“The laws of the country, doesn’t apply to this village.”
Not everything is as it seems in the rural village of Kuge, situated in lush mountains and dense forests. Yet, there is something sinister amidst the scenic views and behind the smiles of the villagers.
The series caught my interest when I first heard about it when the first two episodes became available last December 28, although I didn’t jump in to watch just yet, horror-thrillers and cannibals are the type of shows you need to be in the right headspace in to watch.
And after reading and watching the Timothee Chamelet and Taylor Russell led (also) cannibal themed Bones And All I wasn’t in a hurry to jump into another cannibal carrousel just yet. Although two episodes in Gannibal and that awful taste in my mouth that Bones And All left- I still wasn’t happy with how the cannibals in the story, only seemed to be like sloppy serial killers back in the 80s, was instantly replaced.
There is only so much that director Luca Guadagnino can do, especially when the motivations for the characters’ cannibalism in Bones And All wasn’t so convincing. At least in ‘Gannibal’ its about family, and a lot of people have done a lot of unimaginable things for the sake of family and tradition.
A young police officer, Agawa Daigo (Yuya Yagira) begins his first day in the quiet and scenic rural forest village of Kuge. He moves to the village along with his wife and young daughter. The villagers welcome him with fresh smiles and fresh vegetables but the excitement over the new police officer takes a different turn upon the discovery of an elderly woman’s mangled body in the forest.
The easy explanation would be that the old lady was attacked by a bear, but officer Daigo sees a telltale sign on the victim’s body that troubles him.
And its not like the gruesome death is the only thing on officer Daigo’s plate. There is also the mystery of his predecessor’s mysterious disappearance. Could he really have been distraught over his supposed debt over a pachinko addiction? Or was there more to his disappearance than the villagers are letting on?
Be warned that there are some gory content. Its advised for 15 years old and up.
Watch the trailer below! First two episodes are now available to stream on Disney+
New episodes drop every Wednesday.
A rural village in the mountains, possible cannibals as neighbors, I didn’t think that I would relate to anything in the series but there was something that I could relate to, and it was in officer Daigo’s daughter Masahiro.
Traumatized by a still unrevealed event, Daigo’s daughter hasn’t spoken a word and has the tendency to wander off, and this is where she encounters the terrifying pale giant in the forest. How was I able to relate to Masahiro? Well, its not the pale giant in the forest for sure. You see, my five year old son hasn’t spoken a word yet, he has been diagnosed with Global Developmental Delay. In case you were wondering what his therapy sessions in my IG stories is about. Ironically, your child’s selective mutism is hard to talk about, which is probably why I am writing about it instead, so its comforting to see a family with the same struggles as you, but of course, minus the cannibals and that super scary pale big man.
I know its risky to like a new series so much, only two episodes in, there is so much that can happen, and things can go south fast. But if the intention of those first two episodes were to capture an audience, they definitely have captured my attention. Gannibal is reminiscent of the really good Asian horror that has managed to carve a niche for itself in contemporary pop culture. Here’s to hoping things get even more interesting. One surprise reveal had me choking because I gasped too hard.
Based on the ongoing manga of the same name by Ninomiya Masaaki, the first two episodes of Gannibal are now streaming on Disney+ with new episodes each Wednesday.