3 Episode impression: Banana Fish

Synopsis

Ash Lynx may seem like male beauty, but he is far from delicate. Having been a runaway turned adopted heir and sex toy of “Papa” Dino Golzine, Ash grew to be a ruthless teen with a stronghold amongst gangs. Now at the age of seventeen and in light of a hideous secret that drove Ash’s older brother mad in Vietnam, Ash decides it’s time to escape the devil’s hands that raised him. It is, unfortunately, during this chaotic time that Eiji Okamura, a pure-hearted young photographer from Japan has come to make Ash Lynx’s acquaintance.

The Good

There are only a number of gritty anime to be found today and the story and theme that the anime presents is something both refreshing and highly interesting. From the way it presents the mystery to the way it presents the gangs and their dynamics, there’s plenty of hooks to be found in just the first few minutes of the first episode. And let’s not even get started on the interesting points of the characters and their dynamics. The amount of development that was shown on them was top notch. The same goes for the flow of the story and the presentation of action. Basically, it’s a true action mystery that has a lot of potential to it and some interesting characters to keep it going.
The Bad

As a series based on a rather old manga, you can see a bit of its age in the way that it presents its theme and setting. For one thing, the villain designs are rather prominent and the whole gang and crime settings are rather obvious as well. Some scenes look like something that’s meant to be in a sort of classic Hollywood crime film, to be honest. Other than this, the transition between scenes could use some work.

Conclusion

It’s different, it’s interesting, it’s a series that one should definitely put on a must watch scene. While there is a bit of aging in some scenes, the concept, the style, and the characters all hold strong and offer all kinds of hooks for the viewer. The way that it builds the story leaves plenty of anticipation, though the transition between scenes could have been done better and the action places a great adrenalin rush. Overall it’s a true crime mystery story one should check out.

Rating: 8.5/10