Gannibal vol 1 by Masaaki Ninomiya

​A big city cop moves to a mysterious mountain town where the former resident police officer went missing, and the Goto family acts peculiar to everyone, especially outsiders. Rumors abound that residence are cannibals, and there are many peculiar traditions and rites of passage where Agawa struggles to prove he can be part of the culture. One day, Granny Goto is discovered dead in the woods, presumably eaten by a bear, and the villagers, particularly the Goto clan, spring into action to avenge her death. Officer Agawa has little time to reign in the situation and handle it as the town’s authority. Instead, he joins the family in the hunt and gets mixed deeper in the mystery that embroiled the former town policeman. 

---

Volume one sets up many questions and introduces a lot of intriguing but haunting characters. The readers know more than Agawa from early on, so we're constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. Ninomiya expertly creates tension and slowly builds it throughout without fatiguing, and a lot of that is done through the illustrations. ​They're gritty and match the tone of the dark and ominous narrative. This is a long-form horror tale, so don't come looking for a quick resolution to this mystery. This would make a great addition for older teen and adult libraries looking for a more nuanced horror read in a sustained format.

Ablaze rates this for readers 16+. So far in volume one, there is some gore and a lot of conversation about the largeness of Yuki Agawa's boobs, who is Officer Agawa's wife. Granny's body is displayed on the page after it has been mauled, and there are a few other instances of decapitated people and other gory details. 

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 11-Adult

Publisher: Ablaze
Publication Date: July 2, 2024 
ISBN: 9781684972197(Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: High School, Suitability: Adult, Manga, Horror, Mystery, Suspense, ​Ablaze