REEL JAPAN

Hulu/Disney+: 2 Seasons

Score: 6/10

Potentially more damaging to the Japanese tourism industry than any other production, Gannibal tells the story of a policeman from the city who takes a job in an isolated mountain village. It is hardly a spoiler to say: accusations of cannibalism haunt this village. 

Gannibal, which is based on a popular manga, is equivalent to the American genre called Southern Gothic Horror, where an outsider tries so very hard to see the best in his new neighbors despite his misgivings, before being forced to confront with horror that the evils run deeper than he ever imagined. 

The cast includes Yuya Yagira as Daigo. Yagira, who as a child actor won the Palm D’Or at the Cannes festival in 2004, is known for his eccentric, even mystifying acting choices. Since the main character frustrates his family, neighbors, and superiors constantly, his style works. Much of the protagonist’s moral development rests upon his young daughter’s reaction to violence, specifically violence carried out by her cop father. However by season 2, that thread is dropped leaving Daigo to merely dodge bullets and hatchets all the time. Riho Yoshioka shines as always, as Daigo’s wife, but we are left with a sense that her character could have been more important and virtually disappears from the season two finale. Yagira and Yoshioka don’t exactly spark up the screen with chemistry. 

Comparing the two seasons, an analogy comes to mind: Ridley Scott’s ALIEN vs James Cameron’s ALIENS. Whereas season one focuses on horror, season two rolls out a parade of action and carnage on that foundation. Few productions equally balance the Arabesque and Grotesque elements of horror, and here we have a heavy weight towards the grotesque. Indeed, it is likely the most carnage-laden production coming out of Japan since BATTLE ROYALE. 

Conspiracies can carry a horror plot forward, but the conspiracies here within the national police force overtaxes the suspension of belief. The season two finale lacks the punch of that season’s opening battle. Nevertheless the big budget is evident in the many choreographed fights and all-out mélees. 

Colorful local characters populate the story until each meets their demise, each taking with them a chunk of local charm. Some of the supporting characters are very memorable, including matriarch Gin Goto (played wonderfully in two timelines by Baisho Mitsuko (elder) and Yuri Tsunematsu (younger) , a wounded child in exile (Mahiro Takasugi), father and son Shinto priests (Hashizume Isao and Kura Yuki, Shunsuke Tanaka), Nairu Yamamoto as Kuroe Goto, and Kita Kana as the daughter of the missing cop Daigo replaces.

Kasamatsu Show plays Keisuke, the Goto heir, and has excellent chemistry with Yagira. Their relationship as friends, enemies, and frenemies defines the story. Keisuke exists as a Hamlet cipher who goes through momentous events utterly lost and determined to take no action, make no decision. If you decide to watch, you are in for an exciting and gory adventure. 

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