With a name like Banana Fish, it's hard to know what to expect, but the series starts out with the mystery well in-hand. We start in 1973 during the Vietnam war, as a group of soldiers take shelter only to be gunned down by one of their own clearly out of his mind. All he can say is "Banana Fish".
After this, we cut to New York. Having visited the Big Apple myself, I must say that the design team have absolutely nailed the feel of New York city. It's as much of a character, living and breathing, as young gang leader Ash. A street rat taken in by the Mafia (and seemingly groomed as a sex slave by Kingpin Papa Dino), he's used by the underworld to control the gangs of New York which he manages by sheer charisma, and his cocksure attitude and lethal abilities ensure he stays at the top of the tree, at least for now.
An encounter with a dying man grants Ash a clue with his dying words (you guessed it) "Banana Fish", as he hands Ash a bullet on a chain. And with this act, Ash's world is changed forever.
The soldier from the opening act turns out to be Ash's older brother, Griffin, and sits in a vegetative state. His curiosity piqued, Ash keeps the bullet on a keychain from his earlier encounter, much to the annoyance of his gangland bosses, who are now convinced Ash has what appears to be a drug that belongs to them. By the end of the episode, the status is assuredly no-longer quo, and Ash is on the run. Mixed into this mess is a young Japanese visitor named Eiji, an assistant to a journalist reporting on gang life, but by the end of the episode he's been kidnapped along with Ash's best mate, a young street kid named Skip.
So, a lot happens in the opening episode. We're presented with a mystery, a powerful enemy and a some genuine danger. Honestly it all went a little too fast, and I was put in mind of Gungrave. The setup of Gungrave may have ended a little absurdly with mutated thugs, but the opening half of the series was all about two young street punks who battled together through the ranks of the Mafia, but with one eventually betraying the other. The build up and tension was palpable, but with Banana Fish there's no time to consider the betrayal of the gang Ash is leading, so I didn't really get a feel for the weight of it. This is a nitpick really, but I do feel a slower pace and more time with the characters might have been helpful in this respect. It just feels a little rushed.
There's also some rather uncomfortable language relating to characters being gay, and I wasn't entirely sure if it was being used as an insult or genuine information. Either way it seemed a bit out of place.
But this is only one episode and the depth may yet come and the language may change. For now, we have a beautiful looking series that just oozes New York - everything from the fashion to the street graffiti is just sublime. The stoops, the music, it all comes together to provide a sense of place rarely felt in an animated jaunt, and with production values this high, I really felt quite spoiled. It's fair to say the episode flew by too, and it's certainly worth watching again just to drink in the atmosphere.
This is a really strong showing for Amazon Prime, who have bagged some excellent titles this year. I'm really hoping that we get a lot more substance to go with the style, but at least for now, this is just a fantastic, breathless opening episode and it really sets a new standard for TV animation.
Banana Fish episode 1 is available to watch now on Amazon Prime
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