Banana Fish (Noitamina)

[Haak]

I was just admiring the fact that it was closer to reality than what I normally see in fiction. I had to qualify it as well...

[MetaKite]

Originally Posted by Haak

I was just admiring the fact that it was closer to reality than what I normally see in fiction. I had to qualify it as well...

Hey, it's shojo!

[Kanon]

End of the line for Arthur. He pulled every dirty trick in the book, yet Ash still allowed him a fair fight, which wasn't even all that fair since Ash was injured. Another character that got a better death than he deserved.

Curious to find out what's going to happen now. Not too worried about Ash, but Eiji has now seen for himself that he is indeed Ash's weak point. I wonder how he's going to deal with that.

Sing's character seems to be heading in a good direction, I'm happy about that.

Originally Posted by MetaKite

Ash went off the deep end. I'm sad they left out the rest of the conversation he had with Eiji by the seaside. The Snows of Kilimanjaro tale he tells is very important to the future plot and his character development. This is the first time I am legitimately disappointed with this anime adaptation.

You're going to be pleased with the latest episode. Really great scene.

[MetaKite]

Originally Posted by Kanon

You're going to be pleased with the latest episode. Really great scene.

I realized it would be included thanks to someone else pointing out the title last week. Eh, actually I was let down by the episode because of how the events were placed together. The train gunfight was missing all of the tension and suspense from the manga where you really felt like Ash might not make it alive (going back to what he told his gang). Instead it was broken up to add things like that conversation that was left out last week which gave no room for the suspense. Sure Ash is really skilled and a one man army but the original suspense added an element that made Ash not come off as Marty Stu due to foreshadowing. Also, the animation was really off and the fight with Arthur wasn't all that intense as a result. This episode was a let down despite having all the content I wanted from last week included. What I did like was how they handled the ending sequence with the allusion of Ash drowning. Real subtle MAPPA.

[Kanon]

Ash is the main character and we know we're only halfway through the series, there was never going to be any suspense. Yes, it's not unheard of for some series to kill their main character long before the ending, but Ash is irreplaceable in this narrative. He's not going down before Dino does.

I do agree the train scene wasn't very good though. It felt like a complete cakewalk for Ash.

[Yu Ominae]

Man, using the subway train for a literal drive-by.

[MetaKite]

Originally Posted by Kanon

Ash is the main character and we know we're only halfway through the series, there was never going to be any suspense. Yes, it's not unheard of for some series to kill their main character long before the ending, but Ash is irreplaceable in this narrative. He's not going down before Dino does.

I do agree the train scene wasn't very good though. It felt like a complete cakewalk for Ash.

True but back when the manga was being serialized there was no way to know what would happen and we knew Dino wanted Ash captured alive. Arthur's guys were worse than storm troopers with the way MAPPA animated the scene.

[Kanon]

New OP and ED are great.

Quite a few things happened in this episode. Eiji got kidnapped again, Yut Lung is now the effectively the boss of the family thanks to him using Banana Fish to turn his brother into a zombie, and Ash ended up into a mad scientist's hands after escaping an attempt on his life. They also made up a cover story about Ash dying, but I doubt his close friends (and enemies) are going to buy it.

[Wandering Soul]

The new OP and ED are pretty good.

Trouble just seems to keep on finding Ash. Not even fully recovered and he is now in the clutches of a madman. By the time he gets out, Dino will probably already have made his return.

[MetaKite]

I am not loving the spoilerific OP. It's too depressing. ED is song is just ok but the visuals are beautiful.

[Kanon]

Looks like Ash can make anybody gay for him. That's his real superpower. It's also a curse, of course.

Dino isn't in charge anymore but something tells me he'll make a comeback. Eiji managed to escape Yut Lung but not really, since the latter knows exactly where he is and can get him at any time. Yut Lung is becoming more interesting, we knew he hated his brothers but it seems like he hates himself too, to the point he wants to die. I initially thought he goaded Eiji knowing full well he didn't have the guts to shoot but I'll trust Sing's impression.

Next will most likely be bloody. Ash won't spare those bastards.

[Wandering Soul]

I guess there are times when it's a good thing that most adults want to sleep with Ash.

[Kanon]

Never expected Ash's escape to be so comedic. The last part of it, anyway. Escape successful, and he even got Professor Dawson as proof of the experimentations.

Dino's replacement didn't last long. Dino's put himself in a dangerous position by killing him, unless he manages to spin a really damn good story for his bosses. I know he was setting his successor up to fail, and he did, but killing him right away doesn't seem like such a good move. Then again, dead men tell no tales.

[Wandering Soul]

Max's heart is in the right place, but it's pretty funny that in his attempt to help Ash break out, he just kept making things harder for Ash.

[Yu Ominae]

"RED" by Survive Said the Prophet is a rocking ED.

[MetaKite]

What is it with this board and nobody seemingly watching and discussing this series? This was the best episode yet but so little reaction. Usually I have issues with MAPPA's adaptation choices and I know I will have some in the future because there is still so much more ground to cover and only 8 episodes, but this one hit all the right notes. Great balance of action, suspense and comedy. Which was great because next week we go back to seriousness and despair with the introduction of a new adversary for Ash... Still, surprised so little interest from this board.

[Haak]

I definitely wouldn't call this "the best episode yet". If anything I'd say this story has been steadily losing its edge for some time now. Some of the comedy was actually pretty amusing but the sheer ridiculousness of the entire escape really detracts from the story. Particularly when this show wants to bang you over the head that Ash is a "genius with a 200IQ" when in reality everybody else is just retarded.

The story is still generally good when it comes to characters and relationships but its "shojo manga" shortcomings become more apparent when it covers different territories. Throughout the entire episode, all I could think was "That would never work. That would never work. That would definitely never fucking work..."

[Kanon]

I wasn't expecting Ash to find Eiji right at the beginning of the ep. Their reunion felt underwhelming as a result.

Yut Lung and Dino have entered an alliance, which obviously spells trouble for Ash. And to top it off, a man who appears to be his former mentor has turned up to "hunt" him. The episode already established the guy's no joke.

[Haak]

The reunion was underwhelming but the rest of the episode was really good. There was some nice down time between Ash and Eiji, some major movements in Chinatown and the general build up and climax to establishing the new enemy was well done (albeit with another stupid corrupt homosexual shtick).

[MetaKite]

Originally Posted by Haak

The reunion was underwhelming but the rest of the episode was really good. There was some nice down time between Ash and Eiji, some major movements in Chinatown and the general build up and climax to establishing the new enemy was well done (albeit with another stupid corrupt homosexual shtick).

I think the reunion is supposed to be underwhelming. Ash has a tendency to downplay his feelings for Eiji and be very cold when around other gang members. It was the same in the manga except the anime skipped Ash going to Harlem and asking around since he last saw Eiji with Cain's gang.

As far as the anime losing it's edge, this is one of the complaints I have with this rushed adaptation. There is actually far more comedic moments in the manga that I feel balance the grim stuff. Yet, the anime has skipped or shortened most of the funny moments (except episode 16) due to time constraints. Not to mention the censorship (Ash and Eiji giving each other the finger) and cutting out Eiji's funnier moments with his adorkable sass. I already had gripes about almost every scene involving the cops where sh wasn't around was cut. Ash's conversation with Kippard was longer, somewhat funny (stuff about blonds) and even dark (exposition on how Kippdard thinks his jizz is drinks enough for a sex partner... ew). All of that was cut, certain things come off less impactful and that has been the signature of this anime adaptation. Like some real trouble is about to go down but I'm not sure if things will be presented properly or how much will be cut due to the time contraints 24 episodes has put on this series.