Banana Fish

If there’s one thing that’s enticing about the Noitamina network, it’s their way of broadcasting shows to a variety of audiences. Banana Fish seems like one of those shows that isn’t aimed at a wider audience but it definitely has its own appeal. Taking place in a crime-noir setting, the series deals with teenage gangs in a corrupted city. It’s a time period of recreation and Banana Fish sets a firm example of an old school crime drama resurrected to modern life. Now I have to admit, I’m not too familiar with Akimi Yoshida’s work or her style of writing. The only other series I’ve readby her is a manga called “Yasha”. It has no relation to this series but the artwork is distinctive with her work. Not to mention, her series evokes a sense of mystery that’s present in Banana Fish. Yet, just what exactly is Banana Fish? To be clear, the original manga was published from 1985 to 1994. This adaptation serves as a celebration of her 40th anniversary. It’s also somewhat unusual that Noitamina adapted this into 24 episodes rather than their usual 11/22 format. Regardless, Banana Fish strikes to me as a refreshing experience. First impressions are important and this show accomplishes that with the aesthetic story setting. It shows New York in a crime driven state and conflicts dealing with mature content. It's also interesting to note that the series has a more modern feel compared to the 1980s. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. A main appealing factor that drew me into the show is the character relationship and development. We meet Ash Lynx, a snarky young man who ran away from home. Despite his not-so-friendly attitude, Ash has charisma that makes him a person not to be underestimated. He also possesses a variety of skills that puts him on the wrong sides of the law. Being incredibly daring and never afraid to take risks, Ash stands by example as a daredevil. It’s almost if he anticipates his death at any moment and isn’t afraid to risk it for what he believes in. This puts him on the opposite side of Eiji Okumura, a photographer’s assistant and college student. Unlike Ash, Eiji is a kind young man but often easily manipulated or gets caught into complicated circumstances. The story goes to show his character relationship with Ash. Now I’m just going to throw it out there but there’s heavy implication of BL context between the two. While not being too explicit, it’s shown that Eiji develops a growing love towards Ash. On the other hand, Ash shows his own devotion with action that speaks louder than words. Ash’s acts of self-sacrifice becomes a central part of their relationship as he takes on many risks to save his life. The story often involves with Ash’s enemies exploiting his weakness and that would be Eiji. Still, the million dollar question remains. What exactly is Banana Fish? To be clear, the title itself isn’t necessarily just about what Banana Fish really is. Rather, it’s a pivotal component of the plot that has Ash investigate into. In essence, Banana Fish delivers a sensation of mystery and suspense. The main premise focuses on how Ash’s fight against the mafia in this rebellious age. Crime lords like Dino Glozine is the stereotypical antagonist you’ll quickly love to hate. I don’t mean that in the sense of him being a distasteful human being. Rather, Ash has a personal agenda to settle with him considering their dark history together. The series isn’t shy to deliver mature context in the form of drug deals, criminal activities, sex slavery, or gang wars. If you’re here to stay for the show, then be ready suck it up and indulge on these controversial topics. In the meantime, we also meet allies that Ash meets in his quest of vengeance. Characters such as Ibe, Max, Griffin, Alexis, and Jessica join to fight the good fight. In many cases, their roles all are important for the overall mission. On the other hand, their most prominent adversary is Corsican Mafia consisting of Dino and his crew. Deep down, this anime crafts these antagonists with intentions to destroy Ash’s life. It becomes a crime thriller that often tests the limits of the main characters and how much longer they can last. Later in the show, we also meet other dangerous groups such as the Chinese mafia. Among their members includes the cunning Yut-Lung Lee who wants Ash’s head on a plate. At its core, Banana Fish shows that in their society, crime is more than just a social problem. In our society, criminal activities are not tolerated and punishable. In the world of Banana Fish, characters believe they are above the law. Some even believe they are the law. Let’s take a closer look at Ash for instance. Having being raised by Dino, it’s clear that he has a dark past that’s explored more and more as each episode progresses. While I don’t consider Ash to be a villain, there’s no doubt that he has committed questionable acts. As this show takes place during a period of gang warfare, Ash stands out as more of an antihero to me than a protagonist. And of course, the man who raised him wants nothing more than to destroy Ash. I think in many cases, Dino wants to destroy Ash’s soul rather than just his life. It’s a fate perhaps worse than death and just one of the few examples of how cruel characters can really be. Indeed, Banana Fish contains mature content that isn’t suited for a younger audience. Going back to what I said before, Noitamina’s audience expands beyond than just a general audience and Banana Fish is an example of that. Adapting a manga from over two decades ago isn’t an easy task. Manga being resurrected again after all this year tends to lose steam but I can say with supreme confidence that Banana Fish hits the marks. It manages to recreate a sensation of the 1980s while the anime takes place in a more modern setting. Rather than going with any flashy style of presentation, it commits to bring the manga’s characters up to date. Characters such as Ash and Eiji are designed to look exactly how their personalities are meant to be. Gang wars and violence are showcased without holding back with the intense bloodshed. There’s also some daring scenes of man service present that may be nerve wrecking or pleasing to watch. As I mentioned before, there are cases of gay moments although it’s not distracting to the point of losing its main focus. Watch this series and you’ll see that it’s more than just a homosexual relationship between two men. In addition, I have to give some well-earned praise to the voice acting in the show. These characters are older than your typical high school students and crime lords like Dino isn’t easy to portray. Yet, they all looked pretty damn believable in such a time period. Banana Fish is a show with a peculiar title that could probably be quoted often. It’s Akimi Yoshida’s most well-known work and MAPPA manages to produce such a series with commitment. Director Hiroko Utsumi worked on Free! in the past so it’s no surprise that you’ll see some man service along the way. But really, Banana Fish isn’t just about a gay romance story between two guys. It celebrates the chance to showcase a crime story in a setting of corruption, revenge, and politics. Now it’s your chance to experience that story.

[Spoiler Warning] Summer is the time of year for promiscuous young-adults to experiment with their sexual desires, in a hassle free relationship that requires no commitments from either party. But why limit one’s exposure to the opposite sex, when there are plenty of “gay-fish” — I mean, banana fish — for the taking. Why else would a Shoujo anime feature two young queens in New York? For a “crime” investigation? Now that’s rich. Speaking of wealth, the main character in the show, Ash Lynx, was groomed to inherit a vast amount of opulence and power through the successive process of becoming Dino’s heir.Be that as it may, the early steps of “graduating” to his “destined” role were mired with egregious abuses of standing law and personal freedom. Not one to remain docile and allow circumstances to be determined by the judgement of others, Ash seized the initiative in an attempt to ameliorate the atrocities of his past. This manifested into a plot to assassinate Dino via — and I kid you not! — standing on top of a moving truck in a public arena, while shooting a pistol. O—KAY, then…. Not one to put all his pumpkins in one basket, Ash used his adroit computer skills to plunder $90 million from Golzine and severely handicap his financial clout as a Mafia Don. This blow to the ruthless Kingpin allowed Ash to claim an important victory and set the stage for the ensuing battle to come. That being said, however, Ash’s ability to steal Golzine’s money and manipulate his company’s stock price seemed too straightforward. If Ash had that sort of capability, why not use that skill to make himself fabulously wealthy (say, like, a billionaire) and use his newfound fortune to assemble a crime syndicate that would dwarf that of Golzine’s? Furthermore, why did Ash risk his life with ridiculous, poor planned stunts when his intellectual prowess could easily circumvent Golzine’s physical brutality? To underscore this point, allow me to present the following: 1) Ash has an IQ of 180; placing him in an echelon of exceptionally gifted individuals (rarified air, if you will). 2) Ash understands military-level tactics at a proficient level, commanding his gang to coordinate attacks against their various foes. 3) His various senses are finely tuned and his anticipation of danger is second to none (well, maybe Batman has him beat). Yet, instead of making use of these various skills to sidestep hazardous situations, Ash willingly embraced instability via having a knife fight in a subway station against his gang rival, Arthur. In the midst of their battle, predictably, Ash get’s ambushed by Arthur’s gang — proving how poorly planned Ash’s plans truly were — and is forced go John Wick on their candy asses (highly unrealistic, by the way), before his final Mortal Combat-esque showdown. Look. Ash has far too many advanced abilities for his own good and they become contradictory at times. Most protagonists who are portrayed as elite fighters have a weakness in the planning/thinking department and vice versa; however, Ash literally can/will do anything. Even the greatest QB of all time, Tom Brady, can’t run faster than a six year-old girl to save his life (butt-hurt Patriot fans incoming). Counterbalancing greatness with a deficiency elsewhere is a great way to explore a character’s resolve, through their willingness, or unwillingness to ameliorate their weaknesses. Match Ash’s flawlessness with his attractive appearance, and you have a character that is simply too good to be true. Eiji be like, “he’s a sweet candy bar in the bedroom, especially when he wears his nurse outfit.” “Yes. I can confirm this.” — Golzine “Me too.” — Shorter “Hershey chocolate is so delicious, sweet caaaaaaannnndddy bar.” — Arthur, Max, Su Rin, Yut-Lung and about half of New York City (everyone except for the LAY-DEES!) This brings up another concern with the story, that being that everyone and their father are homosexual, or have homosexual tendencies. I have no qualms about an individual’s personal choice, but is it conceivable to think that every man Ash runs “into” has the hots for him? Seems rather absurd, when only ~4.5% of the population identify as being gay. Due to the plethora of melancholic moments throughout the series, it was quite evident that the conclusion of said events would not be a happy one. Deducing the exact ending was nigh impossible (unless you read the manga), but anyone who presumed that Ash and Eiji would both survive their ordeal was ignoring the foreboding atmosphere established in the prior episodes. This insight on “where” events would lead, sort of ruined a level of anticipation for the viewer, but not enough so to be a significant hindrance. The review thus far has been scathing, but there are redeeming qualities that make Banana Fish worth watching. While the characters within the show are not layered or terribly complex, they do come off as being “real,” particularly with the omission of classic anime tropes. Their actions mirror that of “normal” people, making the flagrant abuses seen or talked about feel extremely impactful. It’s hard not to become attached to Ash’s cause of exacting revenge on Golzine, especially considering that his brother became entangled in the B1 (i.e. Banana Fish drug) “experiment.” Banana Fish, to its credit, pulls at the viewer’s heart strings — perhaps, too frequently — to establish an atmosphere not unlike our world. It damn near forces the audience to empathize with the plight of Ash Lynx and cheer him on as he dismantles the mob empire that robbed him of his innocence. Is it rudimentary in its approach? Yes, as indicated in the earlier parts of this review; nevertheless, Banana Fish provides exhilarating action sequences (even if they don’t make sense within the context of Ash’s projected character), moments of shock and awe, and some rather interesting character interactions. With that said, Golzine’s character felt pedestrian, exhibiting features that were not distinct enough to differentiate him from your standard mob boss. The biggest takeaway anyone could discern from his screen time, is that he is a closet homosexual and he is infatuated with making Ash his sex slave. In essence, he merely serves as a mark for Ash to conquer in his quest to liberate himself from the crime syndicate. Marlon Brando’s, Vito Corleone, is an excellent example of how one could/should construct a terrifying human being who instructs his “business associates” to leave a horse head in a director’s bead, but also lives by a set of principles and accumulates wealth for the sake of his family. People, even the so called “evil” ones, will always have redeeming qualities that contrast the malicious activities they deem necessary to accomplish their goals. Rarely does anyone consider their own actions to be immoral, giving a writing staff an opportunity to flesh out these “justifications” and determine why these particular people think in ways that abnegate the norms of a typical society. Deep, complex characters with diametric views always make for interesting conversations, forcing the audience to introspect and reconsider their own viewpoints about topics that have no clear answer. Banana Fish, unfortunately, fails to entertain these narrative motifs. TL;DR Much like its namesake, Banana Fish is a mixture of good and bad. How so?… Bananas are high in potassium and other useful nutrients; Bananas contain high amounts of carbohydrates. Fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which lessens one’s risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke; Fish can have high amounts of mercury, leading to brain defects. Banana Fish is an exhilarating ride with a large cast of diverse characters; Banana Fish presents an unrealistic protagonist who takes unnecessary risks to take down an underdeveloped antagonist in Golzine. 5/10….meh, make it 6/10 (tis the season, after all)

It is well known, even mentioned in the first two episodes, that Banana Fish borrows its odd name from a classic short story written by JD Salinger called “A Perfect Day for Banana Fish.” What is somewhat less noted, however, is how perfectly this reference captures the theme and style of the manga and anime series. Salinger’s story tells of the suicide of Seymour Glass, a World War II vet. The most famous passage of the story features a young man telling a young girl of the “very tragic life” of the Bananafish species who enter a “banana hole” as “very-ordinary looking fish” and gorgethemselves on bananas until they are unable to escape and die.” In many ways, the life of these fictional fish mirrors the life of the main protagonist in the anime, Ash Lynx. One critic of Salinger (Janet Malcolm of the New Yorker) has noted that Salinger depicts life “as a battleground between the normal and abnormal, the ordinary and the extraordinary, the talentless and the gifted, the well and the sick.” This, too, is a very apt description of the picture we get of the dark world in the anime. Banana Fish tells the story of Ash, a brilliant 17-year-old boy. Ash was raped at a young age, ran away from home and taken in by the mafia as a sex slave, worked is way up in the organization after winning the favor of the mafia boss (and main antagonist, Dino Goldzine), and is currently a gang leader in New York. As might be expected of anyone with such a tragic background, Ash is extremely mentally unhealthy, verging into becoming a full-fledged sociopath just like his abusers. Into his life comes Eiji, a rather normal yet caring Japanese photographer traveling with a journalist documenting gang life in America. Here we immediately see the contrast between normal and abnormal, well and sick, and talentless and gifted, and how this contrast might hopefully be resolved in Ash and Eiji’s relationship. Yet Banana Fish is also about a riveting mystery around what “banana fish”—not the fictional species of Salinger—is, its connections to a massive plot involving the military, and the development character of a large cast of interesting, well-developed gangsters who act as fantastic foils to Ash (particularly a Chinese mob master named Yut-Lung). The basic concept of the plot is intriguing, engrossing, and thematically dense. It plays in morally gray areas beyond good and evil, capturing some rather Nietzschean themes about the healthiness or unhealthiness of basic morality. Do “normal” moral constraints merely domesticate prodigious nobles like Ash or helps humanize such people and making them truly happy? Ultimately, Banana Fish takes the side of the latter. It further explores extremely dark psychological dimensions of post-traumatic stress disorder, graphic depictions of sexual assault and violence, manipulation, and psychological torture. Be warned, this is not a series for the faint of heart. Yet it consistently gives room for characters to realistically react to these events, and console each other through the darkest of moments (this becomes the cornerstone of Ash and Eiji’s relationship). Is the execution of this concept, adapted from Akimi Yoshoda’s classic, critically acclaimed 1985-94 manga series, any good though? I have not read the manga so cannot comment on its status as an adaptation. However, I can say that it largely stands up on its own merits. Some have raised concerns about MAPPA’s decision to put the series in modern era rather than its original setting in the late-80s. I agree it probably would have been stronger in its original time. There are moments where some events strain credulity in a modern setting. The whole notion of a gang scene this active and violent in New York makes sense in the 80s in a way it no longer does, some of the projects the military engaged in so central to the plot were more fitting in the Cold War than the modern context, the lack of professional female characters in even in the background (eg., doctors, police, etc.) is somewhat odd in 2018, and a lot of the political commentary is more suited to 1980s America than modern day. Overall, there is very little distinctive about the story that demands a modern setting. However, these are rather minor gripes and if we can suspend our disbelief for so many plot-hole ridden absurd fantastical shounen anime, a little anachronism and is completely forgivable. Another somewhat valid complaint is the unbelievably high concentration of homosexual/bisexual male characters, or at least those who are willing to engage in sexual acts with other men. Sometimes, it is unclear whether the characters want to have sex for erotic reasons or are simply using sexual abuse with other males as a method of control and power (as is usually the case with sexual abuse), and this particularly is the case with Goldzine and Foxx. In these cases, it is forgivable, and clearly having Ash and Eiji show such tendencies was rather necessary. Yet there are moments where I cannot help but agree with this criticism, such as a rather unnecessary scene where Ash successfully (and comically) seduces a random security guard so he can steal his gun and escape. But again, for the era when the manga was written an overrepresentation of homosexual content was hardly a pressing problem. Further, the fact that a prominent anime is finally exploring homosexual themes while not engaging in a rape fetish like most garbage-tier yaoi, but instead critically presents sexual abuse as traumatic is to be celebrated. As for the main plot, Banana Fish ambitiously packs a huge amount of content into its 24-episode run, launching right into the action in the very first episode. At moments it feels slightly rushed (especially the last two episodes). Further, there are scenes, background stories, and subplots I wish the series could have had time to explore in far more dept hand detail—such as Ash’s childhood, Ling’s backstory, or the culture shock Eiji must have had on a road trip across America. It also is somewhat wanting of a better explanation of what Eiji is even doing here. Despite this, it largely is remarkably well-paced for such a short though ambitious project. After some of the most disturbing, action-packed, and climatic scenes, it will go into almost slice-of-life style episodes where little happens that allow for character development on a level rarely attained in such action-heavy crime dramas. So much of this series suggestively shows the development of relationships and dynamic character changes(especially the budding romance between Ash and Eiji) in a subdued manner rather than telling you what’s happening very bluntly and directly. These episodes are a welcome break and its development of the main characters in these episodes and scene are where it truly shines. This is not to say, though, the main action-packed scenes are not good. They are fantastically directed, some of the best-looking fight scenes that could be hoped for. Some may find the events somewhat cyclical and repetitive, jumping from one kidnapping and escape sequence to another. For one, this is somewhat of a simplification of the events, and more importantly, each climatic sequence is sufficiently different to retain interest. If we can make it through most repetitive, drawn-out, and trope-dependent shounen fight scene arcs, this is amazing by comparison. There are some relatively minor flaws in its writing. Most notably, a few backstories of key characters introduced later in the series are explained in a somewhat rushed manner. I would have preferred this series be about ten or so episodes longer to more thoroughly develop these characters. However, it certainly got the job done adequately. Another problem is the dialogue is sometimes clunky and awkward. At times, this is due to obvious translation errors in the subtitles (the translation of “fag” in the first episode is obviously inaccurate and off-putting even as someone who does not speak Japanese, and “I will kill whomever hurt you” is not a grammatical sentence). Other times, it is clearly the fault of the writers and just corny—such as the end of a key scene where an antagonist maniacally laughs in a cartoonish manner in episode ten. There are also moments where ill-fated attempts at humor are awkwardly thrown into otherwise serious and dark scenes. Yet, overall, the writing is heartfelt and believable, and these minor slip ups can be forgiven. In terms of animation and directing, it is rare to see such a feast for the eyes outside of carefully crafted films by an elite few directors. There are scenes that took my breath away with how well they were executed in terms of cinematography. Zooming in on details in the background that were previously only subtly gestured towards for profound emotional effect, interesting perspectives taken in unpredictable though fitting ways, and extremely disturbing and violent scenes where little gore is shown but audio cues and off-focus camera angles let the imagination run wild all contribute to a powerful, raw, and artistic visual experience. There was fantastic attention to detail down to the labels of whiskey bottles. The largest success in terms of animation are the character designs and especially the movement and expressions of some of the main characters. Just watch the second intro (featuring “Freedom” by Blue Encount) on YouTube, which starts with a captivating image of Ash’s pupil’s dilating, to see just how successful this series is in this respect. This is not to say the animation is perfect, there were a few incongruous moments of mediocre CGI implementation in the first two episodes (see, for an example, the Statue of Liberty shot in episode 1). However, even these were barely noticeable, and the animation improved noticeably as the series went along. The soundtrack is as versatile as it is suitable. It mostly accompanies in a subdued manner and even remained silent in all the right places. It mixes dissonant piano melodies, jazzy hip-hop beats, and dark choral pieces into a rich audio tapestry. I did not notice it while watching it on a weekly basis, yet when I binged through the whole series in one sitting the day of the premiere of the finale it became clear that soundtrack is good. Further, the vocal performances by most of the voice actors, particularly Yuuma Uchida's portrayal of Ash, are pretty stellar. Even the choices for intro and outro songs, often integrated into key scenes, are amazing and completely fitting in both tone and lyrics. I do not believe that I have ever personally held a series in such an overwhelmingly positive regard that seems to be largely receiving, at best, mixed or tepid reviews (at least relative to my estimation). Perhaps it’s because I approached it with such low expectations. I was expecting another mediocre shoujo/shounen-ai with half-baked crime elements but was stunned by the dark and rich world into which it immersed me. I watched each episode as it came out and was shocked by how much I liked it, then I decided to binge the whole thing in one sitting to see if really lived up to the hype I was giving it and decided it did. This truly is a series that defies any genre or box you could try to put it into. I've seen it categorized as everything from Seinen, to crime drama, to adventure, to Shounen-ai, to Shoujo. Perhaps its all of these, but really feels quite beyond all of them. Maybe I’m just overreacting to its personally relevant and impactful twist ending (which, without spoiling anything, was one of the biggest and most surprising emotional gut-punches I’ve ever experienced). Maybe I’m just overly excited I finally found an anime with a fantastically developed homoromantic relationship. Maybe I just read too much philosophical content into it. Regardless, I can’t help but completely love this series and give it only the second perfect 10 I have ever given, despite its admitted flaws. Perhaps I will downgrade my estimation of it after some reflection. For now, though, sits second on my favorite list only behind Brotherhood. Story: 10/10 Art: 9/10 Sound: 9/10 Character: 10/10 Enjoyability: 10/10 Overall: 10/10

Banana Fish is a 2018 anime based off of a manga that ran from the mid 80s to mid 90s. The original manga was written by Yoshida Akimi. Who I am not even slightly familiar with. The anime version was handled by MAPPA. The same studio behind rubbish like Kakegurui and Sakamichi no Apollon. But they also worked on Dororo. So, we have to give them some credit. Story: Ash Lynx is a New York boss in charge of a small street gang. His life changes when he finds a dying man who gives him a small item, a location and the words "banana fish." He soon findshimself on a quest to unravel the mystery of those words and the contents of the mysterious powder all while befriending the innocent Japanese youth Okumura Eiji and trying to sever his ties from the area's largest mafioso, Golzine Dino. There are quite a few narrative issues with this series. The first is that it quickly falls into a somewhat absurd pattern where Ash will be captured by Golzine or his men, he'll escape causing a tonne of damage and then Golzine will order him to be brought back alive. Because when you've captured the same kid four bloody times only to have him escape, you definitely want him brought in alive again. At least, if you have no pattern recognition. There are also problems with consistency. Golzine starts out saying he doesn't care if Ash is crippled. He just wants to break and then kill him. This quickly shifts to Golzine wanting to force Ash to be his successor. Because he can't change his mind about bringing him in alive, but he can easily change his mind about the fundamental reason to do so. There's also a point where Ash is considered dead and brags about how this frees him up to move around without anyone looking for him. About three episodes later, he has to disguise himself to visit a particular person because he's a wanted man. We don't see any signs that word's gotten out that reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated but he's suddenly a wanted man again. I see the writing in this is going the Final Fantasy VIII route of not even trying. Then there's the sexual assault stuff. This series features a lot of rape. Particularly within character back stories. And a lot of it isn't handled in any meaningful way. It's just basically used as an excuse for why characters like Ash & Lee Yut-Lung got to be the way they are, for cheap tragedy, and as an easy way for Ash to get some dirt against Golzine. It just comes across as in slightly poor taste and excessive. I also find it hard to believe that Americans would victim blame a literal child by acting like he seduced an adult. I know the culture around sexual assault is pretty bad there and grown women get victim blamed a lot, but that seems ridiculous. I don't know, American readers can tell me if children actually get victim blamed after being raped over there. The big, climactic action sequence at the end is also a bit of a let down. It all feels rushed. The whole plot with the banana fish also gets pretty much dropped and all the build up surrounding it is completely wasted. It also feels a bit deus ex machina that a certain character who gets shot twice and left for dead returns to save the protagonists twice. The story does start out with a lot of potential. The idea of the boss of a street gang fighting to take down the big mafia leader who mentored him is compelling. The first few times Ash gets captured or arrested have some interesting, tense moments. It just stops working when the third time hits because, at that point, it's an obvious story pattern. A lot of the build up surrounding banana fish is also really interesting. You want to see what's going to come from it. Until you get to the end and it's all a big fat waste of your time. Characters: There are certainly issues with the characters. The big antagonist is a moron who never learns from his mistakes. Colonel Fox makes no sense as a character. Maybe it's because he's only in the last four episodes or so, but he's a mercenary who loves to kill. But he wants to set Ash up as a puppet leader because... Code of Hero is the best Transformers episode. There are some pretty strong dynamics with Ash and his gang. Well, with Ash, Shorter & Eiji. Pretty much every other character in his gang is bland. Which is a definite ongoing issue in the series. There are a few focus characters who are kind of interesting and developed but for each of them there are three side characters who might as well be unseasoned bricks of tofu. And one antagonist with rubbish or inconsistent motivations. Art: This is actually one area where I have to give MAPPA a lot of credit. This anime looks great. The action sequences are dynamic. The characters have strong designs. The backgrounds and various objects are nicely detailed. And the series restrains itself and doesn't show the various sexual assaults in any kind of detail. Sounds: The acting is solid. Nojima Kenji, Uchida Yuuma, Morikawa Toshiyuki & Furukawa Makoto are all strong in their roles. And the rest of the cast is, at the very least, completely competent. The music is decent enough. I'm not really a fan of the theme tunes, personally but they're fine. Ho-yay: There's a lot. Ash's back story involves him being raped by a whole slew of dudes. And there are a lot more who come across as sexually attracted to him. His dynamic with Eiji is also pretty homo-erotic. Areas of Improvement: Keep it consistent. Yes, motivations and situations can change. But you need to illustrate that instead of having situation or motivation A and then swapping to B with no explanation. If you're going to include sexual assault as a significant element in a story, you really need to handle it well. In this case, the history of sexual assault is largely there for the sake of having a tragic back story. And it's barely handled beyond being there, much less handled well. Don't drop your important plots. Like I said, the whole Banana Fish thing comes up a lot and goes nowhere by the end. Final Thoughts: Banana Fish had a strong start and real potential. Unfortunately, the repetition of Ash gets captured plots, poorly handled sexual assault, main antagonist's stupidity, consistency issues and other problems quickly evaporate the good will it starts with. By the end, we're left with a sub-par work. I'm giving it a 4/10. And that's mainly because of the strong start and those well executed dynamics.