DO NOT discuss the source material beyond this episode. If you want to discuss future events or theories, please use separate threads.
DO NOT ask where to watch/download this episode or give links to copyrighted, non-fair use material.
DO NOT troll/bait/harass/abuse other users for liking or disliking the series/characters.
DO read the Anime Discussion Rules and Site & Forum Guidelines.
DO NOT ask where to watch/download this episode or give links to copyrighted, non-fair use material.
DO NOT troll/bait/harass/abuse other users for liking or disliking the series/characters.
DO read the Anime Discussion Rules and Site & Forum Guidelines.
| I really wasn’t expecting it to end like that it was a wholesome but sad ending idk man the whole thing is just messed up but I guess you can say that Ash is finally free. |
 |
| What a Season Finale!! Wow Golzine save Ash at the end. I really thought it was Blanca. Still fck Yut-Lung, this is all happen because of this jealous princess. Damn it Lao, WTF. It's an Open Ending. Someone gonna help Ash to Hospital off screen, right? Let me inhaling my *Copium 😭 Overall what a Great Series, never have i thought Shoujo Manga could be like this. Drugs. Rape. Pedophilia. Gangs. PTSD. Violence. Corruption. Emotional rollercoaster, beautifully written with amazing characters. 9/10 I need to take a break a little bit after watching this episode. 😭😭😭 |
davidyodo24Nov 24, 2022 8:51 AM
 |
| Yeah no, he's definitely just taking a nap. Gunshot and stab wounds mean next to jack sh*t in this show. Plus he didn't leave a trail of blood when entering the library, someone would've seen that for sure, especially that librarian, so he must've been able to stop the bleeding. Reading Eiji's letter, he was overcome with emotion, and started running, probably toward the airport to properly say goodbye to Eiji and to see him one last time (for most of this episode, I was thinking: wow, neither of them die, so we get a happy ending? Where are all the tears that I hear that everyone gets from watching this? Well they didn't really properly say goodbye to each other, other than Eiji's letter, and before that Eiji telling Ash to leave him there at the hospital. So I guess that is sad enough of an ending. But still, where does it really start to hit.... oh.)- before getting stabbed by Lao in the one moment in his life where he had let his guard down. Ash probably takes this as a very blatantly obvious sign from above that it is really time to let Eiji go. He returns to the library, and falls asleep on Eiji's last words to him, smiling, thankful for the the time that they did spend together. Or maybe I'm just coping hard asf since I didn't want Ash, the one who lived a life of suffering, to be the one to die. Anyway, regarding everything else this episode, I thought Mr. Fox here was an actually intimidating antagonist, which is a shame because it felt like he was just brought in for the last few episodes to give Ash someone to fight for the big finale. Also Ash escaped TWICE while under his captivity, and even though Ash is a genius, yeah no something like that shouldn't happen if you're a professional. I think Mr. Fox was there just for Papa Dino to kill him, and that maybe in his own super twisted way, he really loved Ash, and perhaps saw him as something a little more than just an investment. But I don't really care for any of that, all the antagonist-figures in this show simply serve their purpose and are forgettable and disposable. The whole first half of this episode is just there so that there can be an action set piece in the final episode to make it feel finale-y, and to tie up a couple loose ends. And Yut-Lung, if he wasn't integral to the plot (that being just to cause problems pretty much), I'd have deleted him from the story completely and gave his screen time to literally anyone else. I liked the little chat that Ash and his mentor Blanco had together, most likely having put any strife of their past behind them and having reconciled completely with each other. Him, Sing, Cain, freaking Jessica, all really likeable characters. And once again, RIP Shorter. That was easily the darkest and most heart-wrenching moment of the whole show. As for Banana Fish itself, well, it wasn't really brought up in this last episode and doesn't seem to matter in the end. It served its purpose though in driving Ash for revenge, and in turn getting Eiji getting mixed up in all the action and thus is what starts their bond. This was a good watch. I think there was potential for it to hit even harder, but I think it certainly did a good enough job. Was I moved by this ending? Yes, definitely. However I still don't know exactly what to think of it, particularly whether or not this was a "good" ending for the show. What would typically happen is they'd run to the airport or whatever, manage to see their departing lover one last time, shout something cheesy out, in which they shout something cheesy back, they both smile, everyone's happy, roll credits. If the writers were feeling a little more bold, they'd have them run to the airport, but miss their departing lover by a second, never getting to properly say goodbye- which is what I was expecting. But instead, Ash runs for a bit before getting stabbed, which is one of the if not THE most ballsy move they could've chosen. It certainly took me aback. Now my question is if this is just meant for simply shock value, in a last ditch attempt to make the viewer remember this show (if somehow said viewer wouldn't remember everything that came before it), or if it actually makes sense in the grand scheme of things, tying in with the story and elevating it. To answer this question is to see what difference it'd make whether he died or not. And the only difference I can find right now is that if he doesn't die, the viewer is sad because he didn't get to say goodbye to Eiji. If he does die, then the viewer is even more sad. Well I guess if there's more emotion to it, the writer will take that route. For me, I'm going to continuing sniffing copium and say that Ash is indeed just sleeping. Dude got stabbed and shot a hundred times already, what's one more. He's super human mentally and physically. Heck in this episode he rescued Sing, pulling him up with the arm where he had just been stabbed deeply in the shoulder. Sure you could argue that it was his drive to live and protect Eiji that kept him alive, and now that Eiji was safe and gone that Ash could now finally truly rest, not having anything left to live for, his purpose as a bodyguard for Eiji complete. But man, I'm still sad. Binged this over the course of a couple days, in where Ash quickly became one of my favourite anime characters of all time, and now he's gone. Been going between feeling a 7 and an 8 while watching Banana Fish, mostly leaning toward an 8. Usually the ending makes it easy to help me decide between two scores I'm stuck on, but in this case I'm just more indecisive now. I'm really glad that this show HAD an ending, which is almost never the case anymore in an era full of seasonals and what not. I'll need to think on it a bit more, but for now it's either a high 7 or a low 8. |
  NYANPASU  5700XT |
| Just finished the anime, and just, wow... That ending... First of all I have been reading a bunch of theories non-stop ever since I finished the episode, and I already went to read the last chapter of the manga and the epilogue "Garden of Light". I have to start by saying that I actually thought Ash didn't die when I finished the episode, as many have said, the anime leaves an open ending, and maybe I was in denial, but I really didn't have the feeling he died when I watched the final scene. So yeah, when I started reading everyone saying that he had died I was shocked, like, it seemed that I finally understood what really happened in those final moments. With that said, I am really unsure on how to feel about this ending. People say that sleeping is great to organize your ideas, so I will really need to do that after I write this reply. But as of now, I'm really confused on how I should see this ending. In a way, Ash finally got the peace he deserved, and it would be really hard for him to live after everything he went through, and he resolved every issue he had at the moment, so it seemed it was a proper closure. But at the same time, I just find this ending really ungrateful. All of that suffering, all of those years without being loved by someone, just to end up dying when you finally find someone who appreciates you? I don't know, I feel like this tragic ending was just chosen for the shock effect really, this anime is really TRAGIC, DENSE and DARK, we all know that, so what was the need for such a tragic ending? in a way, I feel like the author just wanted us, the viewers (well, readers in case of the Manga), to just feel miserable with this ending. I find it so unbelievable that Ash died after all of that, and killed by a person that had barely a role on the anime, due to a stab that didn't affect any vital organs, nor did it cause a big bleeding (because, well, the library was immaculate). But maybe that's exactly the intention behind it: give Ash a very standard and anti-climatic death, but also a very real one. But one thing is for sure: I did not like how thet pushed the "Eiji was Ash's weak spot" agenda with this ending, by basically getting him killed for lowering his guards due to Eiji's letter, making it seem like Eiji ended up being the reason he got himself killed. I also did not like how the anime gives the impression that Ash had no other better ending that death, due to all of his traumas, effectively saying that people that have been through traumas will never find happiness. In the end, I understand that this ending was to be expected, but I don't know if I can accept it, it just doesn't feel right. Ash deserved a better ending. I know that he might have died while remembering only the good moments in his life with Eiji, but the time they spent together was really short, and they deserved to be together. Once again though, I understand the idea that Ash and Eiji couldn't really be together, or at least that's not what Ash wanted, because that would throw Eiji to a world he is not part of. Btw, reading the Epilogue "Garden of Light" was so painful... I didn't actually cry when watching the last episode (I mean, I thought Ash was alive, so yeah), but I did end up crying while reading this Epilogue, and, just like the ending, I'm not sure how to feel about it, but it does leave a very bittersweet taste. Well, with all of that, now I'm really sure what to score this anime. I was between an 8 and a 9, and this ending just made me really confused on how I feel about this anime. The 1st part was really good, but I feel like the 2nd Part was a bit repetitive, and only started to be better in the last episodes, that felt rushed either way. Will also need to sleep on which score I should give Banana Fish. Even after all this, I enjoyed this experience, but I'm not sure if I would recommend it to my friends, it's quite harsh, especially with this ending. It just really feels ungrateful and miserable, I don't know. At least the anime left it as an open ending, which may lead us to a bit of speculation, and although I don't usually like open endings, this one might be an exception. One last note: I really found beautiful how Eiji and Ash had such a deep bound, and how important they were for each other and to resolve their internal issues. In the end, Ash was able to free himself from his pain and angst, while Eiji was able to feel alive again, and I think that's a good note to thing about when remembering the anime. |
| Well...that's sad. Eiji will never see Ash again. They had a fantastic relationship. Anyway, that was a great watch. The last arc with Fox as the antagonist was weak but otherwise, I loved it. ~8/10. |
 |
| DAMN Mixed feelings. I both love and hate the ending. I really wanted to see Ash escape to Japan and live a peaceful life with Eiji but it just wasn't meant to be.. Ash deserved better. The world / society is terrible and cruel to so many. 9/10 |
N☆  |
| Good anime from start until the last minute. I hated that ending, and I hate the Mangaka's reason for it. It felt so unnecessary after everything that happened. Like adding one more piece of shock value for the sake of it. |
-Hermit-Sep 10, 2023 6:42 PM
| Ok I didn't expect this ending. Why not go to a hospital? The series was dark overall with a lot of mature themes addressed but the Ash/Eiji relationship didn't convince me at all. I understand that this is supposed to be a josei serie but Eiji is deadly boring. He doesn't evolve despite everything he goes through, which is disturbing. Quite honestly it would have worked better if the author had made him a somewhat badass girl like Jessica or Blanca's wife. There is a severe lack of female characters. Well that was really good despite that. |
| . |
| Very sad and light episode at the same time. Ash simply fell asleep at the library and was waiting for Eiji to come back to get him to Japan... |
 |
| Just like how impossible it is for me to eat banana and fish on the same plate.... |
| I thought the first half of the show was stronger, but the finale delivered the action in spades. I felt the very last scenes were going for a Cowboy Bebop like ending, but it didn't feel earned. |
More topics from this board
Poll: » Banana Fish Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 )TheFreycook - Aug 8, 2018 |
67 |
by bubba460z
»»
May 5, 4:10 PM |
|
» Any differences?Mangahater - Apr 27 |
10 |
by MickeyMinaj
»»
Apr 29, 2:09 AM |
|
Poll: » Banana Fish Episode 22 Discussion ( 1 2 3 )Stark700 - Dec 6, 2018 |
121 |
by matheoo41
»»
Apr 13, 5:55 PM |
|
Poll: » Banana Fish Episode 21 Discussion ( 1 2 )Stark700 - Nov 29, 2018 |
69 |
by matheoo41
»»
Apr 13, 5:41 PM |
|
» how gay is this shit?KuroudoAkabane - May 14, 2023 |
37 |
by Merve2Love
»»
Apr 13, 1:54 AM |