Danica Davidson
September 14, 2024 
Gannibal is a creepy horror manga (check our review on it here) that also has a live-action adaptation on Hulu. With the second manga volume dropping on September 24 from ABLAZE, Otaku USA interviewed creator Masaaki Ninomiya on becoming a manga artist, the series’ cannibalism theme, and what he thinks about the live-action show.
Masaaki Ninomiya Interview
What made you become a manga artist? Why did you decide to pursue this as a career?
There’s no specific reason, but I like drawing and I’m pretty good at it. I also like movies and manga, so I naturally wanted to try and become a professional manga artist. Besides, perhaps it was a misunderstanding or arrogance in my youth, but I thought that I can do better than these guys (manga artists and movie directors)! That’s what I thought at the time. I guess I got to this point with an initial misunderstanding.
Who is the person who influenced you, or who are some of your favorite manga artists or series?
I loved the Crayon Shin-chan movie series. I especially love the works of the director, Keiichi Hara.
He excels at making an impression based on tension rather than logic, which is both an influence and an ideal.
I think that’s the reason why each character is memorable no matter how you think about it, but they ultimately hold on with a lot of spirit.
What kind of research went into creating Gannibal? What was the inspiration for this story?
I was careful to always keep the story suspenseful and learned how important that is for the horror genre.
As for my inspiration, I especially like the atmosphere of old Japanese movies, and I wanted to draw scenes that evoked some of those characteristics. I also moved to the countryside, and it was hard to fit in. Many of those themes are present in Gannibal.
As I grew up, I realized that it’s not that I didn’t like the countryside, but that I don’t like closed communities, whether it’s in the city or the country. I wrote the beginning of Gannibal with the discomfort I felt at that time
In the end, I now regret that I was the most closed-minded person who couldn’t accept those around me.
What particularly interested you about cannibalism?
I think that impact is the most important thing – it’s important that people resonate with that – but I felt that there were a lot of manga that focused only on impact, on the shock value – so I aimed for something substantial, more than just to shock the reader. I hope readers feel the same way.
Gannibal is very creepy and attractive. How did you create such intuitive experiences in manga?
I was careful to write the end of each episode so that readers would be curious about the next one. As a result, a good rhythm was created, and I think it led to an immersive feeling whether the story is read as a whole or also in chapters. I also tried to create a sense of realism without including too many explanatory frames.
What was it like to have a live-action adaptation of Gannibal? How do you feel that it made the story even richer?
I was grateful for it. It was very well made, and I enjoyed it. There are some live-action adaptations from manga that haven’t been widely seen, but this is a rare success story. It was a great success because sales of the manga exploded!
Are you currently working on a new project? What can Western fans expect next?
I’m thinking of something cultural but still dark and compelling, and something that is close to Gannibal and something that is tense. I’m trying to evoke the universal parts of human nature while aiming for something that is still very Japanese. But to tell the truth, I’m still not hugely successful financially. Even if that changes there are still challenges to releasing it in other languages. But I will do my best to entertain readers, thank you!
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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.
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