Banana Fish
Movies
Alternate Title
バナナフィッシュ
Synopsis
An American soldier on tour in Iraq, Griffin, suddenly starts firing on his comrades. Subdued by a friend, Griffin utters only the word “Banana Fish” before dying. Some years later, a mysterious man approaches the fallen soldier’s brother, Ash, now 17 and the leader of a New York City street gang. The man gives Ash a necklace along with an address and the words “Banana Fish” before he too passes away. The necklace turns out to contain a phial of a mysterious drug that mob boss Dino is keen to get his hands on. Dino’s guys manage to infiltrate Ash’s gang with the intention of kidnapping his friend, Skipper, but end up also nabbing a Japanese photographer, Eiji Okamoto, by mistake…
Anime Adaptation
Banana Fish is adapted from the manga by Akimi Yoshida which ran in Shojo Comic from 1985 to 1994. The anime adaptation was announced in October 2017 as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations marking Yoshida’s debut. The series began airing on July 5, 2018 as part of Fuji TV’s Noitamina programming block with Amazon Prime Video streaming the series internationally.
The opening theme for the first series is Survive Said The Prophet’s “Found & Lost,” while King Gnu sings the ending, "Prayer X.”
Characters
Ash Lynx (Voiced by: Yuuma Uchida)
Ash Lynx is 17 years old and the leader of a New York City street gang. With blond hair and green eyes, he cuts an attractive figure and is smart too with an IQ of over 180. As the leader of a street gang, Ash is also a proficient street fighter.
Eiji Okumura (Voiced by: Kenji Nojima)
Eiji Okumura is a Japanese cameraman’s assistant who came to New York to research street gangs. He is generally a quiet person who lives in harmony with his surroundings but he also has a stubborn, reckless side.
Max Lobo (Voiced by: Hiroaki Hirota)
Max Lobo is a US army veteran now working as a freelance journalist. He has a strong sense of justice and is determined to investigate the Banana Fish affair alone.
Dino F. Golzine (Voiced by: Unshou Ishizuka)
Mafia boss Dino F. Golzine is Ash’s mentor and father figure.
Shorter Wong (Voiced by: Makoto Furukawa)
Chinese American Shorter Wong is Ash’s best friend and the leader of a gang in Chinatown. He is friendly and cheerful.
Frederick Arthur (Voiced by: Yoshimasa Hosoya)
Frederick Arthur is an ambitious member of Ash’s street gang carrying a deep-seated grudge towards Ash.
Shunichi Ibe (Voiced by: Shinji Kawada)
A professional cameraman who came to America along with Eiji to research New York street gangs. Shunichi also acts as Eiji’s guardian.
Yousiss (Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama)
A mysterious person with long dark hair.
Sin Su Rin (Voiced by: Shoya Chiba)
Sin Su Rin is a member of Shorter’s Chinatown gang. He may look young for his age but Sin Su Rin is strong willed and extremely capable.
Lao Yen Tai (Voiced by: Soma Saito)
A member of the Chinatown street gang and extremely loyal to Sin Su Rin.
Broadcast Information
Japan
- Fuji TV: Every Thursday at 12:55 am starting July 5
- Kansai TV: Every Thursday at 1:55 am starting July 5
- Tokai TV: Every Thursday at 2:10 am starting July 5
- Akita TV: Every Thursday at 1:20 am starting July 5
- Iwate Menkoi TV: Every Thursday at 12:55 am starting July 5
- Sendai TV: Every Thursday at 2:00 am starting July 5
- Sakuranbo TV: Every Thursday at 12:55 am starting July 5
- Fukushima TV: Every Thursday at 1:25 am starting July 5
- Niigata Sogo TV: Every Thursday at 1:45 am starting July 5
- TV Shizuoka: Every Thursday at 1:35 am starting July 5
- TV Shinhiroshima: Every Thursday at 1:55 am starting July 5
- TV Aichi: Every Thursday at 1:30 am starting July 5
- TV Nishinippon: Every Thursday at 1:55 am starting July 5
- Saga TV: Every Friday at 12:55 am starting July 6
- TV Kumamoto: Every Thursday at 1:45 am starting July 5
- Kagoshima TV: Every Thursday at 2:00 am starting July 5
- Nagano Broadcasting: Every Thursday at 1:30 am starting July 5
- Kochi Sun Sun Broadcasting: Every Wednesday at 1:55 am starting July 18
- San-in Chuo TV: Every Monday at 1:25 am starting Aug. 6
International Streaming
Amazon Prime Video
Official Links
Staff
- Original Creator: Akimi Yoshida
- Director: Hiroko Utsumi
- Series Composition: Hiroshi Seko
- Character Designer: Akemi Hayashi
- Chief Animation Director: Ayumi Yamada, Shinpei Kamada, Tomohiro Kishi
- Main Animator: Kouji Hisaki
- Color Designer: Chikako Kamata
- Art Director: Toshiharu Mizutani
- Director of Photography: Yusuke Tannawa
- Editor: Hiroshi Okuda
- Music: Shinichi Osawa
- Sound Director: Yo Yamada
- Animation Production MAPPA
- Opening Theme: “Found & Lost” by Survive Said The Prophet
- Ending Theme: “Prayer X” by King Gnu