The Fable Omnibus 3 Review
WARNING: This review, and indeed this book, covers topics such as sexual assault and forced sex work, which some readers may find disturbing.
In my reviews of the previous two omnibus editions of The Fable, I have talked about how this manga is able to combine thrilling action with more humorous moments to great effect. In this collection however, we are very much concentrating on the serious.
The hitman known as The Fable, living under the name Akira Sato and who is currently trying to live like a normal person for a year, has been able to get a job at a design company. During his time there he learns that one female employee, Misaki Shimizu, is a former gravure idol who is spied on by a perverted co-worker, and is now being targeted by a man named Kojima, a rogue member of the yakuza gang protecting Fable/Akira, who is planning to set up his own call girl business.
As part of his schemes, Kojima tries to blackmail Misaki into becoming one of the women in his new business. At first she resists, but after Kojima’s goons start beating up people close to her including her and Fable/Akira’s boss, she decides she has no other option but to agree to his demands. Fable/Akira is then called upon by the hospitalised captain of the yakuza gang, Takeshi, to try to stop Kojima’s plans – something he is more than happy to do if it means keeping Misaki safe. The problem is how can he carry out this work without killing anyone?
As highlighted at the beginning of this review, this collection deals with some serious subject matter. This is perhaps best highlighted by Kodansha’s production team. The issue of the subject matter in this book is dealt with at the very beginning, presumably the duty of the editors, in this case, Ben Applegate for the print edition.
At the bottom of the table of contents, not only is there a warning about the fact that this book covers graphic depictions of sexual assault and a storyline about someone being forced into sex work, but there is information about what you can do if you believe you know of someone who is a victim of either of these crimes. These include hotlines to call for US readers, and websites to use for those living outside the US. This is all really useful information and Kodansha are to be commended for providing their readers with it. Good work. The other members of the production team, Abigail Blackman for the cover design, Adam Hirsch for translation, and Arbash Mughal for lettering, also continue to provide useful output.
Regarding the plot itself, there are several things to be aware of. The sex work storyline leads to depictions of nudity and a scene where Misaki is forced to carry out oral sex on a yakuza member, which are certainly shocking to the reader and remind you of the serious tone this manga now takes. We also witness Fable/Akira making some new tools as he launches an operation to free Misaki, including a special type of non-lethal gun, and smoke bombs.
However, weirdly, the humour comes back in when he carries out the operation. When his flatmate and fake sister Yoko communicates with him secretly during the operation and tells him to reassure Misaki things will be safe, he ends up impersonating his favourite comic, and firing his non-lethal gun into his mouth to show her there is nothing to worry about, which feels slightly off-kilter with the tone of the rest of the book.
Nevertheless, The Fable is still providing gripping action, and dealing with such subject matter brings the story to a more serious level.
Web addresses provided in this book about who to contact if you know someone who is the victim of sexual assault or forced sex work are findahelpline.com and europeanfreedomnetwork.org/hotline.
Our review copy from Kodansha was provided by Diamond Book Distributors.
