what's your favorite BanLin moment in all the novels? I know they're not official but is there a moment you like in particular for the ship?
So I get asked this question the most, but I never really pinpointed it down. And part of it is it’s one volume with major spoilers I can’t talk about yet. :(In general, volume 8 is the BanLin goldmine. There’s just so much parallels between Lin and Banba’s stories, and how much Lin has come to care for Banba is just heartbreaking. I guess that makes sense because Banba and Lin have known each other for 11 months by that point (in the novel timeline), so that is to be expected. The entirety of volume 8 has the best BanLin material.
Now, if I were to choose some of my other favorite moments between them that isn’t so far ahead into the future, they’re actually from my least favorite novel - the second volume.
I greatly love the scene where Banba is practicing his bat swings, topless and checking himself out in the mirror Lin bought and then to mess with Lin teases him about his spending and the items he buys and puts a ribbon on his head. Lin is furious that he is dirtying his new stuff with his greasy sweat and takes a baseball bat and tries to hit him with it.
This is all cut from the anime, but it’s in the manga!
Aside from this being funny as hell when you first read it, it also establishes an important detail about Banba - that he refuses to use baseball bats as a weapon. He berates Lin saying it’s a tool to fulfill the dream’s of people, but as of volume 8 there’s another meaning behind it (and this scene will never be the same again).
And to top it off a client walks in on them as they fight.
Another favorite scene of mine in the same novel is when Lin goes undercover as a hostess and is sent to a table where he finds Banba. This scene got better with the illustrations added.
This scene is just Banba checking up on Lin about their case while also teasing him. They’re so cute here.
Banba: “Well then, I’ll visit again sometime, Rinko-chan.”Lin: “I’ll kill you.”
And then one of my last favorite scenes that is definitely on the top. It’s from the very last chapter of the Durarara x Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens crossover. It’s when Lin drags Banba around while he’s shopping for clothes in Tokyo and brings him to a famous pancake house in Shibuya. It’s a short scene, but I’m sure BanLin fans will like the date, I mean friends outing. :3
