Banana Fish

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

Two young men fight against a corrupt organization. One is ruthless and intelligent, the other is forgiving and kind. There is a lot of guns and action mixed with scenes of character bonding. Both have a large cast of characters. 

Banana Fish and Let Dai exceptionally display a powerful and forbidden relationship that is continuously interrupted by society, but proves to be absolutely unbreakable. Dai and Ash are both feared gang leaders- blond, beautiful, flawless, and at the same time, completely menacing. They begin to show their soft side to a single, innocent character that does not belong in their violent life. Through the immense character development and plots that both deal with dark themes realistically, the two individuals bonded together by something beyond love, will end up risking everything, including their own lives, for one another.  

Following Banana Fish's success is near impossible, but Yoshida Akimi gave a good fight. Yasha has less action, but more mystery and intrigue. The main character of Yasha was reared mostly in sterile laboratories instead of at the hands of the mafia in the rough streets of NYC. Despite this, similar character types are easily recognized in both works. If you're feeling empty after reading Banana Fish, Yasha is a worthy substitute. 

a young man, capable fighter and survivor, tries to cut ties with the criminal group involved with prostitution and child sex trafficing, that's been his souteneurs since early childhood. by occasion, he meets a guy with whom he becomes very close, but their connection calls danger upon them. altho Dousei Yankee is explicitly BL, both titles have exceptionally good character writing, and if you like the dynamic between eiji and ash, you almost certainly will fall in love with akamatsu and seven. 

similar plot with forced child prostitution, "gang" wars + drug use 

Shoujo manga that deals with a theme unusual for said demographic - mafia, crime and underground in general, containing it's deal of violence and drugs. 

While Banana Fish (BF) focuses more on mafia while Hai to Diamond(HtD) on prostitution, both have a very similar premise: -black haired Japanese boy entering a world of gangs and sex -feature a light-haired american (whose name consists of 3 letters) who is familiar with the harsh world -american has a history of prostitution and learned how to pick up a gun -american slept with mafia boss through force, which introduced them to the harsh world -involve an older brother becoming unstable (and "dead" in a way) due to some involvement from mafia -involve chinese mafia (though one of mangas it's only temporarily) -and prolly more, but this is more than enough However, HtD corrupts the Japanese boy(BF doesn't) and the series in general is more geared towards Yaoi (w/ both MC's together),whereas BF focuses on politics&drugs w/ a maybe-not-even BL tone. In my opinion, BF gives a lot more of a satisfying characterization & storytelling, but a smaller cast in HtD gave way for more steady & rounded storyline. Regardless, both are still great reads. read more 

Both handle mature topics and dark themes. Both have great story telling and characters that you either love or hate with a burning passion.  

A heavy plot with thick relations. With traumatic experiences, the mangas main characters from Banana Fish (Ash) and Boy Meets Maria (Maria) explores the art of overcoming difficulties of finding their own true self and their identity. These two manga are fairly similar (although Banana Fish is a slightly longer more complicated read), and you’ll surely love one if you loved the other. 

HTI really reminded me of BF in a lot of ways, but it would too much of a spoiler to explain it. But to put it simple: both are sad stories with 2 male MCs trying to escape something and in the very end it just becomes more sad. 

When I read Ouji no Kikan, there were 2 moments where I had to think of Banana Fish even though both manga have barely anthing in common: 1st moment (Ouji no Kikan): Kou thinking the following about Fumihiro "With no conditions, he accepted me. That made me really happy." That reminded me of Ash talking about Eiji from Banana Fish. 2nd moment (By His Side): Hachiya calling Shimizu 'Onii-chan', even though Shimizu is just a supporting character - but I got reminded of Ash's and Eiji's peaceful moments in the bought apartment, when they were at ease and Ash called him the same. But that is already about it. 

First of all, the similarities is both manga have dark genres and involves killing. The protagonist in 'Banana Fish' Aslan Jade Callenreese (Ash), have some similarities with the antagonist in 'Monster' Johan Liebert (Johan), both characters have intelligent/smart/genius brain, childhood trauma, dark past, have the ability to manipulates peoples mind and both have handsome face. Both manga takes places in western, move one place to another. Long volumes series, contain politic, psychological and human experiment. 

Both are early 90's mangas with classic shōjo yaoi manga genre. They are both revolutionary mangas, because of the uniqueness of the premise and plot. They also have spin-offs and sequels because of their huge popularity among 90' japanese readers and fans. But unfortunately now the 21 century readers are quite ingnorant about this grandiose mangas. These mangakas are the pioneers of dramatic/action shōjo manga. Strong and highly spirited, red-blooded mangas with epic seinen/shounen-like scenes, they are definitely one of the best shounen ai mangas .In Animal X, there are more sexual related yaoi undertones, but even in Banana Fish there are some shounen ai moments...Even if you aren't a yaoi addict, the story is just so good that it simply draws you in. The artwork is similar,realistical and unique, you can say quite stylish, even if the plot ,characters and actions are seinen-like, we're still talking about shoujo manga drawn by women. If you didn't read yet, you must definitely read them both ! These mangas are hidden jewels, masterpieces that must not be ignored. Have a delightful reading ~ read more 

Both have shoot-outs, evil scientists doing unethical experiments, prison scenes, attempted rape, appearances by the Chinese mafia, old men who are obsessed with teenage boys, and bromance. Banana Fish has BL subtext though. 

Both Boys Next Door and Banana Fish center around BL-esque themes and the darker side of human nature, seen through the eyes of Japan's youth. 

These highly-acclaimed shoujo manga may have vastly different settings and premises, but the dynamics of the main characters are very similar. Both have a talented but naive character that is drawn into an intense new world after a personal tragedy. This character (Serge in KazeKi; Eiji in BF) becomes close to another boy whose horrid past has made him broken and unapproachable (Gilbert in KazeKi; Ash in BF). They're both romantic (although BF only has romantic undertones) without being full of fanservice; and tragic without lacking hope that the leads will one day be happy. 

These action-packed series center around mysterious drugs, but the real draw is the very intricate relationships between characters -- and the yaoi undertones! 

The main characters share some interesting qualities—Ash and Rei are naturally smart and cunning, despite their outside appearance, intense, scarred, beautiful, and dangerous. Rei is a diluted version of Ash in many ways. They both meet a quiet individual and their interactions and the qualities they bring out in each other are a highlight of the works. Read either one if you're looking for something outside the norm of shoujo manga. 

Long series from award-winning shoujo manga masters which are merciless on both the reader and characters. Watch characters either break or endure (or more likely oscillate in between during the course of the series) shocking emotional and physical trauma. You will be left emotionally drained after completing both. Hurts so good. 

Banana Fish has some BL themes and Fake is a Boy's love series. They both deal with crime on the streets. 

Both series involve gay gangsters. Kizuna is far more open about it with less focus on yakuza, while Banana Fish has more mafia drama and isn't explicit, but fans of one should definitely check the other out. 

Banana Fish and Sanctuary are both political thrillers where you just can't turn the pages fast enough! Banana Fish deals with mafia and inner city gang politics in America while Sanctuary deals with the Japanese Diet and Yakuza in Japan. Both series are page turners as words and simple expressions are just as engrossing as gun fights. In addition, both series have two males whose relationship to each other could best be described as "bromantic" or "heterosexual life partners". If you liked one, you should check out the other. 

Both have a blond, brooding, angry teen protagonist which is proficient at murder and being raised and used by their enemy that they want revenge on. While Banana Fish takes place in contemporary 1985 - 1987 dealing with themes with gang violence, drugs and a political conspiracy affecting the life of former child prostitute Ash Lynx, Vinland Saga is about 11th century Vikings when they were at war with England and the bloody detailed politics of that time through the eyes of a fictionalized version of Thorfinn Karlsefni. Both display amazing character development of their 2 angry protagonist dealing with their sins as killers.