One of the best series iv read.... but man did it take me a long time to get over the ending!!! It hurt soo much..... he deserved to be happy after all he went through.
I bawled at the end.
Still angry with the author for doing that

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

The allusion to my favourite short novel turned out to be my favourite manga.

It's so deep it'll pull you in and you won't notice until you finally start suffocating overwhelmed by the characters' feelings that you can no longer separate from your own.

As a mafia/gang manga, I'd argue this is even better than Sanctuary or Soul to Seoul because the character growth here is unlike in any manga I've read. None of them was overly-simplistic, generalized or over-exaggerated. They were so... human. Which is amazing, given that there are not that few characters in this manga.

The plot, the plot, the plot... Just read it for yourselves. It's so original and complicated, and detailed but I love how it never lost its purpose. Unlike many grand mangas, and even novels, none of the sub-plots, no single small action was left insignificant, without meaning and consequence in the later chapters. Every single thread is necessary in this giant cobweb, and you, unlucky fly, will not be able to escape it.

Overall, I'm in tears right now and my screen seems blurry as I am writing this review just to get it off my chest. I hope I don't misspell anything. This work has given me a lot. A lot to think about, a lot to remember, a lot to take into my heart...

... Last updated on July 5th, 2013, 3:14pm

... Last updated on October 10th, 2013, 8:21pm

Once you've overcome prejudice against sketchy art, you will begin to realize what a masterpiece this is. And no, it's not a masterpiece just because of the story or the setting. The reason this manga truly shines is 'cause of Ash's character. The circumstances that he goes through, his hatred and loneliness, all endow a certain humanity that no other character in this manga has.

In any case, There is a dearth of manga that accord such depth to the Protagonist's personality. Highly recommended for those who are sick of shallow plotless manga, that have been plaguing the scene lately.

PS: Those who have ditched this manga 'cause of the art are brainless twits who can't comprehend the sheer beauty of well-written plots.

... Last updated on September 23rd, 2013, 2:00pm

please don't be put off by the art, the story more than makes up for it. (plus i like the art--at least towards the later volumes anyway)

but: this is SHOUJO. it ran in a SHOUJO MAGAZINE and it was written primarily FOR GIRLS. of course guys can enjoy it too and i highly recommend it to everyone regardless of gender, but please give shoujo manga some credit, they're a diverse bunch--much more than just flowers and high school romance.

Again, when I see such a masterpiece fall under the radar because "the art sucks" I always tear up because this deserves more credit! Yes, the drawing may not be "up to the standard' as present drawings but who cares when it has hearts.

Also to make things clear, it's NOT SHOUNEN AI!!!There is no upfront kissing between 2 guys( ok TWICE but not for what ppl are thinking) Why can't ppl just believe that a deep frdship can happen between 2 guys? I like yaoi, shounenai as much as the next fangirl but when it's obviously not, it is false advertisement.

Every time I reread this I always laugh that this was categorized as "shojo" because it is 100% obvious that its shonen/seinen in every aspect. This manga is truly my heart of hearts....EXCEPT THE LAST VOLUME!!!! This manga was so beautiful before THAT happened and when the tag says tragedy believe me when it happens..it hits HARD. But for newbies, don't let this scare you away-read up to the middle of last volume and stop right there and you'll leave with a smile XD It had gunfights, betrayal, death, and beautiful friendship( in fact, the most beautiful I have seen) Poor Ash, the Shiva, compared to the innocent Eiji and the things they gone through together. When you finish the manga, it will be hard to believe that only 1 year went by but when you see the personal growth amongst the main characters-you realize that 1 year alone is enough to change a person.

I will give this a 9/10 because the editor apparently just force fed the whole bs about adding THAT at the end to the mangaka and totally just killed the happiness I longed for -_- But overall, I can't recommend this enough!! It deserved the award it was given!!!

... Last updated on May 7th, 2011, 9:51pm

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.

Really, there isnt anything else quite like it. I wont say much more about the plot and characters, because all those reviewers have sung them high praises. But the art... It's beautiful in its own simple, sincere way. It's an achievement for such scratchy lines to invoke such strong feelings (look at the vol 19's cover). Basically, it's perfect. There's no reason not to read it.

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.