It's truw at first I was Taken back by the art, In fact I have downloaded the whole story some time ago but nver started reading it, but once I started I couldn't stop... the story is so human and great...Oh my god I had laughed and cried and it make so angry and indignat some times, but that is how the wotld we life works, This is the story of excepcionals persons but yj world they live in is the real world....Pleasse belive me you can't miss this manga.

first of all
the art is horrible
its very hard to tell ppl apart[in alot of sitiuations]
second
waaaaaaaaaaaay too much text...if i wanted to read a book i would
third
its goddamnboring omg it feels so long
reading a chapter takes ALOT of time
first there is so much talking and text but nothing is being said
they just talk and talk and talk and talk...then they talk in some new area
there is just so much talking
i have never seen that in a manga before...its like in a typical shounen manga when the badguy showup and start to tell the goodguys how much more awesome he is and in detail explain how is better on EVERY PAGE and its sooooooO boring since nothing they say is important[for the story or the sitiuation]

also
since they suck cock very clearly in this manga i feel Yaoi should be added to the genre list
so that no1 gets the wrong idea while reading this

As everyone else said, art is acquired taste, etc. I won't go further into that.
The thing is that once you acquire it, (and it doesn't take long, believe me) it's impossible to shake off.

What did it for me, plot-wise, is that there was no way that I could stay indifferent to Ash's personal misfortune in spite, or perhaps because of, its sharp contrast to his stupefying wit, and strength of personality and will. Will for survival for the sake of survival. (I don't think I had EVER felt so sorry for a fictional character before I read this :\ ).

So if you want a great series that will truly stay with you, do yourselves a favor and read Banana Fish.

... Last updated on June 24th, 2010, 2:08pm

oh my..I really really can't believe that I didn't read this manga long time ago. I judged it by it's cover and I missed out on the best manga I'll ever read. The plot, character, etc.. makes you feel like you really know them and your really there. The first volume is just so-so but by the second volume you just get hooked! i can't believe what I was missing ALL my life. once I started this I didn't sleep for 2 days straight so I could finish this manga). which is a really big thing for me since I absolutely would kill myself if I can't sleep. This manga is so beautiful, sad, and wonderfully portrayed.
The mangaka makes you fall in love with the characters. I really really really recommend this but you have to read up to the 2nd or 3rd volume, that's when everything will pull you in. It has everything love, gangs, drama, etc.. I a 100% would read this a thousand times (if I did I would be dead from being sleep deprived)
The art is not ugly or messy the cover may be a turn off to most people but this manga will forever be #1 in my manga list out of hundreds of thousands of millions of manga I ever read. Please try this up to volume 3 and see if it will take your heart. Volume one is just kinda boring and iffy and unlike most mangas it has some long dialogue (manga is about the plot not the art in my opinion). volume 2-3 will pull you in I mean it. please please try this lovely beautiful manga. Don't do what I did and skip it for years You will regret NOT reading this(for most). please try~! I've been repeating the same thing since I'm trying to tell people who used to be like me and judged my it's cover. just ONCE not to judge and read this manga. (i'll tell you it's not for everyone a lot of violence)
but I know that this manga will FOREVER be in my heart and be the #1 manga I'll ever read...

... Last updated on October 10th, 2010, 4:36pm

I just finished Banana Fish...and i'm still crying...at first i was wary due to the Shounen-Ai (i mean come on all or nothing)...but Eiji and Ash's relationship was more than that...Ash was a product of circumstance...and Eiji was like a fresh breeze...he swept Ash up and just gave him a purpose...their friendship (and i use friendship...but it was more than that...) was not a weakness, well maybe at times it was, but a redeeming quality for everyone...

At times i found myself laughing at Eiji's broken english....and Max and Jennifer...i especially felt close to Sing...but that is another story all together...ha ha ha...but that end!!! i could not stop crying...i just...that was, just too much...i mean it hit me but i couldn't absorb it until i read the last bit with Akira and Eiji and Sing...then the tears hit me and i couldn't stop...

And as for the Art...YOU GET USED TO IT...my God why put off a good story because of art...in my opinion it was perfect...after you get used to it...and if you don't want to get used to it then you are missing out on a Great series...

The Plot...i read 5 volumes after class...and had to FORCE myself to stop....at 3 AM...ha ha ha but i mean you lose track of time....you get so caught up that you forget it is just a manga...I'm from NY and i couldn't help but remember all the places there and the people...

the author painted a beautiful work that i may never read again, not because it was bad, NO, but because it was on of those things that when you know the end it is hard to go back to the beginning and get that same feel, quite frankly i think knowing what i know now....i would read it and stop halfway...i don't think i can handle that end twice....

I wish i could vote it higher than 10/10...I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS MANGA!!!

When I picked this up there were so many things I didn't liked, starting with the art and the slow building plot but the art gets better (around vol 4-5) and the plot is catchy.
While reading the last volume I was listening over and over again Sonne by Rammstein and it sounded like a funeral song to me, I just cried and cried and cried...
After finishng 18 I was so happy, I should have stopped there, the author should have stopped there...
I would give this 100 if I could, and I don't even give 10 easily. I don't have words to express how beautyful and touching it is, so just read it.

Left with tears streaming down my cheeks at the ending... god damn it, it wasn't supposed to turn out this way!!! Fuck it... i'm just sad... sorry. Anyway, this manga is beyond real. While the drawing style is from the eighties and not much to look at (though it's better than much that I've seen out there), it works wonderful with the story. All characters are developed superbly, and the plot if not masterful, is absolutely genius. Contrary to what is listed, there's no shounen ai. Don't know where that categorization came from. The two are just friends and nothing more, don't get the wrong impression. Anyway, this is just... freakin flippin awesome. This is one of the basics in manga repertoire... can't call yourself a manga fan by any means if you haven't read this... dear lord, i'm still crying. You can't help but flip through the chapters and volumes, and amaze yourself you're already on volume 4 by the time you've stopped to take a break. It's so fast paced yet so beautifully done, that you'll wake up after reading the whole thing and wonder where the time went. This is a gem of a piece and the mangaka has my full respect.

Quite simply one of the most amazing, elaborate, emotional and entertaining mangas I've ever read! An absolute must read for anyone. It has a great deal of action set agains the New York gang scene but the rivalries, power-plays and loyalties are well potrayed without any melodrama or shying away from the grizzly details which made the whole story seem very realistic.

It is Ash and his relationship with those around him that are the driving force in this manga. Most significat of these is with Eiji. The clash of two very different worlds and the struggle to form, and keep, the bond of friendship when it is Ash's mere existence which pulls them apart is touching and Eiji's presence allows Ash to show a deeper, more emotional side that would otherwise be hidden and supressed. It is not very often I get very emotional when reading but this one had me totally gripped and I ended up forming attachments to several characters and investing more than a few tears throughout the story.

Rather than dragging the 19 volumes seemed to fly by. The plot was elaborate yet at no point was it confusing despite all that was going on and the core element of gang warefare was never lost. This is a remarkable achievement in storytellingand one which deserves every credit.

The artwork is not great, especially to begin with, but it does improve and while Ash is supposed to be gorgeous he never achieves bishie standards. However this adds something to the realism of this manga I believe and one thing I can't fault is the sheer variety in terms of apperance. This manga drags you into it's whirlpool very easily and artwork, love it or hate it, no longer matters.

Despite the plot being mostly gritty action there is an awful lot of character development. As you learn about each character you can find yourself switching opinions and allegiances without even realising. This is a very serious manga tha deals with some very delicate and difficult issues but there is comic relief throughout in the interactions between the characters as good natured banter occurs alongside life-threatening gun fights. Which is another reason this manga is so realistic.

In conclusion this is one of the best manga I have ever had the delight of reading and anyone who doesn't will be missing out on a real gem.

... Last updated on December 19th, 2009, 11:40am

Some people just don't understand the beauty of the artwork of this manga.
It is not ugly.
It is not messy.
It is unique and original and beautiful.
It doesn't show unrealistic anorexic bodies, saucer eyes and princess faces.
I admit it takes some getting used to after all the same old processed shoujo we're acustomed to but the art has it's own captivating charm, if you'r stupid and you miss it then thats your problem. Stop saying the art is bad. -_-

Now that thats outa the way, WOW!!!!
I've only read 3 volumes so far but I'm already basking in the glory of this manga.
After all the boring manga I've picked up and been disapointed in, this is like a breathe of fresh air, a work of pure genius!

The characters are heartbreakingly beautiful, well planned out, well shown and well developed. The plots are elaborate and exciting!
It's like a game to try and keep up with the events of this manga, like have a Jason Bourne film on paper, only a hundred times better!

This is a story laid out by a genius mangaka everyone should read.

I don't like the artwork, many times they look raw and rather messy, but it doesn't mean this manga isn't good. Actually it's really good. Recommended for those who are looking for a serious, complicated manga. Has the feel of Shounen Ai but it's never stated so, the main characters were bound by strong emotion that seemed to have meant strong friendship instead of anything romantic. Anyway few of the characters were mentioned (or even showed up) in Yasha, Yoshida-sensei's work after BF (I recommend Yasha highly for everybody to read), and also in Eve no Nemuri, Yasha's sequel.

I think the last volume of Banana Fish was the finest, most beautiful volume.