The Fable: The Second Contact

"The Fable: The Second Contact" left me with so many mixed feelings that I just had to get this review out of my system. Do I recommend you to read this? If you are thinking about reading this, it means you've already finished the masterpiece that is "The Fable", and if you're looking for something more, then yes this manga will scratch that itch. But before going in, you should severly temper your expectations. Sequels are hard, because no matter what it will be compared to the previous work. And while isolated this manga could be rated as "Fine" or even "Good", compared to its predecessorit falls flat in all areas. First off, the story fails to deliver with only 86 chapters, which should be enough for any slow burn to happen, if we look at similarly paced arcs from the first one. Yet the story feels rushed and forced and the episodic slice of life moments feel like a jarring distraction from the main plot. Even if they weren't blended into the main story as well this time around, they were still hilarious when they did happen. But arguably my main point of dissapointment comes from the villains. They completly sucked. Again, the villains from the first one were so memorable, they all had interesting quirks and ideas, some flirted with the morally grey zone more than others, but they were all so fleshed out and... evil. Yet they still weirdly felt so human. It was a conflicting read, where I cheered from joy when they died, but when they were alive I was ever so interested in what they were about to do. Back to "The Second Contract", and it's The Fable againts The Rumor, another organization. This could have been interesting, maybe even a point where Akira met his match, or the Maguro group would fall into despair from a new omnious power. But no, it was just so, so boring. The new organization is just weak, and this has been known from the start. Even so, it fills the 86 chapters with what could have been a slow burn mystery into so many chapters of meaningless fighting againts the mighty Fable. And it's just sad, because fighting scenes are not Katsuhisa Minami's strong suit. Since the characters are so superhumanly strong, it always felt like watching 2 hitmen deal invisible blows against one another, until one croaks. Which was fine if used sparingly, but now half of the manga has been dedicated to meaningless action, against villains that are just weak and pathethic. To make matters worse, Yoko is reduced to rape bait to make the villains be... villains? Using SA to villainize characters is boring and lazy writing, as a result the villains this time around are uninsteresting, powerless and forgettable. Even so, do I outright Not Recommend the second installment? It really is a tough one, but as a big fan of "The Fable", I still had fun with it this time around mainly because of two things. The characters are still ever so lovable, and relationships between them continue to grow with the main group. I was introduced by Akira Sato, but I stayed because of Yuko, Kuro, Yuusaki, Azami, Ebihara and Misaki, who turned into such a wonderful character while being very much a side character this time around. Secondly, the humor is still top notch. I'd say almost every joke landed, even the recurring bits were so funny. Sometimes it just amazes me that I can stare at a manga page all the while laughing so hard. I'm still very much excited for the 3rd installment of Katsuhisa Minami's "The Fable", and I think he has some real gold on his hands. I hope the story evolves into something more akin to the Yakuza games, strong plot but with very funny slice-of-life moments, and it's also where "The Fable" is at it's best. "The Second Contract" is definitly a low, and for people with limited time I can not recommend it. Even so, the first one made me such a fan that it's hard to put my biases aside towards these characteres, and it was still fun to see them around for a second time.

If you're a fan of The Fable Part 1, this is a must-read. It seamlessly picks up the story and reunites all the amazing characters from the first part. Personally, I consider Part 1 a masterpiece, unmatched in its medium. I was thrilled to discover that Part 2 was nearly complete when I began reading it. The Second Contact offers more of the same charm, which is not a bad thing at all. The gang reunites at the start, diving into hilarious encounters through their new rent-an-uncle endeavor. Additionally, some plot points from Part 1 that were only hinted at are explored further, which is anice touch. The main plot of The Second Contact is engaging, and the dynamic between Sato and the "villain" is very interesting. While it may not be my favorite arc in The Fable, fans will definitely enjoy it, as I did. My only gripe is that the characters, especially Sato, are already well-developed from Part 1. I love Sato, but his progression was a major plot point in Part 1, where he learned to socialize and discover new facets of himself. This time around, there's less character development, which might disappoint those who were looking forward to more growth. However, it didn’t diminish my overall enjoyment. Overall, please read this if you are a Fable fan, you will not be disappointed!!

From perfect to good. I won't deny, and I don't think anybody can deny, this sequel wasn't entirely necessary. The original was a work of art, a true look into the beginning of redemption, and it did change my outlook into “do killers deserve a happy ending?”. Some other stories constantly contradict the happy idea the original “The Fable” discussed, and I expected this one to challenge that notion. Instead, it's just… more Fable. While the first one works great on its own, you can easily remove this one from the timeline, and there's not much of a change. Does that make this one bad?Not particularly. On its own, Second Contact is about how there's new trouble, stemming from old demons left untouched. There's the action, the comedy, the writing, the atmosphere, all while in the middle of… COVID-19? Wow, yeah, that's legitimately unexpected. It affects the narrative heavily, and explores how the Yakuza is affected by a pandemic, and the killers live in this environment, not only with the narrative happening, but as a background element. There's something about this mangaka, and his way of delivering lines, and the world around the character's that's so ALIVE. So dumb, yet, so human and relatable. We're talking about a story about super assassins finding a purpose in small-time jobs. Somehow, the comedy bits feel like a warm hug by those friendships you love. More of the same from before, without too many stakes to speak about, at least for the MC, Akira. The story shifts from the big, and powerful Akira, into challenging the other assassins, and showing if people with a little less skill, can actually follow up the lesson from the first installment. “Do Not Kill For Any Reason”. However, for as much of a challenge as there was for them, only the last chapters really showed that. It was rushed, no other way to put it. The original had so much time to develop each character to their utmost mentality. Every philosophy, displayed to us the audience, the look into a demented bastard who can't feel fear, or the ex-con who's trying to make it big, or the rapist creep. Each villain had enough time to exist, but these villains are just a gang of demented rapists, all of them. The story did feel like shock for shock's sake at some points, with them CONSTANTLY wanting to rape a certain character. I wish that wasn't the only way to make somebody hateable, since it just becomes “oh, got it, another rapist”, and you kinda shut your brain off whenever they're on-screen. No depth to the villains, except one or two, too short to justify these villains being there. The writing isn't as sharp and interesting. The lesson isn't challenged and reinforced properly, just reinforced. Rape isn't the only way to add stakes to a situation, Jesus Christ. 7/10. More of Fable, and while it's pretty good, the failures from the ending, and the villains, and the theme, do put it lower on ratings. You should still experience it, since more Fable, is always great.

For context, the original The Fable is in my top 10 manga of all time. I consider it an all-around masterpiece. So coming into this sequel my expectations were sky-high. And after reading it, I can say it's really good! It's great to be back in this world. The best thing about The Second Contact is that it's still good ol' Fable. The atmosphere, the art, the comedy; it's all the same, and it's all still great. Akira is the same hilarious guy, now married, and it's a joy to see him again. The most unique thing about the original was its film-like paneling where everythingflows like a movie with less dialogue and more visual storytelling, and thankfully, that's all still here. It genuinely just feels like a new arc of the original manga, which for the most part, is exactly what I wanted. But the story itself is weaker. It's not bad by any means, but it's less engaging and feels less "realistic" than the first part. The biggest problem is that the new villains and characters are barely fleshed out. There was almost no build-up, and because of that I really couldn't care less about them or the central conflict. The final arc, a big showdown between assassins in a park, just felt a bit out of place for Fable. There were too many enemies, the stakes felt a bit too high, and it all culminated in one of the stupidest and cheapest plot devices I've seen: sound waves that make people kill themselves. That's the other thing; this doesn't feel like a new story with a start and a finish. It feels exactly like what it is; an interlude. The ending is pretty much non-existent because it's just setting up the third and final part. As much as I'm hyped for more, I'm also skeptical. You can only make so many parts, even with a brilliant concept, before it starts to drag. In the end, The Fable: The Second Contact was a very good 8/10. It has a lot of what made the original a masterpiece, but it doesn't quite match it, especially in the story department. It's still very much The Fable, and if you loved the first one, you'll enjoy this. I just hope the third part brings back that top-tier storytelling.