Comedy fans shouldn’t sleep on The Fable, the deadpan crime tale currently streaming on Hulu. While other anime tend to focus on loud exclamations or exaggerated expressions to sell their jokes, these misadventures of a hitman-in-hiding rely on sharp dialogue and good timing instead. This matches perfectly with its origins as a seinen manga: being aimed at an older audience, The Fable shows a mastery of adult comedy.
Many anime have a particular cadence to their jokes, none of which are found in The Fable. Instead, the understated artwork and delivery of the punchlines take full advantage of its crime setting.
The Fable is comedically absurd as, despite the attempts by the various crooks to take things seriously, events conspire to make the results too bizarre to do anything except laugh at it all.
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The Fable Is An Adult Comedy That Lives Up To The Genre
Original manga written by Katsuhisa Minami. Animated adaptation by Tezuka Productions.
At first glance, The Fable is darker than it appears, given it opens up with a hitman exterminating a group of human traffickers with brutal, bloody efficiency. That, however, only serves to set up its true absurd premise: because the legendary “Fable” and his getaway driver have been too successful, they need to spend the next year in hiding, masquerading as the siblings Akira and Yoko Sato, and more importantly, not kill anyone else during their stay. Naturally, much comedy is had about a stone-cold killer with no social skills trying to comprehend non-violent civilian life, much less have one.
Within two episodes, The Fable makes a strong impression of how its comedy functions. While other anime tend to rely on screaming and shouting in disbelief, or slapstick comedy, Tezuka Productions’ adaptation has dry delivery down pat. The Fable revels in awkward silences and perfectly voiced gags. For example, when Akira’s yakuza hosts expect him, they imagine a legendary hitman in black, only to see him walk in dressed in tourist garb to “blend in”. There are no overreactions, just the stern features of the gangsters trying to act like everything is fine. The contrast is enough to make any viewer grin.
The Fable Could Be The Sleeper Comedy Of Spring 2024
It is safe to call The Fable an “adult comedy” thanks to its restraint. Rather than explain its gags and rely on in-your-face gags, it just patiently waits for the audience to connect the dots and laugh at the situations Akira finds himself in. Though it also uses sexual humor alongside its dark jokes, it isn’t reliant on them either, avoiding the pitfall of assuming that focusing on crassness is the same thing as maturity. For anime fans wanting a more understated, biting kind of humor, The Fable may be what they have been looking for, with its unique comedic flair.
The Fable is available on Hulu
Watch on Hulu
