''Banana Fish'' is a 2018
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
television series adapted from the
1985 manga of the same name by
Akimi Yoshida
is a Japanese manga artist and a graduate of Musashino Art University. She made her professional debut in 1977 with the short story , published in ''Bessatsu Shōjo Comic'' magazine. Yoshida is best known for the crime thriller series '' Banana ...
. The series was produced and animated by
MAPPA
is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Suginami, Tokyo. Founded in 2011 by Madhouse co-founder and producer Masao Maruyama, it has produced anime works including ''Terror in Resonance'', ''Yuri!!! on Ice'', ''In This Corner of the Wo ...
, while development, promotion, and distribution was overseen by
Aniplex
is a Japanese anime, music production and anime licensee company owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Established in September 1995, Aniplex has been involved in the production and distribution of several anime series, such as both ''Fullm ...
.
The primary production staff includes
Hiroko Utsumi
is a Japanese anime director, animator, storyboard artist, and manga artist. She is best known for her work with Kyoto Animation, particularly as the original director of ''Free!''. After leaving Kyoto Animation's affiliate company Animation D ...
as director,
Hiroshi Seko
is a Japanese anime screenwriter. After serving as an episode screenwriter, he was put in charge of all the screenwriting for ''Seraph of the End''. Since then, he has also done screenwriting for many other series, of which notables include ''Att ...
as scriptwriter, as character designer, and
Shinichi Osawa
, also known by his stage name Mondo Grosso, is a Japanese musician, DJ, record producer and composer currently signed onto Avex Trax's Rhythm Zone label. Previously he was signed to Sony Music Japan's FEARLESS RECORDS division and released albu ...
as sound director.
''Banana Fish'' follows the relationship between Ash Lynx, a teenage gang leader in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, and Eiji Okumura, a Japanese photographer's assistant. The adaption revises the setting of the
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
from the 1980s to the late 2010s,
adding modern references such as
smartphone
A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...
s and substituting the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
with the
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
.
The ''Banana Fish'' anime adaption was greenlit by
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics (manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.
Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hit ...
, which published the original manga, based on a story proposal from Aniplex animation producer Kyōko Uryū.
Uryū pitched the series for a 2018 release to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Yoshida's debut as a
manga artist
A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan.
Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist be ...
; the series would ultimately become part of a broader commemoration project to mark Yoshida's career.
Utsumi was appointed as series director at Uryū's recommendation, and her decision to set ''Banana Fish'' in the present day led MAPPA CEO Manabu Ootsuka to agree to animate the series.
The series'
voice actors
Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...
were determined by Utsumi, Osawa, and Yoshida, who cast
Kenji Nojima
is a Japanese voice actor and singer affiliated with the voice talent agency Aoni Production. His first major role in voice-over was Spark in the '' Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight'' series. He voiced Hikaru Ichijyo in a numb ...
as Eiji, and subsequently cast
Yuma Uchida
is a Japanese voice actor and singer who works for Intention. His big roles have included Yuuma Kousaka in ''Gundam Build Fighters Try'', Nagisa Kiryū in ''Classroom Crisis'', Megumi Fushiguro in ''Jujutsu Kaisen'', Eishirō Yabuki in ''The As ...
as Ash based on his compatibility with Nojima's performance.
Location scouting
Location scouting is a vital process in the pre-production stage of filmmaking and commercial photography. Once scriptwriters, producers or directors have decided what general kind of scenery they require for the various parts of their work t ...
for the series was overseen by Utsumi and Seko, who traveled to New York City to conduct interviews and observe locations depicted in the original manga.
''Banana Fish'' was publicly announced at midnight on October 22, 2017 through Yoshida's website, social media, and screens at
Ikebukuro Station
Ikebukuro Station ( ja, 池袋駅, ) is a major railway station located in the Ikebukuro district of Toshima, Tokyo, Japan, shared by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), Tokyo subway operator Tokyo Metro, and the two private railway operat ...
in
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
.
The trailer for the series was released on February 22, 2018, alongside an announcement of the series' primary voice cast.
In Japan, ''Banana Fish'' aired on
Fuji TV
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network Sys ...
's late-night
Noitamina
is a Japanese Block programming, programming block on Fuji TV devoted to anime, originally broadcast every Thursday late night/Friday morning from 00:45 to 1:15. It was launched with the intention of expanding the target audience beyond the typic ...
programming block from July 5 to December 20, 2018. It is syndicated by
Amazon Video
Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pri ...
, which
simulcast
Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...
the series internationally during its original broadcast run.
The series consists of two
cours for a total of 24 episodes,
with each episode title referencing a literary work by
a writer of the
Lost Generation
The Lost Generation was the social generational cohort in the Western world that was in early adulthood during World War I. "Lost" in this context refers to the "disoriented, wandering, directionless" spirit of many of the war's survivors in the ...
.
Aniplex encapsulated the series into four volumes, in DVD and Blu-ray formats.
The series uses four pieces of
theme music
Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...
: two opening and two closing themes. Episodes 1–13 use "found & lost" by
Survive Said The Prophet as the opening theme,
and "Prayer X" by
King Gnu
is a Japanese band formed in 2013. It consists of: Daiki Tsuneta (Vocalist & Guitarist), Satoru Iguchi (Vocalist & Keyboardist), Kazuki Arai (Bassist) and Yu Seki (Drummer). The band's main songwriter is Daiki Tsuneta, who also performs as part ...
as the closing theme.
From episode 14 onwards, the series uses "Freedom" by as the opening theme,
and "Red" by Survive Said The Prophet as the closing theme.
Episode list
Television series
Audio drama
The
audio drama
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...
episodes are character voices, music, and sound effects used to tell a story. In Japan, audio dramas were included with certain volumes of the DVD and Blu-ray releases, and adapt scenes from the original manga not included in the anime adaptation. The first collected volume included "Angel Eyes", while the fourth volume included the five-part audio drama "Five Stories".
Media release
Japanese release
Aniplex
is a Japanese anime, music production and anime licensee company owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Established in September 1995, Aniplex has been involved in the production and distribution of several anime series, such as both ''Fullm ...
released ''Banana Fish'' across four volumes, in DVD and Blu-ray media formats.
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Amazon Video original series
Banana Fish
''Banana Fish'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akimi Yoshida. It was originally serialized from May 1985 to April 1994 in ''Bessatsu Shōjo Comic'', a manga magazine publishing manga (girls' m ...
Akimi Yoshida