The Fable

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.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

The Fable won the 41st Kodansha Manga Award in the General category in 2017. The series ranked 19th and 14th in the 2019 and 2020 Kono Manga ga Sugoi! for the Male Readers division, respectively.

The series was published digitally in English by Kodansha USA from April 12, 2022, to January 9, 2024, and in print as 2-in-1 omnibus volumes since April 9, 2024.

The manga was adapted into a Japanese live-action film that premiered on June 21, 2019. A sequel film was released on June 18, 2021.

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Characters

Satou, Akira

Main

Satou, Youko

Supporting

Yamaoka

Supporting

Ebihara, Takeshi

Supporting

Jackal Tomioka

Supporting

Kuroshio, Ryou

Supporting

Shimizu, Misaki

Supporting

Yuukari, Shinobu

Supporting

Boss

Supporting

Matsu

Supporting

Reviews

Jul 22, 2022

moozooh

Recommended

Well-written

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.

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Jul 11, 2022

acloudwithfeet

Recommended

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.

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Jan 26, 2024

darkpixelftw

Mixed Feelings

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 ...

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