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| You know what would be the best? If Ash survives, since that ending is ambiguois enough to allow that, and a second season is spent helping him recover from his trauma while in Japan, making it more of a phycological set of episodes than an action based one as the first season was. Then, after suffering his entire life, he finally ends up properly happy (and preferably not in the sense he's dependant on Eiji for it; genuinely, able to sustain it on his own, okay). It can be a 12 episode thing, to allow the proper pacing for his recovery. Let me imagine this AU instead of feeling upset, okay. |
Lunallae said: Good luck, in several ways... Garden of Light hits harder than even this ending. But it also does heal you a bit. Hence why I called MAPPA cruel for leaving us with this. NOPE GARDEN OF LIGHT WAS A BAD IDEA OH GOD I FEEL WORSE Any Banana Fish alternative-ending-healing-fluff out there, guys ??? I'm gonna cry myself to death tonight T_T |
Jessy-sAnime said: You know what would be the best? If Ash survives, since that ending is ambiguois enough to allow that, and a second season is spent helping him recover from his trauma while in Japan, making it more of a phycological set of episodes than an action based one as the first season was. Then, after suffering his entire life, he finally ends up properly happy (and preferably not in the sense he's dependant on Eiji for it; genuinely, able to sustain it on his own, okay). It can be a 12 episode thing, to allow the proper pacing for his recovery. Let me imagine this AU instead of feeling upset, okay. Bless your heart, I'm gonna pretend that's cannon <3 |
| It's been probably an hour since I watched the last episode. I gotta say I was speechless after that ending. I had to immediately check out the manga and read the epilogue. Now I've had more time to collect my thoughts and read about some other interpretations of the ending online. I can understand why Ash would do such a thing, but I'm still not completely on board with it. Lets be real here: Ash committed suicide. They made sure to let you know the dagger didn't hit any vitals. He choose to bleed out in that library. It just feels bad that it was Lao who did it. I want to believe that's a byproduct of rushed adaptation. The anime mostly just gave us Lao as an angry kid who hated Ash, but I feel we never got into the heads of the Chinese, specifically Sing and Lao, enough to really understand. Idk, I don't wanna ramble here and write too much. I don't know if this ending makes me like the show more or less. |
| How could they make us go through all of that, give us a small but of hope that he can escape this fate... to just bleed out in a library. Fuck this, I'm so upset. |
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on 
| I really enjoyed watching this anime. It is definitely the best this year in my opinion. |
"I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise it won't be boring."- David Bowie |
| lmao first Golzine gets shot by a random villain that appeared out of nowhere, comes back (SOMEHOW) to save Ash and dies "again" then Ash survives all this BS just to get stabbed out of nowhere for the extra DRAMA fuck this show should have dropped way sooner |
| What a ending! The last confront was great, I loved to see Jessica jumping head first into danger to save the one she loved: Max. Sing, and Blanca also made a great duo, and I was glad that they were the ones there helping Ash, after all I thought that it was going to end there, and I didn't want him to be alone. But Dino wasn't dead, he lived enough to drag Foxx into hell with him, and his fall into that sea of flames was so, I don't know, satisfying, not even fire can cleanse his soul though. I also loved that Blanca told Sing about Yut-Lung, Blanca truly was talking about Sing when he told Yut-Lung that someone loved him, I'm so happy with their ending. Sing could see it, he understood that even know Yut-Lung's heart is bleeding, and he decided to stay by his side. Yut-Lung avenged his mother, and now he found another reason, and he won't be alone anymore. Even Ash forgave him for what he did, and Blanca was worried about him until the end, I couldn't be happier with this part. Also really glad with Max, and Jessica's happy ending, they deserved it! Ash even sent Max one last text congratulating him... Now, Eiji's scenes killed me, wondering if Ash was going to go someplace far away without saying anything, that he shouldn't have taught him how to say "sayonara"; it was all too much. I got spoiled halfway through to be honest so I knew that it was coming, but I didn't know how, and the way things played out made it so hard to accept. I can't believe that in the very end Ash was killed by Lao, I thought that to see him dying by Foxx's hands was going to be unbearable because I thought he was the last obstacle between Ash, and a bright future in Japan with Eiji, but no. He had to be killed by that fool. To think that Eiji gave him a plane ticket to Japan, to think that if he only had gone to the airport to say goodbye from the start. But there's no point in thinking about this now, it's over... |
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Drunken_angel said: Lunallae said: Good luck, in several ways... Garden of Light hits harder than even this ending. But it also does heal you a bit. Hence why I called MAPPA cruel for leaving us with this. NOPE GARDEN OF LIGHT WAS A BAD IDEA OH GOD I FEEL WORSE Any Banana Fish alternative-ending-healing-fluff out there, guys ??? I'm gonna cry myself to death tonight T_T By the name of it i thought it would be a nice ending about them being together in heaven/another life. Oh boy, i have never been so wrong in my life..... |
lezerman said: By the name of it i thought it would be a nice ending about them being together in heaven/another life. Oh boy, i have never been so wrong in my life..... Same, buddy.. same. I completely missunderstood what it was, and actually thought it was an alternative, happy ending that MAPPA adapted as a reward after so much heartbreak, cause I've never read the manga. So I legit thought, after Ash survived the boss battle, that MAPPA went "oh, the poor kid and the fandom have been through so much, let's not kill him off and have him board that plane and live out the rest of his days in peace, let's do the "Garden of Light" ending, they all deserve it". So then, when the episode ended the way it did, with a sucker-punch to the heart, , I thought "Okay, so they went with tragedy - nevermind, the Garden of Light must be some side story then, with fluff and similar healing stuff, let's go ahead and read that ASAP" - yeah, apparently I'm a moron. |
| well it's over... they adapted the last part really well and didn't leave much out... :< i was hoping to see garden of light in this episode but maybe they'll release it as an OVA? |
uninstallthegame said: okay, this ending was rather confusing. while i enjoy that it ended in a tragic way (though, it didn't feel like it due to how melodramatic it was), but do die from a single knife stab after being shot and stabbed multiple times throughout the show is kinda... eh? Ikr? It doesn't make any sense. I kind of knew that it would end in a (melo)dramatic way, but this? It's so confusing |
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mir308 said: Drunken_angel said: Same, buddy.. same. I completely missunderstood what it was, and actually thought it was an alternative, happy ending that MAPPA adapted as a reward after so much heartbreak, cause I've never read the manga. So I legit thought, after Ash survived the boss battle, that MAPPA went "oh, the poor kid and the fandom have been through so much, let's not kill him off and have him board that plane and live out the rest of his days in peace, let's do the "Garden of Light" ending, they all deserve it". So then, when the episode ended the way it did, with a sucker-punch to the heart, , I thought "Okay, so they went with tragedy - nevermind, the Garden of Light must be some side story then, with fluff and similar healing stuff, let's go ahead and read that ASAP" - yeah, apparently I'm a moron. "Don’t ever kid yourself about loving some one. It is just that most people are not lucky enough ever to have it. You never had it before and now you have it. What you have, whether it lasts just through today and a part of tomorrow, or whether it lasts for a long life is the most important thing that can happen to a human being. There will always be people who say it does not exist because they cannot have it. But I tell you it is true and that you have it and that you are lucky even if you die tomorrow." — Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls I'll just leave this here because it's probably one of the most important messages to take home that Yoshida artfully depicts in her craft. At the very least, it's why I believe Banana Fish is a timeless classic and despite the work being 30 years ago, us viewers are still moved deeply to this day. Jesus christ, you made me cry again with this quote. thank you |
mir308 said: "Don’t ever kid yourself about loving some one. It is just that most people are not lucky enough ever to have it. You never had it before and now you have it. What you have, whether it lasts just through today and a part of tomorrow, or whether it lasts for a long life is the most important thing that can happen to a human being. There will always be people who say it does not exist because they cannot have it. But I tell you it is true and that you have it and that you are lucky even if you die tomorrow." — Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls I'll just leave this here because it's probably one of the most important messages to take home that Yoshida artfully depicts in her craft. At the very least, it's why I believe Banana Fish is a timeless classic and despite the work being 30 years ago, us viewers are still moved deeply to this day. Couldn't agree more :') Love the literary references in Banana Fish, they tie into the story beautifully and effortlessly, such compelling writing <3 @lezerman I know right, god damn it T_T |
| Such a moving last episode! I was more surprised by Golzine saving Ash and then killing himself, he was really noble in the end and proved he loved Ash for real. Yut Lung got only a slap from Sing, I wanted him to pay somehow but it will do for now. That Lao shit head was still hung up on Ash dealing with Sing, I'm glad he got shot. Damn! I'm still astonished that Ash is dead? Is he though, I wanna know, they can't do this to us? But that was a touching letter from Eiji, almost too romantic and displayed a true bond between them. Is he dead? I will always ask that question for life, damn anime. But I enjoyed it Nevertheless 9/10. |
How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb --- Dr Strangelove  |
lihle808 said: Do you really want the answer to that question? Find a Banana Fish extra chapter called Garden of Light with a quick google search if you really want to know.Such a moving last episode! I was more surprised by Golzine saving Ash and then killing himself, he was really noble in the end and proved he loved Ash for real. Yut Lung got only a slap from Sing, I wanted him to pay somehow but it will do for now. That Lao shit head was still hung up on Ash dealing with Sing, I'm glad he got shot. Damn! I'm still astonished that Ash is dead? Is he though, I wanna know, they can't do this to us? But that was a touching letter from Eiji, almost too romantic and displayed a true bond between them. Is he dead? I will always ask that question for life, damn anime. But I enjoyed it Nevertheless 9/10. Seeing lots of people regretting they read it but I still appreciate it for the closure and hopes it gets an OVA. |
| Was pretty involved with the finale until he got stabed and all my immersion went to hell. Talk about overkill |
llorandoDec 20, 2018 8:26 PM
| The feels ;_; I wish Ash would just drop it and come to Japan with Eiji. Maybe an OVA will come? I enjoyed this anime! There are a lot of parts that were hard to watch, but it was very good anyways :) |
 [*]My Completed List [*]♪Listen ► [/list][/left] |
1nezzy1 said: I have a question for the manga fans. After finishing Banana Fish for the first time, did you feel a sort of disconnect? I've been keeping up with the show since pretty much when it first started airing. I knew absolutely no spoilers from the manga, except that it was a tragedy, and that I shouldn't expect a happy ending. Despite this, I was taken really off guard by how this ended after being so invested in these characters, their relationships, and the story as a whole. It would be one thing if it was just a sad ending, but I'm feeling pretty hurt by what happened. There didn't seem to be any reason to kill Ash like that, and it felt like despair just for the sake of despair, with little regard for the themes presented in the story up to that point. I'm sure other people are talking about this so I won't go into the reasons that it felt botched and unfair. I don't really want to try to articulate that rn. I adored this show the whole time it aired, and it really became something that made me happy and it was something that I've been really invested in. After the ending, everything about it is just almost too sad, frustrating, and generally upsetting to handle, leaving a pit in my stomach, and this is really disappointing for me. It's hard to describe how it feels, but it feels like shit, past just being upset by a sad ending. ((Not to mention the pre-orders I (probably stupidly) made on merch a while back that are gonna suck if this is how I'm going to stay feeling about the series)) Basically, is this something that anybody else has felt about Banana Fish? I had planned to own the whole manga and everything, but I'm feeling terrible about the show right now lol. I see a good number of manga fans around, so I assumed the ending didn't alienate the fanbase, but I'm pretty worried about this. As silly as that may sound. Also, I want to make it clear that I'm not trying to shit on or criticize Banana Fish, or anyone that found the ending alright. I loved the show, I love the characters, but the ending is really disheartening for me, and I want to know if this is a normal thing to feel after finishing it, and if there's hope to feel as connected to it as I used to be. edit: the bit about the merch is only in there because I don't want Angel Eyes, some charms, and plushies to arrive and make me want to die forever I made a post explaining some of the themes and the ending's connection to it, if you want to read it here. I don't think it was despair for the sake of despair. But I understand why people may think it to be so. As for the disconnect, I remember when I finished reading it quite vividly actually. I was numb and in denial for about a full day I think. It doesn't help that when you read the manga, if you scroll past the main ending, you see Ash and Shorter on the cover of the Angel Eyes side story. I refused to read the side story, I refused to finish the volume for a while. I think this ending actually makes people go through the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. I think I was stuck in denial until I finally decided to finish the volume and at the end, was the side story, Garden of Light. It helped me finally process the ending and eventually accept it. Garden of Light hurts though, be warned. Though side note, I do think the ending alienates fans. It's polarizing. Very polarizing. |
LunallaeDec 20, 2018 8:12 PM
| Pretty nice finale to end proceedings for the show! Guess Ash really was destined to die and have a lonely death even at the bitter end, except that it wasn’t as lonely as before. I have a feeling those few final scenes where one of the staff members came up to him, signified that he might have actually passed away rather than just ‘sleeping’. It really is a bit underwhelming when you think of earlier where he would get shot and stabbed multiple times and yet would get back up instantaneously. But well, looks like Ash chose this route to pass away, and it’s just depressing through and through when you consider this somewhat of a suicide in essence. Eiji’s message must have been really heartrending and touching for Ash, I’m glad he at least got some respite in the end. Meanwhile, Eiji’s final monologues there really just felt like a stab in the heart. Sing thought it’d be best if he would give Eiji some hope to meeting Ash again, but it just makes it all the more painful for us, the viewers, to watch. Eiji says he’ll be back in America someday to see Ash, in particular, and just thinking about it is very depressing. I hope he can now go back and return back to pole-(whatever that sport is called), since after all this was the very reason that Abe-san brought him here for in the first place. About the final episode though.. A lot of heavy action during the first half of the episode. Ash escaping even when under the effects of drugs was not surprising at all to see. Poor Doc, though, the General killed off both the people that Ash really wanted to kill himself. Speaking of the General, it was nice to see a one on one face off between weakened Ash and him. Golzine moving around and assisting Ash and co was a nice change of scenery but, I must say, it was a quick change of thought at the very least. How was he even moving around with a couple of bullets in him? Well, at least he and Ash had a few seconds of a stare down, I’m sure a lot was going on then. On the other hand, badass Blanca with the sniper was in a game of his own, so simplistic like a sniper game really. It was nice to see the partnership between Sing and Blanca, some funny moments thrown in here and other. I still can’t make out his character and motives as a whole, but he really was frightening as a warrior and his kind approach made him all the more scary. Looks like he’ll be off to the Caribbean now and that was a good final conversation with Ash, I think he was one of the very few that really understood Ash. Speaking of Sing, he sure was busy in this episode. His meeting with Yut-Lung was a nice addition, he might have actually raised Yut-Lung up to his feet, and a short but insightful convo with Eiji there. One of my favourite moment of the episode has to go down to the very short but sweet moment between Max and Jessica, I wish we could’ve gotten more of that dang it! Ash’s message to Max was really sweet to see, too. They’ve really got the father-son relationship right between the two. All in all, a pretty good ending to a fine show! 2nd cour really lost its rhythm somewhere in the middle and the redundancy was a bit of a pain to watch through, but I’m glad it finished off strongly. - Storyline/Plot Development: 7/10 Dark story in essence but an intriguing watch nevertheless. Directing of the show felt off at times but for the most bit it really was on point. Redundancy period during the start to the middle of the 2nd cour was really bothersome but not too many negatives other than this in this department. - Characterization/Character Development: 6/10 Ash and Eiji revived ample amount of screentime and it was nice to see their contrasting personalities and experiences create such a heartwarming dynamic between the two. Aside from these two Characters though, not many more either didn’t give much of an impression or their motives/reasonings unexplained. Blanca, as I mentioned before, was a character I didn’t really understand well. Yut-Lung’s jealousy really was out of hand, and I never really got around to appreciating his character ever. Golzine was just a really powerful old man and we never got any information on what and why he wished to achieve through the means of Banana Fish. Moreover, just a personal opinion, but I think Shorter was killed far too early. - Art/Animation Scale: 8/10 While I do realise and appreciate the old art style, I still found it to be a little bothering with a few shots of the Characters faces. Some of the action scenes were overdone too, that is such as during the train fighting scene of Ash against the Arthur’s men and on a few more occasions. Other than this though, the old art style was really pleasing to have! - Sound Department: 6/10 Op and ED were nice to listen to, but nothing memorable. Some of the soundtracks used really elevated the impact of certain scenes but I can’t really think of many of such situations. Voice Acting was really good, meanwhile, and did good enough to share the Characters feelings. - Personal Enjoyment: 6/10 1st half was definitely more fun to watch than the 2nd half, to sum it all up. From the very start, I liked the setting of the show but it never really managed to draw me in completely for some reason. I, for one, hate rape and such acts of sexual assaults, so some of the moments featuring such acts really had an adverse effect on me. A bit too repetitive too, in my opinion. - Overall Final Score: 6.25/10. I’d love to see the final extra chapter adapted to provide some more closure into this story. |
#Anime4Life be my Life Motto! #PrayForKyoAni  |
| Good ending. It's far better than I expected. For all those murders and crimes he committed, Ash is gonna die in the end anyway. And it's also pretty close to the reality. What matter is he knows Eiji understands everything about him, cares so much for him. And he died with a smile on his face. For Eiji, he did the best he could for Ash and make his life better. So, he had nothing to regeret about I guess. Also the asshole Golzine something important and good in the end. And Banna Fish become one of my favorite anime and also the first yaoi. Feel pretty grateful for such a decent anime. (10/10) |
  "Self respect is the greatest gift we can give to our self" |
| "My soul is always with you" Right there I felt my heart and stomach just drop like a damn stone.... P.S. I was watching this as a YouTube reactor, too |
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| Yeah I cried like a bitch. |
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Ryuseishun said: Hey, I'm subscribed to your channel and recognized your name in Lunallae's thread. I think you and Kawaiicrew of everyone that posted reactions up did pretty well in not breaking down and keeping it together. Everyone else were either in tears or couldn't finish their review afterwards and had to take a break. You did good."My soul is always with you" Right there I felt my heart and stomach just drop like a damn stone.... P.S. I was watching this as a YouTube reactor, too |
| This ending was some bs, I'm triggered |
MetaKite said: Ryuseishun said: Hey, I'm subscribed to your channel and recognized your name in Lunallae's thread. I think you and Kawaiicrew of everyone that posted reactions up did pretty well in not breaking down and keeping it together. Everyone else were either in tears or couldn't finish their review afterwards and had to take a break. You did good."My soul is always with you" Right there I felt my heart and stomach just drop like a damn stone.... P.S. I was watching this as a YouTube reactor, too Yep thanks man. Even though we didn’t cry, though, it was emotionally tough to watch, regardless. |
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| I have to admit this finale was incredibly difficult to watch, kinda struggling to gather my thoughts into words together on this. I will keep it brief and add more later to this discussion as right now in mourning. Glad they kept Eiji's letter as a handwritten letter, was worried it would have been 'modernized' into an email/text. The extension of 10 minutes was a godsend, it enabled MAPPA to have not rushed the ending (even though some parts of the second cour was a tad chunky in the story). Moreover, Eiji's letter to Ash was so poignant and touching. Regarding the delivery of the ending (not sure if this is the correct term) but the framing in the library was literally taken from the manga, which was heartbreaking to see. I only wished they had focused on the very last scene for a little longer, it felt way way too short. Also, glad they dedicated this episode to Unshō Ishizuka. |
plutochanDec 21, 2018 5:10 AM
LiedElfen said: dc22 said: lmao first Golzine gets shot by a random villain that appeared out of nowhere, comes back (SOMEHOW) to save Ash and dies "again" then Ash survives all this BS just to get stabbed out of nowhere for the extra DRAMA fuck this show should have dropped way sooner Well, i understand why you say that. Because you didn't read the manga. And i don't ubderstand but you say you should have dropped it way sooner but completed it? You had 23 opportunities to drop it!, why you didn't drop it at epuside 12 and watched another complete show that you would have enjoyed more? Because the show was still at least entertaining enough to carry on? Hindsight is something you only get after the end. |
dc22 said: LiedElfen said: Well, i understand why you say that. Because you didn't read the manga. And i don't ubderstand but you say you should have dropped it way sooner but completed it? You had 23 opportunities to drop it!, why you didn't drop it at epuside 12 and watched another complete show that you would have enjoyed more? Because the show was still at least entertaining enough to carry on? Hindsight is something you only get after the end. if it was enterainment till the end you give it a 4 ??? |
| So Ash really found peace at last. After all those suffering came the end he always sought. |
When someone asks me why I like anime, I'd say Just Because. |
| I do not disliked it, but I think Its funny how they want to use logic NOW and deliver that unsatisfactory ending, but forgot to use it during all those plots and fight scenes. |
| i've shed a tear or two for anime before, but none of them has made me uglycry like banana fish did. it was so intense to watch too when i knew that ash would die, but not exactly how and when... should've tracked my heart rate for some good lols. which im really in need for rn. yeah. |
| IM CRYING. THAT FEEL LOOKS LIKE IM EATING GLASS |
| Space cowboy |
| While the series has some flaws(I feel like the second half was worse than the first at least until the ending), I still think this was a good show. Golzine coming in to save Ash in the end was kinda eh... I mean the dude had almost bled to death and he managed to change the code and go to the construction site, but still, this show has some great moments and animation and I really like this ending, without unrealistic happily ever afters. 7/10. |
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