As we rush head long into the final episodes of Banana Fish, I find myself thinking two things.
- When did Yut-Lung become more of the series villain then Golzine?
-
I am attached to way too many of these characters.
I’m not just talking about Ash and Eiji, i’m talking about Sing, Cain, Ibe, Max, Jessica and even Blanca. During the episodes climax, as many members of the group with Ash got caught and held captive, one of those people being Max. I found myself thinking ‘If Max dies, I riot.’, now don’t get me wrong. I accepted a long time ago that this is the kind of anime where characters you love are probably going to die. I am expecting one large pre-finally blood bath that will cull us down to our final characters to end the series with. That’s just the kind of show this is, but I am going to lament the loss of a lot of these characters. Even the ones that I am not as familiar with. [For example, my heart skipped in panic when one of the members of Ash’s gang got shot. Until this episode I didn’t even know his name, it’s Bones.]
I’m getting ahead of myself though. Once again, we end up with a high action episode and I can pin point a few important moments. Such as Max and Ash meeting again, Max had been fired from his reporting job but was sort of brought back on to investigate the prostitution and kidnapping of young boys. So he ends up going to a Gay Club with Ash, it’s at this Gay Club that they run into the man hired by Yut-Lung to kill them this time.
A ‘dead’ man, just like Ash. A former mercenary in the French Army and his unit. A man who lives only to kill, that gets enjoyment from killing and the hunt. The opposite of Ash, who only kills to survive. Eiji has Ash think from the mercenaries point of view and that’s how Ash manages to guess their next move. This guy is a total creep, he seems fascinated by Ash. When he is offered the job, it is after Ash retrieves Sing’s men who were kidnapped in the beginning of the episode by Yut-Lung.
Yut-Lung who is tormented by the bonds of blood and yet uses those same bonds to twist and manipulate others. When Blanca points this out, he snaps at him.I think i’ve pinpointed exactly why I can’t enjoy him as a character or much as a villain, because honestly, he’s just an overgrown child.
I had to stop to think for a moment, yes, of course we’re rooting for Ash and Eiji. Because in this story, they are basically the least evil characters in a mess of people with questionable morals. Is there a way this story could be told where we would see them as the bad guys? If we were looking at this story from Yut-Lung’s point of view, would we be rooting for him or would we accept that he is awful and still be rooting for the ‘good’ guys to take down the ‘bad’ one.
It’s an interesting thought honestly and I don’t really have an answer for it.
The last thing of note in this episode is the return of the character Jessica, Max’s ex-wife. Who despite all her big talk and her attempts to come at her ex with a gun, still loves him deeply and that’s where the episode ending takes us. As she parts from Sing’s group to run back for Max screaming that she still loves that idiot. Eiji follows her, and then Sing follows him. Returning to the group of people who are captured and held at gun point.
I feel like said ‘character culling’ will probably begin next episode. We’re rushing towards the end and we have two villians to tackle. Not all the good guys are going to make it to the end, I can only hold my breathe and hope my absolute favorites make it.