#he’s also reading the banana fish manga for anyone interested

[hiorintruther]

My dad has watched the first 3 episodes of Blue Lock in an attempt to grow closer to his daughter who won’t shut up about it (me)… he’s so far concluded that:

This series is incredibly homoerotic and he can’t understand that there’s a whole section of the fandom that doesn’t see it that way (aka Reddit)

Bachira is the best character in every regard, if a little unhinged (yayyyyy!!!)

Ego is an annoying piece of shit who deserves to be beaten up for lunch money

Bachisagi “just makes sense”

He says he’ll keep watching it, even if he finds the whole “egoism” thing very unbelievable. He enjoys sports overall so it’s a series he’s liking. He found Inazuma Eleven way more fun though

[saffronapplemanga]

Anime/Manga Recommendation Round Up

Anime and manga recommendation thread of things I’ve been enjoying in recent years~ 

~I’ll link any dedicated posts I have to these~

~Links to my other manga posts here~

My personal favs/ones I super enjoyed will have a ✨ on them :)

(Some of these might not have official EN translations since any physical manga I read are JP copies. I guess if any sound interesting, ask publishers to license them!)

I won’t get too much into what they’re about because I think finding out is part of the fun. I’ll mostly list the genres and a little blurb. Some of these I feel like I rarely hear anyone talk about so it would be cool to see people try these :) 

 PLEASE LOOK UP ANY TRIGGER WARNINGS!

HORROR, SUPERNATURAL 

✨The Summer Hikaru Died by Mokumoku Ren 

(4 volumes, ongoing)

Available in English

Picked it up earlier this year up knowing nothing but was immediately gripped by the eerie mood. Takes place in the country side where mysterious things have been happening. My friend couldn’t stop reading when I recommended it.

ACTION, THRILLER, DRAMA, CRIME

✨Banana Fish by Yoshida Akimi

(19 volumes + side stories, completed)

It’s getting reprinted in English, so what are you waiting for!

Anime - yes and it’s so good…

The manga is from the 80’s-90’s but the anime updated it in 2018.

Without giving too much away, it takes place in NY where our characters are trying to break out of the vicious cycle of violence and figure out a mystery that’s also connected to a conspiracy. Lovable cast, keeps you on the edge of your seat. I’m obsessed.

DRAMA, ROMANCE, LGBTQ

Lovers’ Kiss by Yoshida Akimi

(2 volumes, completed)

JP only

A short story where high schoolers are just trying to figure life out. Yoshida-sensei has this way of writing human stories and melancholy/tragedy while still leaving a glimmer of hope.

HISTORICAL, SUPERNATURAL

✨Mushishi by Urushibara Yuki

(10 volumes, complete)

I think the physicals are out of print but you can read it on bookwalker. It deserves a reprint!!!

Anime - yes, it’s a whole vibe please watch it

I watched S1 ages ago but never got to the rest until recently. Recently picked up the manga and plan to read it eventually. Another top fav of all time. Amazing atmosphere. We see the daily life of mushi expert Ginko deal with mysterious phenomenon mushi cause.

COMEDY, SLICE OF LIFE

✨Yotsuba&! by Azuma Kiyohiko

(15 volumes, ongoing)

Available in English

This series is super cute, wholesome, and hilarious! Yotsuba is honestly a delight, and following her daily life as she befriends her new neighbors is just a good time. Yet another fav of all time.

DRAMA, ART, SLICE OF LIFE

✨Blue Period by Yamaguchi Tsubasa

(15 volumes, ongoing)

Available in English

Anime - yes, but… listen I’ve never said “don’t watch the anime” because everyone can enjoy stuff however they want but... don’t watch the anime… I’ve never been so offended by an adaption ;_;

After discovering something he’s passionate about for the first time, Yatora navigates the art world despite his fears and being a complete newcomer. This series made me cry so much, I love it… please

ROMANCE

In the Clear Moonlight Dusk by Yamamori Mika

(7 volumes, ongoing)

Available in English

Blind-bought this a while ago. Yoi is dubbed “Prince” by her classmates for her cool demeanor, but she’s not the only one.

YOI IS MY GIRL!!!

ROMCOM, ACTION

MARRIAGETOXIN by Joumyaku and Yoda Mizuki

(3 volumes, ongoing)

Available for free on Shueisha’s mangaplus site

Assassin Gero needs to produce an heir so his sister can stay with her gf, but the social skills he needs to win a girl over need some help. This series is so funny and wholesome, all around a good time!

ACTION, ADVENTURE, FANTASY

✨Yona of the Dawn by Kusanagi Mizuho

(44 volumes, ongoing)

Available in English

Anime - yes, but I haven’t seen it yet so idk

I’m not very far in this one yet, but I’m having a great time. Love the friendship, the found family vibes. Seeing Yona acknowledge that she is naive and then stepping up is awesome.

idk how I slept on this for so long since it seems like something right up my alley. Literally picked up a lot of all the 39 currently out volumes (it came with the light novel too), no questions asked. I’m only a few volumes in, but I’m enjoying it a lot. It’s giving me Ertugrul vibes (the historical Turkish drama). No, I won’t expand on that point, go watch Ertugrul!

I’m committed apparently...

ROMANCE

A Sign of Affection by Morishita Suu

(10 volumes, ongoing)

Available in English

Blind-buy. A cute romance between a deaf girl and a well-traveled guy.

FANTASY, SLICE OF LIFE

✨Ascendance of a Bookworm by Kazuki Miya and Shiina You

(3 seasons, ongoing)

Available in English - originally a light novel

Anime - yes, I’ve been watching this not reading it yet

Listen, isekai just don’t ever click with me, but this one does. There’s political drama and we get to learn about the culture and daily lives of people living in this world.

Our mc is reincarnated into a medieval fantasy world where access to books is limited, making it her personal hell. But don’t worry, she gonna do something about it! This series is so interesting and I love the character dynamics. Even if isekai aren’t your thing, try this!

DRAMA, HISTORICAL, POLITICAL

✨Requiem of the Rose King by Kanno Aya

(17 volumes, complete)

Available in English

It has an anime but I heard fans were really mad at the adaption. I haven’t seen it so I can’t comment.

Normally not the kind of thing I would go for, but this series has me constantly screaming. IT’S SO MESSY, but the good kind of messy. It takes every fiber in my body to contain myself when reading in public. It features an mc who was born intersex and a battle for the crown of England.

DRAMA

My Broken Mariko by Hirako Waka

(one shot)

Available in English

Saw this at the bookstore and I looked at the cover like “wow, she looks like she’s really going through it…and she’s carrying someone’s ashes, oh no…” Didn’t know anything else about it but, oof, it’s a heavy one…

DRAMA

Look Back and ✨Goodbye Eri by Fujimoto Tatsuki

(one shots)

Available in English - also on the Jump app

While Fujimoto-sensei’s more well-known work wasn’t 100% clicking with me, I tried his one shots and really enjoyed them. I particularly liked the cinematic feeling and environmental storytelling.

Maybe when I’m up to it, I’ll do posts on some of these that go into a little more detail on how I felt about them idk ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[1010ninetynine]

there's no single point. it's a mess. I'm not quite sorry.

I read Haikei, Seken-sama, the story of a trans man, and now I feel wrecked emotionally. I'm going to talk about it on tumblr dot com because no one else will hear this. well, it's not like the abyss of social media responds all the time. most of my moots like watching men kiss so idk if this even smacks for em. i mean there's one man doing the kissing? eventually? we don't even see it.

It's based on the author's experience living his life. The thought terrifies me to no end.

With this lead up you might think people die in this manga. No, no one does. No violence either. Definitely not as scarring as Banana fish, arguably.

Let me talk to you. Woman to algorithm.

Sorry if it's triggering.

The very first chapter features a kid with short hair putting on a school uniform, checking the skirt length, putting on chapstick, looking in the mirror and describing a creature in a skirt. They rush to school. Perfume is forced onto them. They try to wash it off. It's not coming off. She's accepted she's late, she walks at an even pace. She's accepted that despite everything she's a woman. And seeing the fate of an ugly girl, being treated as something to ignore and mock, she knows that she must be normal. It's better to be normal.

I say this without a shred of irony - Rino Tachibana feels like an alternate version of me. I mean, he ends up transitioning to be a male, and he seems like he gets laid more than I ever will. but that's boring talk.

the point is that I, like most people I imagine, hate and love the thought of being normal. of people not looking at me like im a weirdo. of being constrained by everyone's rules. they carve their way into my heart and thus engrave themselves into my soul. i want to be seen as a masculine figure but that's just not possible as a woman without being weird. i aim for the next best thing and it's not all that great. I've settled for being seen as a weirdo.

But Rino wanted to be a man. His name becomes Kanesho at the end of the manga.

She also loved Hanako, and knew Hanako wouldn't love her. She didn't conform to gender roles from an early age.

The truth is this is something that gays are known for, being unable to conform to society's expectations. there's people who argue that transition is a way to escape sexism/homophobia to an extent and I want to argue with those people that no, there are gnc gay men and women who just exist. I want to tell them that obviously no one would transition just for homophobia when I know so many who transitioned and ended up being gay because of it.

That's not consistent with the reality of the situation. If you're interested in women, and you prefer masculine activities, of course you'd want to be a guy. I know i've wanted my boobs gone as a teenager, hell, even now they bother me but I fucking ignore it. It's only natural, especially in a conservative country like Japan. I can't just like...fucking deny that. I can't deny that in countries like Iran, that might be your only option as a gay person if you want to, I dunno, fucking LIVE.

So yeah. It's definitely possible that a lot of trans people transition out of sexism/homophobia.

And that literally, in text, what is being described (not that Japan would kill her for liking girls if she didn't transition). Rino wants to be a guy to play soccer with the other boys, she doesn't like makeup and other feminine things, and doesn't like her feminine frame. Rino wants to be a guy because that's the only way she'd have a chance with Hanako.

Rino then tries to find someone for her crush so Hanako wouldn't be with anyone, only to get the wrong guy. She ends up dating him as a way to continue being with Hanako. She then breaks up with him because she knows she's not being honest + because she's masculine the guy's getting called gay for dating her and she feels like she's done something wrong.

I won't ascribe good or bad to Rino/Kanesho. I will say that what led to her living an honest life where he didn't have to suppress his desires was becoming more masculine (wearing a suit to graduation, and accepting that they kicked him out for it, transitioning medically and eventually getting a hysterectomy so he can call himself a Real Man).

I'm not saying this to blame Kanesho for his decisions, again I'm not sure what's right or not in these situations. I think they made him happy and in any case, he's not hurting a soul.

It just feels...it feels so fucking tragic is what it is. Rino would have never wanted to transition if her parents just let her be masculine. If she wasn't told that as a woman, liking other woman was wrong. And the truth is, this will fucking affect his life. He will not live as long, he's more at risk for osteoporosis, and several other health risks, all of this mentioned in manga btw. And he's accepted it because he's so happy living like this.

And how could he not? People don't judge him when he expresses interest in masculine activities, for dating girls, he's free to be himself. He just had to render himself infertile and at risk for numerous medical conditions, pay a hefty fee, and accept a reduced lifespan.

I don't misgender people who are real. I understand how fucking miserable it can be, and dysphoria's difficult to deal with. So, I use preferred pronouns and I generally try to avoid making people dysphoric. Rino/Kanesho Tachibana is not real, so I'm being honest about how I see her/him. I'm truly sorry if this bothers you - but I won't change that.

I too have looked in the mirror and hated what was there. I know what it's like to hate yourself so thoroughly transition seems like the only solution. And truth be told, I only didn't because I realized that if I continued T for long enough, a hysterectomy would be like...medically necessary. Vaginal atrophy would happen and I'd have to self lubricate. All of which, beyond my means personally.

what's my point? i don't have one really. haikei seiken sama was incredible.

[problematicpervertpod]

recs on recs on recs

Yaoi/Manga I’m reading/have read. Please support the artists on official websites. If you have recs or want to chat about any of these get in my messages right the fuck now my dudes. Also spoilers, also this probably doesn’t make sense to anyone but me, also I think I’m funny sorry in advance.

Dangerous Convenience Store

Tags: Ongoing, self aware lead for the most part, gangs, smut, love triangle, possessive, not rapey, seme is like the fucking hulk compared to uke, college, age gap, good art, muscular bodies, seme is adorable/romantic in sp chapters, sexual awakening, meeting the gang (in two ways!), FAINTS OF CUTENESS/HOTNESS, the memes after every chapter got me gagged, HAHE hahahahahahahahahaha, OMG DO I GET SOME CNC?! (update: short lived), we stan a vocal man (Ahjussi), thigh fucking, my mans be like my thighs hurt fuck my ass instead DECEASED, ass smacking, these memes are so good god damnit, rimming

8/10, I live for Ahjussi (Am I spelling this wrong..)

The New Employee 

-love love love

Tags: ongoing, we stan supportive boyfriends, healthy relationship, boss/employee, smut, office setting, good art, 10/10 will re-read, muscular bodies

Love Shuttle

Tags: completed, ABO, enemies to lovers, possessive, coworkers, fake relationship, strong omega, the art sucks but I like the story, art gets better after the 1st season, alphas eyes change colors when happy/anxious, muscular bodies, 7/10, update 10/10 art is meh but fml this storyline is basic af in the best way and it’s the fluff/smut I need, when you’re caught by the folks *cringe*

Hold Me Tight

Tags: ongoing, boss/employee, bodyguard, gio can’t feel heat until felix comes along, uke is strong af, horny bastards, smut, possessive, tragic childhood, moving in together right away, rich seme, felix in a bunny costume though *heart eyes*, dialogue is great, rape in a technical sense but the vibe is written like both characters are all good after? Ex. hospital scene…dub con, ART IS GREAT, hand holding during sex, 10/10 will re-read, muscular bodies

Yours to Claim 

Tags: ongoing, love triangle, Dom/sub dynamics, smut, main is big switch energy, reincarnation, jealousy, manipulative, possessive, self aware lead for the most part, toxic af, GREAT ART, college, rich semes, 10/10 will re-read and not even finished, SONOFABITCH that cliff hanger!! Season 3 come thruuuu (I have to wait until November? *cries* BUT MAH LOVE TRIANGLE!!, I want a THROUPLE GOD DAMN IT

The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

Tags: obsessed with this story, will the incense burner scenes make it?? No tags because I'll never forget this one haha wangxian 5ever, send me all fanfics/fan art you have about this story, love Dark Wangji, Jadecest, ABO/omegaverse, Bottom Wangji/Top Wei Ying, and honestly anything regarding this fandom

Bj Alex

Tags: completed, great art, 11/10 will re-read, cam boy, fanboy, seme is an asshole, uke is so sexy, jealously, rich seme, enemies to lovers kind of?, CHANWOO IS MY BOY FOR LIFE, Chanwoo MD supremacy, BDSM (like really really), fuck I love Chanwoo, college students, rich seme, emotional rollercoaster, uke soft body, mean seme, college life, that one nosy bitch ass guy trying to expose my boys needs to fuck right off, seme split/fake personality, dub con 

Anti PT

Tags: ongoing, 11/10 re-readable, porn with feelings, love triangle, jealousy, attempted non-con, personal training wink wink, main love interest is actually the best, second male lead is a god damn creep, first time, smut, great art, sex addict/constantly horny uke, I WANT A HWI, 

Related: https://www.anime-planet.com/manga/anti-pt/recommendations 

Payback

Tags: ongoing, both are psychopaths tbh, revenge, gangs, uke sells himself to seme, violent seme, entertainment industry, brunette supremacy, what this motherfucker gonna do? hehe , great art, muscular bodies, dead dove do not eat, my mans must be GOOD looking/animal magnetism cause everyone losing their fucking minds, okay this is a comedy I’m dying, he tried to scare him with wanting to be a top but my psycho said REVERSEUNO BITCH I’M A VERSE (wait jk apparently *sigh*), anonymous masked sex (sad n’ kinky)

My Suha

Tags: ongoing, wow this gets dark, possessive af like holy shit, terrible people all around uke, rape, boss/employee, office politics/family politics, smut, characters that are punchable, dead dove do not eat, *velociraptor noises*, avoided this for a while but I’m back because nothing can be more emotionally devastating than Banana Fish, TIE HIM UP, FUCK HIS FACE ALKSJD:ASKD, FUCK SUHA UR SO HOT that dirty talk though YAS, glad I picked this back up lmao, GOD DAMN IT just when the package arrived then this red head fucker *screams*

Shame Application aka Dirty Vibration

Tags: completed, friends to lovers, model seme, cute af uke, love triangle, entertainment industry, smut, kink, all kinds of sex everywhere, realized feelings, mutual pining, jealousy, rich seme, blonde seme, big brother 1984 always watching, 10/10 would re-read, porn with plot, they were roommates!, ~straight~ seme, first times, great art, remembering some cringe but considering the story it’s par for the course

Will You Subscribe

Tags: ongoing, season 1 completed, enemies to lovers, cam boy, office politics, boss/employee, hiding a secret, public sex, stalkers/creepy men, emotionally stunted characters, mutual pining, idiots in lust, lingerie company, slut shaming, jealousy/possessiveness, season 2 bebeh, HOLDING HANDS *velociraptor noises*, LMAO okay my mans is not THAT old how tf does he not know netflix and chill, BUNNY COSTUME (quickly becoming my new fav trope in manga, A+ gang), oh we stan a good boy, wtf is wrong with wanting to do cam work, ‘I wish my marks could become permanent’ *omegaverse wink*, *works for lingerie company* *doesn’t understand where bf gets sexy costumes* like wut kind of fuckery…, cross dressing ftw, roleplay, classic BL miscommunication trope

Hyperventilation

Tags: completed, high school crush, unrequited love, mutual pining, smut, quickie (short story), class reunion, apparently furry with the extra chapter turning my man into a bunny but c'est la vie! https://myreadingmanga.info/korean-bl-animation-hyperventilation-engsub/ this is the animation of the same story, different endings but same in tone (this site is spammy AF but the English subs are so hard to find for this) 8/10 

Unmei no tsugai ga omae da nante

Tags: only one bed, ABO, office setting. Coworkers, enemies to lovers, competitive, equality in the omegaverse, dubcon, real dicks and not lightsabers, fated pair, art is cute af 8/10

K’s Secret

Tags: buckle up buttercup, dead dove do not eat, angst, pining, somnophilia, dub con, non con, boss/employee, manipulative, stalking, forced relationship, tragic childhood background, weird art but gets better,  uke: don’t threaten me with a good time but seriously stop threatening me, possessive & obsessive, seme is like the fucking hulk compared to uke, wow were going full psycho stalker hm?, dating a narcissist is all fun and (mind)games, con non con… ? honestly who tf knows, domestic!, OW MY HEART, the t/n WAP note sent me, ch 51 translated by gen z, do special ep= furry? Wait there’s a maid costume, bunny costume, directors friends keeping it real, rough translations 8/10

Enthusiasm

Tags: ongoing, dead dove do not eat, uke buys seme, masc boys, muscular bodies, fight club, master/slave, rich uke, revenge, real dicks not lightsabers, rough sex, cuckholding, daddy issues, suicide, wow the end of ch 5 punched a hole in my heart, penile implant life,  rough translations makes the storyline wonky, nvm back to lightsabers *star wars noises*, HAD ME FEELING SOME TYPE OF WAY I CAN NOT, shibari, possessive, wait this is cute *velociraptor noises*, angst, no kithes for you “bestie”, OBSESSED, honestly choke him pupper, STAY THE NIGHT ALKSDJA:SLDKJAS:LKDJA:SLDKj, problematic but I’m riding for these two, 

Ichimai Goshi Fetish

Tags: completed, short, fetishes DO start in childhood don’t they *ruminates*, author: describes ML as a beautiful 2D character meanwhile: ML IS 2D character, fellas is it gay to kiss the homies?, “real dudes don’t interest me” is a MOOD, comedy, jealousy, college setting, dialogue is A+, not lightsabers but not dicks either, first time, when you’re fucked so good you think you’ve died, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4uEq5Nx6ko, hero/villain roleplay. Fluff n smut 10/10

My Purrfect Boss

Tags: completed, tooth rotting fluff because blondie is so FUCKING cute little sensitive soul, golden retriever boyfriend, pure comedy, DECEASED, MY MAN JUST DID THE SLOW BLINK, office setting, boss/employee, ~wasted~ (red dead redemption meme),  FFS SO CUTE, he put a ring on it right away beyonce would be proud af, he protecc he attack but most importantly he hit it from the back, jealousy, honeymoon phase of dating, the ex is a snake (update: oh wow literally), I’m picking up abuse/PTSD vibes based on how Kang reacts to his ex :(, classic BL miscommunication plot, immediately no meme audio (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6XWSGfYnps) ,  I WILL STRAIGHT UP MURDER CHA WTF!!!!!!, gang rape, spiked with drugs that force heat, me rn:*screaming/rage*, psychotic ex/abuser, HE PROTECCC, actual relief after that scene jesus fuck, okay YES kings I see you, okay this is giving me cuteness aggression, hi yes I’d like to adopt a cat and a dog please 9/10

Following Namsoo to the Bathhouse

Tags: completed, same author as, “My Purrfect Boss”, A+ comedy once again, JUNIOR, gay awakening, “fap myself to death” DEAD, facial expressions are ridic, my minds telling me no but my body, my bodyyyy’s telling me yaaaaa, ya boy is literally losing his mind over this, actual lightsabers lmao, FLUFF, permasmile, 6969, THINKS THEY’RE GOING TO EAT RAMEN, dense gay, own your skin wtf okay hannibal calm down, everyone is officially cray,  ah I also am barfy when drunk, denial really is something hm, classic BL miscommunication plot, when people pleasing too far, happy ending 🥺🥰, side story: our crazy gets his very own crazy (ashton Kutcher from spread vibes), public sex, sex sparkle 9/10

Alien in my Closet

Tags: ongoing (maybe completed but def ongoing on the site I use), not rapey at all?? You’d think it’s impossible in this medium ffs, anti pt vibes, cute art, fluff ‘n smut, red head!!, they were roomates!, sex toys, bsdm, D/s (brat)dynamic or maybe owner/pet, bondage, *tiffany hadish voice* this is noiceeee, con humiliation/degradtion, SANTA CLAUS, edging, marking, one lotus please (he’s clearly read the 4 agreements and karma sutra), con non con, exhibitionism, the wrist thing stays on people, Katoptronophilia,  roleplay, is it stalking when you bring your friends?, lotus: welcome home cheater, the chin on the head thing gives me cuteness aggression, the twins are my favs, when ur crush vanilla af 😭, haesung: experiment on me daddy, no dick until halfway through/fingering supremacy, bedroom sessions has me gagged, voyeurism, wait they haven’t kissed this whole time I forgot (audio: https://www.tiktok.com/@ryley/video/6976701880277748997?lang=en), sunbae is sus, YES FINALLY A FUCKING SWITCH COUPLE AKJSDHALKSJDHASKLJDHALS KJDALKSJD (update: sort of), there’s a missed opportunity for an anal probe joke, damn it okay maybe sunbae is chill, 3 musketeers, my heart*implodes*, *velociraptor noises*, 12/10 would re-read such fluff my heart 

On Doorstep

Tags: completed, age gap, reese has ptsd, jimmy going from 0 to 100, jimmy really got down on his knees at work, ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) deepest part you say, real dicks, ride him like a rodeo, quickie/short story, porn with plot

Gorani Jeon

Tags: ongoing, omegaverse, no alpha though, animal hybrid, art is beautiful like it's drawn on paper not a screen, 40 inch weave yours came in a pack, historical (non-modern), lord send me a sexy man pls, the memes after each chapter are golden, taking the phrase licking wounds literally, is that an eggplant or are you just happy to see me hehe, ahhh so inhibitors do exist here, vertical 69, here lays Bau fucked to death by Ran, WHY HE TOUCHING MY MAN, these chickens are dope, stomp on his dick, that’s what I call a happy meal, fucked right out the front door I’M DEAD, mpreg, i need a tiger+mountain god spin off (whoops dad/son my bad), slice of life, cute fluff 8/10

Room to room

Tags: completed, college setting, A+ dialogue, absurd size difference, unrequited love,  sexsomina, dubcon, angst, death by a thousand cuts emotionally, insecurity, body envy, pining, friends to lovers, they were roommates!, homophobia, sexual assault, PTSD, gays in denial, the tattoo 🥺 ow my heart, truly this is 90% smut, “going from unrequited love to fwbs is shittier than I expected”, dowan *bad blood by t swift* when he sees garam, ch 22garam reminds me of my ex and that’s not a compliment, I’m not gay but my boyfriend is vibes, triflers need not apply, spanking, 😭😭😭😭😭 my heart hurts, is anyone getting a bit of a puppy play vibe? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vni9ZWmDXis, handcuffs, lots of head we stan, dowan’s gotta a touch of a foot thing or maybe body worship thing, asdlfgkjs ;dlkfgjsd;flkgj;sdflkgj;sdlfgjs;d/gkdf SO CUTEEEEEEEEEEE, roleplay. They broke the bed no use of crying over spilled milk ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), side stories delivering man in uniform and sex toys AND puppy, asdlkjaslfkasdjfl;askdfjasdf the shirt thing is so hot, watersports, I take it back this is 98% smut 9/10

Mistake Lover

Tags: completed, when ur bff is back on their BS, love triangle, coworkers, i swear all these ukes look the same to me at this point (which is very cute), GE!!!! (wangxian flashbacks), wait no smut?.... Paused

Yagi to ookami no hatsujou jijou

Tags: completed, quickie/short story, literally on my reading list because a comment said “nice cock 10/10”hahahaha, animal hybrids, scifi/aliens, me during chapter one: am I a furry? No. Am I? Relevant audio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noJNIqvDfoo, hotties when human GOD DAMN, bi king, okay I stan this girl changing gears take your opportunities honey!, does blondie have a tinder or how is this happening? (update: called it), feminization, dubcon/noncon, marking, heats, idk about 10/10 cock but not lightsabers, translation is ruff (get it?), a yankee hahaha, literal wound licking, googles chimera, *claps* yes king selfish call his ass out, tail holding caaaayoooot, not that isn’t usually copious amounts of cum but really this is a lot 8/10

Make Me Bark

Tags: completed, $250 a month rent?? *cries in Californian*, god damn it these grey haired 2D men are really hot fml, “next months rent is a looming concern but I hope it’ll get better” followed by apartment on fire is how I feel about reality, rare characters that smile way more than they frown, sex toys, kink, puppy play, owner/pet dynamic, sugar daddy/baby, college setting, harness, muzzle, leash, tail plug, shirt thing!!, soaked briefs, playing barbie IRL, omg meet cute at the adult store, intercrural sex, possessive/jealousy, ah fuck yes I saw this panel on IG but it didn’t have the source but now hehe, whipping, choking, spanking, *bookmarks*, simp city, childhood friends, side couple cute af, yeonsoo: sorry I’m an anti romantic, size queen, mens lingerie, domestic, mutual pining,  these bestie pairings are *chefs kiss*, skinny but muscular bodies/no ridiculous size differences, “does he have a big dick?” “probably” “well tell him to come” GAGGED AJKSDHALSKDJHA this dialogue pure comedy, exhibitionism, human auction, maid costume, men in heels, topping in a dress, girl at the bus stop HAHAHA, ffs this is so cute, side stories: it’s a small world afterall, dynamic role reversal, pink haired boy is guru, SCREAMING AKDJA:SLDKJA:LKDJA:LSDKJLAKDJA:LDJAL:SKDJASLKDJA:SLKDJLAKSDJLASDJ:LASJD:ALSKDJASL:DJ:ASLJDPUTARINGONIT!!!! 11/10 

Gurume no fukurami

Tags: completed, quickie/short story, food fetish, feeding fetish, age gap, throuple-eqsue? There’s 3 people involved, paused ch 1 pg 30

Under the Green Light

Tags: ongoing, thank you IG for rec’ing this, brunette supremacy, neurodivergent?, lmao @hag, this statue is everything I wonder if it’s based on a real piece?, we went from talking art to being pinned to the ground REAL quick, translations rough but not as rough as my mans here, draw me like one of your french girls vibe, sass master, these dicks are ridiculously huge which is saying something for this genre, i love a verse/switch, “first time he’s asked someone to stop so his self-esteem is hurt” HAHAHAHA, stealing bae’s shirt, facials galore, car sex/public sex, jin not into praise kink clearly, sort of slut shaming jealousy, marking

Walk on Water

Tags: completed, for being about porn it’s not that smutty (i take it back), “don’t even think about running away” got me like https://giphy.com/gifs/VABbCpX94WCfS, actual dicks (lightsabers later must be the cleaners not the OG), muscular bodies, blonde seme, brunette uke, k mcqueen is everything, honestly haven’t loved a couple this much since chanwoo x MD and I LOVE THEM, jealousy, orgasm denial, the angles/frames of the art in this are insane (11/10), emotional intimacy CUTENESS HASIHDLASKDHJLAKSJDH, i wanna lick lick lick you from your head to your toes, dirty talk A+, bestie you turned out to be Judas you judgy fuck how dare you touch my man, Ryan is 50 shades of fucked up bb needs therapy, Chang and yeowoons sexual tension is *chefs kiss*, I ship it/all my ships sailing, woof non con but expected tbh, YEAH BABY YEAH *Austin powers voice*, fml I don’t want this story to end, meeting the Hets ™ would make me nervous too, spiderman kith, mirror sex sjkadfhasldjkfh, 34+35, JOI but with a partner? Not D/s, promises are made to broken hehe, that feeling when you understand the title, omg the fan art is so cool!! 15/10 would re-read seriously I can’t explain how well the artist used angles/how she portrayed the scenes was fucking MASTERFUL

Woof Wolf

Tags: that's my best friend (saweetie), red heads, werewolf au, college setting, students, shoot a shot in your mouth while I'm riding, facials, marking

Sexual Awakening of an Ex Delinquent 

Tags: completed, quickie/short story, sexual coercion/non con/dub con, tiddies, bondage, nipple play, edging/orgasm denial, candy in ass wow, food kink, kink in general, rich seme working class uke, lightsabers,  big dick Jesus fuck, exhibitionism, public sex, men's lingerie, Blondie is a sweet baby angel, self hatred/homophobia, sexual narrating that has me like oof 😣 that's not how this works but okay, the sweet spots thing is a great line, man is a slave to the sweets, lmao at the meme at the end of ch 9 fucking facts, kidnapping plot, rapey guys all around this story, tattoo/back story reveal has me like *nods head yes*, my throats broken has me gagged, crazy amount of sfx noises that distract from the art (I really appreciate cleaners I realize), first times, rushed ending feels,  would rate 6/10 not terrible but probably won't read again.  

With Your Tail Yes

Tags: ongoing, IG rec, quickie/short story, on man brunette looks EXACTLY like a different character by another artist like for real duplicate, home boy pulled Elle Wood’s Bend n Snap and we are HERE FOR IT, lingerie/cross dressing, okay compilation of short stories, great artwork but wtf these are far too short (maybe uploaded wrong..?), *immediately makes deal with the devil because yum*, ah okay previews THEN stories, human animal hybrid situation, lightsabers, fucking imagine your crush delivery the sex toy you ordered online HAHA *dies*, buys toys because men ain’t shit is a VIBE, you know he’s always wearing matching sets because he’s 100% that bitch, dub con/non con, knotting (unexpected), exhibitionism, public sex, good ol’ fashion blackmail to get your lover to stay with you trope, sexual assault/attempted rape, victim blaming, shibari, leashes, D/brat dynamic sort of, copious amounts of cum, lube? What lube?, marathon sex, first time, 75 hours?? Immediately no meme, 7/10 mostly for art/concepts but not execution

Heat and Run

Tags: ongoing, IG rec, omegaverse, friends to enemies to lovers, multiple couples as main to sides then sides to mains, my heart dropped because I thought the first sex scene was incest but then realized I’m mixing up all the characters derp, dense gays, this is america (the shooting comment WOOF reality feels bad man), blondes have more fun, real dicks, dubcon/CNC dealers choice, mutual pining, idiots in love, big alpha energy BDE, there are moments I feel Hayoung on a spiritual level and not sure that’s a compliment hahaha, orgasm denial/edging, istg if he bonded without Hayoung permission *jenna marbles BOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII YOU BETTAH NOT*, also I was hoping the idol was him but realizing it’s probs his sis, *deep sigh*, BDIRL, wow racism, oh no oh no no no no no meme audio, listen everyone needs to get into therapy to break that generational trauma is all I’m saying (not excusing abuse at all, trauma isn’t a free pass), NO ONE WANTS TO PLAY A GAME WITHOUT KNOWING THE RULES :ALKSDHJALKSDJA:SLKDJTRUE, matthew singing bo burnham: I’m problematic *background singers ‘he’s a problem!’*, i ship it yolo, JAEHO STAN (no means no!), mpreg, god damn it I am so worried about him getting roofie and the party scene hasn’t even started ABO WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TOO ME, OH THANK JAEHO, dayummmm that clapback was real fuck him UP, me clapping: MARK HIM MARK HIM, GOD DAMN IT WITH THESE ONGOING FUCKING CLIFF HANGERS FML, marked via knotting? Okay that’s new, but also like normal marking I think, fucking til bottom pees trope

Heaven Officials Blessing

Animated series season 1 complete. Live action currently filming (same director as Untamed too UGH SO HAPPY)

Tags: ongoing, same author as my fav ever MDZS, just finished season 1 animated on netflix and can no longer avoid this because I LOVE THEM, all the memes on IG make sense now, Prince voice: Dearly Beloved (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXJhDltzYVQ) we are gathered here today to dive deeper into a fandom I will never escape, ART IS AMAZING (https://tenor.com/view/incredible-talented-lady-brilliant-gaga-gif-14857187), group chats are always chaotic tbh, wait a minute meme audio: bride = bottom? How tf did I not get that the first time round *sigh* always hoping for a verse couple, the asst. Boys I ship hard, the sass, fuck this is going to just be pure angst isn’t it *straps in, has fluffy manga queued*, even if no smut 11/10 gege porn, not subtle, god FUCK this ART IS SO FUCKING GOOD THE TALENT skjas;ldkfja;, 🥺, traumatic cliff moment *mdzs flashbacks*, HC smirk is my new favorite thing, no fucking but lots of touching, size difference, horror, gore, wuxia, great side characters, my ear feels tingly too lmao, SOMEONE BETTER GET THESE MF SNAKES ON THIS MF PLANE (cliff), umbrella moments got me uwu, gimme at least didi pleaseandthankyou, FUCK I LOVE THIS ARTIST she keeping us WELL fed with these extras DAYUM, wind/earth master ship please sail, CALL ME DADDY IM DEAD, HC has LWJ energy like you are not qualified to talk to me LOL, WAIT this totally counts as there was only one bed trope, also I’m already excited about omegaverse ff (send me recs please please please)

4 week lovers

Tags: ongoing because apparently I want to torture myself, mutual pining/”unrequited love”, college life, friends to lovers, blackmail ur crush into sex trope, public sex, I was going to tag possessive body language but possessive in a general sense apparently (starting strong yessss), sure jan @unrequited love dialogue, THEY WERE ROOMMATES *cackles*, sus haha, rough translation, pure comedy, shirt thing!, casual abuse :( (back story, traumatic childhood), I’m getting TharnType vibes (but not quite…), that note is precious, cry during/after sex, great angles, dialogue A+ 

Burlesque Night

Tags: completed, quickie/short story, stripper/body guard, coworkers, lust at first sight, magic mike vibes, fridays = getting fucked on stage O-O, well that was traumatizing af, took a bullet, real dicks, LDR, CUTE, I’m not in love with you… sure jan, OH WOW MASTER dlksaj;alsdkja;lsdkja;sld, gay awakening/first time, the art detail is *chefs kiss*, disappointed but not surprised :( :( :(, we stan a yes and lover, shirt thing, still not sure wtf the vertical anus thing is but full circle moment haha, you know what fuck it I’d re-read this 9/10

My one and only cat

Tags: ongoing, cat hybrids, god damn it I’m totally in furrydom ffs, ah well here we go, idol hot = loneliness wahhh /s, so hot he literally transforms other beings, omg a cat cafe CUTE, fuck that cat is cute *so fluffy*, stalker status, comedy, real dicks, I think the uncle would be supportive/jealous even I hope they talk about it I’m dying to know his thoughts, big tiddies, if this ain’t the cutest shit FLUFF/SMUT, copious amounts of cum, ate it with the panties on, CAKE, xmas, his milkshakes bring all the boy(cats) to the yard, trifling bitch

Imitation Mate

Tags: completed, omegaverse, alpha x alpha. Class rivals YAS, childhood frans, enemies to lovers omg this is all the shit I want, manipulation 1000 but yolo I ship it

Mr. 100% Perfect

Tags: ongoing, so relatable, OCD?, hoarder, when I read the title I thought mental illness and I was right, masks ugh RELATABLE, getting back together w ex, woof sibling drama/manipulation, suicide attempt, omg their communication regarding the psycho is REFRESHING, OMG JEJU ISLAND I see it in every fucking kdrama ever but this is the first time I’ve seen it mentioned in a manga *hm* interesting, furry furry everywhere, eye contact, finished reading season 1 pause for an omergaverse cause, okay I’m back and season 2 starting STRONG #1 men are gross #2 mans just went right to a blowie while mf was trying to pee lmao i can NOT the germs barf, fuckboi extraordinaire stressing over a textback is *great*, that istg face is perfect, HYUNGGGG, hand on his heart OW MY HEART, vibe check LOL, here for this plot dev, END OF SEASON2 NOOOOOOOimnotready. Head bonks CUTE

The origin of species

Tags: ongoing, omegaverse, sex tape, blackmail, i already don’t like this teacher, size difference, ‘JUST DIE’ hahahahahaha, I’m in love with noona, wait Ahjussi means uncle/mister? Dangerous convenience store has a new meaning to me now, DECEASED @they won’t, copious amounts of cum, alcohol to have intimacy *sighs in early 20s*, also WTF THEY ARE FUCKING AND THERE’S NO PHERMONE STUFF! What’s the point of being ABO without smell *swaggy p meme???*, wait okay ch 11 it begins, stockholm syndrome but since childhood I’m fairly certain *looking at you teacher I don’t trust these mfs*, dubcon obviously, also the can’t be knotted thing has me *cardi b meme that’s weird that’s sus* obvs poor bb about to get preg af, five word horror story: I won’t hurt you again *why tf you lyinggggg why u always lyinggg meme*, white collar crime, what’s the point of a contract when there’s no actual choice

How to Chase an Alpha

Tags: ongoing, lowkey been avoiding this one not because I think it’ll be bad I just..idk the brain is a weird thing, page 2 and I love mains attitude fucking gagged sass me bb, starting with rough translation but it be that way sometimes, GROUNDS HIMSELF BY TOUCHING HIS BLACK CARD I CANTTT, pheromone city fuck it UP, MC is a MOOD, mutual pining, when u and bae both hire PI’s to get info on each other, R-E-S-P-E-C-T, shirt thing, fucking chuffed about the rival fucking bring it, funny art, cheated on ugh mah heart I saw it coming and it still hurt, pure comedy this airport scene is so funny to me wtf, LDR, good ol murica fuckboi, LOVE HIM RIDE FOR UR MAN/MORALS, liams a little rapey rapist hm? No one’s ever said no… well being flooded with pheromones isn’t consent my dude, istg liam = I love it when they struggle, obvs jealousy/possessive tag but such is ABO, cat suit, BUNNY suit, sexy costumes, god damn it I love them that proposal/mpreg so cute, imprinting AW, ugh baes fam is so cute I needed that bc I wanna strangle wooyoungs dad, THE SECETARY is my fucking fav never stops being A+, SEC+LIAM?? Here for it *i ship it*, FUCK SO CUTE 12/10 re-read, fluff n smut, excited for how to chase an omegaside story hyung needs love!, JINI is mood, sales king I’m dying, that collar is ~hot~ btw

Egoism

Tags: completed (because jesus I can’t with ongoing, theheartbreakTM), UPDATE FML THE HEART BREAK IS REAL also no smut, omegaverse, hey stepbro, starts with rape, possessive/jealousy (isn’t all ABO?), age difference (6years, alpha is younger *can I get hyung plz lord*), HYUNG, woof this dad SUCKS, child abuse, rape culture *sigh*, I wanna get jacked like rick and summer and beat tf out of the dad, me n my cat, TELL EM HONEY I love this MC, traitor indeed, beta x omega btw, fated pair, coercive sex, didi going to be his own demise, BREAKUP/TIME SKIP NO this is BL hell, the rona is mentioned in this, ALL I WANT IS TO HEAR YOUR STORY WAHHHHHHHHHH also YES MY SHIP IS GOING TO SAIL I CAN FEEL IT, okay honestly frustrating a bit but also liked it yah 7-8/10, won’t re-read unless I’m looking for hurt though cause the comfort is BRIEF

Yarichin bitch bu

Tags: ongoing, reading because I watched this anime after seeing it mentioned in the comment section of -im-being-harassed-by-the-sexiest-man-of-the-year, anime was 2 eps a fucking wild the way this is uploaded SUCKS, no reality porn what plot rape-y ridiculous and now I need to read the source apparently haha, I need to know much more about yuri and blue hair guy ASAP (they have the spin off*adds to list*), high school setting, smut, studentsxstudents/teachers, photography club my ass, sex toys, kinky, crossdressing, gay awakening, unrequited love, jealousy, fake relationship, two faced people, OCD, COMEDY, rich people problems, hoarder, inferiority complex, one bed, toono is a dumbass in this love triangle or denial might be a better word, they are cousins my dude stop shipping it (I say to both toono and myself LOL), I wanna see Yuri’s face laksdjf;aldskf, vibrator #18 line is fucking iconic, yaguchi is about to get real interesting (BPD?), lies/manipulation, oh toono you sweet summer child, YURI i can’t wit chu, wait did he just punch the student because he won’t kiss him or???, dubcon/noncon obvs, finally my verse couple but they’re not a couple (yuri/tamu), they all care about each other is a weird way awwww, love confessions to pet vibrator scene are ICONIC MY DUDES I CAN NOTTT, lowkey living for Yuri’s drooling at this point, Jimi gives me such bad second hand embarrassment, Yuri the switch verse bb I’ve been looking for need more!, internalized homophobia, blackmail, MIDDLE FINGER IN THE AIR YAS KING, the heartbreak of ongoing/hasn’t been updated in years

Yarichin bitch bu dj wa

Tags: not completed I think, years old though, see above you know what it is, so cute omg, FIRST KISS AW, degradation kink?, MY VERSE COUPLE I’ve finally found you, biting, choking, rough sex, sex toys, they had fun together for another two hours DECEASED

Fucked by my Best Friend

Tags: ongoing, friends to lovers, body swap, Porn what plot, cannon threesomes in past maybe??(MFF for sure but MMF??), beach life, revenge, he became a HOT woman so honestly get over it, sloppy seconds, first off you’re both sluts second lmao this is going to be wild hm?, fellas is it gay if you kiss the homies, classic did you cum guy jfc, that’s how you get preg dumbass, ah the joys of being a woman /s assault in der clrub, *DEEP SIGH* @ you almost being raped turns me on, YES TURNING BACK DYING, gender has nothing to do with this LOL but true. Also yes cannon threesomes/orgies, googles frotting, mans like narrating playtime, intecurial sex public sex, lingerie, this is the closest thing to straight manga I’ve read hahaha, THE SCIENCE OMG FUCKING RIDIC :you need a mass amount of semen within you SURE JAN, possessive. Objectification, she trying to fuck without Shion LMAO, 34+35, do you think he’s on r/nofap, dry orgasm honestly impressed with mans rn ngl, spit as lube, anal fingering, just helping the homies find their prostate, bottom shaming (disappointed but not surprised), bis/gays in denial smh, question if he has a wet dream will he turn into a woman?, shirt thing, lol at female orgasm =anal in switcharoos mind, paging doc perv, shion is enjoying dressing up hm? Same dude, biggest reality gap is believing shion got admitted to a college HAHA, bad anatomy all over the place dude, rui is a dedicated exhibitionist, HE SO TIGHT BECAUSE THERES NO LUBE team no lube over here apparently not even a courtesy spit, yandere territory sort of?, Mayu with the dick wet comment is *chefs kiss*, THE HEARTBREAK OF ONGOING WAHHH I can’t believe I read all this but I can? 8/10 problematic possessive porn

[trashexplorer]

BLCD Review: Tasogare Outfocus

Title: Tasogare Outfocus (黄昏アウトフォーカス)

Release Date: 2020/05/29

Author/Artist: Janome

Cast: 

Uchida Yuuma x Matsuoka Yoshitsugu

Nakazawa Masatomo

Ichikawa Aoi

Yanagi Kouhei

Ootsuka Takeo

Synopsis:

Tsuchiya Mao is roommates with Otomo Hisashi who is secretly gay, that’s why they made 3 rules: I. Mao must never reveal Hisashi’s secret II. Hisashi won’t look at Mao as a romantic interest III. Neither of them can get in the way of the other’s “personal needs” They had no problems living together until the movie club - which Mao is part of - decided to do a BL movie for their school festival project and casted Hisashi for the lead role.

Review Proper

Putting this right after Given was the best choice I could have ever made. I love it! It’s cute, yet sensual; light, yet emotional. It also reminds me of the BL movie I directed for Spanish class in uni. Tasogare Outfocus was just one of those works that draws you in the minute you start reading it. From the character art, fashion, page layouts, to the positioning—Janome’s style is easily one of the best I’ve ever seen so far. The sensuality of her characters kind of reminds me of Zariya while her art in general reminds me of Ichikawa Kei’s and Aniya Yuuji’s combined. Tasogare Outfocus was definitely a sight for sore eyes and hearts, so when I received news of the BLCD adaptation, I was ecstatic! All the more when it was announced that Uchida Yuuma and Matsuoka Yoshitsugu was coming in to voice Mao and Hisashi!

One look at Hisashi and you’d instantly notice how he and Banana Fish’ Ash were similar. I don’t think that there’d be anyone who’d be more perfect to voice Hisashi than the very person who voiced Ash. I came into this expecting that he was going to use his Ash voice here, but I was pleasantly surprised that he used a lighter tone! UGGHHHHHH. WE JUST HAVE TO STAN!!! His Hisashi was so smooth and sexy that I had to cover my face with my hands because I couldn’t take it! 😳 His performance here reminds me of old Hiyama Noboyuki when he does sexay DKs even though they’re both at different sides of the pitch scale. I wish that he gets to do more seme roles in the future with this tone, but it’d still be nice if he does some uke roles from time to time. Man, even though I’ve never heard Uchida Yuuma have a bad performance before, I’m just so proud of how far he’s come! 😭😭😭 

QUEEN MATTY IS BACK YET AGAIN! I just adored his Mao! His Mao tone was pitches lower than his Nasukawa tone, so this was close to his natural tone. But what was so remarkable about his performance here was this part where Hisashi reminisces how Mao would greet him like a parent when he comes back home late and his DADDY VOICE WAS SUPREME DADDYI! WHAT THE HECK, TSUGU-TSUGU?! WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?! 

“Yes, I’m Enterprise? I want more King Matty ASAP. I’ll give you a list of works I want him in tomorrow, thanks.”

The rest of the cast did pretty well. I didn’t actually check who all the cast members were and when I first heard Ichikawa talk, I was like: “Hmm, this sounds suspiciously like Nakazawa Masatomo. Why would they bring in another gen 3 in as a side character, though?” AND THEN BAM! I find out that Ichikawa has a story of his own! If that isn’t a sign that the sequel’s going to be adapted as well, then I don’t know what is! Ugh. I wonder who’s a good fit for the president, though??? The other three also had some good voices and I’m quite surprised that they brought in two different voice actors for the twins. Ootsuka Takeo, like his character, is perfect for the BL world, so I hope he officially enters the industry soon.

That was a great adaptation over all. There aren’t many changes in dialogue either, so reading the manga along wouldn’t be difficult. I would definitely recommend both the manga and the BLCD because it’s very well-written. Here’s to hoping more of Janome’s works get translated in English and adapted into BLCDs. 🙇

[http-eiji]

Q CONTAINS SPOILERS not for blog owner, but for other readers potentially. Could you explain what Sing and Yut-Lung's relationship during GoL was and also how he reacted to his murder? I've only seen the anime so far, but am very attached to the characters and interested in how their storylines play out long-term. I also love how complex all their relationships are, specially between those who survive BF.

Hey! Thanks for the asks, I've got a lot more in my inbox but, since I just spoke about this, I'll answer it now.

I'm going to mush your question together and explain the Eiji thing first.

So, in the manga time line, the last chapter ends the same way as the anime. Garden of Light is an extra chapter and its basically an epilogue set 7 or 8 years after the ending.

Along side it, we have Max Lobos diaries (Sometimes diaries gets translated as notes or journals), which I don't think anyone has fully translated. They're a collection of novellas. Within that, there's a letter to Ash (written after his death) that goes more indepth into the characters lives after the events of banana fish. You can read a translation of that letter right here.

After Garden of Light, there's a collection of photographs and drawings called "New York Sense" with photographs from during and after both banana fish and GOL. New York sense is basically the last time we get Eiji content in the Canon tl. After that he's not mentioned again nor does he appear in anyway.

We do get some more content about him pre-BF in a bonus manga story called Fly Boy in the Sky, when he was 17. (There's also Private opinion, which is about how Ash met Blanca, and Angel Eyes (manga) about how Ash met Shorter).

(Angel Eyes (the artbook) doesn't contain any new information but its absolutely gorgeous and there's some great content. There's also a guide book but honestly I've never even seen screenshots from it. The most I know is the odd translation from fans who speak Japanese. I think there's some interviews in it.)

Then we get on to Yasha and Sleeping Eve.

Yasha is set in the banana fish universe but follows a new cast of characters. Sing is a character in it, Yue is mentioned and Ash isn't mentioned by name but Sing compares the main character to him (he refers to Ash not by name but as an old friend).

Then, after Yasha is sleeping eve which follows the cast of Yasha's (including Sing's) Children. I don't think anyone, besides Sing, is mentioned or shows up from Banana Fish. (Though I stopped reading it so I don't know for sure).

Now onto Sing and Yue's relationship post Banana Fish:

Sing basically became Yue's right hand man. Yue managed the business side of things, whilst Sing dealt with the more dirty aspects. I think Sing kept this a secret from Eiji though I assume he knew.

In Yasha, Yue gets assassinated by the Vietnamese mafia and Sing goes completely ballastic and kills every single member of the gang / Familia. He also wears something in his pocket (Or was it a badge? It's like a flower, a pocket square or a ribbon. You get the idea) to show that he's in mourning for his "brother" (referring to Yue).

I would go into more detail but their interaction in GOL is literally one phone call and, everything I've mentioned in Yasha takes place over 3 pages.. max. There's not much.

As you said, the characters are so complex, there's so much to say about literally all of them. Feel free to ask about anyone or anything else.

[daffodildazaiwrites]

i'm very curious about your selfship :000 and i'm looking for something to watch, maybe,, a top 5 anime would be sweet ! hope it's not to much, i'll keep the birthday wishes to later 💗

Ohhhhh okay! Thank you for asking anon also tell me about your top 5 animes too!  

Let me tell you my top 5 anime and then about my selfship then  (≧◡≦) For the top 5 I’M going to pick normal length anime’s (like i love one piece but it’s like 900 episodes and I feel like suggesting that would be cruel but if you’re up for the challenge to it xD)

Self ship stuff under the cut!

Also keep in mind my top 5 always changes but if you want to watch something new these will be fun! 

Birthday event: Alphabet and Interactions

Top 5 Anime

1. Black Clover (Episode count 157 - ongoing)

Okay if you want something action packed + fighting the system made up by asshole royals this is for you. 

Basically to give you a summary in this world magic is everything, everyone can use it except for Asta. Asta and his brother Yuno want to become magic knights and travel to the capital and participate in the magick knight exame, Asta gets picked for the worst squad and Yuno the best one, their adventure starts from there. 

Animation very good, story, in my humble opinion, good. So yeah go watch it before this too gets to like a 900 episodes xD   

2. Toilet Bound Hanako-kun! (Episode Count 12 one season but there probably will be more) 

I just watched this and fell in love with it enough to start the manga because I can’t wait for season 2 to come out :’D The animation is very pretty and you just want to learn more about the characters, highly recommend! so here’s what 9anime’s summary about it: 

“The famous "Seven Wonders" that every school seems to have are a staple of Japanese urban legends. One of the most well-known of these tales is that of Hanako-san: the ghost of a young girl who haunts the school's bathrooms. Kamome Academy has its own version of Hanako-san's legend. Rumors claim that if one successfully manages to summon Hanako-san, she will grant her summoner any wish. Lured by the gossip, many people have tried to call upon her, yet every attempt has failed. However, when Nene Yashiro, a girl hoping for romantic fortune, dares to summon Hanako-san, she discovers that the rumored "girl" is actually a boy! After a series of unfortunate events involving Nene's romantic desires, she is unwillingly entangled in the world of the supernatural, becoming Hanako-kun's assistant. Soon, she finds out about Hanako-kun's lesser-known duty: maintaining the fragile balance between mortals and apparitions.“

3. Haikyuu! (There’s four seasons but I don’t know how many episodes and I’m too lazy to count sorry :’D) 

I’m sure you’ve heard of Haikyuu, basically it’s a sports anime about volleyball. I was one of those skeptics saying that I wouldn’t enjoy sports anime but here we are. 

The animation and learning about each individual characters story really gets you hooked so if you haven’t check this out yet you totally should! 

4. Jujutsu Kaisen (Episode Count 12 - Ongoing)

Ah yes the ever famous Jujutsu Kaisen, there’s a reason why everyone’s talking about it, it’s because it’s very very good. If you like your hero stuff with angst and interesting worldview philosophies I highly recommend! Here’s what 9anime says: 

“Idly indulging in baseless paranormal activities with the Occult Club, high schooler Yuuji Itadori spends his days at either the clubroom or the hospital, where he visits his bedridden grandfather. However, this leisurely lifestyle soon takes a turn for the strange when he unknowingly encounters a cursed item. Triggering a chain of supernatural occurrences, Yuuji finds himself suddenly thrust into the world of Curses—dreadful beings formed from human malice and negativity—after swallowing the said item, revealed to be a finger belonging to the demon Sukuna Ryoumen, the "King of Curses." Yuuji experiences first-hand the threat these Curses pose to society as he discovers his own newfound powers. Introduced to the Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu Technical High School, he begins to walk down a path from which he cannot return—the path of a Jujutsu sorcerer. “

I also, of course, have a jujutsu blog if anyone’s interested it’s @sassystarlightgojo !

5. Banana Fish (Episode count 24 - Complete) 

I’m not gonna say much about this other then I still think about it, also this has mature themes and again I won’t say much but it’s angst but it also has its cute moments! highly recommend! Also if you do start watching do not look up ANYTHING about it!

“Ash Lynx, was a runaway picked off the streets of New York City and raised by the infamous godfather of the mafia, Dino Golzine. Now 17 years old and the boss of his own gang, Ash gets his hands on a mysterious drug called "Banana Fish"—the same two words his older brother, Griffin, has muttered since his return from the Iraq War. However, his investigation is hindered when Dino sends his men to retrieve the drug from Ash at an underground bar he uses as a hideout. At the bar, Skip, Ash's friend, introduces him to Shunichi Ibe and his assistant, Eiji Okumura, who are Japanese photographers reporting on American street gangs.”

Honorable mentions: Fire Force (beautiful animation great story watch it), Given,  Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun, Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign, Ouran Highschool host club

Now on to my Selfship! 

Okay I won’t keep this super long (I do want to post some selfship stuff but honestly I’m not sure anyone would want to read those xD) I ship myself in a poly relationship with both Dazai and Chuuya.

 In canon world I also joined the port mafia pretty much at the same time as Dazai, we already had somewhat of a relationship but Dazai, as we all know, was a bit too intense back then but when Chuuya joined I realized that I like them both and slowly out relationship starts to bloom. Chuuya is quicky to realize he might have a bit of feelings for Dazai too and even if he never told him, in order to understand himself better he rolls with it. 

But when Dazai decides he’s going to leave I try to stop him but then end up going with him, leaving Chuuya a letter before we go. 

So that’s pretty much the gist of it xD I didn’t write much of the relationship dynamics because I just thought it would be too long of a post buuuuut if anyone is interested feel free to ask!  

[fencer-x]

Also, do you have any recommendations for lgtbq manga/anime series that is not the usual yaoi or yuri? I want to read a story which happens to have a queer mc and not the usual gay series. I tried searching & reading BL a couple of times but the characters don't have any development or story besides being "attracted to a guy omg" and I'm unable to be interested in their relationship or the characters. I would LOVE to read/watch something like YOI or shimanami tasogare.

Gosh, it’s like trying to drain blood from a stone, looking for what you’re asking. It’s so rare, and I get SO EXCITED WHEN IT HAPPENS. I’m so used to giving and now I get to receive kind of excited.

You’ve obviously already seen YOI, which is like, the POSTER CHILD for ‘not BL, just romance, because romance has no gender and fuck it, these kids are in love’. No.6 is also That but on the more depressing end of the spectrum, and Banana Fish too but...you know, you’ll want to die. Because I guess LGBTQ characters cannot flourish outside of BL/GL/Their Own Type Of Romance :////

IIRC though, there were a couple of side stories in HanaKimi that delved into the school nurse’s (gay) backstory, and I don’t believe the series really shied away from the implication he was gay (it’s been FOREVER since I read HanaKimi though; I did enjoy it, and it has its own interesting treatment of gender perception despite being shoujo/het endgame; if you haven’t read it, give it a shot!).

That’s a side character, though, so likely not what you’re looking for. 

Yami no Matsuei was definitely Baby’s First Not-a-BL-but-They’re-Definitely-In-Love-Canonically series, and while it does have depressing moments and is a darker series, I would recommend it for anyone interested in shinigami-based fantasy series (with a side of romance/sexual entanglements between MCs/MCs and MCs/Villain). It comes with some hefty Warnings, though, so viewer/reader beware!

Loveless can also arguably be one of those series where the MCs have A Thing that is fairly explicitly canon despite not being BL or even romance, but the fact that one of those MCs is 12 at the time will be a big red flag for lots of people, and understandably so. Cannot deny the art is gorgeous though, for me. 

Perhaps others might have some suggestions for you as well? HAPPY series that are not BL (or GL, or anything explicitly not het) but still have romance/love between the same-sex MCs seems to be a more recent development, but I’m happy to be educated alongside you XD

[amarokster]

I translated the interview with the anime’s producer, Uryuu Kyouko, from this issue of LisOuef. 

IMPLIED SPOILER WARNING: PLEASE SKIP THE ANSWER TO THE FIRST QUESTION IF YOU ARE ANIME-ONLY AND TRYING TO STAY COMPLETELY SPOILER-FREE.

Producer Uryuu Kyouko has longed for the anime adaptation of BANANA FISH, a famous work long considered to be impossible to animate.The thing that supported her in her passion was the “never give up” way of living that Ash taught us. I asked her about behind the scenes on production and her feelings. 

--Please tell me again about the path you took leading up to the anime adaptation of Banana Fish.

I first encountered the manga when I was a college student, when I borrowed it from a friend and ended up reading almost the whole thing in one sitting. At the time, it had already been quite a while since the series had come to a conclusion, but the title was still famous, and I imagine it was in the home of anybody who had an older brother or sister. I really loved detective stories and mysteries like Kaoru Takamura's "Fly with the gold," so I got totally sucked into Banana Fish as a mystery, wanting to know how things would unfold and enjoying how it developed. But in the end, what really moved me was seeing the instant of Ash's blaze burning out, or should I say it was seeing how his way of living seemed to be a single, shining moment. Banana Fish was a big hit in my class, too, with boys and girls of all ages, and it gave the strong impression of being a work of art that could move anyone. 

I first started to make moves towards turning it into an anime right after I was transferred into the production department, so I think it must've been in 2013. I managed to catch someone from the publisher during a meeting for something else, and I told them that I absolutely wanted to do this, no matter what. First, they were really surprised that I immediately went for Banana Fish. It had already been so long since it was in publication, and it was something that had never been turned into an anime or movie of any kind. But I told them I was determined to do it and asked them to at least let me write a proposal. What I put out ended up basically being a love letter to Banana Fish explaining how I'd come across it, what made it so spectacular, and what I wanted to express by turning it into an anime. And I thought that Yoshida-sensei probably isn't someone who really watches anime, so I put together a compilation of the company's latest anime to show her that all kinds of things are possible in modern animation. I was desperate just to have her become even a little bit optimistic about seeing Banana Fish turned into an anime; that would've been enough to make me happy. 

--I admire your passion from the bottom of my heart. I also heard that you rather like Yue-Lung Lee.

I think that I really like people who keep struggling toward things that they can't hope to reach, people who refuse to give up. Ash is like that, too. But Ash is searching for things like freedom and unconditional love, things that put him closer to something higher. Yue-Lung is closer to being a spoiled brat, and I think it makes him feel more human. He's smart like Ash and lives in a similar environment, but Ash has something that he doesn't, and it makes him both jealous and resentful. That's all the more reason Yue-Lung can't stand Eiji. Yue-Lung has all kinds of skills himself, but maybe I kind of get the feeling that he's close to what the rest of us are like despite that. There are a lot of scenes where he's angry, so the director is always checking in with me about the nuance involved. In contrast to that, there are times when her direction is like, I want this to feel like more of a harsh anger. (laughs) On the other hand, we're always talking about things like how we want Yue-Lung to approach Sing with a different kind of energy.

--The characters definitely show different sides of themselves depending on their relationships with others.

That's the main focus in directing, too. All of the staff have a solid grasp of the core characters, so there's hardly ever any talk like, "Ash isn't like this" or "Eiji isn't like this." The kind of things that get discussed are more like, "I want him to sound a little more gentle when he's talking with him," "I want him to talk like he's acting like a big brother," or "this makes them feel too close, so I want them to have a slightly more reserved atmosphere."

--Do you have any stories from when you were deciding on the cast?

We spent the most time on Ash and Eiji, of course. And we were really picky about the auditions for Shorter, too. For Max, after the director had seen some footage, she suddenly said, "We've got a Max." At the recording studio, whenever Hirata-san talks it puts everyone at ease. And the process of seeing him grow closer to Ash--or should I say Uchida-san-- is similar to Banana Fish. Hirata-san told me that at first, he didn't really talk much with Uchida-san, and Uchida-san himself was rather prickly, like he'd been possessed by Ash, but as they go out to eat together and see each other week after week on the job, you can feel them growing closer in their exchanges in front of the mic, too. In Banana Fish, there are scenes where the 2 of them are pretending to be father and son, but seeing them interact really brings that picture to mind.

--I'm looking forward to seeing Toshiyuki Morikawa make his appearance as Blanca after this, too.

Morikawa-san was specifically requeseted for the role, and this was part of the director's image for things, too. Just the other day, we had the recording session for the episode when Blanca appears. We had him do takes emphasizing adult sexuality, but the performance that Morikawa-san created of someone who still has something that he's hiding was just perfect. There are still a lot of things that I can't say about Blanca, but I want you to look forward to seeing him appear. 

--The combination of Yue-Lung and Sing is nice, too. I really get the feeling that Fukuyama Jun-san (Yue-Lung) is looking forward to seeing Shoya Chiba's young talent develop. 

We did auditions for the role of Sing as well, but he's the youngest character out of the main cast, so we wanted to give importance to the feeling that although he can't hope to beat Ash, he's someone who will one day bear the weight of the Chinese mafia and has a bright future ahead of him. Chiba-san's straightforward attitude was really the perfect fit. He left a big impression with how hard he was trying among all these veteran performers. Uchida-san thinks the same thing. The earnest way he does his best to push aside the pressure makes him look like Ash, which is strange. They're getting closer, too, which is interesting.

--When it comes to recording, you and the director Utsumi Hiroko-san are basically put in the same role.

Yes. The sound director, Yamada Haru-san, will take our really nuanced requests for something like "say it more sweetly," and break it down for the cast. Even when it comes to requests that aren't by the book at all, he's flexible in how he deals with them. There are tons of discussions based on the director's visual image for things, so Yamada-san is challenged in a lot of ways, too. Even when it comes to picking music for a single scene, there are times when he'll have all these different possibilities ready for the director and she instantly goes, "This is all wrong." (laughs)

--How did Shinichi Osawa come to be picked for the music?

When we went to pick a composer for the score, we decided we wanted someone who wouldn't give off a really strong impression that this was for an anime. Osawa-san was picked as the person closest to the image the director wanted after he showed her examples of music in a variety of genres. The director is the type who has images come to mind first. First she has a scene that she wants to see, and then she starts to gather things for that. I think the sounds come into play during that, too.

--Do you have a particular song or setting for music that you like?

I have to say I really like the violin songs done in Yue-Lung's image. I particularly like the song "Lunar Shackles" that's for Yue-Lung and Shorter. Just like in the scene in the OP where Yue-Lung is getting involved with Shorter, it's a song in the image of him getting involved in his life. 

--You said that Osawa-san and the director had a lot of discussions. Including Yamada-san, where there any parts of your team that went through changes?

I think there are quite a few. First, in the beginning we were talking about the music and discussing whether or not it fit a scene or feeling. There are scenes that are serious, but the characters are having fun in it, right? For example, when Eiji is doing a high jump in the 2nd episode. The music that Yamada-san first brought for the scene was a normal, serious song because it was an escape scene. If you look at it objectively as a scene, that would've been a good choice. However, the director said that during that scene, Ash was feeling excitement. In the end, we ended up using the song "Leaper" that's like the sun pouring down. Although it's probably a song that Osawa-san made while thinking of LA. (laughs) And for the scene where Shorter dies, the director said that she wanted to have a beautiful waltz playing, so Osawa-san made "The Last Waltz" for her. Now Osawa-san isn't making music for a broader concept, but for each and every specific order.

--So there are getting to be more songs than what's included on the soundtrack.

There are. I've never personally ordered so many songs for so many little separate things, so I was worried if it would really be OK, but Osawa-san was kind enough to say, "It'll help me come up with an image if I have visuals, so even if I have to break up my work, let's do it that way." We were so grateful to him.  I seriously don't even know how many times we dragged him into a meeting. We've really been saved by how many people were willing to take things on in a positive way. And we're using the opening and ending songs inside the show itself, but I think it's because we had everyone's cooperation that we were able to express things in a good way.

--It really gets you fired up to see a special ending like in episode 1 and 10. 

Even from the scripting stage, we'd decided on the music to some extent, so from the very beginning we explained that to the music artists for the OP/ED. In particular, the ending on episode 5 was an acoustic version. The director didn't want a lot of music during that scene, and she said she wanted the sadness of the guitar, so she had the artist work with that.  Right now the music artists for the second season are in the middle of production, but we're getting more great songs. 

--I can sense everyone's love for the project. Now that you've come this far from your feelings about the original manga, what do you think it is that you want to give the most importance to and convey to people? 

I know I started off talking about Ash's way of life, but I always wanted to depict the way he never gives up on the things that he wants and the way he faces his problems. So I basically want to depict Ash. I want to show him as he continues to struggle. There are things that Ash can't get even as someone who has everything, and I'd love if it comes across just how much he's saved by Eiji's existence. We're extremely particular about Ash and Eiji's time together and their interactions, from the script to recording. The story is packed with content, so we know the anime is too short to cover it all. But we just can't cut down on their scenes together, and that balance is the one thing we're very careful about. I get the feeling that the staff as a whole was always talking about what they could do to preserve that. In the anime, there are more scenes where we have to show explanatory text as a visual, but they're a result of trial and error to make sure the scenes are accurately depicting Ash and Eiji's time together and their state of mind. 

In the 2nd half of the anime in particular, there are going to be more scenes that happen sooner or later than they do in the original manga. But if you think an important scene has been cut, there are times when it'll unexpectedly come up later, so I hope you can put your mind at ease and watch to the end. 

--What do you think of the reaction of new fans and the younger generation?

This is quite timely, but when I was on my way to the office today, I heard from an old  underclassman from college asking, "Are you involved with Noitamina? 'Banana Fish' is totally interesting." I'm happy to see that reaction from people who've never read the manga. Banana Fish is an overwhelmingly famous work, so I thought that everyone had already read it, but of course that's not the case. That's all the more reason I want young people to see it now and take a look at the original manga, too. Even if you know the manga, there are new emotions with the anime. The angel statue in episode 9, that wasn't in the script, it was the director's original staging, but when I saw it in the storyboard I almost cried. 

--The anime broadcast is about to reach a turning point. Please tell us some standout points in the upcoming developments.

In the second half, you have Ash and Eiji having heart-to-heart talks, and their faith in each other grows deeper and deeper. There are more scenes digging up Ash's upbringing and feelings, but we're putting a lot of power into it, so we want everyone to really savor it. And then there's Blanca. Please look forward to seeing this new character appear. And then the battle scene with Arthur in episode 13 is really something. The visuals in the OP for the first season were made with the image of episode 13 in mind. There are a lot of scenes that link up, and I think it's fun to spot where different parts from the OP fit in. And then I hope people can watch and get a feeling for why Arthur is so fixated on his hatred for Ash. Hosoya Yoshimasa-san's Arthur is really popular with guys, and all the male staff are always talking passionately about him, and that love has been included. (laughs) Banana Fish is a work that you can best understand the brilliance of only after you've seen it through to the end. There's a full season left now, so I really hope that people will stick with it to the end.

[sa-yo-u-na-ra]

My thoughts on the ending of Banana Fish and why I don’t think it’s that bad

This is going to be really, really long. (it takes 10-15 minutes to read at least no joke)

I’ve seen a lot of fans writing essays on why they like or do not like the way Banana Fish ended, and I really feel like I have to get it off my chest myself, so get ready for a long, sappy, over-poeticized post written by a sappy, over-poeticized teenage girl (whose English knowledge could use some improvement so forgive her please). Also, I had enough of some people on twitter running around saying that everyone who didn’t hate the ending is homophobic.

Some important things:

I do not intend to convince anyone. Everybody has their own opinions.

I don’t really want to get into long, pointless comment fights either. We have different opinions, and even if you think any single thing I’ve wrote in this essay doesn’t make sense then alright. Your opinion is totally fine and valid. I just wrote this essay so you can understand why some people don’t hate the ending as much as most of you do. (I hardly doubt there’s anyone out there who doesn’t hate the ending at all though)

 IS THE ENDING OF BANANA FISH PROBLEMATIC?

Yes. I think this question was in @http-eiji’s essay on the ending (you guys go read it, it really makes you think, plus the idea of writing a huge essay on the ending is kinda copied from her): ”Even if you don’t think anything I’ve said in this section makes the ending problematic, can you see why there are people who do?” And my answer is yes, I do. I remember when I was first informed how the story ends I’ve read a lot of posts ranting about why Banana Fish is Bury Your Gays and how it seems to tell CSA victims that they can’t be happy. Now, I’m not an LGBT member, neither am I a CSA victim, so I don’t think it’s my place to tell the fans who are if the ending should frustrate them or not, because there are a lot of them who are, obviously, frustrated by it. And I can see why. Banana Fish’s ending can be seen as Bury Your Gays and one can see that the vibe it gives off is that no matter how hard you try to come past your traumas, death is the only choice in the end. At first my thoughts were pretty much like this. I was really, really angry. But I slowly calmed down as I was giving it more thought, and I realized that I couldn’t hate the ending. Or, at least, not entirely.

I don’t know too much Bury Your Gays stories, but I know that it’s a pattern that was most likely used in early gay stories: the homosexual character(s) often died at the end of them. And this must be frustrating for the LGBT people. But still, just because there are a lot of stories like this, it doesn’t mean that Banana Fish had to have a happy ending, other way it’s a homophobic piece of crap. Banana Fish had the ending the mangaka planned for it. She didn’t have to write a happy ending to satisfy anyone. It’s her story. She wrote it as she wanted, just like any other writers. I think it definitely wasn’t written as a “just because gays die in other stories so I’ll just kill him as well”, because it’s in character and it fits the story as well and it’s well-written, too. And her message for sure wasn’t that gay people will die at the end no matter what.

I personally don’t think it’s Bury Your Gays or a message to CSA victims that they should die, although it’s definitely debatable. (The first one, I mean. The second one just kinda…doesn’t make sense.) But to me, the ending seems so heartfelt and clever…I just can’t bring myself to think it’s BRG or a bad message. I do believe that it was logical. I think it’s so much more, and I hope that some of the people frustrated with it can find peace with it eventually at least as much as I did. (I sound like some monk talking about finding peace. I told you it’s going to be sappy!)

 WHY DOESN’T THE ENDING SEEM LOGICAL AT FIRST?

“There had been too much emotion, too much damage, too much of everything.”

-Ernest Hemingway: The Garden of Eden

I always thought it’s interesting how Lao was the technical killer of Ash, but still he doesn’t get the hate he would logically deserve. Because it wasn’t any kind of murder. It’s said in the manga that he missed Ash’s vital organs. So, in conclusion, it’s Ash who chooses death.

Normally, I wouldn’t blame him. With all the things he had to deal with since his childhood, I would probably choose death, too. Even if it wasn’t the right choice.

But Ash is different. He’s a fighter. He might not fear death, but he never wishes for it either, as it is told by him. To me, it always sounded like: I’m not seeking death, but if I have to die, then so be it. Remember how he acted when he was stabbed by Arthur? He was thinking about how peaceful and gentle it all is.

But. Still. He has Eiji. Fucking Eiji, and it’s clear from that god damned love letter that he doesn’t blame Ash for anything, and loves him more than anything, and that he’s ready to live his life with Ash by his side. He’s not just ready, he wants it, for God’s sake! Ash is Eiji’s soulmate. This must had been clear for him, too.

WHAT KILLED ASH?

“Tired, tired with nothing, tired with everything, tired with the world’s weight he had never chosen to bear.”

-F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Beautiful and Damned

The things I’ve wrote in the upper paragraphs are the things that are usually said as reasons why the ending isn’t in character. But one thing, as I noticed, is always overlooked: the guilt. It’s clear to me that Akimi Yoshida had chosen to kill Ash because of the guilt he was bearing. She literally said that he died because he was a murderer burdened by his sense of guilt. (Although she said a lot of other contrary things in other topics, so I’m not sure if I should quote her. I still do it though. Just don’t take this as a fact.)  And I can feel that.

We all love Ash so, so much we hardly ever think of him as a bad person. But try to look at things from his point of view. I don’t think he chose death because of his traumas. I mean, maybe that was a part of it, too. But the very reason he chose death was his guilt. He killed hundreds of people. People he liked, people he didn’t even know. Good and bad people. He killed them all for his own sake, and while he says he doesn’t feel anything because of it, it’s pretty clear how much he hates himself. He bears so much guilt that no one should. Especially not a 17-year-old child. But unfortunately, he does. Guilt might be the worst thing in the world. It crushes your soul and mind. It’s the thing that makes you hate yourself the most. It makes you do and think things that are not logical, no matter how other people try to convince you. It makes you think you don’t deserve anything, and when you’re finally starting to believe in yourself, the smallest, simplest thing can throw you back into your self-shaming and blaming and hating. And it just can’t disappear. And just try to imagine bearing the guilt of killing hundreds of people. How could Ash think that he deserves Eiji? Even with the letter. It made him feel loved, yes (which is, at least to me, is more important than anything anyway). But it didn’t quite made him believe in himself enough. That’s a whole another process.

When he was stabbed by Arthur, he already loved Eiji more than anything. Still, when he was in surgery, the only thing he could think of was how he hurt Shorter and how he would hurt Eiji too, eventually. How he doesn’t deserve him.

The issue here wasn’t that he couldn’t have a happy ending. He could have, possibly without Lao.

The issue here was that he never even believed he deserved one to begin with, and when he finally started to think he deserves it, Lao came, and his fragile belief in the possibility of happiness crumbled down again. That might just be my theory, but to me it’s very real.

“I...My body...it reacts like a machine and kills people like nothing. Without feeling, without thinking. I’ve never been so scared of myself or so ashamed.”

WHAT WAS ASH THINKING IN HIS FINAL MOMENTS?

“It would be better alone, anything is better alone but I don't think I can handle it alone.”

-Ernest Hemingway: To Have and Have Not

I think when he was reading the letter, he forgot about his guilt. He suddenly got a peek of happiness, a better life with Eiji. This is why he started running. But then Lao happened, and he was reminded that he doesn’t deserve that. That he hurt and killed people, and that’s all he’s capable of. That no matter how hard he tries, fate won’t ever let him have a happy ending, because he doesn’t deserve that. But the letter…the letter was proof that he’s a human, after all. That he’s loved. And oh God, how much is he loved. This fact alone was already more than he thought he deserved. But for once, he let himself chose a selfish choice. He might not deserve happy ending with Eiji. But he doesn’t want to keep on living without him either. So he decided. He decided to change his leopard-like fate, and rather than keep on living in the cold world of loneliness which he thought was waiting for him thereafter, he chose to at least die with the most precious thing for him, the letter in his hands, which made him feel like he’s not alone at all. A choice he believed will make him the happiest. So he went to the most peaceful place he knew. He read the letter over and over, and died with the happiest feeling in the world, with the overwhelming knowledge that he’s not alone, and that he is loved, after all. Hiroko Utsumi said it herself: the ending may seem as a sad one at first, but the last expression of Ash makes it clear that he was happy in the end.

This might be just something that we tell ourselves to make it less painful, but hey. We have to hold on to something.

“Must be a nice dream.”

IS THE ENDING OF BANANA FISH THE BEST ENDING POSSIBLE?

“I don't care about truth. I want some happiness.”

-every fangirl ever before going on ao3 to read fix-it fics (just kidding. F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Beautiful and Damned)

Without a doubt, hell fucking no. And this is the rage part. Ash’s one of the smartest people in the world. And the police are kinda on his side. He has a lot of connections as well. So if he wanted to disappear from New York, he could. And that is the very reason the title is not: ”About why I love the ending”. Because although I do think the ending was reasonable and in character and that it wasn’t Bury Your Gays and shit, it could have been a happy ending. Because there’s no doubt: Ash’s way of thinking was self-destructive, he absolutely deserved Eiji. His way of thinking was harmful and stupid. I just wish he had the time to realize this. And I wish for many other things that will never happen with the two of them, and this why I despise the ending even if I do think it’s a good one. Because while the ending is beautiful, it’s really sad, and who loves that? Nobody. Alright, maybe I do. But I still hate it. When I think about all the what-ifs…I can’t seem to bring myself to say I simply love the ending and that it’s good as it is. I don’t think the ending ruined the story, it just made it…sadder? If that’s even possible. I can’t hate the Banana Fish ending…but I can’t love it either.

 WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF BANANA FISH?

“Don’t ever kid yourself about loving some one. It is just that most people are not lucky enough ever to have it. You never had it before and now you have it. What you have, whether it lasts just through today and a part of tomorrow, or whether it lasts for a long life is the most important thing that can happen to a human being. There will always be people who say it does not exist because they cannot have it. But I tell you it is true and that you have it and that you are lucky even if you die tomorrow.”

-Ernest Hemingway: For Whom The Bell Tolls

To me, this quote is literally it. I’ve been thinking a lot about why I can’t hate this whole thing. And it’s because it might be stupid and sad all it is, it gives me a message, after all. I’m not sure if Akimi Yoshida intended to give this message, but here we are. I have it. I think I can’t hate the ending because it hits hard. It makes me appreciate the love and happiness of Ash and Eiji. It gives me the vibe that Ash’s fragile belief in the possibility of his happiness, to use my words from earlier, might had been easy to destroy because of his guilt. But not his love for Eiji, which shines brightly even after long years of his death in Garden of Light. Everything can be destroyed somehow, but the most beautiful, innocent kind of love. That kind of love that gives you everything and asks for nothing. No matter how fucked up your life may have been, no matter how fucked up you might be, you can still feel love. This is the meaning of Banana Fish to me. Just like Eiji, I am, of course sad and of course missing him, but most importantly: I am grateful that I got to spend at least a short amount of time with Ash. The message, to me at least, I think is that even when you have literally nothing left, you can find something. And that something is more important than anything, even if it lasts for just a little while. Even if you die tomorrow, the thing that matters is that something. (But that doesn’t mean you should die! You should live and enjoy it because you are not guilty at all and you deserve it. Ehm. I’m talking to you, Ash.)

 that page of Garden of Light that never fails to make me cry at least a little bit, no matter how many times I’ve read it before

IN CONCLUSION

“I don't exactly know what I mean by that, but I mean it.”

J. D. Salinger: The Catcher in the Rye

This essay was never intended to in the and tell the readers: do I love the ending or do I hate it. I can’t bring myself to say either. I wouldn’t say I like the ending, because it’s such a neutral word for something that I have so complicated feelings about...But still, if I’d say I love it, that would just sound so stupid. How can you love something so depressing, even if it’s not necessarily bad? But I can’t hate it either. So I’m saying I have a love-hate relationship with it. It’s like with the mangaka herself: I love Akimi Yoshida, but she’s a bit cruel. But that’s not the point.

I think what gets me in the ending scene is how beautiful it is. It might be sad, but I can’t ignore how beautiful the words of Eiji are, and how peaceful and happy Ash looks. I really think that although this ending might make me angry and sad, it’s beautifully written, and although maybe it had other BRG works’ impact on it, I feel like it’s still really well-written and has a soul on its own.

So, is the ending of Banana Fish good? To use Blanca’s words, that’s something for you to decide yourself. Is it a boring, stupid trope played for shock factor and for the sake of tragedy? Is it a beautiful, unique, heartfelt scene with a positive meaning? Or something between the two? It all depends on you and your taste and perspective, as it does with every other form and act of art. Because, in the end, no fictional thing hurts real people, so from where should we know if our opinion is wrong or right? And I think this is why it’s pointless to fight over it. Maybe some of you still remember the thing that Literature teachers often tell us: there are always two people creating a story: the writer and the reader.

This essay was intended to make clear one single thing: to me, it’s clear from how Akimi Yoshida talks in her interviews that she doesn’t think the ending was that important. The same with Hiroko Utsumi.

In conclusion, I think we all give a little too much thought to the ending. Who gives a fuck about the ending? The love of Ash and Eiji was, is and always will be real, no matter what. No matter how fucked up the ending might be.

Because it’s the journey that matters rather than the end.

“They’re both enjoying their rest in a ski resort” -Akimi Yoshida herself, 1995 (See, guys? Don’t worry, they’re totally fine. The ending doesn’t even matter.)

[pekorosu]

31. Ash and Eiji have won first place for leading male character and supporting male character respectively.

----- Thank you. They're both enjoying their time off at a ski resort, so I'll let them know about it.

this is from a short interview with yoshida akimi in the april 1995 edition of “pafu” where banana fish won previous year popularity polls in 5 categories. the interview itself doesn’t have much info bc she’s really curt lol, but anyway if you’re interested, the rest is below.

Yoshida Akimi “Banana Fish” Sweeps 5 Categories

Interview

1. “Banana Fish” and "Garden of Light" won first place for the long series and short story categories respectively. Congratulations. What are your thoughts on winning this?

----- Thank you. I feel encouraged.

2. What was the reaction of people around you once serialization had ended?

----- I was called a "killer".

3. While drawing this series (including the side stories), which scene did you have the most fun with?

----- Doesn’t ring any bells... but when I drew the huge scenes I had a "Take that!" (the heck is that?) sort of feeling.

4. Which scene was the most painful for you?

----- Nothing specific comes to mind... but it’s really troublesome to draw scenes where many characters appear.

5. What is your favourite phrase or moment in the series?

----- I can't think of anything... Honestly, nothing is coming up.

6. Are there any interesting backstory anecdotes? Anything you couldn’t draw, or had to abandon?

----- Answer to #1... Blanca was a woman at first.

----- Answer to #2... The story for Ash's mother.

7. Is there anything you felt like you’ve overlooked or didn’t draw well enough?

----- That applies to every single thing.

8. Please tell us what references you used when writing the story (books, movies, etc).

----- There are too many to list down.

9. When you were drawing "Garden of Light", was there anything you found difficult or were particularly careful with?

----- I tried to make it so that it wouldn’t be overly sentimental, but it always ends up that way.

10. How was the reaction of people around you to Sing's height?

----- Generally positive.

11. How was the reaction of people around you to Eiji's long hair?

----- Generally positive. But his personality had gotten a little gloomier so apparently it gave a sense of unease.

12. Did you plan on having Sing grow so tall since the very beginning?

----- Yes.

13. After this, will Eiji cut his hair? If he does, when does it happen?

----- I never thought that far. (sorry)

14. How do you personally feel about the pair Sing and Eiji? Also, how was the reaction of people around you to them?

----- I had not thought of it as "Sing and Eiji" in particular. The way I see it, they're just part of the same crew.* As for the people around me... there isn't anyone else who reads the manga besides my assistants, so...

(*tl note: she uses “nakamauchi” here. “comrades” sounds too formal, “friends” isn’t wrong but sounds slightly off... idk)

15. How will the relationship between Eiji, Sing and Akira change over time?

----- Akira will become Sing's wife.

16. "Garden of Light" takes place 7 years after the final chapter. Do you have the story between those two points inside you?

----- I do, but it’ll get way too long so I'm not going to draw it.

17. "Garden of Light" differs from the other side stories in that it's set in the future; it is a sequel of the main story, so to speak. For you, which one is the last scene?

----- I have to say, it’s the one in the main story.

18. Do you plan on drawing other side stories about Banana Fish next time? If you do, who will be the protagonist, and what kind of story will it be about?

----- Not at the moment, or rather, I think I probably won’t.

19. Will Banana Fish characters appear in your other series next time?

----- I think they might. I'm gonna reuse them.

20. Looking back now, what do you think of yourself when you had been drawing Banana Fish?

----- I was really worn out.

21. Did you get a good rest after serialization ended? What did you do during that time?

----- Went skiing, played tennis and went diving. (the usual, I guess.)

22. What kind of year was 1994 for you?

----- Not a very good year.

23. Please tell us about any manga that you found interesting that you read in 1994.

----- I only read one manga called “Doubutsu no Oisha-san”. Nothing else to compare it with.

24. What was the happiest (or most fun) thing that happened in 1994?

----- Nothing. (flat out)

25. On the other hand, what was the most upsetting (or unfortunate) thing?

----- Too many to list down.

26. Is there someone or something that has caught your interest lately?

----- Nothing comes to mind.

27. Please tell us what you can about any plans for a new series besides Banana Fish. What kind of story will it be, and when will it be published?

----- I will be doing a sort-of-series in Bessatsu Shoujo Comics around springtime. The protagonist will be a high school student and it will be a love story (wahaha). Please do check it out if you're interested.

(*tl note: this is probably referring to lover’s kiss)

28. Please tell us the schedule for Banana Fish comics.

----- In spring (it's already spring though), the side stories and a really, reaaaaaaaally old story about Eiji and Ibe's first meeting will be compiled into a book called "Private Opinion". Eiji from before is old art so it looks really weird! It's fine if you laugh but do give it a try. However, it's not in the standard size (is that what it's called?) so it's a bit expensive. Sorry.

29. What are your hopes for the year 1995, outside of work?

----- I want to try snowboarding. (right now I’ve plateaued with skiing so time to jump ship!)

30. Lastly, please give a shout out to Pafu readers!

----- Thank you. I really appreciate your continuous support. (how trite!)

tl note: banana fish won the comics category (a category for individual volumes, volume 19 in this case) along with the other 4 mentioned above. i think “pafu” was mainly targeted at female readers, because there’s a separate page with what seems like a separate long series poll for male readers, in which banana fish took 2nd place following yu yu hakusho. btw ash won lead male chara with 888 votes, which ironically is a very lucky chinese number lol.

[aterriblethought]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HARD WORK! I'm so glad you're still translating - I love this story so much! I also wanted to say thanks for sharing the relationships diagram and your theories. Sorry if it's been asked before - but I was wondering what do you think is to become of Tetsu? I'm interested to see what role he'll play in future chapters as I'm worried he'll end up being just a plot device. Thank you again and I look forward to seeing the video preview! Whoop!

Thanks for reading! :)

Hmm, we last saw Tetsu in chapter 40, right? That was around the end of 2018 so long enough ago to feel like a while but fairly recent in the scope of this manga. XD When we last saw Tetsu he was asking to join the Seidoukai, but Hyoudou figured it was just because he wanted to see Yuki, so he told Tetsu where to find him and to come “tomorrow morning”. 

In the timeline currently we’re on the night before the dinner with the Heilong, so I don’t think we’ll see Tetsu again at least until after the conversation between Yuki and Hyoudou and some time passes. Hyoudou said he wanted a guardian for Yuki and I think Tetsu’s probably eager to step up, but, I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens. I think it depends a bit on how Yuki reacts to what Hyoudou is saying, and I also wonder how he’ll react to seeing Tetsu again, considering Tetsu is putting himself into considerable danger getting anywhere near Hyoudou and Yuki. 

I definitely feel Tetsu has been demoted to a secondary character in the story but I still hope for more from him and a chance to redeem himself. 

In terms of like, what should be done to protect Yuki... I feel like he’s being hamstrung a bit because his brother Jun’s life is constantly in the balance. Wang threatened to hurt or kill Jun if Yuki doesn’t play along, and I feel like it might be difficult to extract Jun from the hospital for a few reasons... not just because there’s probably people watching to make sure that doesn’t happen, but also because Jun’s not really well enough to leave. If it was possible to get him out it might be possible to remove him as an obstacle to Yuki running away, and running away is probably the best bet. At the same time I wonder if it’s even possible for Yuki to escape at this point without anyone knowing. hmm.

Ever since Wang mentioned his plans for Hyoudou and Yuki in a previous chapter I feel like that’s definitely going to happen, like, you don’t throw that out there as possibility and it doesn’t actually happen... or at least if this was Banana Fish that is definitely what would happen, hahahaha. I’m not bitter about Banana Fish or anything, no.

[ladyloveandjustice]

Fall 2018 Anime Overview: Continuing Series- Golden Kamuy Season 2 and Banana Fish

Golden Kamuy Season 2

If you enjoyed the first season, this is pretty much more of the same, so check out my review of season one to know what to expect.

Though I guess you could say this portion of the season DOES lean even harder into weirdness than the first one did. There’s not many anime where you’ll see two dudes having the time of their lives modeling fashionable outfits made out of human skin, which include...crotch appendages...only in Golden Kamuy y’all.

Interestingly bizarreness tends to overlap with queerness a lot in this season and its hard to know how to feel about it. For instance, it’s definitely an unexpected revelation that dudes are attracted to Lieutenant Tsurumi like whoa. 

IDK apparently he’s a catch. Half of his subordinates are in love with him. It’s handled as comical and of course the dudes are mentally unbalanced weirdos (as is everyone in Golden Kamuy except Asirpa and Sugimoto only sometimes) and one of them dies, but the show is never overtly mean to them either. Nobody acts disgusted about it and when one character observes the attraction, he basically shrugs about it.

 Satoru Noda apparently also REALLY loose with his fixation with dudes muscles with this part of the story, to the point we got the beef-cakiest hotsprings episode I’ve ever seen, which includes an extended fight scene where the male characters were naked throughout. There’s also an entire scene where apparently otter meat is an aphrodisiac that causes the dudes to be really into each other, so they engage in nearly naked sumo wrestling.

This is all clearly supposed to be wacky and funny, but at the same time it’s pretty clear the mangaka must REALLY LIKE drawing these scenes of muscular, naked men, and I support him following his dreams. Also I won’t deny it’s refreshing to see a hot springs episode where not a single woman got objectified, but there was dude oglin’ a plenty. It healed me a little.

I guess while we’re talking about this show and its weird relationship with queerness I should reporting that my prediction was right and the trans woman I mentioned in the previous review did become an ally. Her transness hasn’t been bought up again (though for some reason the subs decided to switch to “he” despite sticking with “she” before) and her role is pretty minor, she does reveal she’s skilled in both cooking and surgery (because she likes dismembering people) and talks about how great it would be to see people murdered every so often, so pretty much more of the same.

And that’s really all there is to say. Golden Kamuy has only gotten weirder and the plot only more convoluted (I’m starting to have a hard time keeping track of the characters tbh), but it’s an entertaining story and there’s still characters with resonance and heart underneath it all (the scene where Sugimoto discusses his trauma from being in the war with Asirpa genuinely tugged a heartstring. These two are still great and have really settled into a kinda of adorable dad-daughter dynamic at this point) and the historical and cultural research that went into this story is still amazing. 

I can tell the anime’s still skipping a lot of the manga (most of volume 7 was completely skipped), but since the English release of the manga is so slow, I’m happy to watch it in the meantime. It helps that the show has a bangin’ soundtrack and and it managed to pull its ginormous cast together for some truly exciting and action packed final episodes that left me eager for more. 

Banana Fish (13-24)

Again, if you read my review for the first half of the show, you can basically expect more of the same, both with the good and especially the bad parts. We do get more downtime with Ash and Eiji’s relationship, and they continued to make me think this show would be so much better if it focused more on these quiet scenes rather than on piling as much trauma on Ash as it possibly can. 

I think this second half did allow me to see what was compelling about Ash and Eiji’s relationship and why it’s stayed with so many people. When Ash explained that he’s finally found someone who will love him without expecting anything in return, so of course he’s willing to do anything for that person, that got me in the heart. Ash is someone who has either been viewed as a threat or someone to exploit- he’s especially used to being treated like he’s nothing more than a body, a receptacle for desires. Eiji isn’t afraid of Ash, or in awe of him, and never asks anything of him other than for him to be okay and by his side. Ash genuinely can just be a dumb teenager with him while he can’t with anyone else. Eiji is an outsider, to Ash’s gang-bangin’ world, to his culture in general, and that allows him to see Ash as he truly is, just a kid who needs to get out of this mess.

The romantic in me really loves that concept, and as an ace person, I especially connect to the underlying implication that Eiji is a romantic partner who isn’t going to demand sex from Ash or try to force him into it. Though Ash’s implied desire to avoid sex almost certainly stems from trauma, I know how he feels in a broad sense. And I think it’s a thing a lot of women can relate to even if they aren’t ace, wanting to find a relationship where they aren’t used or objectified, so it goes back around to how Ash acts as kind of a representation for the anxieties and desires of (likely) the mangaka and many women despite being a male character, and I still find that very interesting. The scene where Ash has a complete breakdown and screams at his rapist while laughing hysterically was really affecting.

So there’s moments of real resonance here, but is it worth the bullshit surrounding it, which includes every single gay man being represented as a rapist, to the point a gay bar is connected to a child porn ring? The nasty implication that gay sex is inherently evil and non-consensual, and Ash and Eiji’s relationship is only okay because they’re not doing it is very strong, and as much as this ace appreciates a romance that doesn’t require sex, I don’t want it THIS way.

There’s also some SERIOUS anti-Semitic bullshit that I can’t believe MAPPA didn’t edit out in a couple episodes. Like it would have been so easy to cut. Also some more pretty rough scenes of black men being murdered (they’re extras this time at least, and the main black dude for this part of the anime miraculously manages to both survive and not be an offensive caricature. Also his name is Cain Blood which is the best name in this story, and possibly ever). 

The second half of the anime also involved some of the more absurd elements worsening. I got REALLY tired of every character commenting on how hot and amazing Ash is like. I GET IT.  Also Ash’s life of being sexually exploited somehow gives him the ability to seduce any man holding him captive, and every bad guy is down for raping a teenage boy, I guess. It’s actually again, a little surreal to see these tropes with a male character. I’m used to seeing hot female characters who’ve been through sexual trauma and have magic seduction powers and are endlessly drooled over...I almost want guys to watch these segments so they can see how uncomfortable it feels when the tables are turned. 

There’s also some really good examples of ACTUAL jarring tone shifts, where the anime really fails to land some of its attempts at a funny, light moment in the midst of really tense and tragic situations. I think it’s possible the manga managed this better, but I can’t imagine the “joke” where Ash has to crossdress and a male doctor gropes him and Ash punches him out cold and his friends chortle and tell him he’s not a gentle woman could ever be done in a non jarring way. Like, I don’t like sexual harassment humor in anime at the best of times, but it’s especially bad when the person who is harassed has been raped more times than he can count.  We’re expected to take that seriously, but not this, because Ash is in a dress? It’s also like, appalling that his friends who are fully aware of his history would laugh about him getting assaulted again. It’s a moment that feels like it comes from a completely different anime. 

So um, yeah. My conclusion is those resonant moments are not worth the bullshit. The ending really cemented this for me. I had an (admittedly overly flippant) reaction that kind of sums my feelings up. Let’s just say I HATE meaningless cruel tragedy for the sake of tragedy, and I especially hate the implication abuse victims can never find happiness. 

I can’t say Banana Fish is an anime I’ll think fondly of or recommend. I do still find the discussion about it interesting, much more interesting than the actual story (as presented in the anime, again, haven’t read the manga), tbh. And I can see the seeds of a good story there, and I can understand why fans would want to see a reboot that truly modernized the story, cutting out the worst stuff and giving it a better ending, while keeping the resonance of the main relationship and the good characters (I really did like Sing, and Yut Lung was interesting. Shorter and Skip both deserved way better. Also Jessica, who at least got to do something besides be victimized at the last minute. One whole female character got a few moments of agency. Hallelujah.) Maybe someday it will happen. 

In the meantime, there’s a bunch of cool articles on Banana Fish that are worth a read. All of the pieces published on animefeminist as well as this post on Otaku, She Wrote are really informative, illuminating, and break down a lot of the issues I found here.

[uozlulu]

Banana Fish episode 12 reaction post. Spoilers.

Overall, the episode had the usual pacing problems we can probably expect for all of the episodes, which only seemed to underscore the flaws with the narrative that were apparent to me when reading the manga. I think that it was an episode I can’t say I liked or disliked because it felt almost like a filler or a buffer, a means to connect the end of episode eleven with the start of episode thirteen. That said, I really liked that we got to see things like the fight and making up against the New York skyline. I also liked the Halloween bit. I think that narratively this section was meant to underscore how different Ash and Eiji are from each other and just how dangerous Ash and his gang are. Yet because in the manga it felt like it did not quite commit to such a situation and then the anime had to shave it for time, it just didn’t quite jive for me. So yeah, this is going to be a reaction post with maybe some unpopular opinions. Sorry about that. It got kind of long so I’m going to put it under a read more this week.

Please be aware that there are spoilers below.

Now Wookie I can understand as a gang name. I want to know what Goblins of Dick looks like. I mean I know the translators changed it to Dick of Goblins, but Goblins of Dick sounds exactly like a name someone’s been stuck with since they were like thirteen. Would also be curious if it’d be more like Goblinz of Dick too.

I’ve always liked Sing and Yut-Lung’s interactions. I like how Sing treats him like anyone else.

In some ways I can see how with cellphones it makes more sense for Ash and Ibe to have this conversation over the phone, but I think that it does kind of lose something to not have it in person.

Are we going to talk about how since it’s not 1985 anymore Ash had to like buy a plane ticket and go through TSA to be allowed into this section of the airport? Does Ash have a TSA pre identity he can pull out and go through without hassle? I feel I should start calling these plot points that don’t translate very well #justlittle80sthings or something

Peacock is a good way to describe Ash actually.

Now we’ve got Quasars Clyde. Why does Arthur’s gang have like strange dorky but cool names? Also, I have to admit, there’s something in the structure of this strangely lukewarm gang war that’s always been a bit weird to me. I think it has to do with Yoshida’s insistence that Ash remains on top at all times, which in turn prevents things from taking a deadly and intense turn as you would expect if one gang started going around executing another gang. While Ash has lost members, we don’t really get a sense of how capable or incapable Arthur’s gang is. We don’t get a sense of the stakes of the situation and cutting it for time also loses some of that. It also kind of plays into what this is all building to and how ridiculous it seems along with some of the writing choices for that moment as well, though that’s a bullet point for an episode thirteen reaction post.

I see they kept them switching which side of the room they sleep on. In the manga I assumed it was because the window bed would be the more dangerous position potentially since things can get thrown in through the window and would more likely land closer to that bed.

”They shot my friends to save themselves. They’re paying for what they did.” As if he didn’t start this. We all watched him start this during the credits last week. You see this is part of what makes this thing so poorly executed narratively. Like yes Ash wants revenge for Shorter, but the fact it doesn’t blow up properly is just super weird, and then here we’re getting a justification that actually makes zero sense in the circumstances. Maybe this is what Ash is telling himself to justify taking out Arthur’s entire gang, but the reasoning behind it just falls flat. It’s like no wonder this is such a big fight between Ash and Eiji because ffs, Ash, what the hell are you doing? In some ways it does underscore what Eiji is saying here too. While Ash is a murderer and so forth and Eiji has seen him kill to get them out of Dino’s mansion, just straight up execution without provocation really doesn’t fit. If it did fit, then Ash would not have been one of the gang leaders that Ibe and Eiji met with because the police would have considered him far too dangerous after all. I feel like though, there might have been better narrative ways to get to this point or to underscore that this is a mistake Ash is making. It’s like I said earlier, it’s the insistence of the narrative of keeping Ash on top even when making grave mistakes that kind of gets in the way here.

Eiji is ruthless with revenge. Absolutely ruthless.

I’ve been thinking about this for a while since this happens very so often with every episode, but like I know that the original manga lines are iconic by virtue of getting there first, but sometimes I think they are written a little better in places in the original Japanese. Like the rewording might be because of the time crunch the anime has or perhaps Yoshida just wrote them better or the VIZ team was just really good at choosing how to express them. Maybe a combination of all points.

Interesting. I’m curious why they decided to change their sleeping positions. In the manga when Ash and Eiji have their conversation about the girl and so forth, they’re sitting on the floor with pillows. When Ash gets the phone, it seems like they were both sleeping on the floor. How close they were to each other is hard to tell, but they had both fallen asleep in the same place. It’s kind of an interesting departure visually. In the manga you get the sense that they were close maybe for one last time since Ash is prepared to die, however, here you have more of a distance between Ash and Eiji. It gives Ash’s departure a slightly different feel but also kind of highlights the distance that is still between them.

[nyanja14]

some old & new writings on Banana Fish

You know tfw you are in a tiny fandom and you are desperate to find other people talking about the thing you love? Yeah, that was me circa high school/college, vacuuming up every single bit of English-language content I could find on Banana Fish.

In case anyone else is interested, here is a collection of some notable writings on Banana Fish from 1996 up until right now! Most of these avoid major series spoilers (or at least warn for them) but if you currently know very little about Banana Fish, you might want to avoid looking at these links if you want to stay in the dark.

Banana Fish (Akimi Yoshida) - Most likely the very first English language text on Banana Fish, this entry appeared in Frederik L. Schodt’s 1996 book Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga. Schodt introduces American audiences to the manga and discusses its crossover success with female and male readers in Japan.

“Banana Fish’s popularity coincided in the late eighties with a fascination with New York City. When everything seemed to be going right in Japan... New York was often portrayed as a symbol of everything wrong with America... But at the same time, it seemed symbolic of America’s raw energy and exciting individual freedoms.”

Ash_Lynx - Created in 2003, this livejournal community is maybe the oldest English-language hub for Banana Fish fandom that hasn’t been taken down yet. It’s got just a little over 200 entries, with people posting fic and art, sharing news and scans, and discussing the series. And, technically, it’s still active! People were posting as recently as 2016.

“All of you who haven't been spoiled as to how the plot of BF is going to play out, how do you imagine it's going to be? Have any predictions about who lives and who dies? Who will get together and who won't? What will happen to Banana Fish? Care to share?”

Wildcat’s Alley - The oldest surviving English-language Banana Fish fanfic archive I can find! Not sure when it went online, but it was last updated in 2004 and only continues to exist today thanks to the OTW’s GeoCities Rescue Project.

“Since Banana Fish is an adult manga series, anything goes in this archive--I don't waste time with warnings or ratings, just be prepared for graphic violence and homosexual situations. Read the authors' notes for any spoiler/content warnings.”

Overlooked Manga Festival - This 2007 post from Shaenon K. Garrity goes over the appeal of Banana Fish, its popularity in Japan, and its disappointing unpopularity in the United States. It’s also pretty funny? Just read it.

“Hell, it's possible that no other shojo manga has so much as included the line, "He's got a grenade launcher! You don't see that in Fruits Basket. I'm sorry, you just don't."

Making the Case for Banana Fish - My own introduction to Banana Fish! In 2008, Melinda Beasi penned a passionate appeal for manga fans to check out the series. I bought the first volume later that week (thus beginning my three-year quest to buy all 19 volumes despite it being very out of print at the time.).

“I said back when I was begging for BL recommendations, “My husband once asked me, ‘Is Banana Fish yaoi?’ and my immediate response was, ‘I wish’. . . What I meant was that I wish I’d ever read a boys’ love manga as interesting and well-plotted as Banana Fish.”  I’ll take that a step further.  I wish I’d read more manga in general as interesting and well-plotted as Banana Fish, and I read a lot of manga.”

Situating Banana Fish Within BL - A 2010 livejournal post from Arwen Spicer. Spicer compares and contrasts Banana Fish’s lead characters to those from two popular BL series from the same era.

“...all three are situated within a narrative mode that seeks to lionize the strength of the sexually objectified and abused. Thus, all three exemplify a discourse within BL that is strongly (metaphorically) concerned with women's empowerment.”

Breaking Down Banana Fish - Do you have a lot of time on your hands? Because this is a treasure trove. It’s a “roundtable” on the series spanning 2010-2011 hosted by Manga Bookshelf, with multiple manga reviewers discussing the series in-depth a few volumes at a time. I also recommend reading the comments on each post for further discussion!

“My Japanese was screwed up back then but what kept me reading were the terrified faces of the soldiers in the first chapter. I remember saying to my friend  “What the hell is happening here?” And page by page she explained a strange story of this crazy drug and how some punks in New York may have been caught in between. Even without their narration, I pretty much knew what was happening. Akimi Yoshida’s art was very expressive that it was hard not to miss that you were bound for something very interesting after the first volume.”

House of 1000 Manga - From 2013, this is a thorough examination of Banana Fish by Jason Thompson, the guy who literally wrote the encyclopedia on manga in America. He goes over the major components of the series, compares it to similar manga, and discusses its history of publication in the States.

“A violence-packed crime adventure set in '80s New York City, full of hot young men, corrupt millionaires and hardened street thugs, it's got serious action an serious character. It has never been adapted into an anime, live-action series, or anything but a radio drama, but I've heard more than one Japanese person from that generation tell a blonde American youth, "You look just like Ash from Banana Fish."

You Should Be Reading Banana Fish - I might as well submit my own humble entry to the world of English-language Banana Fish blogging. In 2013, I started a sideblog project with the goal of writing about 100 different reasons why people should read Banana Fish. I made it to 71 reasons before I got sucked into the hell known as Last Year of College. Still, 71 posts is plenty to read if you feel like checking out the ramblings of younger me.

“Reason #020: The T-Shirts: Akimi Yoshida has a special talent for coming up with the most absurd t-shirt designs and then having her characters standing around in them awkwardly during dramatic scenes. Truly, it is an art form.”

More than Friends, More than Lovers: Exploring Ash and Eiji’s Love - Finally caught up to 2018! With the anime adaptation circling closer, Marion took the time to delve into the heart of Banana Fish: the relationship between Ash and Eiji, as portrayed in different canons and in comparison with Yoshida’s influences.

“Banana Fish existed in a time before the BL genre was consolidated as such. It was serialized on Bessatsu Shōjo Comic and well, classic shojo is no stranger to queerness. After all, some of the most iconic works of the Magnificent 49ers feature prominently male-casts and highlight complex, queer relationships between boys. Still, Banana Fish is its own beast.”

Marion also has a newbie’s guide to Banana Fish and has been posting analysis as each episode airs--check out Marion’s blog to find it all.

[littlev1234]

Sketching

I had a lot of ideas for the tattoo artist/florist/piercer AU...so instead of writing a proper fic, I’ve been writing random scenes.

Sequel to Rustling the Bouquet, but can be read by itself. I’m also still taking Ash/Eiji/Shorter requests (not including NSFW, and I sadly haven’t read the manga yet).

I’m sure several things in this fic were inspired by @kizunah‘s amazing headcanons; make sure you check them out!

Fandom: Banana Fish

Pairing: Ash/Eiji/Shorter

Words: 1,952

AO3 Version: Sketching

Tension surrounded the trio currently eating at Chang Dai. Since Shorter’s family owned the place, their meals were discounted enough for Eiji to not feel guilty about Shorter paying. The lunch break started off amiable, and easy conversation had flowed between them for a while.

But now there was only one egg roll left. Ash and Shorter narrowed their eyes at each other, as if daring the other to make a move, and their chopstick-wielding fingers tensed.

Anticipation fluttered in Eiji’s chest. His gaze flicked between them, and with each passing second the hostility thickened. Shorter moved his hand just slightly closer, but Ash clicked his chopsticks together in warning. Both deadly serious over the last delectable appetizer, they fell back into a strained silence.

The glares they sent each other were truly intimidating…until five minutes had passed and still no one had moved. Eiji, long past done with their antics, glanced at a clock on the wall. How long were they going to keep at this?

An idea popped into his mind. He picked up his chopsticks, and thanks to their staring contest, neither Ash or Shorter noticed.

Eiji took a deep breath. This was probably a terrible idea. It might be too soon for him to be so bold in their newfound friendship. However, he wasn’t about to waste the last of his lunch break on this.

He snatched the egg roll and took a large bite.

“What?!”

“Eiji?!”

Eiji pointedly ignored their looks of betrayal as he chewed his prize. It was really good, he had to admit.

Slumping in his chair, Shorter groaned. “What the hell man.”

“I was about to win that,” Ash grumbled, and his mouth turned into what was suspiciously close to a pout.

Eiji swallowed before responding. “You were letting it get cold. Plus if I hadn’t done it, who knows how long you would have taken.”

“Well, I guess it is almost time for us to go back to work,” Ash sighed.

“I’ll ask my sis to make extra for us when we come back tomorrow,” Shorter decided. His disappointment had already vanished, and he casually linked his hands behind his head. “And of course you’re invited again too, Eiji.”

The Japanese male, who had taken another bite, awkwardly tried to quickly chew and swallow. “…ah, thanks! I’d love to.”

“We’ll try not to get that ridiculous again,” Ash said.

Shorter scoffed. “No promises.”

Eiji grinned. “Well, it’s not like I was bored.”

“How about we exchange numbers?” Shorter suggested.

“Sure.” Eiji reached into his pocket, but then Ash suddenly placed a hand on his arm. Startled, he questioningly met the blond’s no-nonsense expression.

“Don’t do it. You’ll regret it,” he whispered.

“Huh…?” Eiji looked over at Shorter, who only smiled wider.

Why was it dangerous to share numbers? He wanted to have them and be able to talk to them. Deciding Ash must be being silly, he did it regardless.

He repeated the process with Ash’s phone number. Then, just as he started to slide his phone into his pocket, the device buzzed.

“I warned you,” Ash said.

Thumbs poised over his phone screen, Shorter leaned forward. “I hope you like memes, Eiji.”  

--

Ash’s pen left thin black lines of varying sizes, thicknesses, and curvatures across coarse sketchbook paper. Each flick of the wrist and bend of his fingers brought the picture further to life. In front of him lay his inspiration: the refined vase shaped petals of a white calla lily. Meanwhile, Shorter’s and Eiji’s conversation created a pleasant background noise that he tuned into every now and then.

Or at least it was until Eiji released inhaled a sharp breath that had the blond’s brow furrowing with worry.

“Are you all right?” Shorter questioned.

Whipping his head around, Ash saw the Japanese male set down a pair of pruners and look down at his fingers. He placed his sketchbook beside a pot and hurried over.

“Are you hurt?” Ash demanded, and he peered down at the damage. Soil stained the creases of Eiji’s skin and could be seen under his blunt fingernails. What caught his attention, however, was the bead of blood forming and sliding down the thumb.

“It’s nothing.” Eiji’s voice held only truth; he just calmly inspected the prick and headed to the counter.

Unlike Shorter, who accepted the reassurance, Ash felt a wave of attentiveness that left him restless. He followed Eiji to the sink. “That could get infected. Let me help you bandage it up.”

The florist shook his head as he grabbed the first aid kit from a drawer. “All I have to do is wash it and put a bandage on it. I can take care of it.”

Ash hovered over him as he turned on the sink. “Okay…don’t scrub too hard or you’ll aggravate it, and don’t put on the band-aid too tight—”

Eiji used his good hand to pointedly nudge Ash’s chest. “It’s literally just a poke, Ash. I can handle it.”

He finally took a step back and out of the other’s personal space. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Eiji to handle himself, but he had this insistent desire to make sure.

“He’s trying to mother hen you. It happens.” Shorter sat down on a stool and leaned his arms on the counter.

Ash crossed his arms. He wasn’t being a mother hen. He was just looking out for them; it was only natural. Especially when one considered any number of things that could happen from the smallest injury.

Eiji finished cleaning the wound, patted it dry, and wrapped it up. He gave an exasperated smile when he noticed Ash still watching, and the blond finally looked away.

“Ironic, huh? He goes crazy over other people but won’t take care of himself. One time he jumped into a lake right after getting a tattoo.” Shorter flashed a toothy, shit-eating grin at Ash.

“What? Why?” Eiji questioned. Anyone could tell that several scenarios must be running through his mind right now.

“I was at a bonfire, and I was dared to do it. I sure as hell wasn’t going to chicken out,” Ash defended.

“I don’t recall anyone daring you. It was more of a suggestion that you decided to do.” Shorter placed his hand next to his face to stage-whisper to Eiji. “He was plastered.”

The blond huffed. “You were wasted too, so don’t act like you were any better that night.”

Shorter laughed and leaned precariously back on the stool. “Yeah, but I didn’t end of with an infected tattoo, Mister Tattoo Artist.”

“I’ve never been to a bonfire. They sound pretty crazy,” Eiji commented. His eyes showed more interest than wariness, however, and that observation caused a question to pop into Ash’s mind.

“Are you old enough to drink, Eiji?”

“I don’t remember what the drinking age is in America, but I assume so. I’m twenty-five.”

Surprise left Ash staring at Eiji in disbelief, and Shorter narrowly avoided falling off the stool by grabbing onto the counter.

“Twenty-five?” the white male repeated.

“Damn, I never would have guessed that you were older than us,” Shorter breathed.

Eiji’s mouth curled into a huffy pout. “How old did you think I was?”

“We figured eighteen or nineteen,” Ash explained.

Eiji released a long-suffering breath. “Well, that’s better than what happened earlier today. A deliveryman came in and asked for an ID because he wasn’t sure I was old enough to sign for the package.”

Ash failed to stifle a snort, and Eiji shot him a glare.

They effortlessly swung to a different topic as the conversation continued. By the time a customer came in, Ash had almost forgotten his original mission there, and he quickly snatched his sketch book to ensure no harm came to it.

--

“What if I try holding the umbrella?”

“I’m the tallest; it makes sense for me to hold it.”

“But Eiji’s still getting wet. Tilt it that way.”

“We already tried that—Christ, Ash, you’re about to trip me.”

“I don’t want to get rained on either!”

Eiji sighed. Ten minutes had passed since they started walking down the sidewalk with one umbrella, and those two hadn’t stopped bickering since. He didn’t see what the big deal was. Sure, the rain soaking his arm was uncomfortable, but it was only his arm. Apparently Ash and Shorter didn’t have the same opinion; Shorter was trying to protect his mohawk at all costs, and Ash was practically plastering himself onto Shorter to avoid the demonic droplets.

“I’m fine, really,” Eiji insisted.

“We’re not letting you sacrifice yourself for us,” Ash firmly stated.

“He’s right. We’ll figure it out.” Shorter pointed at an awning near the entrance of a store. “I have an idea. Let’s stop under there.”

Eiji and Ash followed his directions, and, when they were under the protection of the awning, Shorter asked Ash to hold the umbrella. Then he slid off his jacket and handed it to Eiji.

“Here. It’s waterproof.”

Eiji hesitantly accepted the clothing. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah! It’ll keep you dry.”

“Well, thank you, then.” He put on the jacket. The fabric swallowed him, as he expected, but its warmth was comforting, and he certainly didn’t mind the sharp scent of Shorter’s cologne around him.

“Just make sure to take care of it,” Shorter added. “All right, let’s try this umbrella thing again.”

---

Mondays sucked. Waking up sucked. So, by that logic, it was perfectly understandable for Shorter to be shuffling down the sidewalk with all the alertness and urgency of a sloth.

Walking beside him, Ash poked his cheek. “Come on, wake up. You’re going to run into something.” And, just after the words left his mouth, the blond quickly gripped Shorter’s arm to tug him closer. A cyclist rushed by, narrowly missing the Chinese man. “See?”

“That—” The near-accident roused him enough to rub at his eyes, but a long yawn proved he was far from fully awake. “…that doesn’t count. She almost ran into me.”

“Okay, fair enough.”

“Ash! Shorter!”

They stopped and turned at Eiji’s voice. When they spotted said male jogging toward them, their greetings of return died in their throats.

Eiji’s expression was as soft as ever, but their gaze was directed further down. Thus far they’d only seen him in long-sleeved uniform shirts and khaki pants—now he was sporting a white tank and red athletic shorts.

Lightly defined lines revealed lean muscle along Eiji’s calves and thighs. His arms showed the gentle rise of biceps, and on one shoulder was a subtle tan line that wasn’t quite covered by his tank top strap.

When he stopped in front of them, Shorter realized his mouth had fallen open, and he shut it with a click. He wanted to glance over at Ash to see if the blond had reacted similarly, but Eiji was handing him something, so he mindlessly accepted it.

“I decided I’d give back your jacket before I head to practice,” Eiji explained. “Thanks for letting me use it the other day!”

Oh, right. Jacket. Shorter hadn’t even noticed Eiji carrying it. “I, uh…thanks.”

“I need to get going. See you guys later!” And with that, the Japanese male walked off, offering them a view of his toned shoulders before he turned a corner and left their sight.

Several long seconds passed before either spoke.

“…Ash?”

“Yeah?”

“My bisexual ass is awake now.”

Ash snorted, and, when Shorter turned his head to look at him, started laughing. The incredulous tone, directed at them both, revealed that Ash had been just as distracted. Shorter busted out laughing too.

They arrived at work four minutes late, but they agreed it was well worth it.