Banana Fish

Title:  Banana Fish
Mangaka:  Akimi Yoshida
Length:  19 Volumes (Complete)
English Translation? Yes, all have been released by Viz Media.
Demo/Genre:  Shoujo/Action/Drama

How did I hear about it?  My trusted college otaku buddy made the recommendation!

Near the end of the war in Vietnam, an American soldier loses it and guns down many of his fellow men, only able to utter the words "Banana Fish" over and over again.  Fast forward to New York City in 1985 as that soldier's younger brother Ash, now 17, still struggles to find out what "Banana Fish" means and what happened to his brother.  Ash has lived a difficult life as the pet of Papa Golzine, a powerful man who peddles young boys, and now leads a network of gangs in the city.  Joining the investigation is a journalist and war buddy of Ash's brother, Max Lobo.  Max has connected with a Japanese friend who has come to New York with his assistant, Eiji, to do an article on American gang life.  The group finds themselves sinking deeper and deeper into the secrets behind "Banana Fish" that leads to some of the country's most powerful people.

I feel like that was a very difficult summary to write.  How do I cover the gist without revealing too much?  I really enjoyed this manga.  I wasn't impressed with the artwork.  Like most long series, the style did shift and develop as the years passed, but it was never one of my favorite styles.  That aside, it looked delightfully 80s, which I loved.

Though BF is a shoujo, it crossed over to a pretty wide audience.  There're  no flowers and romance to be found here.  Instead, it's guns and conspiracies.  I believe its classification as a shoujo comes from the relationship between Ash and Eiji.  While there's no romance between them, they share a very close bond that exudes overtones of shounen-ai while never quite crossing into that territory.  So if boy's love isn't your thing, don't write the series off.  If it is your thing, then don't get your hopes up because nothing ever really happens.

The story was great.  You'll find yourself caught up in the investigation along with Ash, as he uncovers the big picture, piece by piece.  Where this story truly shines however, is in the characters.  I adored Ash and Eiji.  Ash has only ever known abuse, betrayal, and violence.  As such, he cares for no one and is well-versed in how to survive.  An injury forced Eiji to give up his dreams in Japan, and now he's thrust from a peaceful life into Ash's world.  Though they come from different worlds and have lived different lives, they understand each other and form an unbreakable bond.  Throughout the series, you watch Ash slowly thaw out as he learns to care for and protect his new-found friend.  On the other hand, Eiji grows and develops into an emotionally strong person who is there to be a pillar to Ash.  I also loved that Eiji slowly became able to protect himself by developing survival skills.

Overall, this was a great manga.  Great character relationships, an exciting plot, an interesting setting.  There's a reason that it's on many lists of classic titles.  While it wasn't the pinnacle of awesome for me, it was still a pretty sweet read.  Also, the ending is bittersweet, and the final volume contains a very nice epilogue that was actually a one-shot spin-off.