Banana Fish (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akimi Yoshida. It was originally serialized from May 1985 to April 1994 in the manga (girls' comics) magazine Bessatsu Shōjo Comic. Set primarily in New York City in the 1980s, the series follows street gang leader Ash Lynx as he uncovers a criminal conspiracy involving "banana fish", a mysterious drug that brainwashes its users. In the course of his investigation he encounters Eiji Okumura, a Japanese photographer's assistant with whom he forms a close bond.
The visual and narrative style of Banana Fish, characterized by realist artwork and action-oriented storytelling, represented a significant break from then-established manga conventions of highly stylized illustration and romantic fantasy-focused stories. While the series was aimed at the audience of adolescent girls and young adult women, its mature themes and subject material attracted a substantial crossover audience of men and adult women. Its depictions of homoeroticism in this mature, action-oriented context were particularly influential on manga depicting romance between male characters. Banana Fish was acclaimed by critics, who offered praise for the series' plot, dialogue, and action scenes. It is Yoshida's most commercially successful work, with over 12 million copies of collected volumes of the series in circulation as of 2018.
An English-language translation of the series was published by Viz Media, which also serialized Banana Fish in its manga magazines Pulp and Animerica Extra beginning in 1997, making Banana Fish one of the earliest manga series to reach a wide audience in the United States. The series has been adapted several times, notably in 2018 as a 24-episode anime television series directed by Hiroko Utsumi and produced by MAPPA. The anime adaptation aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block and is syndicated globally on Amazon Prime Video, which simulcast the series during its original broadcast run.
Plot
thumb|left|New York City in the 1980s, the primary setting of the series
Banana Fish is set in the United States during the mid-1980s, primarily in New York City. Seventeen-year-old street gang leader Ash Lynx cares for his older brother Griffin, a Vietnam War veteran left in a vegetative state following a traumatic combat incident in which he fired on his own squadron and uttered the words "banana fish". One night, Ash witnesses two of his gang members kill a man who instructs Ash to "seek banana fish" before dying. The two gang members tell Ash they were acting on orders from Dino Golzine, the head of the Corsican mafia in New York; Ash was formerly an enforcer and child sex slave to Golzine, having been groomed from a young age to become the eventual heir to his criminal enterprise.
Ash begins to investigate "banana fish" but is impeded in this endeavor by Golzine, leading him to turn on his former patron. Ash encounters multiple allies and enemies in the course of his dual efforts to uncover the meaning of "banana fish" and dismantle Golzine's criminal empire: chief among his confidants is Eiji Okumura, a Japanese photographer's assistant who has travelled to New York to complete a report on street gangs, and with whom Ash forms a close bond. It gradually transpires that "banana fish" is a drug developed by an American military doctor during the Vietnam War that brainwashes its users; early versions of the drug were tested on American soldiers, including Griffin, which drove them to insanity. Its perfected formula has been acquired by Golzine, who intends to sell the drug to factions within the United States government, who in turn seek to use it to overthrow communist governments in South America.
Ultimately, Golzine is killed in a climactic battle, his government co-conspirators are exposed as participants in his child sex trafficking ring, and all evidence of the banana fish project is destroyed. Ash comes to recognize the danger he exposes Eiji to, and reluctantly ceases all contact with him. Eiji returns to Japan, though prior to his departure, he writes Ash a letter in which he tells him that "my soul is always with you." While distracted by the letter, Ash is fatally stabbed by a rival gang lieutenant. He staggers into the New York Public Library Main Branch where he dies, smiling and clutching Eiji's letter.
Production
Context
manga (Japanese teenage girls' comics) entered a period of significant creative development beginning in the 1970s, characterized by the emergence of new narrative and visual styles, and the ascendance of female manga artists into what had formerly been a category dominated by male creators. Manga such as The Rose of Versailles (1972–1973) by Riyoko Ikeda established non-Japanese settings and androgynous characters as a common motif for manga, while works by Moto Hagio, Keiko Takemiya, and other artists associated with the Year 24 Group originated (male-male romance) as a distinct subgenre of manga. Early Year 24 Group typically depicted romanticized European or historic Japanese settings, though works that depicted homosexuality by artists unassociated with the group such as Fire! (1969–1971) by Hideko Mizuno depicted unidealized American settings, and frequently included one or more Japanese characters that served as a point of reference and identification for Japanese readers.
Banana Fish creator Akimi Yoshida made her debut as a manga artist in 1977, having originally been inspired to pursue a career in manga after watching a revival screening of the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy while in high school.
List of volumes
Related media
Side stories
In addition to the main manga series, Yoshida wrote and illustrated four one-shot (single-chapter manga) side stories:
- Fly Boy, In The Sky, a prequel to Banana Fish, originally published in the Winter 1984 issue of the manga magazine Bessatsu LaLa. The manga focuses on Ibe and Eiji's first meeting, and the events that lead to Ibe taking on Eiji as his assistant.
- Angel Eyes, a prequel published in June 1994 issue of Bessatsu Shōjo Comic. It focuses on Ash and Shorter Wong's first meeting while in juvenile prison together.
- , a postscript set seven years after the events Banana Fish, originally published in the August 1994 issue of Bessatsu Shōjo Comic. The story follows Akira Ibe, the niece of Shunichi Ibe, as she visits New York City and stays with Eiji, now an accomplished photographer living in Greenwich Village.
- Private Opinion, a side story published in the January 1995 issue of Bessatsu Shōjo Comic. The manga tells the story of Ash and Blanca's first meeting after Golzine hires Blanca to train Ash in combat.
All four stories were encapsulated in Banana Fish: Another Story, a collected edition published by Shogakukan in 1997. The collection also includes , a comedic fourth wall-breaking story where Ash and Eiji discuss fan mail the series has received with Yoshida.
Anime
Banana Fish was adapted into a 24-episode anime series produced by MAPPA and directed by Hiroko Utsumi, which aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block and Amazon Prime Video from July 5 to December 20, 2018. The series was produced as a part of a commemoration project to mark the 40th anniversary of Yoshida's debut as a manga artist.
Other adaptations & tie-ins
A radio drama adaptation of Banana Fish was produced by NHK in 1994, with a cast that featured Tohru Furusawa as the voice of Ash and Kazuhiko Inoue as the voice of Eiji. The adaptation was later released on CD, and was re-broadcast in 2018. The second, a three-volume series written by Miku Ogasawara based on the Banana Fish anime, was published by Shogakukan Bunko in 2018. Stage play adaptations of Banana Fish have been produced in 2005, 2009, 2012, and 2021. and the companion book Rebirth: The Banana Fish Official Guidebook in 2001. The company also published New York Sense in 2001, an art book credited to "Eiji Okumura" and marketed as a book of photographs taken by the character.