FCBD24 Interview: Gannibal Meets The Shinning

Dip your toes into the hottest new title in horror manga, but watch out for teeth! Already lauded in Japan and spawning a live-action adaptation on Hulu, ABLAZE is publishing this horrifying feast in English for the first time! After the mysterious disappearance of a countryside cop, the role is reassigned to Officer Daigo Agawa. He finds the remote village quaint, and he looks forward to an easygoing post among the warm and welcoming citizenry. Then... He gets a call. The body of a local grandmother has been found. A human bite mark has been left on the corpse, and any voiced suspicion of Agawa's is met with a strange, sudden, and intense hostility. 

We caught up with series writer Masaaki Ninomiya to learn more about what inspired the extraordinary characters and what we can expect from their upcoming titles!

Free Comic Book Day (FCBD):What do first time readers need to know before they read your Free Comic Book Day issue, which contains a sample of your manga GANNIBAL?

Masaaki Ninomiya: As long as you read it, I think you’ll find it interesting.

If you pick it up and continue to be interested, I don't have anything else to say. I hope you read it without any preconceptions.

FCBD: What are some of the core themes present in your book? What do you hope readers take away from your title?

Masaaki: I didn't set the theme from the beginning, but as a result, it became about family that included the community. Clans, Bloodlines, Curses, and Liberation.

How do the characters come up with their own answers and live their lives to the fullest? You can read about this throughout the story.

(But the truth is that if you just have fun, that's fine.)

FCBD: What part of the book was most fun to write?

Masaaki: I enjoyed the final scenes of each of the characters, not just dying, but how to live until the end! I think that's important.

In particular, the ending of the person who becomes the final boss was drawn with a normal laugh, including in a flashback scene.

FCBD: Can you share some of the inspiration behind certain characters, settings, etc.?

Masaaki: The setting and the characters were not so elaborate, but as the story progressed, it grew unexpectedly and interestingly. As I drew it, I saw the characters move according to the convenience of the story.

As for the overall structure of the story, it seems that "Straw Dogs" was added to what started with the movie "The Shining" in mind. It was also a time when high-quality foreign-made dramas were being released repeatedly, so I was conscious of the atmosphere and the pull of the story!

FCBD: If you could meet your characters, what would you say to them?

Masaaki: "You lived your lives well! Well done! Dismissed!!!"

FCBD:Looking to the future, is there anything you can tease about what’s coming up for the title and its characters?

Masaaki: At first, the story will build slowly. And then the tension of the story sharply changes from a certain scene.

I hope you will stay with us until the end!

Thank you very much!

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