Ash & Eiji Sketches From Akimi Yoshida’s 40th Anniversary Book

Through all the madness of falling in love ...

Speedpaint and image ID below the cut!

[ID: A digital painting with an atmosphere similar to the second ending of the anime Banana Fish. The camera is from Ash's perspective, watching Eiji, who is facing the sun. However, unlike in the RED ending where Ash is in Eiji's shadow, Eiji is holding Ash's hand and leading him toward the light, through the rye field. END ID]

[ID: A timelapse of the previous painting being drawn digitally, with no audio. END ID]

— amber waves. 🌅

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art insta: eiji_is_mine

art twt: fvnnyb0ne

please do not repost or claim.

sentiment from @starpeace

I think this is what's so haunting about banana fish. jk, there are a lot of things that linger when it comes to banana fish. but I think this is what drives the au's where langa and reki or viktor and yuuri are ash and eiji in another life. they crossed oceans to find one another, and found home in another person. where ash (and all associated danger) eventually drew eiji out of his ennui following his retirement and general naïveté, eiji's gentle innocence and compassion (that came without strings) made ash feel safe and loved despite a life riddled with abuse and objectification.

whether you choose to see them as a romantic pairing (vikturi au) or as friends who made one another better through their connection (renga au), the ending they got was heartbreaking. because after everything they survived, everything they sacrificed, having found each other against all odds in the first place - there's no resolution. no happy ending. just more trauma to punctuate a life ensconced in trauma.

ash deserved more. aslan deserved so much more. and he deserved to think that he was worth saving.

Will forever point out Eiji's tiny blush when Ash pulls him closer for the shooting training

why is guilt such a leading theme and motivation in banana fish. omg

- max’s guilt for shooting griffin that leads him to research banana fish for 10 years and go to that whole adventure

- ash’s guilt for killing people (mostly shorter; ash and shorter are a clear parallel to max and griffin), putting eiji in danger, being unable to protect his friends

- shorter’s guilt for having to betray his friends

- eiji’s guilt for… well, everything, mostly getting in the way and doing stupid things and also a good bunch of stuff he isn’t responsible for  (he tends to blame himself a lot)

- sing’s guilt for not being a good enough boss, also for ash’s death in “garden of light“

- ibe’s guilt for taking eiji to the usa in the first place

Preorders are over, so I can post my entire Banana Fish draw for:

💝 Beat of my Heart! 💝

A Shojo Poster Collection!

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Monster ‘怪物’ · dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda (2023)