The Fable

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It's funny how this works. The Fable's subject matter is something that'd be par for the course in Japanese pop culture of the 60s, the 70s, or even the 80s. But today, in 2022, it feels so out of place it once again becomes a breath of fresh air. There's nothing quite like it in the current media landscape, making any meaningful comparison extremely challenging—and, frankly, unneeded: its storytelling accomplishments stand firmly on their own legs.

The Fable's premise and narrative style occupy an unlikely middle ground between a classic sitcom and a dead-serious film noir. It tells a story of a pair of elite hitmen ... ordered by their boss to retire and try living a normal life as fake brother and sister, strictly forbidden to kill again. Given the obvious difficulties with reintegrating harshly conditioned human weapons back into society, a local yakuza group with ties to their organization is tasked with providing assistance so that the two can kick-start something resembling regular day-to-day life. The operative word there is "resembling", because *of course* it's not going to work out so easily—both because deeply ingrained habits and mindsets don't simply go away in a different environment, and also because circumstances calling for those habits constantly catch up to our heroes. It's an ongoing fake-it-till-you-make-it endeavor.

The manga treats this conflict with an astounding amount of thought and respect for its characters' unusual tribulations. As the result, The Fable's comedic writing is viciously funny but almost entirely deadpan in its delivery. There is virtually no witty dialogue or silly gags, no tired pop-culture references or any fan service at all; almost all the laughs are the result of characters so far removed from the norm being exposed to said norm and its vessels—regular people like us. The compelling and occasionally hysterical nature of these social interactions demonstrate truly smart writing in a premise almost completely devoid of complex plot movement, which is a rare but welcome occurrence. Fittingly, it is accompanied by hyper-realistic art that portrays characters to the finest detail of their body language, giving further credibility to visual storytelling. There is a lot of nuance—something I particularly appreciate—but no edginess or pathos commonly plaguing similarly set stories. It's remarkably down-to-earth in all the right ways.

Needless to say, the characters themselves are the bread and butter of this story, and it's very impressive just how likable they are for how unseemly their background is. Especially considering more than half of the recurring cast are either yakuza or assassins—and make no mistake, they aren't some "heart of gold" type exceptions that conveniently dodge the associated stigma. They are true to form and function, and the reason they're so relatable and fun to follow despite that is a testament to the author's ability to give them depth and humanity. They aren't "good" people by most measures, but they're complex, conflicted, and interesting. In a series where morality is largely expressed in the darker shades of grey, this is relayed in a surprisingly comfortable manner, and as I was reading I never felt like I was urged to sympathize with scum or hate the righteous. The characters navigate on their own moral compasses, but it doesn't lead to contradictions or confused allegiance. Again, good writing right there.

The Fable, much like its protagonists, appears to be a vestige of a bygone era of romanticizing organized crime and hard-boiled protagonists, an artifact out of time. But under its hood lies a funny and heartwarming tale about people on the dark side of our society dealing with their own weird troubles and trying to keep up with the times; it has a lovable cast, it nails a satisfying ending. If there's one point of (perhaps, unfair) criticism I could make, it would be for the manga's overall lack of storytelling ambition: this is not the kind of story that you'll carry in your heart and mind for years, nor it is likely to affect how you think about the world or your own self. It's fully content being only where it wants to be and achieving only what it wants to achieve—but it does so with the skill and integrity of a professional hitman.

With the fan translation of this manga finally complete, I can write a full review of this series with my complete thoughts on the manga as a whole.

Story: 10.

The story of Akira Satou's assignment to leave his assassin ways behind him takes us through several dark and dangerous situations passed on as completely mundane annoyances or inconveniences. Conflicts are constantly born out of the simple desires of the antagonists, who treat their actions with careful planning and calm cruelty. The story works because of this. The seeming banal response of the characters and even the story itself to what is normally considered tense and suspenseful ... in any other manga draws you in, buttering you up with its black but lighthearted comedy. Then the story will slowly transition to an actual tense and thrilling climax, as both the protagonists and antagonists meet to duke it out. This plays out multiple times, and yet each time a new twist or subversion is added, preventing the arc from becoming stale.

Art: 9.

This manga is incredibly detailed, most likely using a lot of sketching over actual photographs for its backgrounds. But unlike a manga like Dr. Stone, where the backgrounds feel more like a compressed and photoshopped image, the backgrounds in The Fable look like they were drawn manually. I have no understanding of digital art, so I have no clue how this was done, but it is impressive all the same. Meanwhile, the characters are drawn very realistically, with every detail in their face and clothing in view at all times. Because of this, there are very few times where the characters themselves emote or express themselves in a unique way, but when they do it's meant for comedic effect, and it always lands. However, there is sometimes a lack of variety in both panel composition and layout. Sometimes the panels can start to blend together and get a bit samey. This is a dialogue-driven series, so other than the full page and double spreads, don't expect a whole lot of creative shots or interesting angles.

Characters: 10

The seeming mundanity of fighting and killing can only be expressed when the characters themselves treat it as such. But there needs to be a way to express a difference between emotionless and cold-blooded killers, and assassins who have adapted to and understand their way of life. This is what makes Satou, Youko and many of the other assassins such good characters. They have been raised in their ways since they were young, and while characters like Youko have not completely separated themselves from their humanity, characters like Satou have in a way that has not made them callous or sociopathic. It is this that gravitates these characters above edgy overpowered Saitama-esque jokes into well rounded, and very complex characters. Meanwhile, the more normal characters, such as the lowly yakuza henchmen, Misaki, or Satou's new boss, are both incredibly funny and genuine at heart, which helps display Satou's growing humanity in a subtle yet beautiful way.

Enjoyment/Overall: 10

The Fable manages to do all which it seeks to accomplish. When it tried to be funny I laughed, when it tried to be tense I was worried, and when it tried to be grounded and sad I felt the pit in my stomach sink ever so slightly. There is nothing quite like this manga, both in style and substance, and it's probably in my top 10 manga of all time. So if you got the hours to put away pick up this manga, it's a long ride but it is well worth it.

TL:DR
Unexpectedly light-hearted tale of the a hitman trying to become a normal person - but he needs to escape the past first. This is more of a slice of life (albeit a slice of a very strange life) than action or comedy. However, this is very compelling for a certain kind of person.

Description
Fable is a legendary hitman who has completed numerous jobs for a variety of clients. After concluding his latest assignment, the number of people he has recently killed becomes too high, and Fable is ordered by his boss to lay low for a year. He is suggested that having to adapt to life ... as an ordinary citizen might prove a valuable experience for his future work. 

Fable is to be accompanied by the woman who acts as his driver, and the two will assume new identities as siblings. However, their boss warns them that they will both face a deadly punishment if Fable kills anyone during his time off. Thus begins Akira and Youko Satou's joint one-year sabbatical from the underworld.

Story: 6/10
The manga is very light-hearted. Despite the characters professions (hitmen and yakuza) or the seriousness of the situation, the manga manages to retain that fun atmosphere with a well-placed joke or just by the nonchalant behaviour of the characters themselves. It avoids the edginess that bogs down similar manga. This is portrayed with the characters too, it's always so casual that it never really enters the readers mind that the situation is serious and it keeps the fun atmosphere going.

I can't tell if this is supposed to be a comedy or action. The manga does very well on the build up actually, creating tension and a sense of the stakes while building to a satisfying climax. And then it fumbles at the end. The fights are just bad. Satou is an uber-badass who does everything without effort. Somehow the manga get's less tense when guns are drawn, because we know exactly how it will play out. The fist fights are also terrible (and I speak more on this in the art section). Keeping in mind that comedy is even more subjective than other tastes, I just did not find the manga funny. Most of the jokes are very basic: look he made a funny face, he admires this guy a lot wow, etc. They're all very basic jokes repeated ad nauseum.

Honestly though? I don't think it matters. This manga isn't comedy nor action, it's a slice of life in a truest sense. Following these strange people along their lives is so interesting. Even if the destination never lives up to expectations, the journey is worth it.

Character 8/10
The author really sell the fact that the characters are hitmen, they treat the scenarios they're thrust into so nonchalantly that it becomes obvious that these are everyday occurrences for them. It's a very compelling characterisation that rises above the typical over-the-top angst you may expect from the premise. The alien way they approach mundane occurrences is what makes this manga enjoyable.

The author refuses to soften or romantise the characters either, showing you exactly what a yakuza or hitman gets up to. Despite their profession, they are still very endearing and just so human, they have concerns and interests and relationships. Even the antagonists aren't just cackling villains, they make sensible decisions and they miscalculate. The writing is so good that the enjoyment comes from following their lives and the interactions of the cast.

Honestly, my least favourite was Satou, he's too stoic and barely reacts to anything happening. This makes sense considering his profession but it leads his character to be a little bland. Another thing is that he's too nice, he's supposed to be this cold killer, but he already behaves like an overprotective older brother. Would have been nice for him to be able to grow during the manga.

The rest of the cast is best experienced than talked about, it's hard to capture what makes them so compelling in words.

Art
The art is fantastic and gets you immersed in the manga. The artist goes for high amount of realism, with lots of detail in each character making. Despite avoiding exaggerated character designs, the characters are all very recognisable.

The backgrounds are extremely detailed, it makes the world feel very “lived in”. They look more like photos than drawn art.

The characters are not very visually expressive however, rarely showing emotion visually and only then for comedic effect.

Combat is disappointing, fist fights are just blurs on the page - literally, the arms are just a blur, I looked at these panels closely and I struggle to say what is actually happening in the fights. There aren't any schematic shots or dramatic running fights. People primarily just stand there and either wave there arms around or point guns. The characters are completely static and it's dreadfully dull. The final, climactic showdown at the end of the manga is ruined by the fact that it looks so bloody stupid that I can't take it seriously. It's very disappointing for an artist that clearly pays great attention to detail.

Overall 7/10
From the reviews I was expecting a riotous comedy and I was disappointed but I kept reading and I'm glad I did. The character writing on the manga is great and so the plot is good to, even if the author always fumbles the climaxes.

I don't think this manga is for everyone, it's a very character driven manga without much action and the comedy isn't top quality. However, if you just want to follow the short story of some interesting people, this is the manga for you.