Fallen Words
Fallen Words is a collection of short stories by manga artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi. The manga was published on July 3, 2009, by Basilico, with Drawn & Quarterly publishing it in North America on May 8, 2012.
Plot
;"The Innkeeper's Fortune"
;"New Year Festival"
;"Escape of the Sparrows"
;"Fiery Spirits"
;"Making the Rounds"
;"The Rooster Crows"
;"The God of Death"
;"Shibahama"
Production
is a form of storytelling where the stories are retold for generations, unlike manga, and are humorous as opposed to, which drew Tatsumi to adapt the stories. Tatsumi attempted to combine the humor of the stories with the visual language of, two forms which he thought were incompatible, but he later realized that they both rely strongly on timing and that has much more depth and variety, forcing him to reevaluate the form and see that it was closer to than he thought.
Release
The manga was originally published on July 3, 2009, by Basilico. Drawn & Quarterly licensed the manga in North America, publishing it on May 8, 2012.
Reception
Greg McElhatton of Read About Comics enjoyed the twists at the end of the stories and found their repetitive nature and Tatsumi's same-faced characters to work in favor of the medium's adaptation. McElhatton notes that the manga is "a bit different from his earlier works, but it's just as entertaining." Publishers Weekly complimented the humor and relatable nature of the fables, concluding that Tatsumi's "flat yet expressive drawings" help move the stories smoothly. Garrett Martin of Paste called the manga "a slight work, but fascinating as a historical and cultural artifact", comparing it to as if Robert Crumb adapted traditional folk songs.