Banana Fish, Vol. 10

BANANA FISH #10

by Akimi Yoshida

The announcement of Ash's death on television news has young Eiji in shock and denial. Ash's body is prepared for autopsy, but Max Lobo is convinced that the body has only been made to look like Ash. Meanwhile, the real Ash Lynx is transferred to a medical compound controlled by the Union Corse and corrupt Senator Kippard, where he will be a guinea pig for the dreaded Banana Fish. But neither Ash nor his friends are content to let him rot there, and they begin their own independent escape plans!

Genres: Manga, LGBT, Comics, Graphic Novels, Crime, Queer, Fiction

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 26, 1990

About the author

Akimi Yoshida (Japanese: 吉田秋生, Yoshida Akimi) is a Japanese cartoonist from Tokyo, best known for her manga series Banana Fish.
Yoshida studied at the Musashino Art University in Tokyo and made her professional debut in 1977. Despite serialising her works in shōjo manga (girls' comics) magazines, most notably in 'Bessatsu Shōjo Comic' and 'Monthly Flowers', during the 80's she developed a visual style akin to the aesthetics of shōnen manga (boy's comics) of that era, contributing significantly to creating a bridge between these two traditions. This is particularly evident in her international best-seller Banana Fish (1985-1994), a thriller set in New York City blending action and homoerotic romance. Among her other major works are the series Yasha (1996-2002) and Umimachi Diary (2006-2018).
Yoshida's comics have received a number of accolades in Japan, including three Shogakukan Manga Awards (1983 and 2001 in the category 'shojo', 2015 in the general category), an Excellence Award for manga at the Japan Media Arts Festival (2007) and the 6th Manga Taishō award (2013).

Reviews

[Zainab · Rating 4 out of 5]

ash and eiji dreaming about each other when they're apart is SO soulmate behavior. also ash, honey, you're a mfing genius and i love you so much (yes, even after your little tease show)

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of surprising that we don't get the real resolution for last volume's cliff-hanger for about 20-25% of the way through this volume. Nice that the suspense can be maintained that long, even though it takes a huge amount of suspension of disbelief to think that the shocker from the closing pages of the previous volume were going to be the truth. Still, it is fun to play along. ;) 
It takes a little while for the action to pick up again in this volume, but the story development just keeps on building, so you don't really notice. I think I'm going to call this one Die Hard: Banana Fish Style. I actually had to check to see which came out first: this manga has a copyright date of 1987, while the first Die Hard came out in 1988. That means that while this manga was first coming out, Die Hard was being filmed. Something was definitely in the air. ;) 

[Dani (ダニ ¦ 다니) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh, I have no more volumes and I wanna knoooooow! I should have bought all the volumes before I started reading this. It's so good and exciting and I'm constantly on edge because I just wanna protect my children ♥

[Silvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

🔪🔪🔪

[Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid volume for me.

Lots of tension throughout. The final pages in (and on) the elevator are really fast paced with some great close calls. You’re really rooting for folks in this one.

But of course it ends on a pretty big cliffhanger. Kind of the rest before the remainder of the chase scene (I’ll call it that to avoid spoilers).

These volumes are hitting my wallet though. At over $6 a pop, and 20 volumes, I’ll end up having paid nearly $150 for the entire series. I have used promotions and gift cards to acquire at least 5 volumes so far though, so I guess it isn’t so bad.

[Lily]

yes eiji take him as a hostage!!!!

[Léa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comme prévu j'ai envie de crever

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This volume was quite slow, definitely a lot calmer than the last two volumes with the big showdown. This volume served as a bridge into the big escape that Ash will surely pull. What did we learn in this volume? Ash never catches a break, even when 3/4 of the world presume him dead.

Anyway welcome to another installment of I read manga to avoid responsibilities and also to avoid this big 400 page book that I have to finish by Tuesday :)

Basically in this volume we learn what’s really going on after Ash is announced dead. What everyone is up to in the wake of denying or accepting these news.

Eiji refuses to believe that Ash is dead, and he manages to escape Yut Lung (round of applause for him) what a king. All I have to say about Yut Lung at the moment is EIJI DRAG HIM BY HIS PONYTAIL. But also like tell me more, like why he hates Ash so much and Eiji too and why he’s tryna get killed, you know?

My visceral reaction every time I see Golzine is to recoil and retch.

Max saying that Ash is like a son, and he knows the body they saw wasn’t his. I’m emo.

Every time Shorter is mentioned. My heart hurts.

It makes me want to cry the potential Ash has. Like, imagine the scholar he’d be if he were allowed to be in school. Imagine the opportunities if Golzine hadn’t robbed him of his life and freedom. He has a really high IQ and he got 100% on the tests imagine him ten years in the future being like some self-made business man or I don’t know, in some really important job. Ugh, whatever, I’m fine.

These hoes really testing me, they really tried to mess Ash up: NOT ON MY WATCH!
Ash over here got drugged and Eiji just passed out in the middle of the street, protect them.

So, Golzine just waltzes in and stops the operation (the only good thing he’s ever done) but then he is there when Ash wakes up. I’m having flashbacks to another book where a character named Warner wakes up and his dad (who is the worst) there and oh my god I hate them both.

I cannot with the flashback where Ash talks to Eiji about his death: YALL BETTER STOP!
I’m- wait- did Eiji just foreshadow what’s gonna happen cuz if so, I’ll go stand in a corner and sob.

Ash really knows how to use his charms for his benefit, he charms them all. I cannot believe the innuendo’s in that song. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to yeet from a life-or-death situation.

Ash carrying Dr. Dawson around and literally struggling 10x more is a mood.

[barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I really liked this volume, I wish we spent more time with Eiji. I really hate following the villains sometimes.
I really did like following Ash as he kind of put himself back together and used his wits to get out of his current situation.
Yut Lung is growing on me a little, even though I wish he’d just stop being a pain in the ass.

[caminie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t stop reading this!

[Aleja Uribe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amo a Ash, es inevitable no quererlo! Y por alguna extraña razón el Eiji del manga me gusta más que el del anime.

[Queens Love Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I see you still have enough spirit to glare at me. Use that to survive! Live through this and get yourself out! And then, I’ll hunt you down if I have to chase you to the ends of the earth! Don’t ever think you can get away from me!”

This volume honestly left me feeling drained. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just a lot to take in emotionally. Seeing Ash trapped in that kind of environment, being watched and tested like he’s not even a person, really got to me. The way the doctors talk about him, like he’s some kind of perfect specimen, made my stomach turn. I get that the story is trying to show how cruel and corrupt people can be, but it starts to feel heavy in a way that doesn’t let up. I kept reading because I care about Ash, but at the same time I felt this constant weight sitting on me the whole time.

What really pushed it over the edge for me was how Shorter is used to manipulate Ash. That part just felt too horrible. It’s one thing to put characters through pain, but this felt especially cruel because of what their friendship means. It didn’t feel dramatic in a satisfying way, it just hurt to read. I know the series has always been dark, but moments like this make it feel like Ash is never allowed even a small break. Even when he’s trying to fight back in his own way, pretending to be weaker than he is and quietly planning, there’s still this feeling that everything is stacked against him. It made me anxious more than anything.

I still think the story is gripping, and I’m invested in what happens next, especially seeing Ash start to make his move. There’s something really powerful about how he holds onto his mind even when everything else is taken from him. But I can’t ignore how much this volume made me feel like the series just wants him to suffer again and again. It’s getting harder to sit through without wishing he could just have a moment of peace. I didn’t come away from this feeling excited, just kind of emotionally worn out and hoping things don’t keep getting worse from here.

Date Read: 2026.03.29

[this_eel]

yeah this volume is very good but that said im literally never going to forgive yoshida for shorter

[Brenna Barlow · Rating 3 out of 5]

candy bar song 🙁🙁

[Stefany Sánchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

No lo leí, pero vi el anime en japones con subtítulos, eso cuenta como leer jsjsjs además comprobé que las diferencias entre uno y otro son mínimas.
Y no puedo evitar dejar registro de que vi esta maravilla, para no ser nada mi estilo, me encantó, los op 10/10.
Dentro de mi corazón Ash se fue a Japón y vivió exageradamente feliz. 😴

[alanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

please anything but the depressing flashbacks 🤧

“‘When I think about my own death I try to picture that leopard.’ ‘But human beings are not leopards. They can change their fate. And you are a human being.’”

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ash was being transferred to a mental health facility, thanks largely to the FBI. Ash smelled a rat but played along. Cops were pushed aside, unable to do anything. Lobo and Sunichi figured it a set-up. Later, it was reported that Ash was dead. Lobo and Sunichi didn’t buy it. Neither did Eiji, Yau-Si, Soo ling. Ash finds out the mental health facility was actually a front for experimentation on mentally deranged criminals. They were about to get ready for an operation when Golzine showed up, and put a stop to it. He didn’t buy Ash’s “death” either.

[Anto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este tomo me dio la peor de las taquicardias

[paola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volver a ver a yut, aaiiññ mi vida, ademas tremendo estilo que tiene
Jamás dejare de llorar por asheiji
La necesidad de hacerme recordar a shorter, me destruyen el corazón

[mydarlingreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

When they introduce new characters and everything is in black and white all white people look the same to me. I'm sorry. I can't distinguish y'all.
So they faked Ash's death because he's a genius kid with an over 200 IQ because they want to do brain research and then they're gonna kill him once he's outlived his purpose and needs in the study? and this was allowed by a shitty politician who botched Ash's assassination. Why are all the big wig guys fucking DUMB AS HELL.
All this is telling me is that Ash is a literal genius and it's being wasted on being a gang member.
Ok so this hospital's whole purpose is to use "violent/criminally instance prisoners" for human experiments that aren't legal, aren't FDA/AMA compliant, and then killing them once they're no longer useful. WOW. I hate it here.
Rightly so Ash being angry, you're using humans who seem to be considered the bottom of the barrel to conduct life-threatening and highly experimental procedures and methodology to improve ILLEGAL drugs and other medical methods for the fucking government and the mafia!! That's so fucked up. Doctor what's his face also compared their work to the fucking Nazi scientists who conducted experiments that the rest of the world benefits from but wasn't ethically done and conducted correctly. Just because it was done doesn't condone something similar to happen as well. That's the reason why we have rules and review boards!
LOL Golzine has literally no more power because the Union Corse literally was like we just finna gonna replace you because you're now under investigation for tax evasion. It's always tax evasion that takes down these people.
Golzine is still going to try to kill Ash but right now he's trying to make sure Ash makes it out of here alive. He's so fucked up too.
Why can't Ash, Max, and Ibe all meet already!

[UniversoLetras1610 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Posibles spoilers en mi comentario.
Luego de dos años desde que empecé a leer el manga de Banana fish, por fin he leído el final y ha sido todo un proceso mentalizarme para poder terminarlo. Soy fan de los finales realistas, desde luego, y los finales tristes no suelen molestarme siempre y cuando se sientan correctos. Ahora bien, cuando vi el final en el anime, me pareció que era el único que podía tener, que así debían ser las cosas, pues en la vida real, relacionarse con la mafia o con los criminales sólo te lleva a un camino seguro y ese es la tumba. No obstante, Ash sufrió demasiado en las últimas páginas y de verdad me dolió que a pesar de eso, la autora no le haya dado al menos un poco más de felicidad antes de tomar la difícil y triste decisión de darle muerte a su personaje. Nunca lo voy a superar.
En cuanto a los capítulos extras, me han gustado mucho, sobre todo el que se plantea en el futuro de Eiji. Quizá después a partes iguales el de Blanca y el de Shorter.
La parte de detrás de bastidores me ha dado un poco de calma porque en mi mente, quiero creer que todo fue como una peli en la que los personajes actuaron y que de alguna manera Ash sigue vivo y es feliz. O al menos siempre seguirá vivo en mi corazón.

Calificación: 4.37

[Melina Bazan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me senti arrasada quando o livro acabou na 37° página sendo sincera. Entendo que o final è controverso, mas mesmo assim não entendo a morte de Ash do jeito que foi. Foram 10 livros sobre a inteligência do Ash para ele ter uma morte burra. Entendo a autora não querer deixá-lo viver mas acho que acabou não sendo bem executado (literalmente). A história da própria droga Banana Fish se perdeu ao longo da história e foi sendo deixada de lado o que me frustrou um pouco.
A trama è muito interessante e envolvente, embora com muitas cenas de violência e táticas foram bons livros. O final deixa a desejar não só do personagem principal mas da trama como uma só.
Em contrapartida, os contos adicionais foram uma ótima e interessante adição.

[Grace Ching'Ani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an exciting book! Kept me hooked all the way through. The whole banana fish manga is so amazing I really recommend it. I have all the books and just can stop reading, the characters are all made so well and the story line is so detailed and creative. Ash is just such an amazing character, his IQ being revealed just really adds to him. I just couldn’t wait for the reunion. I love how we also get some light hearted funny moments throughout!

[mag! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely not the best banana fish volumes I have read, but i didn't disliked them at all. This one was so much better! It's sad to see how Ash uses his body to achieve what he wants, just because that's all he knows from when he was younger; it really does break my heart. And pleaaaseeee, Eiji and Ash are literally the definition of soulmates

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The asylum breakout scenes are giving 80's blockbuster action movie. It's always interesting to see how Ash is going to get himself out of his current scrape, however I didn't find as much emotional drama in this volume. Forever proud of Eiji when he gets tough, and Max is MVP for clocking the anonymous corpse.

[Robert Hudder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stuck in a hospital. Now what?

I keep expecting something more than Ash relying on himself. Who knows? The new head shows up and sets up another conflict. I think it is still to keep the doubling of fathers and sons along with a doubling of dark/like with friendships.

[Ana Karerina in the moon Ana and the moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[duda · Rating 4 out of 5]

hello yes i'm suffering!!!

[Nea Poulain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still mi arco menos fav.

[Solim · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 Laboratories, asylum escape, fake deaths, new head honchos, and new alliances.