Banana Fish is quite a unique manga for me to read. Just reading the summary of the manga would be something that would push a lot of people away, because of just how intense and HEAVY it sounds (It is REALLY heavy and I actually went into the manga blind, so I did not read the summary thank gosh). Despite all that, I really enjoyed reading it. The story even though very dark and intense, there is the mystery of the "Banana Fish" that the readers have no clue about, and just the fact that there is no filler makes the mood of the manga so INTENSE (there is rarely any breaks before the next arc). The characters on the protagonist's side are very lovable and likable and his enemies, are one of the most disgusting and hateful beings ever in any manga I have read. The art is something I did not mind (even though many people disliked it). THE ENDING was something I despise (and why I did not give it 10/10). Even though I give it praise, this is a manga I would NOT recommend to most people. The story is very heavy for most people I know, and it most likely will trigger some people with its topics it covers. The genre is another thing I have trouble describing. It is labeled under SHOUJO but I disagree, it's hard to say what genre it is. Women might not like it because it is just so different than the normal shoujo and men would not like the homosexual themes in the story (yes there are themes like that and generally men don't read stories with those themes). However, it is not BL (at least to me). For the general audience, there is WAY too much sexual violence towards teens in the story to be recommendable.
I absolutely love this manga but it's just not everyone's cup of tea to read (the manga is outdated, it was published in the mid-80's).
However to me, it is a masterpiece (until the ending) and I give it a 9/10. Something only I and some people would enjoy.