it (yep k its confirmed i'm a masochist))

 

[yude]

5 時間前, mewanaさんが言いました:

 

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 OMG TRUEEEE I wonder if the producers will follow the manga to a tee? Or change up some scenes to make them more pg..... I'm definitely the most curious of what their going to do about the ending tbh.... (Kinda hope they don't change it though b/c even though it was 10000000% depressing I feel it wouldn't be the same without it (yep k its confirmed i'm a masochist))

 

 

Oh, I totally agree. Honestly there are too many "why is this happening to him/ them?" moments in the series but I think those are necessary to build the characters and story in deep. Have you ever read another story called "The garden with the holy light?" I wonder if the show will be including some of the pages from it.

[mewana]

15 hours ago, yude said:

 

Oh, I totally agree. Honestly there are too many "why is this happening to him/ them?" moments in the series but I think those are necessary to build the characters and story in deep. Have you ever read another story called "The garden with the holy light?" I wonder if the show will be including some of the pages from it.

 

Spoiler

 Oh isn't that kind of like the epilogue? I REALLY hope they include it at least as an OVA b/c it gave a sense of closure for Eiji ;-;. It turned the ending from a complete shock, to at least a bittersweet feeling for me. 

 

[yude]

9 時間前, mewanaさんが言いました:

 

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 Oh isn't that kind of like the epilogue? I REALLY hope they include it at least as an OVA b/c it gave a sense of closure for Eiji ;-;. It turned the ending from a complete shock, to at least a bittersweet feeling for me. 

 

 

Spoiler

Yes, it is a story about Eiji and Sin (grown up into a very handsome man  )after some years BANANA FISH was finished, and the story itself helped me a lot to absorb the shock and let me move on. 

 

I have been reading the comics again, but the next episode of anime might be tough one if it is exactly based on the comic. I think they can skip some scenes but I'm almost scared how they will show it (and I'm worried about discriminatory terms to be honest, I hope they won't have them in anime...)

[yude]

 

Episode 3 with English sub, looks like it will be there for only 3 days. (Amazon Prime is streaming the show officially.) Please be aware the fight scenes and sexual contents.

 

Ash knows himself that he is attractive, and he makes most of it to survive even though he is hurt mentally and physically. It is sad and cruel, but that makes him more attractive character IMO. I hope we'll see Shorter in the next episode

[BWOZWaltz]

OMG! They're making Banana Fish into an anime now??

I used to love reading Akimi Yoshida's mangas but haven't seen anime. I may have to watch them for the old (olde) time sake

 

[yude]

8 時間前, BWOZWaltzさんが言いました:

OMG! They're making Banana Fish into an anime now??

I used to love reading Akimi Yoshida's mangas but haven't seen anime. I may have to watch them for the old (olde) time sake

 

 

I really love her old manga, too! I can't still believe she wrote Banana Fish when she was around 30 years old on a magazine of Shojo manga. I think this is the first story made into an anime series as far as I know, some of her works have been made into TV drama or movie though. 

 

I like this review and summary of Episode 3, I don't understand perfectly what he is saying because of lack of my English ability but I agree with him on many points.

 

 

[sweetwater]

I was a huge fan of BANANA FISH too. I think I still have the yellow cover books somewhere in my closet though I haven't re-read them much after the story concluded because I knew that I would be depressed when I read certain parts of the story.

 

It feels a bit strange seeing all the characters using mobile phones, but I love the way they animated the scene in which Eiji jumped over the wall using a water pipe.In such scenes, animations are more powerful than pictures.

 

I know I'm going to be depressed at certain points, but I will probably continue watching the series until the end unless the coming season gets too dramatic and I forget to watch anime...