Review of Banana Fish

The Storyline hit me in the face and wouldn’t let me rest. Trust me when I say, this ANIME had me all over the place. I was addicted to it from episode one and I needed that next episode ASAP. The wait every week for the next episode was the hardest I’ve had to wait for ANY episode for ANY Anime. My emotions went from high to low in a matter of moments. I never thought in a million year that a show with gangs and guns and so much violence from the get-go would hook me in and not let me go. This show is very mature and is only for adults; so if you are a young soul, please don’t watch this. When I saw the tags such as “Sexual Abuse” and “Physical Abuse” I was kind of torn whether I should watch this or not. I am glad I gave in and watched it because the story was so much more than those tags.  The pacing was done really well; I never felt like it was being rushed or being too slow. There most likely only one episode in the 24 Episodes that was slightly boring or not as good as the others but having one like that is normal for any Anime. I thought Attack on Titan and Fullmetal Alchemist was good at cliffhangers but it had nothing on Banana Fish. The cliffhangers that this show flung at you were the worst yet the best ever. I was such an emotional wreck, and it was mainly due to those said cliffhangers. The emotional scenes were just as good as the action’s scenes and once again I really can’t fault this storyline at all, even if the ending hurt like hell.

The Animation was actually really unique and although it’s not as SOLID as other Anime I have watched it did its job and I have to say the facial structures were done really well. The Sound was just as good as everything else in this Anime. The voice actors were amazing with their said roles, and I must give credit where credit is due. Even though the bad guy’s suck, they are good at voicing their disgusting personas. The opening and ending songs were amazing. All 4 songs used were perfect for the Anime and now when I hear them; I instantly thing of this Anime and the emotions come flooding back. If I had to choose a favourite opening and ending it had to be the songs sung by Survive Said the Prophet; “Found & Lost” and “Red”.  The lyrics from the latter song; “Is this the sacrifice for the broken losing the purest of what's in your heart” just makes me feel things and it just hits me right in my heart.

  
The Characters in this show were some very interesting and crazy personas. I have mentioned above about bad guys and how much they suck. The worst although hard to choose between all the horrid characters was definitely Dino; the reason being is something I can’t really go into detail with as I would end up spoiling so much. Let’s just get one thing out of the way; I wouldn’t save him even if I would get a million pounds. Ash, Eiji and Shorter were my three favourite characters and just so happens to be the main three characters. Shorter is just a really cool guy and even though he didn’t really know Eiji, he still went out of the way to help him and be there for him. You know that saying “Opposites Attract” that 100% sums up Ash and Eiji. Ash is a gang leader, criminal, and crazy guy and Eiji is a sweet, innocent cinnamon roll and I would climb through hell to save him kind of guy. They instantly connected, whether you see it or not; I saw it right there, the moment they spoke to eachother the first time. The lengths each other would go to, to help each other out was crazy, especially for Eiji. The character development for Eiji was the best development I have seen in a really long time. I know this Anime isn’t classed as BL (Boys Love) but I know for fact the feelings Eiji and Ash had were so much more than friendship and even though they never fully announced anything it was really cute and amazing that they showed hints of it.

Overall this Anime was a rollercoaster ride and it will 100% be one of my all-time favourite Anime. The character developments and amazing soundtrack was two of the main reasons why I fell in love with this Anime more than I thought I would. I highly recommend this Anime if you love Anime such as 91 Days, Yuri!!! On Ice and Durarara!! Or you just want to dive into something wild and crazy.

9.8/10Story

      

10/10Animation

      

10/10Sound

      

9.8/10Characters

      

10/10Overall

Anime OST Spotlight #5: Banana Fish

Anime Title: Banana Fish
Opening/Ending/Other: Ending #2
Artist: Survive Said The Prophet
Song: RED

Lyrics

In spite of how the world decides to see my life

Would I still have the chance for us to say goodbye?

Over and over again

If I decide to burn instead of fading out

I still would like the chance for us to say goodbye

Over and over again

If we can be found, we sure can get lost

Through all the madness of falling in love

If we're truly lost, I don't want to be found

Here dying alone

The stain of RED that colors the pavement

Painted with blood of somebody you love

Is this the sacrifice for the broken

Losing the purest of what's in your heart

Related Posts
Top 5 Anime Opening Songs of Summer (2018)
Top 5 Anime Opening Songs of Fall (2018)
Top 20 Anime Opening Songs of 2018
My Top 5 Anime in Fall 2018
My Top 20 Anime In 2018

My Top 20 Anime In 2018

I can't believe it's been another year of Anime and life... but mainly Anime. It's been a crazy year but also a really interesting one for Anime. I actually found a really good way to sort my Anime in order without it being to complicated. Although it was just as hard to put it in order.

Once Again, I will have no honourable mentions this year, as those are for my season posts, not my end of year. Instead though, this year instead of having Gif's on my Top 5, it will be for my Top 10.

If an Anime you like isn't on this list, it could be on my Season Top Anime Lists, which I do at the end of each season. (Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall). 

Without any more delay, this is My Top 20 Anime in 2018. 

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1. Mahou Tsukai no Yome (The Ancient Magus' Bride) (24 Eps) – 5 Stars

2. Banana Fish (24 Eps) – 5 Stars

3. Attack on Titan 3rd Season (12 Eps) - 5 Stars

4. My Hero Academia 3 (25 Eps) – 5 Stars

5. Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card (22 Eps) - 5 Stars

6. Garo: Vanishing Line (24 Eps) – 5 Stars
   
7. Free! Dive to the Future (12 Eps) – 5 Stars

8. B: The Beginning (12 Eps) – 4 ½ Stars

9. Devils' Line (12 Eps) – 4 ½ Stars

10. Steins;Gate 0 (23 Eps) – 4 ½ Stars

11. Violet Evergarden (13 Eps) - 4 ½ Stars

12. SSSS.Gridman (12 Eps) – 4 ½ Stars

13. Double Decker! Doug & Kirill (13 Eps) – 4 ½ Stars

14. DARLING in the FRANXX (24 Eps) - 4 ½ Stars

15. Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens (12 Eps) – 4 ½ Stars

16. DAKAICHI -I'm being harassed by the sexiest man of the year- (13 Eps) – 4 ½ Stars

17. Sanrio Boys (12 Eps) – 4 ½ Stars

18. Sirius the Jaeger (12 Eps) – 4 Stars

19. Angels of Death (12 Eps) – 4 Stars

20. Tokyo Ghoul:re (12 Eps) – 4 ½ Stars {Second Part: 3 ½ Stars – Avg.: 4 Stars}

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I loved all the Anime on this list, and it was hard to order, but in the end I just went with my heart. I will be back with new posts soon.

Hope you enjoyed the list and don't forget to check out my Anime lists on my Anime sites which are located on the right side of my blog :) 

Tara 

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My Top 5 Anime in Fall 2018

Final Season of 2018 is now over. This season had a mix bag of stuff for me to enjoy. The ones I have on here is the ones I finished this season. My top 5 plus my honourable mention.
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Honourable Mention #1
Zombieland Saga (12 Eps) – Not Finished Yet

Unfortunately I still haven’t finished this season, but of what I have seen; it’s good, entertaining and funny. I wished I had time or had my mind set to finish this, but I have had other Anime and other stuff to do. The manager is the funniest character I've experienced recently in Anime.This is such a unique Anime; I feel if I finished this it would be a lot higher on this list. Opening song is catchy but I hate that they kept the sound effect on the opening song and the ending song is pretty. 

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#5

Tokyo Ghoul:re 2nd Season (12 Eps) – 3 ½ Stars 

I really enjoyed the 1st season of :re but this season just went crazy, confusing and everything else that means I didn’t know what was going on the majority of the time. I haven’t read the Manga, but that shouldn’t stop me from enjoying it or understanding it, but it did. It was written and paced so terribly and it’s not fair, because I know how successful the manga is and how everyone was disappointed at this poor attempt at an adaptation. Why then, have I still rated it pretty high when I am talking so negative about it? For me the fight scenes that did happen, even if I didn’t know who they were, were good and very well animated. The episode with a certain romance scene was done really well and I didn’t feel awkward watching it. The ending was also really good, even if I felt it was a bit rushed.  The opening song was amazing and the ending song not really memorable for me. I think myself and others were disappointed and if ever in the future someone wants to adapt the Manga CORRECTLY then please PLEASE do.

#4

DAKAICHI -I'm being harassed by the sexiest man of the year- (13 Eps) – 4 ½ Stars

When I read the synopsis for this; I was immediately interested in it. I didn’t want it to be the same as other Anime I have watched with the same Genre, I wanted something unique and that’s what I got. It wasn’t boring, it wasn’t cliché but it was cute and amazing. At times I did think it was going slow and it could have been at a quicker pace but other than that I loved it. The two main characters had two totally different personalities but for some reason that’s what made it work for them as a couple and for us as an audience to watch. I did find it slightly awkward on some scenes but that’s kind of expected for this kind of genre. Seeing the reality of what it is like to be in showbiz or whatever it’s called was kind of sad, as they weren’t allowed to be open etc. I adored the opening and ending song and I really fell in love with the ending animation too, as it had those two dancing…so cute. Do I think it should have a second season, I don’t know... I feel their story is complete but would I mind seeing another two characters from this season play main roles, hell yes.

#3

Double Decker! Doug & Kirill (13 Eps) – 4 ½ Stars 

I don't know what drew me into wanting to watch this, it's been a while, so I can't remember, but whatever did get me to want to watch it; I am glad i did. Was this the best Anime ever; No, but it was unique in so many ways. The storyline was in my way, so unique and different to other storylines, especially for the season. The pacing was really well done, and even in episodes that wasn't exactly the main plot, it still felt needed and relevant. In other Anime when they push the mains storyline aside, you don't really see why, or enjoy it most the times. The action scenes were done really well and the emotional scenes were done just as good. I am not the greatest comedy fan, when it comes to anything at all, whether that's in Anime or any other forms of entertainment. This Anime though managed to make me laugh in so many ways; without it being to much or too forceful like other comedy related stuff has done. The character were all developed throughout the whole show especially Doug and Kirill. The opening song was good, but the ending song stole the show, with an amazing catchy song that just fit with the show so well. I would 100% love this show to have a second season, though I don't know if it will happen. Fingers crossed.

#2

SSSS.Gridman (12 Eps) – 4 ½ Stars 

I went into this show thinking it was going to be childish, disappointing and boring. I came out of it thinking I was so wrong with what I first thought. This Anime took me by surprise in a really good way. I fell in love with the storyline and plot development instantly and I was hooked on it by at least episode 2-3. Going from lighthearted to serious in a matter of moments doesn't work with a lot of Anime, but with this Anime it does. It worked really well. The characters were all unique and they explored their differences and they quirks to a really high level. The interactions that they all had with eachother, as a whole group or just one to one was written so well. The emotional scenes had me shocked, sad and I honestly felt my heart go out to them a few times. The Animation was really good and for a Mecha, it has to be decent at least or it get's to clunky, so I am glad they didn't fail on that. The opening song was catchy and the ending song was also really good. The only thing I didn't like was the very end scene...I am not going to spoil it, but if you have seen it, you will know what I mean. I would love a second season, but I feel it would work best with a new set of main characters but maybe the same side characters who were part of Gridman. 

#1
Banana Fish (24 Eps) – 5 Stars

When I first heard about this and read the synopsis, I was half wanting to and half not wanting to watch it, but my wanting half won, and I am so glad it did. I fell in love with the storyline, characters, music, basically everything. Waiting a week after every episode and even at one point two weeks nearly killed me as nearly every episode ended on a cliff-hanger. The pacing, action was spot on. Animation was great, and there wasn’t a scene where I was like that’s terrible and the voice acting was terrific and they definitely nailed the emotional scenes. The opening and ending songs were AMAZING and fit well with the Anime. My favourite songs were the ones sung by Survive Said the Prophet, which was the first opening and second ending. Survive Said the Prophet is my new favourite band, and it’s all thanks for banana fish that I found this band. Last but no means least, the characters… the amazing characters. The bad guys suck and I hate them but their voice actors were good at their role. Ash and Eiji were my two favourite people, along with Shorter and Sing Soo. Ash and Eiji were two opposite kind of guys, but the saying goes; “opposite attracts” and in this case they 100% were attracted to each other. Whether you like BL (Boy’s Love) or not, it was romance and no-one can tell me otherwise. I could go on, but I will leave that for a future review for now I am going to say, THIS Anime had me crying, angry, frustrated and in the end emotionally drained. Now please NO MORE Anime that gets me so frustrated. I am only joking, bring it on.

PS. please if you haven’t read the manga, read the epilogue at least in the manga, because it will give the Anime a more complete ending. 

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Banana Fish was never going to be booted off 1st Place, no matter what good Anime was coming my way. So that's it... I am only joking. I am not done with 2018 yet. I still have my Top 20 Anime of 2018 coming out. Either late January or early February.

See you then.

Tara
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Top 20 Anime Opening Songs of 2018

I enjoyed doing this last year, so I am back again with my Top 20 Anime Opening Songs for this year. Unlike last year there is no Honourable mention(s). I have been harsh and it's been hard, but I have managed to narrow it down to 20. The Top 5 were really easy, but the rest was so hard but in the end I am happy with how it ended.

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1) Banana Fish
Opening 1 - Found & Lost by Survive Said The Prophet

2) Garo: Vanishing Line
Opening 2 - HOWLING SWORD by Shuhei Kita

3) Black Clover
Opening 3 - Black Rover by Vickeblanka


4) Banana Fish
Opening 2 - FREEDOM by BLUE ENCOUNT

5) Sword Art Online: Alicization
Opening 1 - ADAMAS by LiSA


6) Free! Dive to the Future
Opening 1 - Heading to Over by OLDCODEX
7) Caligula
Opening 1- Paradigm Box by Ritsu Shikishima (Chiharu Sawashiro), Shougo Satake (Shunsuke Takeuchi)
8) DAKAICHI -I'm being harassed by the sexiest man of the year-
Opening 1 - Fukanzen Monochlogue by Tomohisa Sako
9) Tokyo Ghoul:re 2nd Season
Opening 1 - katharsis by TK from Ling Toshite Shigure
10) RWBY *Volume 6*
Opening 1 - Rising by Casey Lee Williams
11) SSSS.Gridman
Opening 1 - UNION by OxT
12) My Hero Academia 3
Opening 2 - Make my Story by Lenny code fiction
13) Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Opening 3 - It's all in the game by Qyoto
14) Devils' Line
Opening 1 - Eclipse by Shouta Aoi
15) Persona 5 The Animation
Opening 1 - BREAK IN TO BREAK OUT by Lyn
16) Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card
Opening 1- CLEAR by Maaya Sakamoto
17) Violet Evergarden
Opening 1 - Sincerely by TRUE
18) Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens
Opening 1 - Stray (ストレイ) by Kishida Kyoudan & The Akeboshi Rockets
19) Sanrio Boys
Opening 1 - Seishun Interlude (青春インターリュード) by Sanrio Danshi
20) DARLING in the FRANXX
Opening 1 - KISS OF DEATH by Mika Nakashima x Hyde

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There you have it, my top 20 Anime opening songs of this year. All links go to Anime Planet bar RWBY in which case, I have linked it to go to where you can watch it for free 1 week after it's out for members who pay. If there is a song that you love and isn't on this list then it could be on my top 5 Anime Opening songs of; Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.

I will be back with a new post of my top 5 Anime of Fall 2018 and then after that the big one, which will be my top 20 Anime of 2018. Be warned it could be late to be put out, but early January/mid January the latest.

Tara
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Top 5 Anime Opening Songs of Fall (2018)

Onto the last season of the year and what year it has been. It's time to tell you my favourite opening songs of this season. I know this post is late and I do apologise, but I have been poorly and busy. Once again though, it was a hard to order my top 4 but in the end I did it through my enjoyment of the song, and how much it went with said show too. 

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Honourable Mention #1: 
Radiant

Opening 1 - Utopia by 04 Limited Sazabys

Honourable Mention #2:

RWBY *Volume 6*  (I count it...Deal with it)
Opening 1 - Rising by Casey Lee Williams

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#5

SSSS.Gridman

Opening 1 - UNION by OxT

#4

Tokyo Ghoul:re 2nd Season
Opening 1 - katharsis by TK from Ling Toshite Shigure

#3

DAKAICHI -I'm being harassed by the sexiest man of the year-
Opening 1 - Fukanzen Monochlogue by Tomohisa Sako

#2

Sword Art Online: Alicization
Opening 1 - ADAMAS by LiSA

#1

Banana Fish
Opening 2 - FREEDOM by BLUE ENCOUNT

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There was some other opening songs that I did enjoy but just not as much as the above. All links go to Anime Planet apart from RWBY which links to the site where you can watch it for Free 1 week behind paid members.

If you want to know all the Anime that I am watching then click here and then you will know what other opening song's I missed out.


I will be back with a new post of My Top 5 Anime in Fall.

See you then.


Tara
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Top 5 Anime Opening Songs of Summer (2018)

Onto the third season already, oh my gosh. Time is going fast this year. This is looking like a good season for Anime and also a good season for opening songs, at least for the Anime I am watching. It was hard to order 5-2 as they are all amazing songs in their own unique way, but Attack On Titan opening sounds more like an ending song, hence why it's 5th place. Once I heard Banana Fish opening I was hooked, happy and hooked once again. The best EVER. Their was no competition for it. So here it is, my top 5 plus 2 honourable mentions. 

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Honourable Mention #1: 

Sirius the Jaeger
Opening 1 - Sirius by Kishida Kyoudan & The Akeboshi Rockets

Honourable Mention #2:

Angels of Death
Opening 1 - VITAL by Masaaki Endo

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#5

Attack on Titan 3rd Season

Opening 1 - Red Swan by X Japan featuring Hyde

#4

Persona 5 The Animation
Opening 2 - Dark Sun by Lyn

#3

My Hero Academia 3
Opening 2 - Make my Story by Lenny code fiction

#2

Free! Dive to the Future

Opening 1 - Heading to Over by OLDCODEX 

#1

Banana Fish
Opening 1 - Found & Lost by Survive Said The Prophet

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If you want to know all the Anime that I am watching then click here and then you will know what other opening song's I missed out.

I do quickly want to point out that I love a lot of the ending songs this season, but I just don't have the time to do Ending song lists either. I have only ever done it once on this blog and it was just too much effort. Maybe one day I will, but I am hoping to bring something to this blog I had on one of my past blogs.

I will be back with a new post of my Top 5 Anime in Summer and then My Top 5 Opening in Fall.

See you then.


Tara
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