GANNIBAL on Hulu (or Disney+ internationally) is a new horror series from Japan about cannibalism in a rural Japanese village. It comes from the director of the amazing horror-thriller Missing. The series has 7 episodes. Read our Gannibal series review here!
GANNIBAL is a new Hulu horror series (find it on Disney+ internationally). It’s a dark modern-day horror series that feels older due to being set in a more rural part of Japan. In that sense, it’s reminiscent of the brilliant South Korean movie The Wailing which I would highly recommend you check out.
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You’ll be seeing lots of murders and cannibalism in this series adapted from a manga series. This live-action version comes from a director who trained under South Korean filmmakers. And it shows in all the right ways. There are seven episodes to the series and it premieres with the first two episodes released.
Continue reading our Gannibal series review below. The series premieres on Hulu/Disney+ on December 28, 2022.
Stay away from the Gotos
In this new Hulu horror series, the main plot revolves around cannibalism in a rural Japanese village. During the first two episodes (which are released at the series premiere), we learn that you need to stay away from the Goto family. Everyone knows they’re trouble and that they keep to themselves.
Also, anyone who tries to investigate the family tends to disappear. Completely. As in “bones and all”, so there are only missing person cases. Not murder investigations.
MORE CANNIBALISM STORIES
Do check out Bones and All which is a different take on cannibalism >
Or, at least, the Gotos have been getting away with this for a while. But now, there’s a new sheriff in town. Or rather, a Chuzai!
Agawa Daigo uncovers the horrifying truth
In Gannibal, police officer Agawa Daigo becomes Chuzai (residential police) at the Kyokamura village with his wife and daughter. The latter refuses to speak but is healthy. This new job comes about after the previous Chuzai disappears very suddenly and mysteriously.
Now, Agawa Daigo (Yûya Yagira) is both tasked with being the Chuzai of Kyokamura and trying to solve the case of his missing predecessor. During this process, he very quickly stumbles upon the horrifying truth about the village.
A truth that involves cannibalism and which is still taking place in the village today.
Despite this very horrid and brutal core plot, Gannibal is mostly a character-driven story. You’ll be meeting many intriguing characters. Some are good, and many are bad, but all of them are flawed enough to make them realistic. Yes, including the new young Chuzai who will not back down.
Start watching the Gannibal series on Hulu or Disney+ now!
Gannibal is a live-action adaptation of a popular manga series. It’s been adapted for the screen by Takamasa Oe and is directed by Shinzô Katayama. For me, the director alone is enough reason to give this a chance. Though, to be fair, the plot itself is also enough reason to check it out.
Director Shinzô Katayama previously directed the amazing horror-thriller Missing (2021). You should definitely check out that one as well. We watched it during Fantasia 2022 and even included it on our “Best Horror Movies of 2022”-list here >
There are seven episodes to the series and the runtime of each is between one hour and just over 30 minutes. Join officer Agawa Daigo as he comes to discover that there is something very wrong with the villagers. Oh, I should also mention that there is a supernatural (or sci-fi, if you will) element to the story. It’s part of the story from episode 1.
Gannibal premieres on Hulu (in the US) and Disney+ (the rest of the world) on December 28, 2022.
Details
Director: Shinzo Katayama
Writer: Takamasa Oe
Cast: Yûya Yagira, Sho Kasamatsu, Riho Yoshioka, Mitsuko Baishô, Seiji Rokkaku, Baijaku Nakamura
Plot
After causing a major incident, police officer Daigo Agawa takes his wife Yuki and daughter Mashiro to live in the remote mountain village of Kuge. It seems the perfect place for the family to recover from the ordeal, despite the mysterious disappearance of a previous officer posted there. The village thrives on forestry, with the residents making their living from cypress timber. In charge of this whole operation is the Goto family, who own most of the village. One day, the body of an old woman is found on the mountain. The Goto family says she was attacked by a bear, but Daigo notices a human bite mark on the arm. Daigo begins to suspect something is not quite right with the village.
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