DESCRIPTION

CAST

CHAPTERS

MANGA ActionThe Fable: The Second Contact
ONE SHOT ComedyThe Fable & Yoshifumi to Karaage
MANGA ComedyZa Faburu
ANIME ActionThe Fable

REVIEWS

• 

  saulgoodman

  90/100
  Assassins, yakuza and guns. Cue the Seinfeld theme.

  

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  Gun shots and laugh tracks

  Assassination and comedy have surprising chemistry these days. It's a bit of a small niche, with SPY x Family and Assassination Classroom as its poster-boys, but The Fable is my favorite up-and-comer in this hybrid genre recess.

  "You got another target to take care of … to kick back and have fun!"

  In Satou and Youko's one-year vacation in a quaint, humble town to lay low profile, their attempts at relaxation are often thwarted by mischievous drama that can smell the blood on their hands. From outdoor camping, job hunting, pet caring, bar drinking and other recreational activities yet to come, Satou's reputation as the legendary Fable seems to cuck him out of these attempts at casually passing the time. For better or worse, Satou unintentionally drags himself into ridiculous situations, all still with his stoic face.

  With its slow, easy-going pacing, you're sure to thoroughly relish the absurdity of the arcs and new characters. Thus far (86 chapters), there've been only 2 arcs that bear no clear-cut indication of a real, overarching plot looming about. That said, I'm enjoying the absurd misadventures of Satou and Co., sprinkled with heavy drama.

  The heavy drama does well to remind of the seinen tag. The Fable has no earnest favoring towards dark comedy. When it portrays dark and gruesome scenes plastered with death and other explicit taboos, the series tends to treat them as such, without much comedy. Though I consider myself a connoisseur of dark comedy, I think it was in good choice that there's a clear-cut division of comedy and death in The Fable. That is, so that more concrete weight is given to both the story and Satou's character. Had the entire story been a listless episodic comedy series, I'm confident that my enjoyment would've been halved. The story, though still infantile in its development, has been interesting and investing with the yakuza subplot. The dramatic, dark aspect of the story definitely doesn't take precedent after the comedy. There's a fine symmetry between both that'll leave you both smirking and shaking your leg in impatient anticipation for more.

  Laughably and surprisingly, The Fable excels as an iyashikei in occasional intervals. From Satou prepping and frying fish to him camping out in the woods, there's an actual air of tranquility to these scenes that depict Satou as nothing more than a carefree guy enjoying his life.

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  Brother and Sister

  The series excels in character mannerisms, particularly with the pseudo-siblings, Satou and Youko.

  For a lack of better words, Satou's a human trying to be human. The context of his dark past and present bloody career would paint him as a reptilian, ice-blooded murderer, but it's moreso that Satou's a child unaware of the world. He certainly follows with the most fundamental laws, but he also wouldn't blink an eye at disregarding them if he sees fit. He also has no interest or knowledge in interpersonal connections, like friendship or love. This and his arcane interests, such as his love for a comedian named Jackal, give him such loveable charm and depth beyond black-and-white. From the get-go, Satou took this one year hiatus not as a vacation as Youko did, but simply another job. Despite this cog-like mentality, however, Satou still seeks enjoyment and pleasure doing so. His rather naïve and easily influenced nature churns out a number of mundane situations contrary to Satou's offbeat character, yet they end up just as bizarre as him. Not to take him an imbecile, either. Satou also possesses quick wit, technical and survivalist knowledge and animalistic instinct bred from his dark life and line of work. His offish, goofy nature also doesn't warrant him a dunce cap. In critical and grim situations, his professionalism takes face. The quirky richness of Satou's character is extremely humorous to bear witness to, both in lone screen-time and how others react to this anomalous assassin. On a less lighthearted note, though, Satou's character is one full of plenty potential to grow as a human, as well.

  Youko, on the other hand, has been surprisingly humorous in her shenanigans, as well. I had originally dismissed her as a dreary tsukkomi to the boke that is Satou, albeit broken by some amusing moments and personality quirks. Her drunken state and sadist tendencies, however, are quite a hefty contribution to the current state of comedic affairs in The Fable. Being much more outgoing and sociable than Satou, not to mention attractive, Youko attracts supporting characters and dresses them up to be wildly entertaining during their interactions. In consideration to Satou, the two have a strange chemistry. Not quite dichotomous as dog and cat, oil and water, but their banter often resulting from Satou's idiosyncratic character and Youko's modern and somewhat valley girl quirks is fun. What more she has to offer, I very much look forward to.

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  Pseudo-realistic

  The art-style is an idiosyncratic thing. It has take shape in pseudo-realism, and while it's nothing new, Minami Katsuhisa's style is still somewhat uncanny. I suppose I could liken it to Ikegami Ryoichi's art-style, but more expressive and less detailed. Regardless, while it may be a bit offbeat to any typical art-style, it measures up quite nicely with its detail in shading and animated, slightly grotesque expressions.

  Though I suggested reaction face comedy to be somewhat mundane for my taste at the start, I have absolutely no qualms with it, if not wildly exaggerated in the fashion of Jim Carrey in The Mask. Coupled with its pseudo-realistic style, The Fable excels and exceeds at this with subtlety. No Looney Tunes eye-popping, unhinged jaws or unrolled tongues are found, with only natural, slightly-distorted expressions of panic, laughter, smugness found. The simplest things can grandly elevate anything, and it's no exception here.

  Comedy and character designs aside, the art has significant level of detail in other areas. Particularly, it's obvious the author has an artistic fetish for guns, tactical weapons and cars. The level of realism and detail in them beg the question if computer art programs and 3D models were used in a similar vein to Gantz, but I'm greenhorn in that area. For a story about the yakuza and assassins, this specialized detail is certainly fitting.

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  Conclusion

  The Fable is both a well-written crime syndicate story and comedy. Relying on subtlety on multiple planes, it's a well recommended read if you ever find yourself growing weary of the more boisterous and in-your-face comedies. The comedy tag shouldn't fool you, as the story is seeded with plenty of dark scenes and characters. There's a refined cut and balance of comedy and drama. Neither one softens the impact of the other, but acts to refine the overall story. The art may be somewhat uncanny at first glance with its pseudo-realistic style, but its detail and colorful expressions will soon alleviate any pecking discomfort.

  The story is still maturing, with its slow-stead pace, but The Fable has proven to be an excellent read for any seinen and comedy fan.

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• 

  happycricketbox

  95/100
  This is a story your dad will enjoy. And I bet you will, too!

  A reformed professional killer trying their best to live a normal life while hijinks prevent them very much from doing so! Sounds familiar?

  

  The “funny spy/assassin” subgenre has been around for a while and I feel like it is rather prominent as of late, with the most notable one being SPYxFAMILY. Within the MANGA Plus app itself, there are currently six ongoing titles within this subgenre! That’s a lot!! Personally, I have a soft spot for these stories, with my current favorite one being Sakamoto Days.

  Among discussions relating to titles within this subgenre, one title was mentioned quite a bunch of times and touted by few as the best of its kind, and that is The Fable. I decided to give this series a shot, to see what it’s all about!

  # __So, what is it about?__

  This story revolves around Akira Satou, a legendary assassin that is referred to some as Fable. He, along with his “sister,” were given a mission to live peacefully in a city for a whole year, and absolutely no killing allowed. He may be unmatched as assassin, but lacking in everything else that makes up an average person. He is dense, not able to comprehend and reciprocate basic emotions, and has many other odd quirks. Now, he has to use his skills for killing instead to protect his peaceful life and the people that surround it. How will he fare?

  # __The Story__

  The story started out slow and at first, I was not sure how to feel about that. As I kept reading it though, I barely noticed the pacing and was able to go through it so smoothly that it surprised me. Unlike the other funny assassin titles, this one is very grounded and everything conformed to the realms of reality (so no super powerful punches or air kicks or such. They were even being realistic about how hard it is to acquire a gun!).

  

  It is an action series but really, a huge chunk of the story is dedicated to our protagonist living a normal life, or at least trying to. What also makes up a huge part of the story is about the inner workings of the underworld and disputes that arise within it. It is a bit sparse with action scenes but that’s what makes it so exciting every time it happens! It has its slower moments but never have I felt bored reading it. I would also like to point out about how well written the antagonists are. Despite Satou being supposedly "unmatched", they pose as a serious threat as they could so easily crush his pretense of a peaceful life. Him not being allowed to kill makes it more suspenseful and exciting.

  # __The Art and Humor__

  The humor in this is simply sublime and so many of it stems from Satou not being able to blend in as an "average person". A lot of it is as simple as showing a funny expression, but they are done so smartly, not overdone and always at the right moments. Every time it happens, I always burst out laughing. I probably laughed at this more at many other well-known series known under the comedy genre. They also have moments dedicated to comedy such as Youko’s drinking game and the Christmas party, which really help lighten up the story despite the often-dark themes of it.

  The art style is bordering on realistic and it really works in favor of the story it’s trying to tell. A solid art style that never felt like it’s trying to show off. Same with the character designs, everyone looks like someone you might just encounter in real life, even our protagonist looks just like an average guy! Though his personality and killing prowess are really what makes him. The art style really helps keep everything grounded, and makes the humorous expressions more hilarious.

  # __Conclusion__

  Overall, The Fable is such a delightful read, and well deserve the title of “best funny assassin series.” I did mention Sakamoto Days before (which I later noticed, took a lot of inspirations from this series! Fun fact!), because that is what this series reminded me of! It’s Sakamoto Days but without all the action shounen flair. It’s Sakamoto Days for dads. I greatly recommend this series especially if you’re looking for a mature story that’s hillarious all around and thoroughly entertaining.

  
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• 

  Turcobandido

  80/100
  Cotidianeidad tras la vida criminal

  The Fable es un manga que me gusta más cuando intenta ir por el lado cómico que por el lado más dramático. Es un poco la gracia de esta obra, no voy a decir que no. Se trata de un cómic sobre la experiencia de una persona que intenta huir un poco de su pasado oscuro como asesino y empieza una nueva vida cotidiana donde realmente se tiene que preocupar por poco. En el camino hay momentos de luz y momentos de tensión debido a esos pocos lazos que todavía le quedan con su vida anterior y que nuestro protagonista debe navegar.

  Satou es un protagonista interesante que vemos evolucionar a lo largo de 200 capítulos. Aun impasible, su forma de relacionarse con el mundo y su forma de interactuar con otras personas mezcla tanto su ética profesional, como mentiras, como sus sentimientos personales a lo largo del progreso de un año entero. Satou no entiende del todo a la gente y la gente no le entiende del todo a él pero aun así vemos cómo empieza a apreciar una vida tranquila. Al contrario de lo que podría uno esperarse de Satou, éste no exhibe varias de las cualidades más típicas de lo que se espera de la profesión. No quiero decir que sea un señor alegre o que se tome el acto de matar como un juego, más bien, es un verdadero "profesional" y fuera de ese entorno profesional, aún con sus excentricidades, es una persona que intenta mejorar como puede.

  A satou le acompaña un cast de personajes secundarios más que sólido. Todos muy agradables. Desde bufones, a casamenteros, y acabando con más asesinos, algunos de ellos simbolizando varios de los elementos que uno se espera de esta profesión. Si hay algo en lo que destaca The Fable es en sus personajes y las relaciones interpersonales que todos exhiben entre sí. Todos tienen un buen grado de profundidad y son memorables. Y graciosos. Especial mención hay que hacer a Youko, la "hermana" de Satou que me consigue hacer mucha gracia en sus intentos de intentar "conseguir un novio" en bares y sus métricas particulares.

  Como he dicho, prefiero a The Fable cuando va en tono de comedia que en tono de acción y drama. Creo que aun sin ser malo a la hora de centrarse en sus momentos más siniestros, su acción no consigue ser sobresaliente salvo en unas contadas ocasiones. Se abusa mucho de movimientos de manos que el ojo no puede ver del todo bien y los tiroteos no me entusiasman. Y creo que el drama no resuena tanto en mí. Se abusa demasiado de un tono trágico y oscuro que aunque entiendo su razón de ser debido a que estamos ante un manga de yakuzas, creo que llega a cansar.

  Igualmente, en su conjunto, es un manga muy sólido y recomendable. Sus arcos tienen buen ritmo, te engancha fácilmente y creo que tiene un aura personal muy chula. Si quieres un seinen, es muy recomendable.

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