Gannibal season 1 was a brilliant folk horror mystery suspense thriller!

 

Spooky season is upon us! Now, I'm not really the biggest fan of the horror genre, mainly being into the slasher movies with serial killers and sometimes supernatural foes, but I thought it incredibly fitting to finally delve into a folk horror thriller drama that got rave reviews when it first aired back in 2022. Why didn't I dive into this drama back when it first came out, you may ask? Well, I am the type of person who doesn't follow trends and prefer to watch certain dramas and movies after the hype has died down. For me, it's mostly about not letting myself be swayed one way or the other by other people's responses to entertainment. I'd like to think that without the hype or lack thereof, I can give my honest opinion and thoughts. As for the drama I'm going to post about? The 2022 live-action adaptation of the horror manga by Masaaki Ninomiya, Gannibal. 

Following the mysterious, sudden disappearance of his predecessor, Kano, police officer Daigo Agawa is relocated to the isolated mountain village of Kuge. Kano was investigating the Goto family and the village before his disappearance. As Agawa and his family settle into life in the village, it becomes apparent that something is indeed off about the villagers. Things soon become increasingly paranoid, especially regarding the Goto family.

The first thing that was extremely noticeable about the drama was the incredibly high production values. It's clear that the production had a sizable budget for a drama from the get-go. The opening sequence, an extended one-shot that tracks police officer Kano through the village as he proclaims that he knows that the villagers eat people is not only an excellent hook but also demonstrates perfectly the level of production of the drama. Add on to that, the absolutely sublime establishing shots that setup and showcase just how beautiful this seemingly idyllic setting of Kuge village is and you've got a recipe for success. Now, the exquisite cinematography did wonders for the drama as it helped the juxtaposition and atmosphere incredibly, between the picturesque setting and the horrifying events that transpired throughout. 

The drama also created and sustained tension incredibly well. This was done successfully in both subtle and overt ways. For instance, Daigo's interactions with the villagers were incredibly tense, doubly so when he was engaging with the Goto family. Whilst certain villagers seemed friendly enough on the surface, there's certain phrases or sentences as well as looks that they give that make them seem as if they were less trustworthy than they seemed on the surface. There was an ongoing doubt as to whether anyone could be trusted at all, even his supposed superiors in the police force with how conversations played out. At times, it appeared as if certain characters knew more than they were letting on, deliberately leaving things out or not telling the whole truth. A lot of this could be attributed to the excellent dialogue written award-winning by Drive My Car screenwriter Takamasa Oke. The slow pace also allowed the mystery to build as we as the audience gain snippets of the truth behind everything in Kuge village piecemeal. That was a good thing because it ensured that nothing was rushed until the very end. 

There were a few action sequences and for the most part, the action was handled quite well. I enjoyed Daigo getting his hands dirty and taking on members of the Goto family as well as certain villagers. However, there was a shootout in which he was incredibly lucky, surviving by mere plot armour. All the bad guy had to do was aim for his lower half, and he would have been toast due to not being in full cover. 

Another negative was some poor CGI. That may have been due to the budget and certainly wasn't a deal breaker, but it was still quite noticeable, particularly when it came to the animals, specifically a bear and a big reveal involving a character critical to the plot. As I previously stated, the poor CGI was not off-putting, especially for veteran drama fans such as myself, but purists out there might think differently and thus, I opted to mention it as a flaw. 

Yuya Yagira was a fantastic choice for the leading role of police officer Daigo Agawa. He played the role of heroic, yet flawed protagonist superbly and he was a joy to watch. Daigo as a character started out seemingly as a cookie cutter policeman before it's revealed that he had an edge to him unlike most of those goody-two-shoes types, not that there's anything wrong with those kind of heroes. Honestly, his streak of violence was portrayed as a flaw, but the most violent act in his backstory was extremely justified. Sure, him murdering a criminal in front of his daughter led to her becoming mute from the trauma, but Mashiro was quite literally about to be murdered by a paedophile. 

Riho Yoshioka has always been a reliable choice for a leading lady. I've read about people online giving Yuki grief because of how she responded to the situation around her. Honestly? I think she was justified in wanting to leave almost immediately because of everything going on around them in the village and people seeming off. You've got to remember that she didn't have all the details that Daigo gained from his investigation and so, her reaction was quite natural in my humble opinion. 

Sho Kasamatsu did a wonderful job in a quite nuanced role as Keisuke Goto. He was a fascinating character to watch as you never quite fully knew his true intentions. His loyalty to his family seemed absolute, but there were flashes of him being his own person, going against what would typically be expected of him, especially when it came to dealing with Daigo. 

It would be unfair of me to leave out anyone in the cast really as everyone did splendid with what they were given and to be fair, they were given some great material to work with. No one seemed out of place or way too over the top and it worked really well for what the drama was. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed season 1 of Gannibal. I binged it all in one sitting and well, I couldn't wait to dig into season 2 straight after! That's the hallmark of a great drama and I highly recommend it to fans of horror, mysteries, suspense and thrillers. Easy recommendation. Doubly so if you're a fan of any of the cast, especially the leads.