Banana Fish, Vol. 5

BANANA FISH #5

by Akimi Yoshida

Nature made Ash beautiful; Nurture made him a killer!

VICE NEW YORK IN THE 80s...

Nature made Ash Lynx beautiful; nurture made him a cold ruthless killer. A runaway brought up as the adopted heir and sex toy of “Papa” Dino Golzine, Ash, now at the rebellious age of seventeen, forsakes the kingdom held out by the devil who raised him. But the hideous secret that drove Ash's older brother mad in Vietnam has suddenly fallen into Papa's insatiably ambitious hands--and it's exactly the wrong time for Eiji Okamura, a pure-hearted young photographer from Japan, to make Ash Lynx's acquaintance... Epic in scope, and one of the best-selling shojo titles of all time in Japan, Akimi Yoshida put an electric shock into the genre and gained a huge crossover audience through Banana Fish 's stripped-down, non-stop style.

In search of more information about the substance, Ash flees to Los Angeles with a band of allies, where he clashes with Yau-Si, an alluring and duplicitous young assassin. Drawn in by Yau-Si, one of Ash's so-called allies betrays him to the Chinese mafia. Once again Ash is handed over to the rapacious Dino Golzine, who will do anything to cash in on Banana Fish !

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

200 pages, Paperback

First published November 26, 1987

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

[Silvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What the FUCK

[Lauren Lanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't realize how much I loved Shorter Wong until this volume decided to be very bad to him. Also, this cliffhanger was the rudest one yet.

[jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

the only thing keeping me out of a awful slump 😍

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's getting dark ya'll

[Zainab · Rating 4 out of 5]

at this point i'm just torturing myself by continuing with this series but well, who am i to complain?

[barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much happened in this volume. Every character has a part to play in this part of the story and I can't wait to see it all unfold.
It breaks my heart that what is happening is happening to these characters and all I can wish for is a happy ending that I don't think is gonna come.
I can't wait for the next volume, which I'm sure will be full of action.

[Dani (ダニ ¦ 다니) · Rating 5 out of 5]

N.O. NO.

[Angela R. Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

- oh God
- why
- why Lord
- SHORTER IS MY FAVORITE
- Max and Ibe are PRICELESS THOUGHHHH
- that cliffhanger ;-;
- I LOVE THIS SERIES OKAY

[jasper ✮ (ACTUALLY GERARD WAY NOT CLICKBAIT) · Rating 5 out of 5]

yut lung they could never make me form an opinion on you

[Francisca Ojeda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lo encontré en la computadora, pero adaptada, así que de nuevo se lee de izquierda a derecha. (Lo malo es que por esto el aro está en la otra oreja y se ve raro 😂)


💉Escala de dolor: 6/10
💉Razón del dolor:
-“EIJI! I’m sorry... I... I swore I wouldn’t let them hurt you” 😭 Wey Shorteeeer
-El hecho de que usen a Yut Lung como una pieza de más de su retorcido juego de ajedrez.
-El final porque ya sé que escena viene después 🙃🔫 el siguiente volumen va a ser como un 9 de dolor
💉Información nueva: EN EL ANIME NUNCA MENCIONARON LO QUE ESOS DESGRACIADOS LE HICIERON A JESSICA. Literal que grité cuando lo leí.
¿Also la hermana de Shorter está saliendo con Charlie? Thats surprising
💉Momento favorito: Me gustó mucho todo el volumen, pero lo que más me gustó fue la escena de la cena, y las apariciones de Yut Lung. La información que revelan en la cena es bastante cruda, pero encuentro hilarante que hayan preparado todo ese show solo para encarcelar a sus “invitados” después. Yes, son de la mafia y yes, odian a sus prisioneros, pero les organizan una cena de gala y gastan miles de dólares en un regalo porque les dio la regalada gana. No lo entiendo pero lo encuentro genial.
💉Comentario: Apareció Sing 💕 al igual que Yut Lung, tampoco sabía lo joven que era, lo que hace aún más impresionante que lo hayan nombrado jefe de Chinatown. Y hablando de Chinatown, ODIO A LOS HERMANOS DE YUT LUNG, SEÑORES WTF

[eduarda · Rating 5 out of 5]

canalhas!

[kay! ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

when will the misery end? when will the pain ease up?

never?

alright cool cool cool cool cool 🙃

[jemi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shorter :(

[Marta · Rating 5 out of 5]

**MASSIVE TRIGGER WARNING AS ALWAYS. STAY SAFE.**

I can say without a doubt this is the single most disgusting thing I've ever read and I've never been so conflicted about a fucking book in my life. I'm at a loss of words.

And boy, am I conflicted, because this is the best volume so far and I can't bring myself to give it less than 5 stars, even if I normally would give it 4.

Now if you excuse me, I haven't yet processed this so I'll just read the fluffiest thing I lay my hands on and curse my life choices, probably.

[Zoyaaa ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ughhhh Shorterr
For the sake of my mental health i am reading the rest tomorrow (o_o)

[Queens Love Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Of all the beasts I have ever known. You are the most beautiful, and the most dangerous."

Reading this volume felt intense and emotionally heavy from the first chapter to the last. It moves fast and never really gives you a chance to relax, which made the experience gripping but also exhausting. I was constantly on edge, feeling like things could spiral at any moment. A lot happens in a short span of pages, and I had to stay focused to keep track of who was involved and how everything connected. I liked how the mystery surrounding Banana Fish continues to unfold in unsettling ways, with information revealed through conflict and fallout. The pacing kept me locked in, even when it started to feel overwhelming.

The emotional weight is what stood out to me the most here. Ash feels raw and burdened, and his guilt hits hard, especially when people close to him are hurt because of choices he feels responsible for. Eiji remains the emotional core for me. His fear, confusion, and compassion feel real, and his presence makes the violence harder to brush off. Shorter was the most difficult part of this volume to read. His situation left me deeply unsettled, and it lingered with me long after I finished. Characters like Max and Ibe added quieter layers of pain and regret, which made the world feel worn down and deeply human.

I’m giving this volume three stars because it felt dense and demanding as a single reading experience. There’s so much packed into it that some moments don’t get the space they deserve, and a few heavy situations are brushed off in just a handful of panels before the story rushes forward again. I sometimes wanted the book to slow down and let certain scenes breathe. Even so, I stayed emotionally invested, and the relationships kept pulling me back in.

Date Read: 2026.01.30

[Nea Poulain · Rating 5 out of 5]

El final del arco de LA, ya de vuelta en NY, siempre me ha parecido de lo más triste de esto. Then again, todo esto es triste.

[Aleja Uribe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este es un buen volumen. Ya vamos entendiendo más de los personajes, además hay traiciones y otras cosas, y termina de un modo que se que sufriré en el siguiente volumen!

[🌜Elliot🌛 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume does a great job ramping up the tension!! and omg that ending, so scary.

[Nahir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tuve la brillante idea de termino apenas me levanté, hoy a la mañana



no recomiendo.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was prepared to give this 4 stars because the plot is starting to get a little convoluted but that dinner scene was great and the cliffhanger ugh

[Léa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one thank you

[Mawdz :] · Rating 5 out of 5]

can’t even recommend this series to anyone because that would be just cruel 👍

[Akansha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know what's coming in the next volume and I am not ready 😭

[Ark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uh Oh

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars. These volumes are really picking up for me. The tension is really growing. I have a feeling and know that things are about to go south real quick. Again, there’s really heavy topics mentioned and discussed in this manga.

Max telling Michael to go with “Uncle Ash” made me want to cry. Max and Jessica have a moment after she smacks the absolute hell out of him.

Yut Lung gives Ibe this tea which makes him collapse, then he has the damned audacity to paralyze Eiji, to take his vision, auditory senses, and motion through acupuncture... BOI IF YOU DONT LET MY BEST BOI GO-
Ibe can see and hear, he just can’t move... so that’s great. He’s really out here testing me, how dare he.
Shorter apologizes and promises Ibe to protect Eiji with his life... he wasn’t kidding when he said this, and that hurts.

Ash catches on to the betrayal and literally yeets back to the house, there he finds Ibe and tries to go to Chinatown, Ibe is barely able to stop him. Can we talk about how Ash was like where’d they take Eiji. Like the exact thing he didn’t want, was what happened. And now Arthur is threatening to sell Eiji out to Golzine to get revenge on Ash.
First of all, Golzine can get his crusty nasty ass hands off Eiji.
Second of all, Arthur can keep his negative hateful energy away from my innocent sweet boi Eiji.
Can we just appreciate how much Shorter is protecting Eiji. His loyalty. His dedication. His hard work. His undying protection. Stan Shorter. He also promises Eiji to kill him before Golzine can even touch him. Which, can I just say I wanna die a lil’ because this makes me so emo. I

Back in Dawson’s home, he actually makes an appearance. Ash finds out he made Banana Fish and has a secret room where most of the secrets of Banana Fish are hidden. Dawson reveals that the drug always sends people into bad trips, no matter their state of mind, which works as a perfect weapon. His brother Abraham, sent a batch of Banana Fish and tested it on the soldiers in Vietnam including Ash’s brother. Now the bigger conspiracy kicks in, Abraham wants to sell Banana Fish vía the mafia to the U.S government. With this, they could make all hell break loose. Max and Ibe all got a shot at hitting a solid punch at Dawson for even leaving a trace of that drug.

When I saw Golzine I immediately went: Disgotan!
We all love the trust Eiji has in Shorter.

When I saw the experiment room and Shorter... I wanted to scream because I am afraid. They really brought in Eiji to see as Shorter is experimented on. Earlier Dawson said that a person who’s had Banana Fish, if given orders like kill so and so or every last this or that, they’d obey.
Maybe take a gander at where this is going... *shrugs sadly*
Shorter is told that Eiji is his worst fear, that the only way to be free, is to kill him. Eiji is crying and I’m just about ready to cry, Ash is suffering. Everyone who’s read this, is in pain.

It was absolutely disgusting how calmly Golzine talked about how the lighter the blond hair, the rarer the green eyes, the higher the price for a boy. Golzine and his whole group is sick. Not that I didn’t know this already, but god. It’s sickening that men like this exist, that they have the shamelessness. It’s outright disgusting.

I think this is a perfect chance to discuss something important.
Something I respect about this particular manga is that rape isn’t glamorized or seen as this acceptable thing. It is rightfully depicted as a terrible thing, which it is. It shows the darkness and vileness, as well as bringing light to the fact that young boys can and are also sold off into sex-slavery. Basically, in Banana Fish rape is rightfully depicted in a bad light and it isn’t strewn in roses and glitter. It doesn’t take the subject lightly.

There was also the scene when Yut Lung is talking calmly about sleeping with Golzine, Eiji is surprised at his indifference to doing things like hurting Ash, making Shorter betray Ash, and trying to hurt Eiji. While I feel pity for him, I am upset with his behavior. But I feel like he had no one there to stop him from being evil to hold him back from giving up in himself. I want to see more on his backstory, what really happened that made him so heartless. He is treated as this thing that gets sent around as a gift by his older brothers. And he mentioned revenge on his mother’s death. I want to see the dots connected. Why he follows orders when he could rebel like Ash himself did.

Anyway, that was one hell of a cliffhanger. And I know exactly where the next volume is headed... I’m not sure if I’m ready for that. But anyway time to read the next volume, I’ll probably be in tears or something but it’s aight. It’s what I signed up for when I decided to read this manga.

[Alex Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

No me gustó tanto como el anterior, pero sí se gana sus 5 Estrellas.

[aisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

this volume and all the rest i fear are full of pain, there are only the very brief glimpses of joy. still worth it.

[mydarlingreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel so bad for Shorter. Forced to betray his friends for the safety of his family. But he still has a good conscience because he wants to keep Eiji safe.
Arthur needs to fucking DIE!!!! He’s such a garbage human and a terrible leader.
I actually don’t know what the time line of this manga is because it time jumps pretty often.
I always knew the government is involved in the drug business. ACAB.
Chemical Assisted Suggestion- holy shit. That’s dangerous shit. It’s not a drug it’s a bloody weapon, in the wrong hands it can destroy governments it’s chemical warfare that’s 100% effective.
Yut Lung also has a vendetta against his own family and honestly the Lee family is so fucked up too- willing to offer their youngest brother as a gift to a fucking pedophile.
Golzine when he dies needs to die in the most amazing way because I can’t stand him and all he is.
They used BF on Shorter to implant the idea in his head to kill Eiji.... oh god... Ash... my baby.
Eiji had led such a sheltered and frankly conservative life that he doesn’t see or understand that some people have had to rise from the literal gutter to get to where they are now. Ash has had such a horrible life and he’s managed to scrape together a sensible life and existence. He’s highly resilient and a strong moral high ground. He knows what it takes him to make himself safe and while he doesn’t trust others easily, people trust him because he’s reliable and a strong leader.
Ash was groomed from such a young age to later overtake the business but instead he managed to make a name for himself.

Oh no. Oh no. PLEASE FAIL!!

[Elyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Following the last volume, Max get a call from his wife. She is hold hostage by Lee’s gangsters. Max & Ash drives to the rescue, only to arrives when the police is already there.
Ut-Lung use this moment to drug Ibe and kidnap Eiji. Shorter have no choice to obey, but swore to protect the young Japanese man.
Ash realize that this was a set-up. We meet Alexis Dawson, the doctor who invented Banana Fish and finally found out what the drug is capable of (and trust me, it is horrible.) The gang get drag back to New-York by “China-town”.
Eiji, now in Golzine’s hand, cannot believe that Shorter could betray them. The gangster is use as an experiment for the improved version of Banana Fish. We do not see the full effect, but this look bad.
There is a harsh scene between Yut-Lung & Eiji where prostitution is mark as “not a big deal” if this is for survival. This make me quite uncomfortable. And Dino’s whole speech toward Ash during the dinner is quite sick. This truly despise this guy.
Things are not looking good at all for the gang with Ash chain-up and Shorter becoming crazy. I am not looking forward to the next book and expect a lot of pain. Why I am doing this to myself?