Without spoiling much from the story and the ending, the way how Ash feels whenever he is around Eiji, he lets his guard down and he feels like he can act as a kid of his age. Since the story of Banana Fish is inspired by some queer western indie movies and classic books from the 80s, you can see similar themes of storytelling from those works. Their relationship carries weight, they will make you feel happy but they will also make you feel sad for them. Both are complete opposites of each other, Ash is more bold, brave and with a dark background who is traumatized by that past and has a hard time trying to find someone who didn’t use him in some way, but Eiji entered the picture, and in contrast to him, he is more shy, naive with a much better and healthy background, apart from his mental state after his sporting career. In addition to that, the original manga from the 80s was a big influence in future stories that would have gay men in non yaoi works.Īnyway, Ash and Eiji’s relationship is done really well which develops naturally and realistically, it never feels force. This pick is strange, there are many people who are wondering whether these two are in love with each other or not, there aren’t any confessions nor realizations of their feelings for each other but I can definitely say that it is in some way canon, since the author of the manga, Akimi Yoshida, has drawn them multiple times in poses where it is clear that Ash and Eiji are not just friends, there is even “an almost kiss” drawing from her, all of these drawing are found from her art book called Angel Eyes. It’s one of the few examples portraying first love really well. But aside from that, their relationship is realistic, adorable, genuine and healthy.
There are many situations in the film where I can see gay people in real life facing, for example, in the movie there is a small scene in which Kusakabe wants to kiss Sajou but Sajou tells him that they shouldn’t do that because they are in public and many people are watching them or there is this another scene where Kusakabe and his friend are in a hot springs and his friend mentions that he always got the feeling that he was gay. Kusakabe and Sajou’s feels organic and it feels realistic. The Shounen Ai/ Yaoi genre is well known by a lot of people, and many people have discussed the issues they have with it, for me personally, I’m not a fan of the genre but if the relationship between the two boys is consensual, healthy with a good story and chemistry, then I like it! These relationships vary in tone and intensity, but all of them make for excellent stories.First, let’s start with these two. Mitsuyo Akechi and Michi Inukai of A Centaur's Worries have a much more relaxed approach to love. They're just high school girlfriends who like each other, proving that gay relationships don't have to be dramatic to be worth showcasing. Ymir and Krista of Attack on Titan are forced into roles that don't suit them, but they find meaning and comfort in each other.
Yuuri Katsuki and Victor Nikiforov of Yuri!!! on ICE are deeply committed and wholly in love, pushing each other to be their best selves both on and off the ice.
That said, there are some awesome LGBTQ+ anime couples that serve as positive representations of their respective communities. When a relationship does blossom, they often follow unhealthy dynamics that aren't reflective of real-world relationships, relying instead on yaoi and yuri tropes. Non-binary anime characters, when they show up at all, often never experience requited love. LGBTQ+ relationships in anime either come across as tender or facetious.