Danica Davidson
June 24, 2024 
In Gannibal, Daigo Agawa has become a police officer for a small Japanese village called Kuge, where one would think there would be very little crime. Agawa moves in with his wife and little daughter. The daughter has lost the ability to speak, which hints at something important in the past. At the same time, Agawa is trying to fit in with the villagers, even though people refer to him as “the outsider.” And then there’s the issue of the police officer who used to have his job, but who went missing. The officer said the people of Kuge practice cannibalism.
Agawa doesn’t believe this, but soon more and more unsettling things happen. His daughter, after a walk, hands him a serrated human finger, but because she can’t talk, she can’t explain where she got it. An elderly woman is brutally killed, and the villagers suspect a bear. But after they find the bear, kill it, and confirm it ate the woman, they do something that shocks Agawa. Agawa decides he needs to seek out the daughter of the former police officer to see what he can learn.
In its first volume, Gannibal has a very promising start. It’s creepy, it hints at all sorts of possibly interesting things, its plot is fast-paced and then gets faster. The artwork is excellent not only in portraying detail, but also establishing mood and bringing out the grotesque. Well-meaning Agawa is a likable character, and his family members additionally have their own unique personalities. This first volume is gripping, and then ends on one hell of a cliffhanger. So if you’re not already gripped by the story, you probably will be then.
Gannibal has a live-action adaptation that’s streaming on Hulu. Fans of that series, as well as fans of horror titles, definitely ought to check out the manga.
Story & Art: Masaaki Ninomiya
Publisher: ABLAZE Publishing
Translator: Alex Kon
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
