Summary
Anime inspiring live-action seriesis starting to become commonplace onNetflix, with more and more being announced by Western and Japanese studios alike. Now, a Korean studio has jumped on the bandwagon, announcing an upcoming live-action series based on a 10-year-old Japanese anime that many people may have forgotten. This upcoming show is titledParasyte: The Grey, and it is based on the animeParasyte: The Maxim(hereinParasyte).
Parasytewas a popular anime when it aired almost ten years ago now, based on a manga that was published for 5 years and also had high ratings. It has inspired a couple of other attempts at live-action adaptations over the past few years since it finished airing, but nothing has quite been able to capture theaddicting horror of the original anime. BeforeParasyte: The Greyairs early next month, let’s have a look back at the original anime that inspired it, and how this latest adaption is going to use the source material.
Oct. 9th 2014 - Mar. 26th 2015
24
Rating
8.33 (MyAnimeList)
Parasyteoriginally aired in 2014, based on a manga created by Hitoshi Iwaaki that began publishing in 1989. It is abody horror, science fiction storyabout alien parasites that come to earth and take over humans' bodies. In the world ofParasyte, these small parasites enter the ear of people when they are sleeping, eating their head and taking over the form of that person’s head instead. They then continue to masquerade as that person until the time is right for them to hunt again, transforming the head into a monster and consuming other humans.
InParasyte, the parasite is unable to enter the ear of its chosen victim, a teenage boy named Shinichi Izumi. About to die without a host, the parasite instead takes over Shinichi’s right hand, replacing it with its body. The two then form an unlikely symbiotic relationship, having to coexist if they both want to live. The parasite begins to go by Migi, Japanese for right, to make it easier for the two to communicate. The two face threats from other parasites as more and more humans fall victim to the invasion, trying not to get killed themselves while adjusting to their difficult new life together.
Parasyte’s Reception
The anime was well-received by both critics and fans, scoring 8.33 onMyAnimeList, and 8.3 onIMDB. The concept of the anime is unique, and truly frightening to imagine parasites living among us without us even knowing - and never knowing if someone you love has fallen victim already until it’s too late. The design of the parasites along with thebody horror of people’s faces literally opening upinto monsters has become iconic in the world of anime horror, instantly recognizable asParasytedue to its distinguishing style. Plus, Migi and Shinichi’s relationship and interactions have just enough humor to keep you watching a show that is otherwise nothing but gore and darkness, forming an unlikely friendship that has you cheering for them by the end.
Parasyte: The Greyis not the first time thatParasytehas inspired a live-action show. The first attempt was actually by New Line Cinema in Hollywood back in 2005, but they lost the film rights before the movie could ever come to fruition. The rights eventually went toJapanese studio Toho, who released two live-action movies calledParasyte: Part 1in November 2014 andParasyte: Part 2in April 2015.Part 1only received a rating of 6.8 onIMDB, though, andPart 2an even lower score of 6.5 onIMDB. Now, it is time for someone new to try again.
Netflix’s UpcomingParasyte: The Grey
Parasyte: The Greyis an upcoming Netflix series made by Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan) and Ryu Yong-jae. It will begin airing on April 5th, 2024 on the popular streaming service. Rather than being produced in Japan again, this time the adaptation is being made in Korea, and will all be filmed in Korean with a Korean cast. So far, very few details have been released about the plot of the show, but a trailer was added to Netflix’s official YouTube on March 7th. At the time of publishing, the trailer already has over 1,200,000 views.
Parasyte: The Grey’sofficial Netflix pagesimply describes the plot as;
When unidentified parasites violently take over human hosts and gain power, humanity must rise to combat the growing threat.
It seems like the story will be original, not following the original plot of Migi and Shinichi and their adventure. Instead,Parasyte: The Greywill likely have original characters and a new story, but take place in the same world that was created by Hitoshi Iwaaki inParasyte: The Maxim. Plus, it looks like the main character is going to be female this time, and that the parasite has taken over half of her head instead of her arm. Regardless of these changes, considering Sang-ho is the director, we can expect some great horror scenes and thrilling vibes ifhis work onTrain to Busanis any indication. We will be hoping for some new thrills with an original story set in such a great horror world.
WatchParasyte: The Maximnow onCrunchyroll, and catchParasyte: The Greyon Netflix starting July 05, 2025.
