Banana Fish – Ep. 11

This episode is pretty much gearing up for the next big battle and cute boys doing kind of cute things moments. Mind you, I don’t mean that in a bad way. If anything, I personally found this episode to be very riveting in fact; a nice continuation to the solid track record this show is now developing.

So Ash has returned safely after setting Dino’s mansion ablaze and while he is already setting things in motion for his next big plan, he’s also taking a moment to rest. He even gets to spend some alone time with Ash, having fun and taking solace in the latter’s company. It’s kind of funny, actually; these two have genuinely felt very close with one another but it’s only until now that they’re actually spending time to get to know each other. Some of the new details are pretty amusing too. I’m with Eiji; finding out that a leader this charismatic and smart is also afraid of pumpkins is silly. All things considered though, I really appreciate the more slice of life angle taken with this episode; even if just once, it does feel more like these characters are, in fact, living their lives.

You know, I actually realized why I’m not too fond of some of the villains…apart from them being bland of course. Ash is simply too interesting of a character that he frankly deserves more nuanced opposition. There’s a number of facets to this man — a capable gang leader, a compassionate friend, and fragile youth — and you see all of it play here. I’ll admit, it’s stunning to see a young man at his desk, being playful with his new roommate all while also hacking into his arch nemesis’s stocks and steal the money for himself. And not too along ago, you see him trying to cope with his trauma, heart pounding and unsure if he can keep going forward. There’s an interesting bit where Eiji wonders which side of Ash is the real one of if they are all a part of him. I personally lean towards the latter here. It’s hard to deny Ash is a complete force to be reckoned with but at the same time, he isn’t completely heartless either. He is simply a man with layers to his character and I find that so riveting.

It’s funny that you have a scene where Max and Ibe actually discuss how much simpler Eiji is as a person compared to Ash. It’s true; you don’t really see that many sides to the former as you do with the latter. And yet, that almost seems to be the point. Eiji doesn’t need to be a dynamic character as he serves his function in the story quite well; an emotional support for Ash to lean on and another good reason for him to keep fighting. And this isn’t to say Eiji is by any means, a plot device. His normalcy makes him a good viewpoint character for us and there’s been plenty of scenes where he acts as his own agent. I think Max was right on the money when he called Eiji Ash’s Achilles’s Heel. The young man does give the lynx a lot of strength but that also puts a lot of pressure on keeping him safe. I do buy Ash thinking only he can protect Eiji but you have to wonder how well he can do it. I mean, Dino and his men have gotten really close with harming Eiji in some way.

Personally, if I was Dino, I would’ve fired Arthur by now. That Ash still has men seems like a huge oversight on Arthur’s part. Still, we do need another showdown between him and Ash and since Dino is giving him one last shot, I expect that we’ll have the battle soon.

Other Thoughts:

• Surely I’m not the other one who found Ash’s disguise silly. Taking a page from Clark Kent, I see. Max’s disguise is even funnier though. That mustache…
• I actually forgot Charlie was in this story and somehow confused him for Abraham even though the latter is…you know.

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