Summer 2018’s Banana Fish is a down-and-dirty gangster anime, based on the 1985 manga of the same name. It’s set in the underground gang world of New York City and follows the exploits of young punk Ash Lynx as seen through the eyes of Eiji, a Japanese rookie journalist who falls into his messy life.

It’s pretty rare for an anime to show a complex view of America, rather than just having one or two stereotypical foreigners show up as background characters. But here, they’re the main characters, with their own struggles and relationships and goals. So let’s take this opportunity to explore how Banana Fish portrays Americans from a Japanese point of view.

This article was written for Honey's Anime, so please read it on their site.