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Gannibal Interview With Thrilling Series Lead, Yuya Yagira

We sat down with Yuya Yagira, the series lead of the most-watched locally-produced series on Japan's Disney streaming service, Gannibal.
Gannibal

We sat down with Yuya Yagira, the series lead of the most-watched locally-produced series on Japan’s Disney streaming service, Gannibal.

One of the most widely slept-on series currently available on Hulu is Gannibal. It is a dark twisted tale about a small town in Japan, that is unofficially run by the Goto Family. The Goto Family does not operate the way most people operate, they have their own traditions, their own beliefs, and their own… diet. A diet that consists of human flesh! As ridiculous as that is, the town of Kuge Village actively pretends it is not happening. That is, until a new police officer is assigned to Kuge Village, Officer Daigo Agawa, played by the youngest Best Actor at the 57th Cannes Film Festival, Yuya Yagira.

We were lucky enough to get a chance to sit down and talk to Yuya Yagira about his role and process of playing the lone holdout against a family of cannibals.

Gannibal Interview with Yuya Yagira

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Yuya Yagira was very appreciative to get the role of Daigo. He was a huge fan of Takamasa Oe, the famed writer of the Academy Award Winning Film, Drive My Car. Also, having Shinzo Katayama as the director added to the appeal and really made this an incredible opportunity to be a part of. Yagira’s enthusiasm for the work, the role, and the fans was evident even through the translator. This isn’t Yagira’s first time reaching a global audience, and it is sure to become more of a regular occurrence, especially as audiences get to see his performance in Gannibal and demand the next season.

Yuya Yagira’s Prep Work and Process Portraying Daigo

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Daigo is a very complex character, who goes from an action hero to a family man, a scared father, and more. Throughout the interview, we learn a lot about Yagira’s prep work to play Daigo in Gannibal, which includes flirting with his co-star and wife in the series, Riho Yoshioka. It also involved watching movies the director and producers recommended, like Seven and Midsommar, but also just taking orders to help bring the story to life. Personally, my favorite of Yagira’s answers was the one he gave about the bear meat his character ate in the first episode. It was definitely a question he wasn’t quite expecting and definitely seems to enjoy answering.

The Illuminerdi: In the first episode, I just want to know, what did the bear meat taste like?

“Well, it tasted like chicken meat you get from the super market.”

Yuya Yagira

You can watch the entire interview above and then get into Gannibal as it is currently streaming all episodes of Season 1 on Hulu (USA).

About Gannibal

Gannibal

Release Date: December 28, 2022 (USA)
Director: Shinzo Katayama
Screenwriter: Takamasa Oe
Producers: Teruhisa Yamamoto, Tatsuya Iwarkura
Cast: Yuya Yagira,Show Kasamatsu, Riho Yoshioka, Kokone Shimizu
Platform: Hulu (USA), DIsney+ (Japan)

Gannibal sees newly hired police officer Daigo Agawa arrive in Kuge Village a broken man. Wrestling with his guilt over a traumatic event that led to his daughter becoming selectively mute, things start off promisingly for the new arrival and his family. However, life in the sleepy community takes a rapid turn when a series of alarming events quickly leads Daigo to the horrifying realization that something is deeply wrong with the villagers. Thrown into a hostile environment with suspense around every corner, will the latest police officer to patrol the streets of Kuge Village be able to bring those responsible to justice before it’s too late?

What did you think of Gannibal? Would you like to see Yuya Yagira make his way over into Western programming? How anxious are you for Season 2 after watching the season finale? Let us know your thoughts and reactions on social media!

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Kevin Fenix

Kevin Fenix

Professional Nerd | Amateur Human | News Editor The best way to describe Kevin Fenix is the kid you never tell what the buttons do in video games so you have a chance to win. Being 6’ 4” and Asian, he never really fit in, so he got comfortable standing out. Not only is it easy to find him in crowds, he dabbles in the culinary arts, does a little stand up and improv, and can honestly say Spider-Man is the Jesus-like influence of his life. Kevin Fenix loves dogs, movies, television, comics, comedy, and to shoot people… with video.