The Fable is currently being serialized in Weekly Young Magazine, with the first part completed and the second part scheduled to begin serialization this summer. It was made into a live-action movie in 2019, and the second movie is scheduled for 2021! Let's take a look at the appeal of the live-action movie, introduce the cast, and see what changes have been made from the original!
Highlights of the movie #1: Powerful action scenes!!
This movie is packed with action elements. This is probably the best part, and action fans will definitely be thrilled by the powerful action scenes of the Fable brothers. The fighting and gunfights are very impressive and just cool!! The climax from the sneaking action is something you should enjoy in the cinema. In the original, the Fable brother ends it very quickly, but that wouldn't make for an action-oriented movie, so it's a charming story.
Highlights of the movie No. 2: Scary brothers and comical scenes
The Fable is about a killer from the underworld who has to blend into society as an ordinary person! ? Because of that, it's a work that features a lot of scary guys from the underworld, but in that situation, he pretends to be hurt by the attack and reacts in an exaggerated way because that's what a professional would do. It's normal for him to shed tears and show a pathetic appearance. It's interesting to see comical and funny scenes, such as when he stands up with a calm face after it's all over and praises himself for being "normal".
Highlight of the movie 3: Directing that matches the casting
Comparing the original and the movie, there are quite a few changes. Some characters were slightly different from the original, and some were almost completely different. However, I think these changes were good considering the image of the cast. I felt that this was especially noticeable with the two assassins who fight with the protagonist at the end and the yakuza Kojima who had just been released from prison. However, the characters and the cast were well matched after the changes, so I think it was a good result.
Movie Cast Introduction Part 1: Fable Sato Akira/Okada Junichi
Maybe this movie was made because of this person? It's a role that fits him so well. I think this movie wouldn't have been possible without Okada. In fact, Junichi Okada is one of the most martial artists in the entertainment industry, and is a fan of Jeet Kune Do, Kali, and Shooto, and is a serious fighter who is qualified as an instructor. Okada is also famous for his action scenes, which are really impressive. You'll wonder if he's really a Johnny's member!
Movie Cast Introduction Part 2: Ebihara/Ken Yasuda
Ken Yasuda plays Ebihara, a scary older brother who is both kind-hearted and ruthless. He is a person who made his name known to the public through Japan's most famous local TV show and Milk. In the original work, Ebiwara is a more muscular, militant yakuza, but Yasuda's Ebiwara is more humane. However, he also plays a scary guy well. In a certain game, he was homeless and fought against the yakuza, but I think he was a perfect fit for the role of a young boss of the yakuza.
Movie Cast Introduction Part 3 Kojima/Yagira Yuya
A man who has just been released from prison. Yuya Yagira plays Kojima, a really crazy, very scary guy with a sharp knife who doesn't even try to hide his violent nature. He is well known for playing various roles, but this time he plays Kojima, a violent older brother with a violent nature. The character of Kojima is quite different from the original. In "Destruction Babies," Yagira played a violent character who suddenly becomes violent on the street, so that may have been the image he had.
Movie Cast Introduction No. 4 Jackal Tomioka/Miyakawa Daisuke
Miyakawa Daisuke plays Jackal Tomioka, a comedian who is not only popular in the entertainment industry because of his sloppy acting but also because of his dirty acting. He is an eternal junior high school freshman, a comedian who does everything with his nude act, a flop comedian, and a dirty comedian, but he also does physical jobs, appears in commercials, and appears in dramas. It's interesting that Miyagawa Daisuke was cast as a comedian who appears in commercials and dramas, even though he's a flop and a dirty comedian.
Movie cast introduction No. 5 Kawai Yuuki/Fujimori Shingo
A handsome playboy who has made countless women cry, Kawai Yuuki is played by Fujimori Shingo of Oriental Radio. In the story, he tries to get Yoko to fall prey to him, but ends up being played with instead. Fujimori, one of the cast members, has also made a woman cry. But it turns out that it was Fujimori who was made to cry...
Changes made to the film ① Makkuro-gumi ⇒ Makkuro Company
In the manga version, the gang was called Makkuro-gumi, but it became a company called Makkuro Company. I don't know the details, but it was a front company for a gang, whether it was because the Anti-Boryokudan Act made it difficult for the scary guys to call themselves by their gang name, or because of adult circumstances on the production side.
Changes made to the film ② Changes to the character's personality and settings
The two characters that are most different from the original are Kojima, a man who has just been released from prison, and the assassin. In the original Kojima was an old-fashioned character who had a hidden violent side and put pressure on people, typical of a yakuza, but in the film version Kojima is a crazy dangerous character who may even try to hide his violent side. And while the two assassins in the original were professional characters who would not act recklessly, in the film version they were changed to loose-living thugs and assassins with no trace of professionalism. Maybe it was a change to suit the cast, or a necessary change for the development of an action movie.
Changes made to the film ③: The Fable struggles a lot
In the original, in the scene where he saves Misaki and goes to kidnap Kojima, the Fable is super overwhelmingly strong, and he finishes it quickly with a professional crime in the blink of an eye. The two assassins are helpless and are not even considered. However, if they do that in the film version, the action scene, which is the highlight of the movie, will be very lame. So the Fable struggles to some extent in the film version, and the two assassins do their best.
The Fable - Live-action movie summary
As an assassin who must never kill, there are scary scenes with a scary older brother, but the action scenes are comical and amazing! Here's a summary of the live-action movie version of The Fable! What's more, a second live-action movie has been announced for 2021, and the cast has already been announced. The first movie was fun, so we can look forward to the second one!
