Photographs leave impacts in Banana Fish, for good or bad. He wasn’t awake to give Eiji permission to photograph him, but he trusted him that much.įor Ash, who was forced into child pornography, who’s had people treat him like an object, who has never had someone so close to him emotionally, it must have meant the world to be photographed so intimately. Eiji’s photos present Ash in private, domestic moments. All of the pictures in “New York Sense” and some in “Garden of Light” have Ash in states of undress. They’re a memento of their time with Ash, but a reminder they’ll never see him again either. No wonder he hid them, as the pictures move Eiji and Sing to tears on sight. In “Garden of Light,” he’s locked away the pictures of Ash to numb his pain. Though not shown in the main Banana Fish manga, the short story “Garden of Light” published after and the “New York Sense” booklet included in the special edition reveal an extensive collection of photos. He found self-worth not through physical ability but emotional strength, which was exactly the support Ash needed.Įiji immortalized his time with Ash with his own photography. Ash brought out the best in Eiji: his kindness and understanding. The confidence he’d gained was crushed, but his trip to New York with Ibe brought his smile and warmth back. After persisting for all of high school, he had to give up in the end. Unfortunately, the manga continues “Fly Boy” with a reveal that an injury forced Eiji to quit pole vaulting. Yoshida brought back Eiji and Ibe as main characters of Banana Fish.
It strengthens his resolve to continue the sport. For Eiji who feels inadequate as a pole vaulter due to short stature and low skill, who’s so insecure about his appearance he avoids wearing glasses he needs, who’s lost as to where his future will go, it means the world. Ibe’s photo has captured him in a state he couldn’t see or imagine for himself. He’s never realized what he looks like when pole vaulting: graceful, determined, effortless. When Eiji sees the photograph of him in the Tokyo gallery, he can’t believe it’s him. This post contains spoilers for Banana Fish and discussion of child pornography. “Garden of Light,” the final Banana Fish short story by Yoshida, shows how Eiji captured Ash with his own camera in turn. Ibe’s photography captures Eiji in a moment of grace he doesn’t know he’s capable of. In the one shot, 25 year old Ibe comes across a televised high school pole vault competition and decides to track down and photograph teenage Eiji. Before the manga Banana Fish by Akimi Yoshida, there was her short story “Fly Boy in the Sky.” It marked the first appearance of Banana Fish characters, published a year before Banana Fish entered serialization.
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