Summary
- Parasyte: The Grey is a Netflix series connected to the original manga, set in the same universe as the first two live-action films.
- The series features a female protagonist in South Korea during the alien invasion, with some differences from the previous films.
- While Parasyte: The Grey shares similarities with the movies, it focuses more on horror and may have inconsistencies in the timeline compared to the original story.
With the popularity of the recent live-action anime adaptations of One Piece and Yu Yu Hakusho, Netflix has increased its level of involvement in producing these shows. While Netflix has always taken the initiative to bring epic anime shows to life, the majority of them ended up becoming disasters, leading to preconceived notions about subsequent projects. Having said that, the streaming service has certainly subverted fans’ expectations with back-to-back quality productions, the most recent being Avatar: The Last Airbender.
As usual, Netflix is back with yet another highly anticipated live-action series, Parasyte: The Grey, which will consist of six episodes and is based on the successful Parasyte anime and manga franchise. Since both the anime and manga have achieved immense recognition and success, fans are heavily invested in the upcoming series, mainly due to the fact that it has been adapted into a Korean drama. Many fans are now wondering how this new K-drama will be tied to the original two Parasyte live-action films and whether it is a standalone story.
Parasyte: The Grey Is Set in the Same Universe as Parts 1 & 2
Japanese live-action adaptations more or less replicate the original story depicted in anime and manga for a variety of reasons, the most significant being the authenticity they want to present to viewers. In this regard, the Parasyte films Parasyte: Part 1 (2014) and Parasyte: Part 2 (2015) are rather remarkable, retelling the story of manga in a more compact manner. The manga’s premise begins with mysterious alien parasites invading Earth and taking over humans so that they can co-exist. When one of them fails to possess Shinichi’s brain, it takes over his right hand, triggering a chain of events in which the human and parasite exist in tandem in this new world.
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The premise here remains largely the same as the anime and the previous two live-action features. In addition, the creators of Parasyte: The Grey have made it clear that it would be based on the same manga written by Iwaaki Hitoshi, implying that it will have certain recurring elements from the main story. The official trailer reveals that The Grey features a female protagonist, although Shinichi was male in the original films.
The creators have not only entirely changed the protagonist’s gender, but also the narrative is different from what we’ve seen in prior films. The Netflix series is set in South Korea and depicts the events of the alien invasion we witnessed in the previous two films, which took place in Japan. In some ways, Parasyte: The Grey is more of a spin-off to the original, much like Bird Box Barcelona was to Netflix’s Bird Box.
How Parasyte: The Grey Connects to Parts 1 & 2
The introduction of parasites in the original story is presumably a global invasion that extends beyond Japan. So, the events recounted in Parasyte: The Grey will take place concurrently with the incidents that transpired in Japan, shown from the lens of Shinichi and Migi. While they will not make any appearances given the location, the series will nonetheless be considered a canonical part of the Parasyte universe.
In fact, the series will incorporate several elements from the original films, such as the authorities organizing special teams to track down these extraterrestrial beings, as shown in Netflix’s most recent trailer. On top of that, Jung Soon In (Jeon So Nee), the protagonist, also appears to be a notable exception from this search, much like Shinichi, despite being entirely possessed by a parasite.
The Differences Between The Grey and the Movies
While Parasyte: The Grey shares many similarities with the first and second parts, it also varies significantly, focusing solely on the horror aspect rather than developing an emotional connection like the original. Netflix’s adaptations of Korean dramas have always been somewhat of improvisations on the source material, and Parasyte: The Grey may follow the same pattern, drawing inspiration from the first two films and executing them in a way that is appropriate for the present audience.
As a result, it is highly probable that we may find no connections other than the fact that they have taken place in the same universe and during the initial stages of the alien invasion, particularly because not everyone who watches Parasyte: The Grey is aware of what transpired in Parasyte Part 1 and Part 2.
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Certainly, there may be some inconsistencies when it comes to the timeline since the Netflix series seems to have taken a more action-oriented approach as opposed to the films. For example, in the original story, Migi forces Shinichi not to reveal the existence of these parasites to the authorities, resulting in their discovery much later. However, it appears that this is not the case in Parasyte: The Grey, where the police seemed to have found it way sooner, leading to an unprecedented confrontation between humans and parasites.
Having said that, differences and parallels go hand in hand, which results in many connections to the original, but not to the point where watching the first two films is a necessity. In any case, we highly recommend watching the Parasyte live-action films or anime since they are incredibly good and add a lot of context to the Netflix series. Stream on Netflix.
