Ash @ran4an - Tumblr Blog

“I lack," said Laurent, "the easy mannerisms that are usually shared with," you could see him pushing the words out, "a lover."

"You lack the easy mannerisms that are usually shared with anyone," said Damen.

– Prince's Gambit: Captive Prince

codenamed-bananafish

Translation of Max Lobo's Notes (1998)

This is an extra published in 1998, that contains Max's memoirs of Ash and the future lives of all characters of Banana Fish.

(Translations credit to @enta_jinnai and @nakimooshi on Twitter, posted with permission. Edits / corrections are mine.)

bananafishlovers

To explain how this makes a really big step for Ash first I must explain Hemingway’s influence on him and how much Ash has found himself in those works.

In Vol 12. we get this scene ( this will be in the next episode probably as well )

Young Ash took a liking to Blanca and with that he took a liking to Blanca’s favorite books but he will fully get to understand their true meaning in time.

“It describes how lonely it is to be human”

Hemingway’s work can be interpreted as what Blanca said.

“Lonely - A feeling that is indescribable to those who have not felt it, and needs no description to those who have. That desolate feeling of being left out, left behind, and being all alone forever. It is that hole that appears in your heart, which cannot be filled by your efforts alone. “ - x

Blanca knows what its like to be lonely and what its like to feel loss, it has been his life for some time now, he can related to the Islands in the Stream more personally but for Ash it will take some time until he truly understands what that book means.

Islands in the Stream, in shot is a book about a man who suffers a sudden and tragic loss of all his children dying and ever since then he has been unknowingly unable to deal with that loss for the rest of his life.

The topic of loss and loneliness will be great in the fallowing episodes of the anime as well an already important part of Ash’s character.

By this point in the story Ash has lost his brother Griff, his best friend Shorter and Skip, the only person left by his side is Eiji and the prospect of him losing Eiji gets bigger as the story progresses.

Having Eiji by his side makes Ash feel alive and loved but there is also a risk of losing that love if Eiji stays, not having Eiji by his side or losing him would make Ash experience a level of loneliness he would not know how to deal with. ( this also happens and I hate it so Vol. 17 can kindly go fuck itself, I am sorry but rereading this Vol. just made me a mess, thanks Banana Fish )

Lets look at another Hemingway book that Ash really likes and identifies with and the book that will seal his fate, The Snows of Kilimanjaro.

Vol .8

Ash was never afraid of death but what he later finds out he truly feared of was losing Eiji.

Islands in the Stream and this scene in vol. 12 is foreshadowing of that fear

I am sure that Ash knew what the book is about and what Blanca is trying to tell him he just really does not want to think about it until its too late.

In Vol. 17 Ash’s one fear becomes real, Ash and Blanca have a confrontation about its consequences.

I both love and hate this scene ,this is where Ash’s illusion of having a chance at having a life together with Eiji fully shatters, he tried to avoid it in every way possible so far but when Blanca yells at him about it you know whats up.

Also Blanca has lived all of this once ,he and Ash are very much alike and seeing Ash going down the same path he did was something he tried to prevent. Ash being Ash does not listen until its too late because he chose not to be lonely, and doomed both himself and Eiji.