Episode 23 For Whom the Bell Tolls

## Chronology

**For Whom the Bell Tolls** is the twenty third episode of the Banana Fish anime.

## Synopsis

Eiji, now hospitalized, is kept away from Ash in order to not be implicated as his accomplice. The collected gangs (later aided by Blanca, who ends his tenure with Yut-Lung) organize their assault on the National Mental Health Institute; Lao, who refuses to obey Ash, is exiled from the Chinatown gang. Jessica leaks Max's investigation, catching the Corsican mafia off-guard and creating an opening for Ash to kidnap Golzine. Foxx shoots Golzine when Ash attempts to trade him for the hostages.

## Summary

As Eiji is carried on a stretcher to the ambulance, Ash calls for him to open his eyes. Blanca finds Ash and tells him he cannot go while Eiji is transferred into the ambulance and taken away. Ash retaliates and attempts to follow Eiji, but Blanca knocks Ash unconscious and takes him inside to treat his bullet wounds as Jessica, Cain, Sing and Alex watch.

After finishing bandaging Ash's injuries, Blanca tells the gang members that Ash should be fine, and the gang members sigh in relief. Ash regains consciousness and draws Blanca’s concealed gun from his jacket, telling him to move over.

Ibe berates himself for not keeping Eiji closer and Jessica tells him Ash was shot, too. Charlie is surprised upon learning that Ash was still alive after being believed dead. Eiji is brought to them and asks if Ash is all right, to which Jessica replies that he is being treated elsewhere.

Ash tells Blanca to move or he will shoot though Blanca asks where he will go, and to understand that they might consider Eiji an accomplice to Ash who is a known criminal if he goes to see him. Blanca tells Ash he knew that this day would come, and that Eiji does not exist for his salvation. In frustration Ash fires the gun into the wall behind Blanca before falling to his knees.

Sing sits outside before seeing Blanca, he has an inkling that Yut-Lung planned this. Sing tells Lao that their alliance is over now with Ash, and that he would never forgive anyone who hurt Eiji. He tells Lao to trust him and not question anything he does from now on. Sing says he never wanted to fight Ash, wonders how great it would be if Shorter was with them, and says he wishes he'd never become a boos as he starts crying.

Jessica and Ibe oversee Eiji in his hospital room. Ash suddenly awakes in the dark. He joins the gathered gangs telling them they don’t have time. One of Cain’s men notes the arrival of the Chinese gang.

Sing approaches and wants to apologize since two of his men betrayed Ash. Cain’s gang members will not hear it; it is too late for apologies. Sing tells him he is willing to accept punishment after everything is over and with if Ash is willing to show mercy, Sing asks to fight Ash one on one.

Lao, aware of the futility of this, tries to rally who he can saying that Ash shot down two of their men, namely the ones who shot at Ash and Eiji to begin with. Lao continues to say that Ash thinks nothing of any of them, that the Japanese boy is the only human worth anything to him and how any one else can risk their lives for Ash. He continues to berate Ash until Sing punches Lao in the face. Lao refuses to follow Ash and leaves and Sing supports this by saying he is no longer one of them.

Sing again apologizes for the display then asked Ash whether he agrees. Ash does agree to the fight before Sing stakes his life on carrying out the liberation plot.

Cain discusses the fight with Ash and then why Ash can’t go to Eiji, he doesn’t want to turn him into a criminal via his association with Ash. He continues to think bleakly until Cain tells him to stop torturing himself, that he believes in him.

Ash tearfully apologises to himself for not able to be bedside Eiji and asks that he not be taken away from him.

Yut is joined by Blanca and laughs off his question as to whether he is drunk. Blanca leaves feeling tonight isn’t the right time to tell Yut what he wanted but Yut orders him to stay having something to tell him.

Yut shares that Hong Kong was his hometown and details of his father and mother. Yut glowers as he remembers when his father died, his brothers barged into the room raping his mother then killing her. Yut remembers that he was held back in Hua-Lung’s arms.

Completing his story Yut asks Blanca if he doesn’t have a right to hatred. He enquires whether Ash, being jeered at and trampled on feels any hatred or curses anyone. Yut convinces himself under his face that Ash is the devil, but rejects Blanca’s sympathy and runs out the room.

Ash, Sing and Cain and their respective gangs are preparing the rescue plan, they are devising an ambush and resolve to come back alive.

Blanca is packing his bags and states to Yut that he would like to end their contract. Suspecting that he is going to Ash, Blanca knows Ash is jumping straight into a trap and injured from a gunshot wound. When Yut enquires what if he said no, Blanca shares he did not learn to hate like Yut, or love he had no emotions at all. Blanca was the government’s tool, just as Yut was the Lee’s. Blanca shares details on his wife Natalia, and though one day he was sent on a mission to Crimea, Natasha was caught up in a terrorist attack. Blanca ends his story by saying that Yut must not take Eiji away from Ash, it would only be making another one of them. Blanca ends saying there will be someone to care for and love Yut before he departs.

Sing directs men to grab their weapons with Ash and The Fly watching. Ash hears a car horn and looks over to see Blanca has arrived. He explains he got fired and asks if he wants to hire him. Costs aside Ash accepts the offer and the combined forces set out to the National Mental Health Institute.

En route Blanca makes a quick stop to go the hospital where Eiji is being kept. Blanca explains Eiji is off ICU and in now the general ward. Blanca hands Ash a coat for a disguise and tells him to go and see him, he might not be able to do so again, Ash heads in to see Eiji.

After making his way to his room, Ash finds Eiji asleep in bed attached to a drip and begins crying. Ash realises Blanca was right that he should have known something like this could occur. Eiji can hear someone crying. He thinks how sad the voice sounds and wonders what he is so sad about. Eiji knows this voice, but is unable to speak.

Ash leaves before Eiji manages to walk out his hospital room and he faintly calls to him. Ash runs to Eiji but he tells him to go since Ibe and Charlie have also arrived. Eiji tearfully tells him to leave, and with crying as he does so he runs. Eiji grabs Charlie to stop him from chasing Ash.

Kong and Bones are imprisoned in the National Mental Health institute as they watch people escorted away by staff. Max is imprisoned in his own room.

Golzine and Fox overlook an operating theatre. Golzine is not willing discuss what the procedure entails though Fox guesses Banana Fish. Thinking it is a truth serum Fox suggests having the hostages state where Ash is though Golzine has already taken his own measures.

Blanca and Ash are in a forested area and even though Ash’s wound has been bleeding there is no time as Ash views images of Max and other hostages on his phone.

Robert and Jessica possess a USB drive, they will email Golzine requesting a comment from it before Jessica leaves meaning to take Robert’s car.

A guard brings in a tablet to Golzine, who immediately says he will be over in a second and to call his lawyer, do not answer the media and to call Fox.

Outside, Blanca and Ash discuss the plan to use the data of Golzine as leverage to stop him executing the hostages. Ash says whether they hand it over or not they will be killed but it was the only plan they could think of hence why him and Jessica carried it out.

Golzine tells Fox the project must be suspended, the data has been leaked to the press, and it will be in next week’s News Week. Golzine instructs Fox to guard this place, and to execute the hostages and send the bodies to Ash.

Sing waits in a tree as he watches Golzine leave, Cain and their combined gang member’s wait in the foliage. A car crash in the road impeding Golzine’s entourage and at once gang members open fire on their cars.

Gregory commands other guards to take Golzine somewhere safe before he is hit by gun fire. Golzine in turn is held at gunpoint by Ash who has appeared behind him.

Golzine is captured and made to walk back into the National Mental Health Institute. Dr Mannerheim and Fox see them all approaching and are both amazed. Fox tells the doctor to get his research data and as many samples of that drug as he can.

Ash walks into the facility with Golzine as his prisoner and tells those gathered to get Mannerheim. Fox is there are says he can talk to him instead and asks what are his demands. Ash tells him to release all the hostages.

Fox hear the demands, and gives his answer to them. He simply draws his gun and shoots Golzine himself twice in the chest.

## Characters

* Ash Lynx
* Eiji Okumura
* Yut-Lung
* Blanca
* Shunichi Ibe
* Max Lobo
* Charlie Dickinson
* Dino Golzine
* Eduardo L. Fox
* Mannerheim
* Alex
* Kong
* Gregory
* Lee Hua Lung (Flash back from Yut-Lung)
* Shorter Wong (Mentioned)
* Sing Soo-Ling
* Lao Yen Tai
* Steven LLOYD
* Jessica Randy
* Rogers
* Cain Blood

## Gallery

*Main Article: Episode 23 For Whom the Bell Tolls/Image Gallery*

## Trivia

* "For Whom the Bell Tolls" is a novel by Ernest Hemingway