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| THIS IS A MANGA ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS ANYTHING BEYOND THIS CHAPTER. ---------------------------------------- Since this is going to be a summation of kind of the series, and yes contains spoilers, thought I would make a new thread instead of put it under "Banana Fish" thread. Anyways the ending was somewhat sad, it didn't really hit me as being overwhelming tragic in the very last actual chapter, but then during the last chapter, the extra chapter where Eiji's cousin Akira comes to visit ... I found that chapter to actually be pretty damn sad. Moving on, the series itself was great, I enjoyed both the characters, the plot and especially many of the themes this series captured that rarely are seen in manga, and even when they are present never go too in depth. Especially the different ethnicity's among the different gangs, which from my understanding is actually very accurate. My two complaints were: At the very very end, Banana Fish was kind of just ... forgotten. And of course being a straight male the other complain kind of would have been the detail in which they discussed ash's past or other instances, although since it actually fit the story and was necessary to ash's character the latter of the two complaints is definitely negligible. Overall, great series, I would probably realistically give this an 8.5 - 9 /10 |
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| Amazing read! Despite Ash's somewhat Gary Stu-like characteristics, he's actually an extremely likable character. Same goes for Eiji, Blanca, Sing, and even Yut-Lung (to a lesser extent). None of the characters seemed extraordinarily unique or special, but they sure did convey every bit of emotion the author probably intended. The story, too, was really thrilling. Left me craving for more. It's true, though, that Banana Fish was somewhat ignored in the end. And those last 3 volumes were really painful to read. It's fascinating how invested readers can get while reading a piece of work—this applies to the whole manga, of course, and not just the last three volumes. |
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| That last chapter was a bit...painful. Wonderful story, full of suspense was not what I was anticipating when I started this shojo manga. As fellow manga readers above me has mentioned, the themes and portrayal of emotions were almost perfect. Despite Ash being a borderline gary Stu, it just shows how brilliant storytelling can justify a character's intentions. Most of the other characters were very well done, and the portrayal of the complex relationships, particularly between Ash and Eiji, and Ash with Golzine showed the mastery in the storytelling. My only problem, as already pointed out, that Banana Fish was somewhat ignored at the end, and the story totally focused on Ash. Overall, a great series. I'm still torn whether to give this an 8 or a 9 though. Definitely my fav shojo manga alongside Mars. |
Kagami_Hiiragi said: Idc if you think its weird, I have a life and friends and an income of money. |
| Yeah, I do have to complain a bit since Banana Fish just ended up being burning and forgotten. A bit of a easy resolution by killing off the antagonists... it went for a feels ending. Which, being technically shoujo, works for me. I love the relationship between Eiji and Ash. And I love Ash - his broken past, which, surprisingly, continued into the present, and his ultimate ending. I knew he would die. Because this series loves to meet my expectations as a tragedy and kill off the main character... and of course Monster-style since he was killed by practically a nobody. However, the extras/wrap-up stories were freakin' wonderful. It showed a bit of Ash before he became the superhuman that we all know and love, and brought back Shorter too. The epilogue with Eiji was well done, incorporating a small story of Akira as well, which added that thoughtful touch. Excellent ending. |
| I have to agree. The relationships between Ash and pretty much all the characters is spectacular. They are all complex in their own right. Even his relationships with antagonists have aspects of caring and sympathy to them. Seen in relationships like Ash and Dino, where though Dino can be the scum of the Earth, he also is protective and clearly cares for Ash in his own sick and twisted way. The plot does shift focus pretty abruptly. This is true. I'll be pretty honest, the first time I read the ending I was mad, though, and pretty much refused to read anything else for a good few days. It made me mad that Ash died, especially the way he did, even if I saw it coming. At this point I think I've resolved the ending a bit with myself, though. A lot of people have commented that Ash presented as a Gary-Stu, but I don't think that's entirely true. Ash may be gifted as an intellectual sniper fighter, but he has many deep personal flaws. I like how in a lot of ways, Yoshida held Ash accountable for his situation, particularly in the manga's end. Ash was a victim, yes, but Ash was also offered many outs by people who cared about him, especially Eiji, and yet he never took them. Ash isn't perfect by any means. He is self-pitying, self-destructive, and a risk taker with dodgy morals. Even if he ultimately moves beyond this mindset by the end of the manga (racing to the airport after reading Eiji's letter to save himself instead of wallowing in his pain), his past decisions and relationships still come back to bite him. Notably the person who killed him isn't someone of whom he was a victim, such as Dino, or Foxx, or Blanca, or Yut-Lung. It's an enemy he made from a choice he made, because his own flaws created as much of his problems as his circumstance, and those choices don't just go away. I think that's enough to land him out of Gary-Stu territory. He ain't no saint. And so with that analysis I really ended up likely Banana Fish thematically: you can't escape the past. You're your own worst enemy. True that. For me a lot of the tragedy came from the fact that Ash was able to grow as a person, but he did so too late for help. Although I will concede the side stories were pretty amazing as well (albeit the t-shirts a bit distracting). Love this manga. Definitely one of my top and probably the one I have most personally resonated with, even if it took me a while to get it. I have it as a 9/10 for the weakness in plot towards the end (even if it was more thematically strong), and the terrible art for the first few volumes. Seriously, some of her panels have people (not chibis) three heads tall and floor tiles with no perspective the sides of their heads... |
| Whoa, what a ride. I honestly don't know what to say and I don't to say much either because everyone else above me already said what I think. I loved every aspect of this manga and even if - as others said - the plot towards the end started to be weaker. I'm glad all the themes this manga presented were well explored and they didn't serve only as a purpose to add drama and whatsoever because even if I didn't read that much manga, I'm pretty tired of starting to read something 'serious' and then, it just presents that a character got raped and after that they never explore it, nor serves as something to develop that character. I also love that every character has a complex personality and everyone got their 'moment'. Even though I missed a little bit of Nadia, she appeared a few episodes and didn't do much except... work at the resturant and worry? I feel like she could been better. I knew Ash would die because I spoiled myself for whatever stupid reason and I still felt sad after reading the last chapter - mostly because of Eiji's letter and what did that mean, than Ash's death (even though I must say I got pretty attached to him, he was a great character with many sides). But then, the chapter that came after that about Eiji and Sing's feelings killed me. Ash and Eiji's (and well, everyone's else) relationship was so wonderfully portrayed. For a moment, when Ash went out of the library I hoped he would reunite with Eiji and live happy together after that. I mean, after what Ash went through, he finally found someone who loved him for whom he was and not for what they could get of him. He finally started to feel loved genuinely, and love back. The poor boy... And yes, what Sing said about Ash and Eiji loving each others as lovers do even though their relationship wasn't sexual was beautiful. It's sad that in the end, what killed Ash wasn't all the stuff he was in nor what he went through but his blindness and love when it comes to Eiji. |
| i'm about to scream. are you fucking kidding me? that was a real punch to the gut, to put mildly. i've never been more devastated by a manga ending. i saw it coming right from the beginning (i didn't get spoiled or anything either) because characters like Ash never survive god the saddest part about his death was that all the conflict from his life was finally resolved and he finally had a chance to come to Japan with Eiji and mend his emotional trauma over the years. but nope, he gets killed by a completely irrelevant character because he was so caught up with the letter that Eiji wrote. the author is evil, the ending would have been just as good if she just showed Ash getting on the plane without further explanation. however, i do not think the ending is bad by any means. it's a great ending, but it doesn't make me hate it any less. at the very least, Ash was finally at peace at the moment of his death. i kinda wish Eiji also died then, because seeing Eiji live alone without Ash is so painful to see poor Eiji though, he knows Ash's death was partly his fault. it couldn't be helped, but still that Sing growth though, i can't believe he was so tiny and then he grew to be a giant. i assume the person he was talking to on the phone was the young Lee brother, but i could be wrong. i kinda thought they would end up living together, instead of with Eiji i wish there was more development on Blanca's character. i really really liked him but i feel like more could have been done with him i loved this manga but i do gotta admit, towards the end, i completely forgot this manga was about the drug Banana Fish. personally, i didn't focus on the whole drug aspect of the manga. i much preferred the complex characters, but it's still odd that the plot was kinda thrown out the window. the last "villain" arc seemed a bit rushed, like the author just wanted to get rid of all the bad guys already and kill off Ash. the Papa Dino death was satisfying though. and i did like the fact that the drugs were just burned away but i feel like it wouldn't be so simple and realistic interestingly, even though there was 19 volumes, i feel like there could have easily been more. some characters could have had more development (such as Blanca, Nadia, etc) and there could have been more plot-related chapters despite all that, i feel like the issues i had were kind of minor. i'm going to rate it 9/10 instead of 10/10 purely because i'm bitter over Ash's death. i would have only been fine with it if he died along with Eiji. i saw it coming from a mile away but it still sure as hell doesn't make it any less sad  (behold my favorite line from the manga): |
belovingMay 18, 2018 9:39 PM
| Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
| I've been itching to leave a comment on MAL ever since I finished binging the manga in 3 days... my first comment after the forum is finally back :') -------------------------------------- I really enjoyed reading this manga. Enjoyed how much it ripped my heart out. How much pain I suffered with the characters. I love the way not only the characters, but the setting, felt alive. Everything felt so down to earth. Ash was such a painful character to read about, and while I was annoyed with how much he let Eiji stay around, it made sense...that Eiji was his oasis. Someone who knew nothing of how dark the world could be, knew nothing of violence, but had no fear of Ash, and didn't approach Ash for a selfish or ulterior motive. Someone who simply loved and cared about him, wanting nothing in return. A classic, but well written example of opposites attract. I also love the romantic friendship they had, I don't think you could describe it any other way. It was romantic due to the intimacy, but it was definitely not sexual, as (homosexual) sex had been depicted in a negative light throughout the series. It's an interesting contrast. The ending was expected, tbh. I knew Ash wouldn't make it out of the story alive. There was no way that'd happen. Even though he was a product of his environment and experiences, a victim from such a young age, he had still done a lot of terrible things. But still, that doesn't mean he deserves a horrible nor painful death. I'm happy for him, that he was able to die smiling. It's also fitting that he was always ready to die, but never in a positive state, but when he wasn't ready to die, he was still able to die with a smile. It's ironic, but so perfect. To top it all off, Ash always goes to the library when he wants to be alone, and he died in the library alone, physically. But metaphorically(?), he was with Eiji, as he was touching Eiji's letter in his last moment. And of course, Eiji himself said that his soul will always be with Ash. While it was an emotional ride, with many of the main characters being well written and complex, their psychology, growth, and relationship dynamics, there could definitely had been improvements. I agree that it's a shame that Nadia was sort of "forgotten" for most of the later parts, but I also understand that it's really difficult to incorporate everyone's story as well as to even give them meaningful panel time without dragging an already long and deep narrative. Which reminds me, I think that the story could've been shorter. The last two arcs were felt slightly, and I only mean slightly, dragged out. Those were the only parts of the story that I felt a bit tiring to read through. Otherwise, I think the story is rather tight for such a long series. A lot of long-running series get off tangent and have multiple stories going on at the same time (not that it's a bad thing!), so it's quite refreshing to see such a straightforward plot. Btw, my second favorite character in the series goes to Sing! Love the kid. |
| I finished this manga quicker than any other manga I've ever read in my life because it was just that good. I'm not particulary good with words but I really feel like I need to try and comment this manga. The heavy themes that aren't common in anime/manga were what caught my attention, I was really looking forward to see how were they going to be approached and I was not disappointed. As mentioned above, I fell in love with the characters relationships with each other, how they connected and how that affected their lives + their own personal growth. Smurphinator said: A lot of people have commented that Ash presented as a Gary-Stu, but I don't think that's entirely true. Ash may be gifted as an intellectual sniper fighter, but he has many deep personal flaws. I like how in a lot of ways, Yoshida held Ash accountable for his situation, particularly in the manga's end. Ash was a victim, yes, but Ash was also offered many outs by people who cared about him, especially Eiji, and yet he never took them. Ash isn't perfect by any means. He is self-pitying, self-destructive, and a risk taker with dodgy morals. Even if he ultimately moves beyond this mindset by the end of the manga (racing to the airport after reading Eiji's letter to save himself instead of wallowing in his pain), his past decisions and relationships still come back to bite him. Notably the person who killed him isn't someone of whom he was a victim, such as Dino, or Foxx, or Blanca, or Yut-Lung. It's an enemy he made from a choice he made, because his own flaws created as much of his problems as his circumstance, and those choices don't just go away. I think that's enough to land him out of Gary-Stu territory. He ain't no saint. I have to agree. Ash is a character with flaws! and that makes me like him even more. He's also not a cold traumatized guy who happens to be naturally beautiful, intelligent and skilled. He's funny and has his 17 year old moments (throwback to that tantrum he threw at the mental hospital after he realized Max and Ibe were stuck in there trying to get him out); and he also cares for his friends. I love every aspect of Ash and Eiji's relationship. So much. I love how Eiji is both Ash's strenght and weakness, I love how he somehow wanted to live because of him; yet he died, in a way, because of him as well. I knew Ash was going to die. At first it angered me to see how he just died like that but I came to understand that was exactly the point of it he never let his guard down unless he was with Eiji and he died because he in someway was with him, while reading his letter (oh god. The letter. I still cry myself to sleep thinking about it everyday) and in some natural stupid way, despite surviving every chaotic thing that happened to him during the whole manga. He did a lot of things yet he died smiling....he did a lot of things so he didn't get his second chance but he managed to find happiness. I love how Ash desperately wanted someone to treat him as an human being, someone who cared for him without expecting anything in return and how Eiji is all of that and so much more. I think they complete each other in every way - I see Ash as physically strong character while Eiji as a emotionally strong character; Ash struggles with voicing his emotions and Eiji is very quick and honest on doing so and I could stay here all day...The final chapter when we see Eiji and Sing post-Ash's death were so heartbreaking. It literally felt like someone had just ripped my heart out of my chest just like that and I'm not one to cry but it took me a while to finish it off for crying so hard.. When Sing basically stated that Ash and Eiji were soulmates I think it is the best definition for their relationship. It's something that would only happen once in a lifetime. Other than that I loved to see how the gangs were portrayed and loved when they came together to fight against a common enemy, I absolutely love Sing and Cain... Sing is such a special character in my heart because he's just so kind and overall a good friend and person and until the end he never left Eiji alone. I also have this love-hate relationship with Yut-Lung (really. The whole manga was me wanting to punch him and sometimes give him and hug; though in the end I really felt sorry for him). I liked Dino's death a lot as well because even in the end he refused to let anyone kill Ash and ended up dying for him (which is pretty ironic since he pretty much killed his innocence..). I also loved to see the difference in their cultures. I could stay here all day, messily ranting but I'm going to stop now. I loved every bit and it's now my absolute favorite manga ever. And if you're looking for more pain you gotta check New York Sense (it's Eiji's photobook which contains a lot of pics of Ash and the rest, even Akira and Sing's wedding etc and it's very nostalgic...) |
daeguJun 30, 2021 1:57 AM
_______________________________ every moment i spent with you shined because the weather was good because the weather was bad because the weather was good enough i loved every moment of it. |
| I just finished this manga and I feel like there's a big hole in my heart. I've sworn not to be drawn too deep to a story anymore, but damn, I did it again. I've cried many times over anime, manga, movie, or any other stories, but banana fish is the most painful. And I'm going to take it all out here. So this comment is just gonna be some rant. I'm really mad at how he died. I just don't understand why did he have to die because of Lao OF ALL PEOPLE. He didn't even stab him in his vital organs. He can seek for help or going to the hospital instead going to the library and bleed himself to death (why didn't anyone notice his blood?). It just didn't make any sense after all he has been thru. It really pains me because I think he had the chance to start his life again. It would be another story if he died in Foxx's hand. I would also be mad but I would accept that more over this ending (it wouldn't be a beautiful and tragic ending tho lol). Or it would also have been better if Lao stabbed him in his vital organs. It would make more sense if he died because there's nothing he could do. BUT THIS? OMG he fking had the chance to live. I don't buy his crap about not wanting to be with Eiji anymore because he's a bad news. Yes, maybe he WAS. But now, everything is over. He's already free. He may be back being a street punk but no one is taking his freedom anymore. So, where's the problem? I just think he deserves better after all his suffering :( It's such a perfect and beautiful ending, but I still hate it. Other than that, I really love this manga. I plan to watch the anime after this but I'm not sure if I can go thru the pain again lol |
| I hate romance story coz I don't have romance in my life. Yea..I'm such a salty b*tch. |
| So, I after several weeks I finally ended the manga. And I must say just like many others, it left me heartbroken. Maybe worst since I didn´t let myself be spoiled so I didn´t know what to expect. Well, since it was labeled as tragedy on manganelo, I knew someone was going to die either way. But for whatever reason I always thought it would be Eiji. Not that I wished it, I really like him, but I somehow thought his ´klutziness´ would get him shot by accident or something like that. That´s why I was so startled when the final scene came in the picture showing Ash dying in the library. I was utterly shocked and sad, of course. But Garden of Light added a whole new level of the sadness to the story. Only after seeing older, innocent Eiji grieving over Ash it hit me that Ash really died back then and he won´t be coming back. It was incredibly sad. Even now my eyes are dwelling with tears. Very few anime or manga made me crying, but I just had to when I watched Eiji looking at Ash´s photos. I think everybody has. This manga belongs to my personal masterpieces although I think it will take some time to come back to it for rereading. Looking forward at the way how anime will handle to pass the emotions to the viewer. But judging from Shorter´s death animated, they will probably handle it amazingly. We´ll see. |
| “You are not alone, Ash. I am with you. My soul is with you.” - Eiji Okumura. |
| I honestly feel like someone punched me in the heart. I knew Ash was going to die but my god the ending made me so S A D |
| Oscar and Andre deserved better |
| After I finished reading the ending, I didn't think it was too sad. I was just really vexed by how Ash died. The story kept dropping hints about his eventual death, but it just had to happen in such a lonely way. Ash could have gotten help, but he would have been locked up anyway. Oh well, there are no ifs... I didn't cry once from this, but I feel so inexplicably sad. Time is so cruel. Ash dies, and it's time to move on. Eiji and Sing are all grown up now, but Ash will be 18 forever. Why couldn't Ash just live the way he wanted to??!! |
Noxidian said: In the manga, Ash was 19 and a half by then. He died in early 1987 according to the guidebook.After I finished reading the ending, I didn't think it was too sad. I was just really vexed by how Ash died. The story kept dropping hints about his eventual death, but it just had to happen in such a lonely way. Ash could have gotten help, but he would have been locked up anyway. Oh well, there are no ifs... I didn't cry once from this, but I feel so inexplicably sad. Time is so cruel. Ash dies, and it's time to move on. Eiji and Sing are all grown up now, but Ash will be 18 forever. Why couldn't Ash just live the way he wanted to??!! #FuckYutLung |
MetaKiteDec 10, 2018 4:51 PM
| Pain. Pure pain. His life was a never ending fight ever since his childhood. He deserves the best ╥﹏╥ |
| Pain. Is there anything else that needs to be said ? Overall, this was a pretty good manga. It's definitely dated and of its time but I can't bring myself to be critical about this. I wish there were more shoujo like this. |
| Wow this last chapter was explained everything. Just came here after finished the anime and went to the last chapter to seeking the real ending. Was a pretty dramatic but also great story. I like it. I'd also see Sing and Eiji grown up. Great story overall. |
NinoHaruhara said: wow, this manga is amazing, a masterpiece, can't think of any other way to put it. this was the first BL manga I've ever completed and i couldn't have been more glad, if I had space in my favorites i definitely would have added it. can't wait to watch the anime. 11/10 manga. It's a shoujo manga, not BL |
| HACKs! 🤢🤮 |
NinoHaruhara said: yeah i know, but I’ve seen many people call it a BL manga, so I’m gonna stick to that A Manga can have a gay relationship without being BL. Those people are wrong. |
| HACKs! 🤢🤮 |
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