Summary
-
Parasyte: The Grey
is a refreshing take on the original manga and anime series, with new characters and storyline in South Korea, and it ended by bringing in the anime’s main character - Both versions of
Parasyte
focus on body horror and sci-fi elements, despite telling completely different stories across different media. - The ending of
Parasyte: The Grey
hints at a potential connection to the original anime series and a promising future for the characters.
Parasyte: The Grey chose to exist within the world of the original Parasyte manga (and anime) but tells a completely different story with different characters, in South Korea instead of Japan. This allowed anyone to come into the series, whether they’ve seen Parasyte or not, and resulted in one of the most entertaining TV series of the year so far. However, it may have frustrated some fans of the original to see the property without any of the characters or storylines they grew to love. Hopefully those fans will come around with a possible second season of Parasyte: The Grey, because the show ends in a way that will inevitably connect with and explore the characters and stories of the anime.
Both Parasyte (Japan) and Parasyte: The Grey (South Korea) are essentially body horror sci-fi thrillers with a strong emphasis on character, but have so far told completely different stories. The manga by Hitoshi Iwaaki dates all the way back to 1989, and has become one of the highest-selling of all time. The anime (often known as Parasyte -the maxim-) is relatively brief, with one 24-episode season from 2014 to 2015, and basically reiterates the manga. The Netflix series has just six episodes (about an hour each) and tells its own original story. So how does its ending connect with the anime?
Parasytes Collide from Japan to Korea
Parasyte: The Grey
4.5/5
- Release Date
- April 5, 2024
- Cast
- Jeon So Nee , Koo Kyo Hwan , Lee Jung Hyun , Kwon Hae Hyo , Kim In Kwon
- Seasons
- 1
- Writers
- Ryu Yong Jae , Yeon Sang Ho
- Directors
- Yeon Sang Ho
In all versions of Parasyte, alien larvae have rained upon the earth in rocky, spiked shells. Upon landing, the larvae will exit the protective shell and enter an orifice in a human being, ultimately consuming their bran and controlling every cell of their body. They are ruthless and can transform their flesh into terrifying weapons. The Japanese version follows high-schooler Shinichi Izumi as he navigates this new world; he becomes half-infected with one of these aliens, developing a symbiotic relationship with the parasite. The parasite is stuck in his arm, and can thus transform his arm into a powerful instrument.
In Parasyte: The Grey, a woman named Jeong Su-in is also half-infected with the parasite, which is interrupted while it attempts to take over her mind and body. Half of her face can transform and become a dangerous weapon, and she develops a bifurcated relationship with the parasite (calling her Heidi, as in Jekyll and Hyde). Like Shinichi Izumi, Jeong Su-in is still mostly a human, living symbiotically with her parasite, but she’s considered a threat by both parasites and the police alike. Eventually, she finds some help from an aloof gang member and a melancholic detective, and fights to survive while also taking down the parasites in her town.
Which brings us to the ending of Parasyte: The Grey. Jeong Su-in has become comfortable with her parasite and confident in her abilities, and she has the support network she needs. She beats ‘the big bad’ and proves herself to The Grey, an elite unit that specializes in hunting down parasites. She’s recruited into The Grey, and the final episode of the series ends with her meeting none other than the main character of the original Parasyte, Shinichi Izumi, who is seemingly older than the high school mutant we used to know and is ready to offer his assistance.
Parasyte: The Grey and the Anime May Combine in Season 2
So what are the implications of this? Well, it seems as if Parasyte: The Grey is more of a ‘sidequel’ than a reboot or a remake or a sequel or anything like that. The fact that a character from the Parasyte anime shows up in Korea (under the same conditions of an alien invasion) indicates that everything is happening within the same world. We spend Parasyte: The Grey seeing the ramifications of the parasites in Korea, but it’s clear that Japan (and other parts of the world) are suffering simultaneously.
With Shinichi Izumi showing up looking noticeably older, it’s safe to say that Parasyte: The Grey ends after the events of the anime. We get a glimpse of that show’s main character entering the live-action space, which is extremely cool, and it seems like if the Netflix series continues, they will either build on Shinichi’s story and combine it with Jeong Su-in’s, or they will go back in time and recreate the anime in live-action form. That doesn’t seem likely, considering Parasyte: The Grey is a Korean production (created by the great director Yeon Sang-ho of Train to Busan and Psychokinesis fame).
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If anything, Netflix is likely to incorporate Shinichi’s story and continue it, perhaps in a bigger city (considering the parasites in Namil have been wiped out). Will they go to Seoul? Or maybe even Tokyo? A combined Korean/Japanese series, weaving together the different narratives, would be pretty groundbreaking and certainly welcome.
Whatever happens, we look forward to more Parasyte in whatever iteration it gets made. The anime and manga are great; the live-action series is wonderful — it’s a great world to explore, and a ton of interesting characters have been created. It’d be a pleasure to spend some more time with them. In the meantime, you can watch Parasyte: The Grey through the link below:
Watch Parasyte: The Grey
