Will Banana Fish Season 2 or an OVA animate the Another Story manga’s story?

Looking down the barrel of a gun in the Banana Fish anime
Banana Fish Season 2 seems very unlikely to happen based on the way the original manga was written. Pic credit: MAPPA

Banana Fish Season 2 may be greatly desired by anime fans wanting to see more of Eiji and other characters, but that possibility really depends on the ending of Episode 24.

So far, a second season seems very unlikely but there are manga spin-off stories that could serve as OVA episodes. Will anime studio MAPPA stick to the original plot or will they create a new ending that leaves an opening for a sequel?

This article provides everything that is known about Banana Fish Season 2 and all related news. As such, this article will be updated over time with news, rumors, and analysis. Meanwhile, let’s delve down into what is known for certain.

Banana Fish manga compared to the anime

The reason that Banana Fish Season 2 seems unlikely is because the story of Ash Lynx and Eiji is based on the Banana Fish manga by Akimi Yoshida. The ending in Volume 19 was published way back in 1994.

Considering how much time has passed between the manga’s ending and the 2018 anime MAPPA also decided to modernize the story. The setting is now the 21st century and not the 1980s so smartphones were introduced and Ash even becomes a computer hacker. Even some minor characters changed since Yut-Lung’s bodyguard Wu is an anime original character.

By anime Episode 20 the story was quickly approaching the final act and it appears the anime will adapt the entire manga in full. Without getting into major spoilers, something happens to Ash Lynx and his friends in the end that makes it difficult to create Banana Fish Season 2 even if the sequel was an original story.

Anime fans might be wondering if it’s worth going back to read the manga. Since the first season was only 24 episodes that meant scenes from the manga ended up being cut. Thankfully, VIZ Media has already published the entire English translation of the manga and in 2018 they announced a reprint of all 19 volumes is forthcoming.

Banana Fish Manga Collection
A photo of the entire Banana Fish manga collection. Pic credit: eBay

Banana Fish OVA episodes possible based on manga side stories?

Anime fans might also be wondering if the manga side stories would be enough for Banana Fish Season 2. Unfortunately, all five stories fit inside a single volume called Another Story and would be better off being produced as Banana Fish OVA episodes.

The side stories are mostly prequels since they show how Ibe and Eiji met (Fly Boy in the Sky) and how Ash met Blanca (Private Opinion) and Shorter Wong (Angel Eyes). The fourth side story, Ura Banana, is more of a comedic outtake since it features Ash and Eiji discussing fan mail sent to the manga creator. The final side story called Garden Of Light was included in Volume 19 and is set seven years after the events of the Banana Fish anime.

Banana Fish Season 2 release date

As of the last update, MAPPA or any company related to the production of the anime has not officially confirmed the Banana Fish Season 2 release date. Nor has the production of a sequel been announced.

Once the news is officially confirmed this article will be updated with the relevant information. In the meantime, it’s possible to speculate about when, or if, the Banana Fish Season 2 premiere date will occur in the future.

From a financial perspective, the anime has done well so far, with the Banana Fish Blu-Ray sales in Japan outpacing other popular anime released in 2018.

For example, the Banana Fish anime doubled the sales of My Hero Academia (see our article on Boku no Hero Academia Season 4), was slightly more than Overlord 3 (see our article on Overlord Season 4) and even beat Attack On Titan Season 3 (see our article on Attack On Titan Season 4).

Even so, Banana Fish Season 2 still seems unlikely at this time. Let’s just hope production of some OVA episodes is greenlit. Stay tuned!

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