Disney’s Cannibal Show Is a Hit in Japan

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The dark and chilling television series titled “Gannibal“, revolving around a mysterious practice in a secluded village where children are sacrificially consumed, seemed an unconventional pick as Disney’s debut major budget live-action streaming production originating from Japan, a nation with strong connections to the House of Mouse and its well-known, kid-friendly legacy. The initial two seasons of this series faced significant delays and cost overruns; however, it appears that Disney’s gamble on this show is proving fruitful.

Since its second season debut on March 19, “Gannibal” has been Disney+’s most-watched title in Japan, breaking the nine-day record for streamed hours in the country. This achievement surpasses the million-hour mark, a first for the service in Japan (in the U.S., “Gannibal” is exclusive to Hulu for streaming).

Gaku Narita, Disney’s executive director of original content in Japan, admits that when this IP was first presented to us, it caught us off guard. At first glance, it seemed like a rather gruesome tale, causing us some initial hesitation. However, our curiosity was piqued once we delved into the source material, and we found ourselves unable to stop reading.

The series titled “Gannibal” was penned and drawn by Masaaki Ninomiya, a Japanese author, from 2018 to 2021. Unlike popular manga series such as YuYu Hakusho or City Hunter, which are widely recognized in Japan, “Gannibal” has gained a dedicated, niche fanbase rather than massive popularity like those blockbuster hits, both of which were turned into Netflix live-action productions last year.

In this narrative, the character Gannibal accompanies Daigo Agawa, who was a youthful investigator transferred from urban areas to serve as the solitary police officer in the secluded, old-fashioned village of Kuge, nestled deep within Japan’s rural heartland. Upon Daigo’s arrival with his wife and child, he becomes aware that the prior police officer of the village had vanished under mysterious circumstances. The locals of Kuge are enigmatic to Daigo and his family, exhibiting friendly overtures one day only to bristle with irritation the next, concocting flimsy excuses for how the newcomers have supposedly violated the community’s customs with their urban ways. Following a corpse’s discovery in the surrounding forest, presumed to be the casualty of a wild boar, Daigo interacts with the Goto family, Kuge’s most dominant and savage clan, which traces its lineage back hundreds of years into the region’s history. Over time, Daigo uncovers an ancient superstitious tradition that the Gotos have clandestinely preserved – the ritualistic consumption of a young child during their annual traditional summer festival.

The initial season of Gannibal was filled with tension due to Daigo’s intricate dance with the Gotos, as he tried to comprehend their mysterious cult-like customs and determine the extent of village participation. The second season delves further into the origins of the Gotos’ cannibalistic rituals and the challenging compromises that Keisuke Goto, the family’s young patriarch (portrayed by Show Kasamatsu, who rose to fame in Max’s Tokyo Vice), has had to make to preserve their twisted traditions. Despite its grisly subject matter, the show maintains a strong sense of intrigue for an extended period, and the character development is profound, providing insights into Keisuke Goto’s predicament, even if it does not necessarily evoke sympathy for his reprehensible actions.

Narita stated that what initially attracted us to the project was its relatable theme centered around family. During our conversations about the core of the series, we consistently returned to the idea of ‘protection.’ This isn’t just about shielding your family, but also safeguarding your values and lifestyle. There were many universal ideas hidden within the content.

Narita notes: “Given the chaotic state of our world, with individuals experiencing discord and insecurity on numerous fronts, we believed that this topic would strike a chord – both within Japan and globally.

The primary creative team behind Gannibal is a group of burgeoning Japanese artists eager to transcend the fast-paced, low-budget production style typical of Japanese television for the past few decades. Among them is Takamasa Oe, who was jointly nominated with Ryusuke Hamaguchi for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2022 for Drive My Car, and he wrote all the adapted scripts for Gannibal. Teruhisa Yamamoto, another Oscar-nominated individual from Drive My Car, serves as the show’s main producer. Meanwhile, Shinzô Katayama, a rising director known for his work on numerous projects, directs most of the episodes. He previously worked as an assistant director under Bong Joon-ho in Korea and is currently filming Netflix’s most significant Japanese series project slated for 2026, The Human Vapor.

In each season of Gannibal, it is estimated by Yamamoto that Disney spent approximately three times the usual budget for a single season of live-action Japanese television. Additionally, production for these seasons typically lasted around six months – double the standard duration in Japan.

Yamamoto explains that instead of assembling Katayama’s team with professionals from the Japanese television industry, they chose those from cinema. This was done intentionally to elevate the series’ production value to film-standard quality, which is quite unusual in Japan.

He mentions that about 90% of the series was filmed on-site as well. The filming locations covered Japan’s Hyogo, Aichi, and Nagano prefectures, lending an authentic, down-to-earth feel to Gannibal, even with its supernatural aspects.

Katayama emphasizes that the primary focus for the second season of “Gannibal” is to intensify the action, as Daigo’s bond with the Gotos evolves from captivating intrigue into intense conflict.

Katayama mentioned he put a lot of thought into making this season exciting for viewers. He added more gunfire scenes, and in the final episode, there are some fast-paced sequences using difficult techniques to create.”

* Katayama shared that he spent a great deal of time brainstorming ways to make this season entertaining for the audience. This includes an increase in action scenes involving guns, as well as high-speed sequences in the final episode that required complex methods to execute.

The second season of Hannibal comes to a close, marking the end of the storyline from Ninomiya’s original comic series. The creative team behind the show has started brainstorming possible ideas for expanding the narrative, but they won’t move forward unless they receive approval from the author and Disney.

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The second season of Hannibal finishes, wrapping up the storyline based on Ninomiya’s original manga series. The people responsible for creating the show have begun considering ideas to continue the plot, but they will only do so if they get the approval from both the author and Disney.

According to Oe, the tale of Daigo and Keisuke concludes. As for a potential future season, we’ve got some intriguing ideas and emotions about fresh directions we’d like to explore, but any decisions would need to be made in consultation with Ninomiya. We wouldn’t proceed without his input.

As a dedicated fan, I can’t help but marvel at the surge of excitement in Japan’s content industry over the past few years. The worldwide adoration for anime continues to soar, and it’s truly heartening to see. The triumphs of films like “Drive My Car” and “Godzilla Minus One” at the Oscars are testament to this. Not to mention the phenomenal success of the samurai series “Shogun”, which was a collaborative effort between FX and a predominantly Japanese cast, further solidifying Japan’s influence in global entertainment.

The Japanese TV market is currently adapting to the recent entries and financial commitments by streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon’s Prime Video, causing a disruption in the outdated production methods of the nation’s long-established, closed-off broadcasting systems.

Yamamoto clarifies that the high-end streaming series is still a novelty in our current context, and everyone is grappling with determining the ideal budget and strategy for this new age. As of now, there’s no definitive answer to that question, so for the production of Gannibal, we simply aimed for quality above all else.

He remarks: “Now is a crucial period for our field. Our aim is to draw global attention towards us, ensuring people understand that we are capable of producing exceptional live-action television productions as well.

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2025-04-16 00:27