remeber when you did a meta on ash’s name? can you do one of yut lung name? it has a lot of meanings in it like you said about him being the moon while ash is the sun i think it has a lot of facinateing meanings to it

Well, I don’t read or speak Chinese, so I can’t go very in depth with what his name means, but it does literally mean “moon.” And of course, Yut-Lung is associated with the moon, a shadow of Ash in many respects, the yin to his yang, amethyst to his jade (in the anime). So I can talk about his character in relation to Ash, if that helps, since I’ve been wanting to explore their foiling a bit more, and also Yut-Lung’s foiling with Eiji, and with Blanca.

Of course, the moon only shines because the sun’s light reflects on it. To an extent you could say this is symbolic of how Yut-Lung is kind of desperately scrambling for a new purpose in life post-revenge.

This is kind of true but also kind of a lie as we know. He wants to destroy the Lee conglomerate and himself with it because, like Ash, he’s suicidal.

So after he succeeds at this, and to succeed at this as well, he decides to make Ash his enemy because he’s petty and is mad Ash has someone to love and love him, while he thinks he has no one. He’s living for Ash, a reflection of Ash, but not in a healthy way because what happens if he actually won against Ash? Would he be happy? (The answer is no.)

Because Yut-Lung wants to be loved, deep down, and he truly believes he has no one, but that’s not true. He has Sing (again I’m not arguing this is romantic textually, but their relationship does in some ways parallel Ash and Eiji’s). But he can’t see that because he’s too blinded by focusing on the sun/Ash/Eiji/trying to be both Ash and Eiji. Like, he literally in the above scene walks off in Eiji’s direction after Eiji leaves, while Sing is right there asking him why he wants to die, and Sing says that he can’t just leave him.

And like, in the most recent episode, Yut-Lung clearly feels betrayed when he realizes Blanca only took the contract to protect Ash, and Sing helped him escape. He lacks the self-awareness to realizes Sing does care about him, and honestly so does Blanca in whatever broken way Blanca cares, but he’s pushing them away because of his obsessive focus on Ash. And in the latest episode as well, in the end he just says that he’s still focusing on Ash and wanting revenge on Ash now–and cue me screaming REALLY DUDE REALLY someone sit this child down and tell him to focus on himself and not on his failings.

Seeing himself as the moon could also be reinforcing that he sees himself as inferior to Ash, but also the same as Ash at the same time. It’s the same light, but it doesn’t emanate from him, or maybe this is overthinking but it does work so.

Despite seeking to destroy the Lees, Yut-Lung’s also still ironically putting a lot of weight on the name given to him, instead of seeking to create his own destiny and fate. It’s tragic. Ash is fighting tooth and nail to escape the system; Yut-Lung has already given up on that.

As another piece related to that and to Ash’s middle name… Ash does not want to be seen as an object. He hates that he’s treated like a commodity. Yut-Lung, on the other hand, true to his philosophy of taking things down from the inside, commodifies himself to an extent. Dino punches a hole through Ash’s ear unwillingly, and Ash gives up the jade as quickly as he can. Yut-Lung willingly adorns himself in amethysts or some kind of purple stone (which match his eyes, a la how Ash’s jade matches his eyes).

Again this speaks to Yut-Lung’s extremely low sense of self-worth (which is ironic because he puts on a haughty facade), and how he sees himself inherently as inferior, not just to Ash. He hates that his brothers treat him as inferior for having a different mother, but he also seems to believe that, and like Ash, is more than willing to become what he hates to destroy everything he hates and punish himself.

However, Ash isn’t the only one associated with the sun. So is Eiji.

And we’re also pretty clearly supposed to be comparing Eiji and Yut-Lung given his utter hatred of Eiji and determination to kill him because… he loves Ash and Ash loves him, or because Yut-Lung is jealous of Eiji getting to live how he always wanted to live.

He pretty clearly despises Eiji for precisely that reason: Eiji is a helpless little kid, and so is Yut-Lung. Like, he’s throwing actual tantrums. He can’t defend himself worth anything. But Yut-Lung doesn’t want to be seen as a helpless little kid in some ways (and yet paradoxically I’d argue he does in other senses, given how he behaves). He wants to be seen like Ash in many ways.

So let’s talk Blanca, who is the reason Yut-Lung’s dastardly scheme worked and Ash was taken back to Dino, and Ash and Eiji were separated. Given both characters’ association with the sun, this line of Sing’s is interesting:

Sing’s the adult in the room again, calling people out without even meaning to 😛 But going forward, Blanca is already kind of standing between Ash and Yut-Lung. He joined Yut-Lung to protect Ash, which hurts Yut-Lung, but he also does take his duty to Yut-Lung seriously and does care about him like he cares about Ash. I’d wager Yut-Lung isn’t entirely correct here: I think Blanca joined him to protect both of them.

Otherwise there was no need to take down an assassin and try to keep said assassin alive to interrogate. I think Blanca’s genuinely wanting to protect both of them, but he’s unwilling to fight the system to do it, which means he’s inherently bad at it. Like, honestly, Blanca. But again Yut-Lung can’t see it because not only is Blanca bad at it, but he focuses too much on Ash.

Blanca is of course an Ash foil, and exactly what Ash fears becoming: someone who has completely given up fighting the system, and thinks it’s pointless to do so. Blanca is blocking the sun because his lifestyle is literally something that would kill Ash and Eiji…

But at the same time, together with Sing, he’s one of two people who actually do care about Yut-Lung and therefore has the potential to help Yut-Lung realize his own worth doesn’t come from opposing Ash or killing Eiji or anything of the sort. So he could block the sun in a good sense, too.

In the end of this scene, symbolically, Mr. Helpless Child lands in a fetal position at Blanca’s feet. I know in the manga Blanca catches him. I honestly think it’s fitting he didn’t here, because Blanca is failing to protect Yut-Lung from himself, which is where he really needs the protection, just like Blanca failed Ash. Hence it’s fitting and also sad that Ash is the one throwing Yut-Lung at Blanca’s feet, because the narrative therefore challenges Blanca to do something, but he doesn’t act in time to prevent immediate pain.

Anyways both these boys are walking basket cases and I need someone to give Ash and Yut-Lung a hug and therapy stat. I volunteer.

silverangel19:

Yut Lung had really thought Blanca wanted to protect him. That maybe someone finally cared about him. He must’ve felt betrayed that Blanca only entered the contract to help Ash under the guise of protecting Yut Lung.(I do believe Blanca cares though, he’s just known Ash longer)

He just needs someone to love and care for him and help him understand that feeling. I don’t care if everyone hates Yut Lung and is laughing at his downfall, but I will love him. Ash isn’t the only one who deserves better.

Thissss. I really think a lot of what causes Yut-Lung to vow revenge at the end is not that Ash grabbed him and held him hostage and got Eiji released: it’s that the two people he really hoped cared about him (Blanca and Sing) chose to stick with him only to help Ash, and he’s just realized this. His recognition of Sing’s voice in the shootout and then the confrontation with Blanca are really breaking him down, and he doesn’t have the self-awareness to realize that, as Sing told him last episode, it’s his own shady actions that are pushing Sing to help Eiji and Ash. Once again, he’s reminded that Ash has people who care about him, and he does not, and like a child (because he very much acts like a toddler this episode) he lashes out at Ash for having what he does not, but desperately wants.

with every episode of banana fish Goldzine reminds me more and more of those toxic parents that project themselves onto their children (kind of like nagisa’s mom from assasination classroom) and want them either to become a “perfect” version of themselves or a continuation, i honestly disagree when other’s said that dino doesn’t love ash, he does but in a very twisted, obsessive, possessive and deranged way, he sees the pontential in him and thinks on how it can benfit him, he’s selfish af

I’m gonna address this in two parts: Golzine as a character and Golzine’s “love” for Ash. Golzine is a fantastic villain. I hate him. I despise him and want him to go down, and I want him to suffer. But, he’s extremely well-written and is I think a great example of how to write a villain who is a complex character without being remotely sympathetic or morally gray. I think that trying to make him sympathetic would have been a horrific misstep; for him to work, he needs to be hated and despicable. His symbolism and role in the story is excellently done, and he needs to be monstrous for it to work. Not to spoil, but a character who is about to be introduced (whom many manga readers commonly comment is useless, imo is entirely not useless, because he represents an important part of Golzine).

As for love… I think you summarize Golzine’s feelings towards Ash perfectly, but I would not use that word “love" because it can be triggering for people to associate something that should be associated with safety and respect with something so obviously opposite that. Golzine’s feelings for Ash are entirely twisted, obsessive, and possessive like you say. It’s comforting to say that that is not love, and I would be inclined not use that word because it’s clear Ash doesn’t consider it love, and I don’t think the narrative does in any sense either. Dino doesn’t see Ash as a person. He sees him as a thing, and therefore can only have the feeling one has for a trophy, not for an actual human being, because to love a human being (as we see in Ash and Eiji’s love for each other, and at the very end with with two others) means to see their flaws and their strengths, means to not try to control them. That’s pure, beautiful love. Love frees. It does not enslave.

That being said, as an abuse victim who, having been through years of therapy and not around them for years now, does think my abuser loved me, to whatever extent they could (but it doesn’t excuse anything they did to me, and I recognize they will never, ever love me the way they should have loved me), I also recognize that it’s a very complex topic. Suffice to say, people should be extremely sensitive and let victims define their relationship with their abusers. Love or twisted love, not love, it’s up to a survivor to narrate their story. Love does not have one precise “this is love” definition. Many people prefer to keep that word sacred and safe, and that’s okay. But you’re not wrong in your interpretation either.

Maybe it’s love. But it’s something that hurts, which means many will not want to call it love, and it certainly isn’t what anyone aspires to in love. If that makes sense!

Devil, Christ, Child: Hellish and Heavenly Imagery in Banana Fish

*presenting a rambly wannabe meta that i hope makes some sense but i. am sleepy*

One of the saddest conversations in Banana Fish, for me, was this one.

Eiji is completely pure-intentioned and trying to comfort Ash here, and he might genuinely believe it, but Ash expresses doubt and the viewer also probably doubts it. Even if she did wish for the best for her son, which is certainly possible, it still doesn’t erase that she left him, ultimately deeming him less valuable to her than her free city life.

But I want to talk more about the implications of Ash’s name and the symbolism associated with “Aslan” in particular–which makes the name seem more like a curse than a gift, a double-edged sword in many ways just like Ash’s other innate talents (intelligence, leadership skills, good looks). (“Jade” has its own implications–it’s a commodity, for one thing, and Dino literally gives him a $400,000 piece of jade to execute him in, and his foil Yut-Lung is associated with wearing amethysts with the same implications, but that’s for another time.) Aslan as a name, in particular, is associated with religious symbolism. There’s repeated heaven/hell imagery in Banana Fish, always associated with Ash and/or Dino, and almost always contributing to other characters dehumanizing Ash.

For starters, there’s what Ash says “Aslan” means–though I can’t find any verification of that (most sources say it means “lion” in Turkish): a prayer associated with dawn. But it’s also–and most people will know this–the name of the lion character in C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, which is an allegory of much of the Biblical Christian stories. Aslan is in particular Jesus. It’s not subtle; he willingly takes the punishment of someone who betrayed him and his siblings (Edmund Pevensie) and is executed for him, but resurrects at dawn.

The rising of the sun had made everything look so different—all the
colours and shadows were changed—that for a moment they didn’t see the
important thing. Then they did. The Stone Table was broken into two
pieces by a great crack that ran down it from end to end; and there was
no Aslan.

“Oh, oh, oh!” cried the two girls rushing back to the Table.

“Oh, it’s too bad,” sobbed Lucy; “they might have left the body alone.”

“Who’s done it?” cried Susan. “What does it mean? Is it more magic?”

“Yes!” said a great voice behind their backs. “It is more magic.” They
looked round. There, shining in the sunrise, larger than they had seen
him before, shaking his mane (for it had apparently grown again) stood
Aslan himself.

~”The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe”

Throughout Banana Fish we see Ash repeatedly compared to both a devil and an angel/Christ/God, often with the two concepts conflated. From the very first episode…

(the bike resembles a traditional devil’s mask. #subtle), to the scene in which he saves Eiji and burns down Golzine’s mansion…

What’s interesting is that these scenes are characters misunderstanding Ash by projecting the blame for what is happening onto Ash. The blame for all these incidents are on Dino. Ash isn’t motivated for pure revenge or seeking it out in any of these scenes: he’s trying to save friends. Skip and Eiji in the opening episode, Eiji and then Shorter’s body (where he happened to come across Abraham and killed him for killing Shorter) in the scene where they flee Golzine’s mansion.

But then there are these scenes: firstly, the scene where he’s escaping the hospital and Golzine is a proud evil monster pretending to be a father.

To the most recent episode:

Golzine is wrong: he hasn’t created Ash, and Ash is not one of a kind (Yut-Lung exists). Basically, people try to force Ash into the role of devil when that isn’t what he is. But this gets at the heart of Golzine’s character: he’s projecting himself and how he sees himself (an all-powerful mix of the devil and a god) onto Ash. Hence why he lashes out at Ash when Ash calls him out on treating him like something other than a human being this episode:

Ash’s comments reinforce the reality that he’s no god and no devil: Ash is a broken child at this point, and Dino played a massive role in breaking him by raping him, forcing him to kill, and trying to turn him into a devil/god creature. And Dino does not want to accept that he, a devil/god, can have created a broken thing. So he beats Ash and threatens him to show up to his party.

And about that party. Planning a party to celebrate his rebellious son’s return is pretty clearly a twisted version of the “Prodigal Son” parable in the Bible. Jesus tells it, and the father in this story is supposed to be God (Luke 15:11-32, NIV translation):

¹¹Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons.¹²The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

¹³“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.¹⁶He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

¹⁷“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.¹⁹I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

²¹“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²²“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

²⁵“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

²⁸“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

³¹“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³²But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Instead of a benevolent father forgiving his (wrongful) son, Ash is trying to escape a cruel devil father figure in Dino, and Dino’s projecting that devilish/demonic imagery onto Ash. Celebrating his return to literal enslavement is a sickening twist on a lovely, redemptive story.

Yut-Lung sees this as well:

Golzine’s city is nothing more than a hell, and Yut-Lung can’t escape it, so doesn’t want Ash to escape it either.

But Ash, fortunately and yet (differently) unfortunately, has heavenly symbolism with him as well. “Angel Eyes,” the prequel in which Shorter and Ash meet, has Shorter telling Ash he looks like an angel from a Christmas card Nadia mailed him–yet importantly, Shorter never looked at Ash like anything other than a person.

There’s then this horrid scene in which Shorter is killed, which takes place in Dino’s so-called execution room, and there’s distinct Christlike imagery in this scene (fitting for the name Aslan). Ash has been betrayed by friends (however, even that has been staged by Dino since Shorter did not want to betray Ash, and Ash did not fault him) and is hung in a crucifix position:

With angels on the wall, angels that tease Angel Eyes and remind us how Shorter sees Ash as opposed to the cruel mockery of how Dino is portraying Ash. The angels are also above the barred door to escaping the execution chamber, because death=freedom for Shorter and again, in the biblical tale and in Narnia, Jesus/Aslan’s death leads to freedom for humanity/Narnia.

The scene results in a sacrifice of Ash himself when he mercy-kills Shorter, because that’s another calling card of Ash’s character: he doesn’t see himself as having value, which leads to him making sacrificial decisions like shooting a gun into his head only to find out it was empty, going back to hell with Dino, etc, all for the sake of Eiji and the other people he loves. It’s a crucial difference between Ash and Dino: Dino only thinks of himself. Ash thinks of others, too. But Ash’s sacrificial tendencies, while stemming from genuine love, comprise a tragic flaw.

Additionally, it’s important to note that this scene is again something cruel Dino has set up. Dino sees himself as an arbitrator of life and death, as a god/devil. Ash never chose these god/devil roles. The fact that he goes by “Ash” instead of “Aslan” implies, again, that he does not see himself as a god or as a devil, but also struggles to see himself as a person.

Which is something all the bad guys do to an extent. Most characters refuse to Ash like a normal child because of his talents and gifts, which his name is symbolic of. Like Wang-Lung Lee:

But not, however, Max.

Or George.

Or Charlie.

And most especially, not Eiji.

Ash is not a devil, but he can do devilish things (and he does, like murdering begging people). He is not an angel, but he can do angelic things (like saving his loved ones).

He’s just a child. And he’s a friend for these people, and they are all going to save him from the disgusting party Golzine has planned. They know he won’t be able to fight for them this time, but they’re going, because they value him as a person. Because they love him and care about him, not because they want him to adopt a particular role.

If everybody in BF could stop treating ash like a pet project and just let him grow up like any other child that would be awesome

Yeah… I was saying to a friend on Twitter today that Ash is an adult legally as of the previous episode, but he never got to be a child, which is why he often acts like a child in some ways with refusing to listen (it’s also a real psychological coping mechanism) but not, of course, in other ways.

It’s one of Banana Fish’s strengths, I think, that Ash’s qualities that could easily rub a reader or viewer the same way–IQ of 200, talented leader, good at killing, stunning beauty–are actually all more curses than gifts. Each of these traits is used against him multiple times, and it is very sad watching the adults in Ash’s life define him by his talents and not by what he is (a kid).

@aspoonofsugar is writing a meta on Ash and his various father figures, so I will hold off on fully writing about it because it’s gonna be good, but of all Ash’s father figures, only Max really treats him like a child and not like a project. Jim and Dino flat-out suck but in kind of opposite ways, Blanca is complex and I think does see Ash as a child more so than the other two do, but also fails Ash spectacularly in that he doesn’t treat him that way because of his own issues.

And then we have Max. I actually think Max does treat Ash like a normal child and that’s incredibly important, because as we see in the episode last week, it’s precisely because of Dino’s attitude of “he’s not just any child” that Ash winds up hurt. Jim, Dino, and Blanca have all defined their relationships with Ash by the things that set him apart from other people (traumatic things for Jim, talent for Dino and Blanca) whereas Max (and Eiji, but in a different sense than Max) treat Ash like a person they love. Which is why it’s fitting they’re the ones who tell Jim off.

vonduitart:

Catching up on banana fish…

I hated the fact that I have read the entire manga first… :’{

Hi!I have been dead on tumblr so I missed some things.Your favourite Banana Fish characters and why? Have a nice day!

Ooooh what a great ask!

1) Yut-Lung Lee.

He fits all my favorite requirements to the point where it’s almost hilarious: long hair, affinity for needles, sad family situation, angry petty murder child, moon association. But in actuality I think he’s an incredibly complex character, an antagonist but not a villain. His foiling with Ash is superb. You can’t hate him if you like Ash, and his desperate desire to have hope, to have someone to love him, is absolutely gut-wrenching–especially as the actions he takes to get those and to lash out at others who have what he does not, actually push what he wants away. As @aspoonofsugar noted to me, in the latest episode, he walks off in the direction of Eiji after his suicidal tendencies were called out by Sing, while telling Sing to leave him alone. He’s so focused on Eiji–what he doesn’t have–that he doesn’t realize what he’s looking for is right there. Fortunately, Sing runs after him.

2) Ash Lynx.

Like, I never love main characters, especially not ones whom everyone else loves. Eren Jaeger is my favorite main character (besides Ash) precisely because even in universe, he’s nothing special and isn’t well liked. Ash has smarts, looks, prowess with a gun and knife, and everyone adores him. And yet, he’s still so flawed and realistic that I can’t help but adore him too. He wears his pain on his sleeve while still trying to appear tough, and watching him learn vulnerability that won’t be used against him with Eiji is absolutely beautiful. It gives me hope.

3) Sing Soo-Ling.

I love him. He’s like the moral compass of the series, which is funny because he’s a 14 year old gang leader. But I love his relationships with Yut-Lung (Yut-Lung has the chance to be a good big brother to Sing, contrasting how his brothers treated him), Cain, Ash, and now Eiji.

4 tied) Shorter Wong.

He was such a good best friend character. He was so loyal, and his death really profoundly changed the series. He might have been a murderer, but he loved the people close to him dearly, and they loved him back, and it’s hard not to see why. His death was incredibly well done.

4 tied) Eiji Okumura.

I love Eiji. He’s not useless at all despite what some people say–he’s someone afraid to live and learning how to via Ash. His love for Ash is beautiful.

4 tied) Max Lobo.

Ash’s surrogate dad and big brother all in one (fitting since he was Griffin’s friend). He’s such a good guy, and he loves Ash so much despite how flawed their relationship was at the beginning. I also hope the anime touches on Jessica and their relationship more as well. His trauma stems from what happened to Griffin, and you can tell he doesn’t want to lose anyone afterwards, but he learns via Ash he can’t force people to do what he wants. Yet he can still love them.

7) Cain Blood.

I really, really like him, even though we haven’t gotten a lot of him in the anime yet. But his relationship with Sing and with Ash strikes me as brotherly as well, and both of them do need a big brother. I really want to see more of him.

Yin, Yang, & Eiji

Thanks for breaking my heart this week, Banana Fish. I want to overanalyze the early scene between Eiji and Yut-Lung, because it hurt me.

I mean, they’re not actually that different, Yut-Lung, but that’s besides the point. Like, Yut-Lung’s becoming the brothers he hates strongly parallels Ash’s “candy bar” routine at the end of the episode–again proving that to
survive, both of them can become what they hate. The difference is that
Ash is still fighting in some ways and hasn’t resigned himself to that life; it’s a means to an end this episode; for Yut-Lung, he’s resigned to it being his life.

Yut-Lung knows what Sing told him a few episodes ago is true: that he and Ash are the same. But, as he says to Eiji here:

Is Yut-Lung talking to Eiji, or to himself, or both? I’d say both. He’s asking Eiji to stay with him the only way he knows how (being manipulative) but he’s also talking about himself, and Ash. That there’s nowhere they can go to escape this life they were handed. We’ve already seen how well that worked when Ash went to Cape Cod and then LA. And he wants to know from Eiji: is there a place to go?

In Ash’s death, Yut-Lung sees his own. In Ash, as jealous and hateful as he continues to be towards him, he sees someone who still found something beautiful and hopeful (his relationship with Eiji). And it still couldn’t save Ash, and Eiji is walking away from Yut-Lung, so why continue?

When Eiji refuses, Yut-Lung is genuinely upset.

Why do you get to walk away? And why do you get to love someone, and be loved, and not me? That’s what he’s asking. Because both Ash and Yut-Lung see themselves in Eiji, too. They see someone who is scared of living in some ways, but who has the opportunity to do so in ways they do not. And he points to the hypocrisy of Eiji’s statement here:

What does it matter whether they’re resisting or not, if they’re still dead? He’s again making the point that he and Ash are similar in some ways, and that neither of them are really willing to forgive themselves because all their justifications don’t hold up. Yut-Lung’s trying to again make Eiji feel like he doesn’t belong in Ash’s world, while at the same time pressing him to understand him and also Ash.

Yut-Lung is also asking what the difference is between him and Ash. Ash is someone who directly resists. He fights the system he was brought up in no matter what. Yut-Lung doesn’t.

How ironic that Yut-Lung is the one trying to hurt himself here, while hurting Eiji. It’s again the different path Ash takes vs the one Yut-Lung takes: Yut-Lung wants to destroy his enemies and himself with them. Ash has a similar desire, but goes about it in a different way because he also has people he wants to protect.

Enter Sing, who continues to be the most mature character and the moral compass of the series despite being a 14-year-old gangster. He calls Yut-Lung out on his suicidal tendencies, almost like what Eiji has done for Ash on occasion.

But Yut-Lung insists on being left alone. And there’s his answer to why not me: Yut-Lung is still too scared to accept that kind of compassion, to accept that someone can see you at your worst, at your weakest, and still care. Sing is also, unlike Eiji, a person from a violent world too (even if it’s not quite as hopeless as Ash’s and Yut-Lung’s)–but he’s making somewhat better choices.

Fortunately, Sing runs after Yut-Lung.

I don’t see Sing’s relationship with Yut-Lung in the same romantic sense of Ash and Eiji’s (I see them more in a brotherly sense), but there’s clearly hope for Yut-Lung in his relationship with Sing.