Banana Fish, Vol. 1 [Paperback]

Akimi Yoshida (Author), Yuji Oniki (Author)

Book Description

Series: Banana Fish | Publication Date: February 5, 1999

New York City, 1985. A dying man leaves gay gang leader Ash Lynx a strange drug, the key to something called "Banana Fish." The mysterious potion will lead Ash to a disturbed Vietnam vet who remembers a massacre - and into brutal battle with the mafia over control of the drug.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; Original edition (February 5, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569313202
• ISBN-13: 978-1569313206
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #573,963 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It made me an addict, November 8, 2001

By 

ronaron (US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Banana Fish, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

"Banana Fish." A gritty crime drama set among the drug infestation and gang warfare of 1980's New York City. The story revolves around the recurring, mysterious name "Banana Fish," and a rash of murders and suicides that draws young gang leader Ash and a ragtag circle of aquaintances and villians into the crossfire.

What can I say about "Banana Fish"? I absolutely LOVE it! Why do I love it? Well, for several reasons.

One: I'm a fan of shounen ai (a genre of manga created for females, usually by females, that focuses on love and relationships between male characters). It's really difficult to get a hand on such manga here in the States for various reasons, such as marketability, prudishness, etc. Any such manga that do make it across the ocean are often bastardized through translation to tone down any homosexual references. But since "Banana Fish" is currently being serialized in "Pulp," an American magazine featuring manga along a more sophisticated vein, we avoid this problem.

Two: Not only is it shuonen ai, but it's shounen ai with an edge. One the one hand you've got your moments of angst and emotional corkscrews as associated with girls' manga, and on the other you've got flying bullets and spraying blood galore. This sort of schizophrenic mix made this manga wildly popular with female as well as male readers when it was released in Japan.

Three: Story, Story, Story. I've never been hooked so by ANY manga, EVER. There's the main plot of the elusive name "Banana Fish," and from that branch several subplots; Ash's dark, disturbing past, his burgeoning relationship with Japanese reporter Eiji, Vietnam vet Max Lobo's marital woes, tensions between mob boss Papa Dino's crew and the Chinese Mafia, you name it. It's complex, its intense, and its better than any Superman comic you'll ever read.

Now, I've read a few comments on the web by people who say that the artwork in "Banana Fish" is lacking. Well, I have to say I agree. It's quite spare. The characters are drawn well, but the art consists of a rather stark contrast between black and white, with little gradation in between. Not necessarily a bad thing, but spare nonetheless. Whether this is an artistic choice by artist Akimi Yoshida, her individual style, or a question of skill, I can't say. But being an art student myself, I can be pretty critical of the the composition of a piece of work, and basically if a manga doesn't hook me visually, I might not pick it up at all. In other words, I wouldn't be reading "Banana Fish" if the story didn't grab me by the tail and drag me along with it. The story more than makes up for any shortcomings in the artwork.

And who can say the look of "Banana Fish" won't change in future installments? Yoshida started the manga in the mid eighties, and ended it in 1994. That's almost a decade of storyline! It's one of the things that makes me so happy about picking up this manga. Not only is a story I love predestined to continue for a long while hence, but we get to see the development of the characters, the building of the plot, and the evolution of Yoshida as an artist. Who knows what'll happen, who'll win or lose, live or die. (Unless you speak Japanese and have access to the original manga, which I don't. *sob*)

So here I sit, writing this review, waiting for "Banana Fish" volume 4 to be delivered to me and for volume five to be released. I can either subscribe to Pulp Magazine and get my monthly dose of "Banana Fish" for 60 bucks (ouch), or I can wait the six-to-eighteen months between the release of each graphic novel (double ouch). Either way, it's worth the money and the wait.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top favorite manga!!!, December 8, 2004

By 

DugFinn (Over off yonder...) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Banana Fish, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

I've been collecting manga since before they ever hit the American shores. As such, I've read a great many crap load of manga. And, yeah, this one's old, but you know, so is Akira and that one kicks ass too! Do not, I repeat, do not look this manga over simply because of the old school style drawings. The story more than makes up for it, and yes, the drawing style does grow on you. Ah! I can not even begin to tell you how great the story is! It's filled with plot twists and all that good stuff! You know, the stuff that makes stories worth being told. Go out and get this gem now! You'll be hooked by the second volume!

Basically, it tells the story of Ash Lynx (not his real name) who is a freakishly smart and very dangerous street punk. He's got what it takes to become so much more though, so he's adopted and raised by Papa Dino (who also uses him as his personal sex toy, the perv!). Ash isn't about to just take it though, and fights back. One night, he comes accross this stranger dieing in an alley way who gives him a vile of some powder and says "Banana Fish." Ash nearly freaks out because unbeknoweth to all, he has secretly been taking care of his brother who was a mental casuallty of the Vietnam war. And the only words that his brother has ever mentioned since his return are "Banana Fish." Now Ash is hot on the trail of figuring out what the hell "Banana Fish" actually is. He'll just have to go up against a mafia boss, his own father, the US police, and travel several states accross and who knows what else just to figure it out. Some of his friends are killed as he's escaping and he swears revenge against their killers. Up for the ride is his brother's vietnam buddy (who is the guy that shot him up after he went mental and killed everyone in their platoon) who is now a reporter; a Japanese photographer's assistant (aka, a cute kid who is slowly growing sweet on him); his Chinese buddy from another rival gang; and others. Every last one of the characters has a back story and thoughts and feelings. You grow to care for them all! So, stop reading this and go get this manga now!! You'll love it!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What is the Banana Fish?, July 5, 2002

By 

Mary J. Alderdice "geek, book lover, craft fiend" (Washington DC Metro Area, US) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Banana Fish, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

Volume 1 of Banana Fish is certainly an intriguing introduction to a series involving youth gangs, an all-but-comatose Vietnam vet, the NYPD, a pair of Japanese reporters, the mafia, and a series of mysterious suicides. What more could you want from your manga?

This volume doesn't do anything in the way of answering questions, but it certainly does a good job of asking them. How is Papa Dino connected to what happened to Ash's brother in Vietnam? What's the deal with the mysterious suicides? What does Arthur think he's going to get out of all of this? What is Marvin's real interest in Ash? What is Eiji going to do now?

Even though Banana Fish is technically a shojo manga (girls' comic), I don't see it. The themes are very masculine (street gangs, police, and the mafia), and there's certainly enough violence to keep any adolescent male happy. In addition to the rough-and-tumble world, however, there is a storyline with enough mystery to keep you wanting more.

I am looking forward to Volume 2.