#BANANA FISH ART BOOK＆スタッフ本

[vashak]

Banana Fish Art & Staff Book

Look at what came in the mail! Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect when I ordered the Banana Fish Art & Staff Book, and it’s been so long since I placed the order that I almost forgot about it. But it completely blew my mind when I picked it up and browsed through the pages for the first time. It’s the ultimate tribute to the most touching human story of all time!

So the whole thing is a four-piece set: two books, one clear file and one envelope.

The first book (the larger one) includes line art of all the official art released to date (key animation, magazine covers, goods, collaborations, etc). It lists where it was featured and who drew/designed it. The archiver in me is ecstatic!

But my favorite is the second book. It features artwork and messages from all the staff who took part in the production of the anime series. They’re mostly thanking other staff for their hard work and talking about what a great experience it was to take part in the production. I haven’t read all of them yet (I find it really difficult to read Japanese handwriting) but I could tell that they were written so candidly. As for the artwork, expect to find anything and everything from character portraits in each staff member’s own style to imaginary scenes (some hit you right in the feels).

And let’s talk about the cover of the staff book... The scanned image above is from the clear file without the watermark of the book title. I’m guessing the artist is Akemi Hayashi (character designer) because she likes using romaji if the 2020 Banana Fish desk calendar is any indication XD I rotated the image over and over again, trying to make sense of what each character was up to. Since this is the cover of the staff book, I think it replicates a common scene from the production room, showing how the staff worked on a tight deadline because everyone seems to be losing their shit. Here’s what I made out of it:

Ash has his glasses on and is working frantically, grumbling “Why does it have to be me?!” He looks very pissed probably because he was asked to finish a task by Max who looks very apologetic behind him. Eiji is running with a bunch of papers and Ibe-san is yelling behind him, “Be careful!” Eiji, who is Ibe-san’s assistant for real this time, yells back “H-hai!” the way assistants do. Shorter enters the room with take-out lunch from Chang Dai and goes “Hey! Sorry for keeping everyone waiting~” Meanwhile, Blanca is probably showing Sing how to write his name in the Cyrillic script and being a real smart-ass about it. He says “You should write it like this,” and Sing seems fascinated. Next to them, Arthur is trying to look chill but at the same time throws dirty looks at Ash. He’s obviously jealous of him because Ash gets everything done again. On the other side, Yut-Lung looks fully concentrated on his screen, but is clearly stressed out as he keeps muttering to himself “Hmm, mmm.” Next to him, while everyone is busting their asses, Dino is drinking a glass of wine and watching YouTube videos, featuring a banana and a fish, with the sound on, because he’s a piece of shit.

Lastly, the two books and the clear file come in an envelope featuring New York at sunset seen from high up in the sky. It’s the last glimpse Eiji had of New York from the plane that we also get to see in the final episode. Okay, I won’t go there, I won’t say anything more.

Seriously, this book filled me with nostalgia and left me smiling. It’s amazing to see how the staff cherished Banana Fish just like we did as fans ❤️

This was just an initial review of the Art & Staff Book. I’ll take my time and go over it slowly and if I come across interesting bits (which I’m sure I will), I’ll post more.

Thank you @bananaroom7​ for keeping tabs on the availability of this book for preorder and letting her followers know. That’s how I was able to purchase my copy.

Follow the link in the source to take a peek at what’s inside the books.