OP: “found & lost” by Survive Said The Prophet

Banana Fish has certainly hit the ground running (in some instances quite literally).  This has been an awful lot of story to pack into two episodes – so much so that I’m a bit concerned that if we get 12X this much over the course of the series, it will have burned itself out by the end.  But it’s working so far, at least, as long as you aren’t hung up on the idea of being able to pause and catch your breath.

In keeping with the series M.O. of pulling out of the driveway into the passing line on the expressway, we start off in full battle mode as Ash takes Arthur’s bait and heads off to try and rescue Eiji and Skip.  Arthur and Marvin certainly aren’t to be trusted by each other or anybody else, but they do share an interest in doing bad (albeit different) things to Ash.  Unfortunately for Skip and Eiji, they’re merely pawns in all this, and thus of little value to their captors above and beyond what the threat (and act) of hurting them provides in terms of motivating Ash to cooperate.

One gets the sense that thinking with his dick has been Marvin’s downfall on more than one occasion, and it certainly is here.  But the highlight of the escape is certainly Eiji pole-vaulting over the brick wall – an unexpected talent, to say the least.  Regrettably there’s no way for him to get Ash and Skip out with him, and that leaves them in a tough spot.  Poor Skip – perhaps the mangaka has watched a little too much Star Trek, but I had the feeling he wasn’t long for this narrative.

I’ve already seen plenty of the “It’s too gay for me!” charge leveled at Banana Fish (no doubt most of the complainers immediately went off to watch some Netsuzou Trap or Sakura Trick to cleanse themselves), but it’s probably better if those folks bail now because that’s clearly a theme that isn’t going anywhere.  I do worry that some people will see “gay” as synonymous with what Marvin is shown to be, which is something completely different – a pedophile – because that’s a charge homophobes make pretty much all the time.  I’m not accusing Yoshida-sensei of conflating the two (though maybe she does, for all I know – it’s only two episodes) but nevertheless, if the bigots out there take it that way, it would be an unfortunate side-effect of this series’ adaptation.

For now, the first problem is Ash’s life – because Dino has decided to end it after Marvin’s failure at getting him to spill the beans about the drug sample he came into possession of.  Dino is obviously a man of considerable power, and the machinery of “justice” in New York City incredibly corrupt.  Dino gets a dirty cop in his employ to take out Marvin and frame Ash for it, and then a pet judge to assign Ash immediately to the state pen where some more of his allies can put an end to him.  The trump card Jenkins has in the deck is Max Lobo (watch the opening sequence of the premiere again if that name doesn’t ring a bell), an inmate at the prison who Ibe and Eiji originally came to America to interview, and a potential bodyguard for Ash.

Again, this is all a bit dizzying in how fast it plays out.  But overall, the narrative still works pretty well – it’s not hard to tell what’s happening, and we’re not at the point of not being able to remember who’s who yet.  At some stage this is clearly going to evolve into a love story between Ash and Eiji, but we’re not quite at that point yet – only the first hints of a spark are showing at this point.  A crime drama with that sort of backdrop is certainly a rare thing for anime and I’m glad to have it, but I do find myself sort of wishing the setting had remained the 1980’s – there’s just enough in the broad nature of the premise that feels more authentic to that decade than this one to produce the occasional discordant moment.  Again not a deal-breaker – just a niggle…

ED: “Prayer X” by King Gnu