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Kiseijuu
Parasyte
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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Parasite, Parasitic Beasts

Japanese: 寄生獣

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 10

Chapters: 64

Status: Finished

Published: Nov 22, 1989 to Dec 23, 1995

Genres: Action, Award Winning, Horror, Sci-Fi

Themes: Gore, Psychological

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Afternoon

Authors: Iwaaki, Hitoshi (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.38¹ (scored by 48,240 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #235²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #136

Members: 102,524

Favorites: 4,416

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Reviews

Filtered Results: 27 / 28

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Filter Preliminary Spoiler

Jul 3, 2008

FALLEN101

Recommended

Alright, let's talk Parasyte:

STORY: Alright the story as described in the paragraphs above may sound cheesy and unoriginal to some, I know. However, as the story progresses the plot thickens and is beautiful. It shows how various people with the parasites, the bad not the good, try to cope in society and that's actually amazing to see unfold. One gets pregnant, one tries not to kill, etc.

Also, Parasyte shows quite vividly how someone would live with another symbiote in their body. Needless to say, this is very cool and interesting if you're in to that sort of thing. ...

May 3, 2013

5camp

Recommended

Parasytes are an alien species that take over the human body by replacing the head. Our shmuck lead Izumi was about to be taken over by a parasyte, but due to some quick thinking he manages to stop the alien inside his arm, upon which the parasyte consumes his arm and takes it place. The two then have to learn how to live with each other while also dealing with all the other parasytes that have landed on earth.

What drew me to Parasyte originally was seeing the body horror pictures of how peoples’ bodies mutated and warped and started growing tentacles and teeth and occasionally ... dick hands. I’m usually a pretty queasy person so I’m not sure quite why this drew me in, but there’s a definite fascination with how alien the mutations the bodies undertake. Once you get over the original shock, it’s not even that scary anymore. The mutations are so alien and cartoonish they go into this area of scholarly fascination. The only times I would actually get a bit perturbed were the more ghoulish deaths of actual humans rather than the parasytes. This cartoonish nature of the body distortions could have undermined something that was only trying to shock you, but thankfully Parasyte is cleverer than that. It’s got a real dark sense of humour, one that’s willing to laugh at itself, what with the aforementioned dick hands and so forth. Plus the comedy segments don’t detract from the moments the deformations are supposed to shock you. It’s a delicate balancing act, but one that Parasyte pulls off remarkably well.

Parasyte does have more to it than just some alien horror story. Its larger theme is about humanity and what makes someone human. Migi, the parasyte that co-inhabits the main character’s body, is very Kyubey-esque in how he thinks. He has no empathy but endless curiosity driven mostly by a self-preservation instinct. Through his conversations with Izumi, they explore both sides of each character and broader concepts of what it means to be human and why it is that one might perform a selfless act. It’s got that perfect duo combination where the two sides’ conversations force both characters to develop. Migi’s development is more subtle than Izumi’s, but that’s because Migi slow development is reflected in the attitude of all the parasytes as they evolve and and start to change their approach to fitting into society. Their change becomes a way to explore what makes humans tick.

Izumi starts off as a bit of a Yuji Everylead, but he changes pretty quickly into a more fascinating character who struggles to find what it is that makes him human. Fairly early on in the manga he absorbs part of Migi into his bloodstream and it starts to change him in little ways. He doesn’t get emotional, can’t cry at friends and family’s deaths, and some of his actions start to reflect Migi’s apathetic nature. You get the feeling that the times he does show kindness and emotion is him trying to force himself to act human so he can reclaim his identity as a human. It mirrors how some of the more advanced parasytes try mimicking human actions in order to understand them and fit into society better, such as trying to smile, having children and laughing. This in turn causes them to start experiencing much more human emotions. It might sound like this is all heavy stuff, talking about the nature of humanity and all that, but it isn’t really. The last volume definitely gets a bit preachy, but otherwise the dialogue all feels very natural and goes about things with a sense of humour. Plus at the moment it really counted, when they really needed to bring everything to the table around both the parasyte’s increasing selflessness and Izumi’s own struggle with his humanity, they nailed the scene so well that it made me cry.

Let me repeat that for effect: I cried at Parasyte. Fucking Parasyte. The manga with dick hands made me cry. Do you know how often I cry at entertainment? Never! And yet somehow Parasyte made me cry? With proper tears streaming from eyes, so overcome with emotion that I had to stop reading and walk for a bit? The only other time in my entire life I cried at media was at Grave of the Fireflies, which is kind of to be expected since that is basically the only point of Grave of the Fireflies. Plus I’ve kind of gone off Grave of the Fireflies over time, as its method of drawing emotion is to have everything be shit and then everyone dies, which is kind of a cheap almost Jun Maeda-esque way of drawing emotion. Meanwhile Parasyte managed it by being positive. It’s key scene was the fulfilment of 8 previous volumes of thematic buildup and re-affirmation of the main character’s humanity that was so tragically beautiful it caused me to break down.

Sorry, is this all a bit serious?

I picked up Parasyte because I figured if I was going to jump into manga, I’d want to read something that would at least draw a reaction from me, but I ended up absolutely loving it. It keeps the story tight and focused on a small cast of characters. It’s paced excellently, comes to a conclusive ending and doesn’t drag on longer than it needs to. It has depth while keeping a sense of humour, and the body horror is shocking without being an obstacle to enjoyment. It’s a bloody great manga and highly recommended.

Mar 17, 2009

Beatnik

Recommended

They control the body by invading the brain. They can change the shape of their bodies and use them as weapons. They eat humans.

Like a logical continuation of John Carpenter's The Thing (1982), set in modern day society and with more than one parasite, Parasyte is an entertaining sci-fi horror thriller.

Descending from the sky, parasites fall onto humanity. They worm their way into humans, penetrating skin and then act erratically before eating whoever is around them. As the story begins, a parasite fails in its attempt to infect a teenager, Shinichi, who becomes the protagonist. The thoughtful and quick-witted guy ...

May 17, 2011

thejackal1234

Recommended

Parasyte is a series written and drawn by Hitoshi Iwaaki. Unfortunately this is his only notable series so I can’t so much about his career. I mostly picked up Parasyte on a whim and also because my favorite manga reviewer, Y Ruler of Time mentioned it on his Seven Deadly Series list. But I digress, lets get started.

Story: The story is your standard alien invasion story. Little spores about the size of tennis balls fall from space and give birth to little worm like creatures. The creatures then invade the heads of humans and take over their bodies. The end result being that the creatures ... can flex the heads into any shape or size, making them stretch and snap like rubber, or turn them into blades.
Our story follows a teenage male named Shinichi whom a creature tries to invade, but, due to a fluke, the creature ends up stuck in his arm. Shinichi ends up naming the creature Migi, and they develop a rather odd relationship. For the most part their relationship builds around the fact that they have to fight off creatures that have successfully invaded human heads. Why do they need to fight off the aliens? Well, only because that the aliens that successfully invade human heads have to survive by eating other humans. Needless to say Migi can change Shinichi’s arm into pretty much anything, so that makes for some pretty awesome fight scenes.
What’s really interesting about this series though is that a small group of parasytes inherit human personalities (whilst still remaining homicidal creatures) and end up banding together to not really destroy, but to simply observe and survive. One of them even ends up being the closest thing to human in this series what it started out the most brutal monster of them all. Though later the government actually steps in and takes care of some of them.
I have to say the story didn’t get quite as repetitive as I thought it would, it always kept moving at just the right pace. However, violence does seem to take up a good portion of the series, so if you’re squeamish it’s best not to look into this series. Sometimes the way humans die are just brutal. The story itself was interesting enough to keep me reading.

Characters: Our main character as I said is Shinichi, a young teenage male. I would like to say he’s your standard shonen hero, but he isn’t quite. Migi does most of the fighting in the stories, though Shinichi usually delivers the finishing blow in the more serious battles ironically enough. Shinichi is definitely interesting as a character, he doesn’t quite develop so much as a person as through relationships, in fact, due to some bad flukes, he gets a little worse as a character through the series. But that is mostly Migi’s fault to be fair.
Ah yes, Migi, who undoubtedly is the best character. Migi develops the best, and the most subtly throughout the series. While most aliens are heartless and emotionless, Migi ever so slowly starts to understand human emotions. I even got a little sad when…Well, I don’t want to spoil too much.
There are a few villians but most of them die off pretty quickly. Shinichi also develops a relationship with a girl, Murano, but Migi’s relationship is more important and prominent.

Art: I’m not so much one to criticize art in a manga, since everyone has their own style and what I am presented with, will automatically become my standard. It’s also clear that this was made in the 90’s with the manga style, but I really liked this art. It could become quite gritty and dark at times but was detailed and precise when it needed to be.

The Bad: If I had any complaints about Parasyte, it would have to be the violence. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not a prude or anything it’s just some of the fights are way too violent, too pointless, and overall seemed to be layered in bullshit. Most of the fights do help develop in the story, even the seemingly inconsequential ones, like where they fight a dog that got invaded by a parasyte. But sometimes it’s just aggravating seeing so much blood and violence

Parasyte overall: I have to say with Parasyte you can’t go wrong entirely, I enjoyed the characters, the fights, and the ending especially. The morale and whole idea at the end through me for huge loop. It really raised some philosophical questions.

As this is my first shot at reviewing please don't be too harsh. I would much appreciate any comments on thoughts you had of the review. thank you very much.

Aug 5, 2020

Larsen__

Not Recommended

Funny

Preliminary (64/64 chp)

I don't like this manga. I think it's overrated and very poorly written. I've no idea how it receives 10's and 9's from other people, I simply don't get it.

>Story
The story in this manga is actually... decent. It has a cool and relatively unique premise, and it's (sometimes) interesting to see what happens next. However, the author has no idea how to properly move with it. The structure of the story itself isn't dynamic at all, it's too slow for its' own setting and there's a lot, and I mean A LOT, of filler and just stuff that isn't very interesting to look at in ... a world where Parasites exist. Also, apparently, now that I have finished this manga, the author doesn’t even want to come up with an interesting explanation to Parasites, dismissing their existence to “lol they just came from space”. 5/10.

>Art
It's very bad and disappointing, and the few color pages at the beginning of each volume don't save it. The art is bland, everything feels so empty and soulless most of the time because of the lack of backgrounds. All we get is characters in an actually neat-looking artstyle in front of a white square (https://i.imgur.com/fzG6Lrv.jpeg - perfect example of what I'm talking about, laziness like this is all over the place). Riveting. Is this your award-winning manga?
While I'm on the topic of art, I'd like to touch up on the subject of the designs: they're repetitive as hell. I mean, come on, the mangaka creates a world in which there are intelligent parasites that can shape a human's head in any way, shape, or form they want once they inhabit it, and all he does with that is just draw the samey-looking stripes and blades over and over again. There was a breath of soul in terms of design somewhere near the beginning where the characters meet a Parasite-infested dog that transforms his head into a pair of giant bat wings, how cool is that? I wish this manga had more unique and interesting stuff like that, but, unfortunately, the mangaka doesn't seem to share my wish. 3/10.

>Characters
WHOOOOO BOY, HERE WE GO! Lots of spoilers in this bit, so be sure to skip it if you still want to read this manga.
The characters here are one of the stupidest I've ever seen in a manga. And to explain why, I'll just write about the two examples which frustrated me the most:
1) The case of the sukeban girl (I forgot her name because of how bland of a character she is, more on that later). So, you're trying to tell me that when there are rumors of Parasites going around all of Japan, that when these rumors are being even further explored in national television, that when the MC tries to tell this girl the truth about Parasites and actually explains what they are in great detail, that when said girl can literally SENSE THEM WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT SHE EVEN SENSES OR WHY, SHE DOESN'T BELIEVE THE MC AND SIMPLY DISMISSES HIS WARNINGS!? I'm sorry, but this is atrocious. To top it all off, because she doesn't believe the mc, she proceeds to die right in the same chapter by the hands of a TOTALLY RANDOM parasite-infested human. Absolutely brilliant.
And when she dies, am I supposed to feel sorry for her? Am I supposed to feel sorry for her because she's in love with the MC and is jealous of the girl he's going out with? Am I supposed to feel sorry for her because she got an "embarrassing" dream about the MC once? Those two things are the only things I remember about this filler of a character.
2) The case of the detective (guess why I don't remember this guy's name either). Alright, I can give the girl the benefit of the doubt, maybe there is some human out there stupid enough that wouldn't believe in the existence of Parasites in the sort of sutiation she is, but this guy? This guy? You're telling me this guy only "half believes" in their existence WHEN THERE WERE TWO OF THEM RIGHT BEFORE HIS VERY EYES A DAY AGO THAT ALSO THREATENED TO KILL HIM!? He got told not to meddle in this kind of business by two people: his wife and a woman he fears, and he still goes to investigate the matter of Parasites further with the help of his detective friend. To top it all off, not only have the humans told him to buzz off, one of the Parasites that he saw ALSO told him to mind his own business. And only when his detective friend gets killed by a Parasite, only then he realizes that hey, Parasites are actually dangerous! Who would've thought? God, what a joke.
The main villain of this manga is laughable. He barely gets any development, he barely has his ideologies shown and the final fight with him is just extremely underwhelming. Then again, at that point I was speedreading the manga because I was so bored of it, so maybe I did miss a few crucial points of his character.
But, it's not all that bad, I found the MC and his partner relatively interesting. The MC's development in partucular was interesting to watch, so there's that. But even he isn't safe from mediocrity, because he only gets a clear-cut goal by the 38th chapter, which is more than half of this snoozefest. Unfortunately, even with his flaws, I think that Shinichi is the only decent character in this manga. Every other one is just a stupid device to incite forced drama in the story. 2/10.

>Enjoyment
I didn't enjoy this after the first few chapters in the slightest. This manga is very stupid, and it really boggles my mind how stupid it is. The mangaka expects us to care about characters when he can't properly set them up for us to care about them. The art and the general designs are too boring for the premise the author created, becoming more and more repetitive as the manga goes on. I honestly hated it. The underwhelming villain, the stupid characters, the bad art that gradually got worse and worse (honest to god, defend this https://i.imgur.com/ECj2fQo.jpeg), it's all just terrible. 2/10.

>Overall
The story needs to be more dynamic in order for the story and the world to work and coexist. The art is borderline painful to look at. The characters are stupid. I didn't personally enjoy it, and I think it's highly overrated. What is there to look for in this manga when the only good thing about it is the distinct atmosphere of the 90's it has? I really just don't get it. 3/10.

Jul 17, 2008

MetalWing

Recommended

I will write my review as an explanation to my rating.

Story: The plot, as simple as it appears, gets much more complicated as you read this manga. It tells us a story of parasytes along with the story of humans and the two are successfully merged together in a thrilling action plot. While this may not be the most original piece, it contains key contents that make you want to keep reading once you start.

Art: The drawing in this manga is not a 'standard' anime-like drawing you would see in Magical x Miracle or Mai Hime or most of other series. The drawings are more ...

Jan 4, 2009

vavoysh

Mixed Feelings

Title: Parasyte

Alternate Title: Kiseiju

Mangaka: Hitoshi Iwaaki

Rating: 5.5/10

Genre: Not really sure how to put this

...

Sep 23, 2011

CodeProvider

Recommended

Parasyte is one of the best manga series I have ever read.
The concept is great, the character and plot development are superb, and overall it is just a perfect series. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this series. It is phenomenal. I cannot praise it enough.
The story is about a strange alien species that randomly comes to Earth; they look like little snakes, but they're much more than that. They are Parasytes. Their mission is to take over a human's brain, and then survive. The Parasytes feed off of the species that they take over, and their head can shift shapes into tentacles ...

Oct 9, 2009

Nightt_

Recommended

Preliminary (40/64 chp)

"Above Earth, someone was thinking...if half of Mankind dissapeared, how many forests would be saved?
Above Earth, someone was thinking...If 99% of Mankind dissapeared would pollution be reduced by 99%?"

Story - 10
What's there to say about the story? Extremely original. Upon finishing the first 4 or so chapters, I was amazed to an extent that's probably undescribable. The amount of gore, action, and plot progression they had done in such a short time was great. They'd portrayed it in a great manner. On a completely typical day, Shinji confronted a snake-like animal, which apparently, went inside of him. It went through his arm, and kept 'slithering' ... towards his brain. Luckily, he managed to stop the creature before it reached it's 'destination'. After that, his arm 'awakens' and introduces itself. This may sound like a childish story, which it did to me, at first. The manga isn't childish at all. The gore, the murder, and the blood will leave you horrified/frightened, and/or the opposite. Depends on what kind of a person you are.

Art - 7
The art is so-so. Even though it's to be expected of a manga created in the Early 90s'. Of course, the parasites are drawn exceptionally well, with really well detail. The humans on the other hand, could've used a bit of work. Actually, that might be just my opinion since I've never been a real fan of old manga or anime. When I read the first volume of this, I assumed it was a 70s or 80s manga. But, when I checked on MAL, I was welcomed by a "1990-1995". Although the art doesn't really matter, the thing on the inside is what matters. Unless you're an appearance whore. I think the story'll still make up for the lost art though.

Character - 8
There's characters of every personality. Cocky, arrogant, happy-go-lucky, comedic, etc. The list can go on and on. Even the so-called parasites develop these traits and become a big part of the manga in character development. The story and it's characters develop at a really fast pace, maybe even too fast. You'll see Shinji really confident at times, and scared so much that you wouldn't be scared if he shit his pants right then and there.

Enjoymeny - 10
Those who'll like this manga, will get so immersed in it that they'll be wanting more and more after reading a chapter. I enjoyed it so much that I stayed up the whole night reading it. Yep, no life at all. And, also, this manga's rather similar to Death Note. Strategy, luck, thinking, everything's in it.

Overall - 10
I wish there'd be more of this. I'd say this is definitely a "must-read" for all manga-lovers out there. Even if you aren't really a fan of gore or murder. I wasn't. I despised all them freakish manga/anime, but, after reading this, I changed my whole perspective. I'd say I still hate the useless killing in several anime/manga. But, "Parasyte" didn't have useless killing. It had freakishly awesome useless killing with twists and turns.

Mar 9, 2015

TheBesty

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (36/64 chp)

Kiseijuu sounds like great a plot that makes it stand out compared to other manga's of similar genres. But I have found reading Kiseijuu to be very poor. The reason I decided to check out was becuase how good I heard it was. The issues I have with the series is that at times the series suffers from not exciting the reader. With no reveal shock factor, or cliff hanger. The series becomes a dull read waiting for spark of excitement waiting to capture the readers attention. For me there was no spark of interest that had me excited enough to want to finish ...

Jul 4, 2010

HenryZhao

Recommended

I am no expert reviewer, and generally I am very generous in my reviews. I am also relatively inexperienced with manga, so who knows how many great things I have yet to read to overshadow this particular work? But for now, and from my personal opinion, this is a brilliant manga that I hope to remember for years to come. Because I feel it deserves this, I will give an in-depth review of each section that I have scored to the best of my ability. I will try my best not to spoil anything, but I make no guarantees.

Story: No words I have could do ... it justice. It started off very odd, something I thought I would just read for the sake of reading something weird. When I saw how many chapters the story contained, I doubted I'd ever finish it. Instead, I was drawn in to what became an amazing emotional rollercoaster, an educational experience, and a brand new outlook on the world. There are statements made in the very beginning of the story that you may or may not think you understand, may or may not agree with, but it won't be until the very end that you truly hear the message of this story. It was very gripping, and I can recall at least 3 times that I was very nearly brought to tears. Any problems I had with the story stem only from a few shaky translations here and there, making the dialogue hard to follow, but this was very rare. If not for that, if I were allowed a perfect understanding of every panel, I would give the story a 10.

Art: The art is interesting. As I believe another reviewer mentioned, it's not quite the same art as you might expect from a manga. Every artist is unique, of course, but this style certainly stuck out, and it was somehow very fitting for the story. No character is overly beautified, as you'll often see. The characters all appear rather average, which of course adds to the realism. Of course, this also creates a sharp contrast with the titular parasites of the story, which are certainly some of the most abnormal things you will ever see drawn. No matter what, everything is very nicely detailed and anything involving the parasites is satisfyingly surreal. If the artist wants you to see the inside of a body, then you will be seeing the inside of a body. If you should be seeing an amorphous parasite, then you can trust that the art will clearly show you an amorphous parasite. As for the negatives, some minor qualms with the art include some strange facial expressions, particularly any view of an open mouth from the side, and the fact that certain characters, mostly females, looked almost inconveniently similar. While I approve of the characters having an average appearance, a little more effort to differentiate between them would have been nice.

Character: I have no doubts in my mind that these characters are a perfect 10. When the character's faced a struggle, I faced it with them. When they lost something precious, I felt their loss. When they attacked in blind rage, I felt their rage. These characters are very real, even in the most surreal moments of the plot, and I refuse to believe anyone could read through this manga without connecting to them. The human characters, even the minor ones, experience various flavors of pain, and just like real people you can sympathize with even the most subtle hints of emotional distress from these characters. Even the cold, emotionless parasites will relate to you in their logic. What they lack in emotion, they make up for with the delivery of a different view on life that you won't soon forget.

Enjoyment: Now, it is in this section that I believe opinions will differ the most. While some will find this work to be brilliant, others could completely, and even understandably, disregard it for what it is at face value. To read a manga about parasites taking over bodies and mutilating humankind will require a certain, possibly acquired, taste, or at least a certain level of tolerance. However, anyone who can enjoy or look past the more disgusting aspects of the story is sure to enjoy every moment of it. As I've stated above, I hadn't expected to have the attention span to bother to complete a story when all I was expecting was a quick fix for that desire for something out of the ordinary, and instead this manga grasped me tightly as I stayed up in the late hours of the night just to blast through another few chapters. I enjoyed every moment of this manga, and I'd like to believe I'm not alone in this.

Overall: In conclusion, this is among the best manga I have ever read. The art gave me very little problems, and I don't regret a single night I gave up sleep just to read this to its conclusion. The plot, the characters, the themes and messages delivered all sliced deep into my heart like only a parasite can. And, similar to certain events of the manga, this parasite has proven itself to be a symbiote, because as it invaded me I only felt myself grow stronger and become a better person for reading it. At least, that's how I feel, and how I hope all other readers will feel once they've allowed themselves to be taken over by Parasyte.

May 16, 2011

Foolness

Recommended

Groundbreaking even today.

Although many have tried to look at Parasyte as an Alien Invasion manga (and it is a fresh one at that if not slightly relying on a successful shonen coming of age formula) what none of the reviewers have alluded to is how much realistic Parasyte is towards explaining the role of parasites in the ecosystem.

Albeit the manga doesn't scientifically "verify" the role of parasites, many of what you see in this manga happen to coincide with real parasites all over the world.

If parasites' existence were easy to explain this manga would only be slightly noteworthy but the things from how parasites need ...

Feb 2, 2015

skaterperson777

Recommended

I am not a gore person... unless there's a good reason behind that gore. And Parasyte gave me many good reasons to keep reading! The manga doesn't give a long, dragging introduction. Rather, it stars off with a bang. While sleeping, these organisms called Parasytes start taking over brains of living things by entering their ears. Shinichi Izumi, however, has headphones on so when a Parasyte attempts to enter through his ear, it buries itself in his arm! Shinichi discovers that the organism (which he later names Migi) has the ability to turn his arm into a weapon. Others who have Parasytes in them have ... unfortunately become man-eating monsters. Thus, the fast-paced adventure to find out what the Parasytes purpose in the world begins...

Story: 9
I can't say much without giving away the whole story. Loved the premise of Parasytes taking over humans and turning them into monsters. Shinichi and Migi's journey is definitely worth the read. They encounter many obstacles to unveil the truth about Parasytes. The plot twists were mostly subtle but well done. I'm still not sure what to think of the conclusion. But the story was great overall.

Art: 7
While some of the drawings may be a bit rough-looking, I liked the design of the characters, mainly Migi and the Parasytes. I got a bit mixed up with some of the older male characters at times and had to read over it again to get their faces and names straight. The Parasytes are terrifying! And the gore scenes are drawn very well: viciously and with little left to the imagination.

Character: 8
Oh, Shinichi, you. Let me just say that Shinichi's character dynamics throughout were great. I loved how he battles for his humanity while having a Parasyte inside him. The struggle to remain human and come to the realization of what a human really was moved me. Migi completed the story. He was probably my favorite character. He doesn't give a crap and tells Shinichi how it is. His development was also well done. The female characters also contributed a lot to the story. Satomi Murano kept Shinichi sane as he fought to stay human. She wasn't really that strong, but I like how she was there to keep Shinichi grounded. I believe that was her main purpose in the series. Kana Kimishima, who is human but can sense Parasytes, was flat for me. She was just one of those characters there that just existed and was flat to me. Reiko Tamura was another strong character in the series. Seeing her change throughout the series was interesting. As for the other characters, they all contributed to the story, no matter how small their role was.

Enjoyment: 10
Really had a great time reading Parasyte.

Overall: 9
Awesome manga. Don't let the fact that it was written over twenty years ago stop you from reading! It's just as good, if not even better, than many of the manga series out there.

Nov 28, 2014

mariadaisy

Recommended

PARASYTE:

CHARACTERS- each characters has a story. Each parasite in these chapters shows their weaknesses and strength. Each parasite shows their strategy skills when they were on fighting.

STORY- the story is about a parasite that falling from the sky and the teenage high school boy battling with parasites. If they will invade into your brain, they will eat humans. If they become unsuccessful, they can use hands, eyes, nose, mouth, or ears and it won’t attack humans. They can also change appearance; they can easily remember things, can presence from other parasites and the human that they invade can be ...

Nov 17, 2023

CaptainKenshiro

Mixed Feelings

Almost but not exactly the same

I’ve recently watched and read Kiseijuu/Parasyte, a very interesting case of a work that was very faithfully adapted and yet with a very relevant difference that isn’t brought up as much as it should, so I thought about writing about both versions.

Interesting premise

The premise is about monsters taking over humans from within and mimicking them to feast on them, hence the name. Since the origin of the parasites is not clear, it can be seen as a combination of Devilman, the first one in its kind in the manga and anime mediums, with The Thing and the Invasion of the ...

May 3, 2017

DeeWatchesAnime

Recommended

A strong blend of action and provoking social commentary that is for once done well. There aren't many mangas I have read that successfully pull off both an exciting and thought provoking story, without erring on one side. Where Parasyte succeeds is in its strong and likable characters that you can't help but root for. There's tons of character development and the conclusion is a very satisfying one that finishes off a very solid story that has few flaws.

The concept is clever: a school kid gets infected by an alien who then becomes symbiotic, giving the teen unusual powers, but gradually transforming him into ... something less than human. This is not the only alien however, and the kid is one of the lucky few who becomes symbiotic rather than dying and being taken over by the alien, creating the conflict present in the plot. This story has many highs and lows for the protagonist, and for once I found myself rooting for and relating to his struggle. Mostly when high school characters are involved in a manga, you'll get all sorts of terrible angst or melodrama, but this manga has a good amount of subtlety.

The hits come fast and hard at certain points for the protagonist who has a horrible life as a result of the Parasyte and the other aliens. The alien becomes a character in its own right as it develops a personality and befriends the main character. You get some pretty funny wacky humour at the start, and there's always some comedy despite all the serious plot going on, except for an extremely tense conclusion that is an absolute nail biter. The other side characters, some alien and some that are school friends, all serve a good purpose in development for the main character. I'd like to have gone over a few specific moments I loved here but I wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone who wants to read this manga.

As far as action goes, this series doesn't have the flashiest of fights or anything. It's not a fighting series but the action is fun enough to keep you interested. The Parasyte gives the protagonist certain powers like massive stretchy limbs or very precise aim, and the predictable superhuman strength, but mostly the fights come down to him having to outsmart his opponents. This can require some ingenuity on his part or teamwork with the Parasyte and the stakes are always high and at the same time, realistic. As the story has so many tragic poignant moments and no filler, suspension of disbelief actually works. Again I wouldn't want to spoil any of this specifically, but there's not nearly as much plot armour as you'd think, it's refreshing after so many supposedly mature series that follow the same set of clichés,

The art is one area I may want to criticize slightly as it's not the greatest art. It's of its time, this is a fairly old manga now, around 30 years. It's pretty simplistic and while it has its moments, such as awesome detailed gore and other great bits and pieces, especially in the first few chapters, the simplistic 80s style of the humans can become a little tiresome. There aren't any good human designs, though it's par for the course compared to the average modern anime and there's at least great designs for the aliens and so on. (Off topic, the anime adaptation really manages to impress me with how it changes (see: ruins) several of the human characters by modernizing them to look like sissy losers because it's set in current day Japan.)

As far as complaints go, this is a very solid manga with little negative to say. There were a few moments that made me go "Huh?" Namely one of the plot twists about the corruption sub-plot's major players, and some of the wackier parts can be a bit too silly. The villains aren't too numerous, what is there is well done and I loved the final major alien confrontation. Even the very last confrontation had me second guessing what might happen. The plot is not that riveting and definitely could've done more with the corruption sub-plot. What is bad is merely stuff I feel could've been done slightly better, but overall this is simply a great manga that I find hard to imagine anyone wouldn't enjoy.

Oct 25, 2013

Danno

Recommended

I um... wow. This manga was incredible. It has a completely different feel to it from any other manga I've read or anime I've seen. This is truly a masterpiece.

- - - S T O R Y - - -
Parasitic aliens taking over humans, disguising themselves to kill/eat more humans. You might think it sounds like your average horror movie, but that line of thinking is completely wrong.
Only Shin's right hand is taken over by a parasite and he has to learn to co-exist with it. The parasite is as logical as math itself and has conversations with Shin. The story is ... not so much about some alien takeover horror, but instead about the way these characters change and grow throughout the series, as well as the way the other parasites learn to become less conspicuous in today's society. Some of them even learn to become more human than humans. It's just amazing to follow the plot and see how these things develop, and infinitely better than some simple war against aliens.

The story is very thought provoking. I also find that it's written in a way that can be taken literally and make perfect sense - or - you can read it with an alternate interpretation for an even more thought provoking experience when you think about things like how Shin's "right hand" is killing parasites guised as humans, and how the parasites are the same as humans. You can also read it as a simple battle manga, I suppose, if the plot is too complex for you. It's like 3 full manga series packed into one.

- - - A R T - - -
Seeing as this is from the '80s to early '90s, the art is from a time before "moe" and 2D wives existed. Truly, a better time for real stories to be told. Some of the characters have lame hairstyles and they don't look sexy like modern art styles, but who cares about that? This manga is dark and the art fits it nicely. It aims for a realistic approach, making it easier to take the story seriously.

I really liked how the characters' faces actually had emotions. The artist did a really good job of showing the sorrow in Shin's eyes when he'd give a distant look. One part of the art that had an impact on me was when a character was shown looking cheerful, then the next panel was pretty much the same drawing, except the smile was small, half-hearted, and the eyes looked like those of someone who's lost their way. It was just so perfectly executed and showed the emotion loud and clear.

- - - C H A R A C T E R S - - -
I suppose I was hoping for a little more with the characters, though they are quite good as is. Some characters simply fade out of the story, but I suppose there isn't really any reason to keep them around (for example, the girl Shin met on the ferry). A little more closure would be nice, though, as long as it doesn't devolve to pointless interactions. Many characters die even after we get to know and like them, so this manga may cause your emotions to react.

The way Shin's character developed was surprising and is also open to interpretation. Did he become the way he was because of the parasite's influence on his body or did he become that way due to psychological reasons? I'm leaning towards thinking it was psychological since even Migi acted more human than Shin at times, and that's really saying something. Still, you could just as easily see it the other way, which makes it interesting.

- - - O V E R A L L - - -
Well, this left me on the edge of my seat. I was completely engrossed in the story. Some moments were so tense and suspenseful I was sweating. Other moments were so sad I nearly felt like crying. In any case, it's addictive and has you wanting to know what happens next.

I have mixed feelings about the ending. Chapter 63 is the true ending. Chapter 64 is more like a little add-on to give closure to a few more things, but leaves you with a kinda empty feeling. So, if you read this, keep that in mind and look at chapter 64 as just a little bonus.

This manga is fairly short, so you should just read it if you have time to waste reading a long ass review like this. If you like stories with depth and value, you'll probably enjoy this.

Mar 24, 2020

a-k-killer

Recommended

masterpiece

everything about this manga is great and the more you read the better it gets

i cant remember the writer name he is one talented genius for writing this and " hestorie ".

best thing about this is the character development from the beginning to the end it never stops being engaging , the main guy is very likable : much like the main guy from hestorie " .

this is nothing but a reflection on humanity itself in the form of an " outsider " , you cant say these things are evil but you cant love them either .. you dont get it ...

Jan 4, 2013

Altaica

Recommended

This is a review I decided to write after re-reading Parasyte 2 or 3 times on a period of about 4 years. There are many reviews already written, so I'll try writing a complete, simple review.

Story:
I loved it. Fairly long but not of epic sizes, it's just right not to be too short and leave you disappointed of an abrupt ending, nor is it one of those mangas you just lose interest after days of reading it because it seems it will never end. The storyline can be classified in only a few major chapters, and all of them continue each other, so ... basically it's a continuous reading, not the type of manga where you see a major enemy getting killed and just when you think that's about it, a new menace appears and must be stopped. When the plot starts, it starts without being too much all of a sudden, but it doesn't stagnate, and when it ends, that's it. Forever. No sequel, no nothing. Only an extremely short epilogue, so you won't be left thinking, 'wish there was more', because that epilogue gives you closure, with no loose ends within the characters or the storyline.
The plot itself is simple, but not completely clear on all details. You never get to find out where exactly DID the parasites come from, what ARE they, not what is their PURPOSE in the world, only enough hints to be well-rounded. What is clear is, they come from outer space as snakes/worms, they invade a part of a human's body (preferably the head), they can change shape, aaand~ they eat their host's species, using their host's own organs to digest it.
Story goes like this: parasite comes to earth, tries to enter Shinichi's head, fails, retains his arm and so becomes part of his host, without either of them losing their personalities. So, they go out facing those who wish to kill them, help a little the japanese army in fighting the maneaters, become stronger together, and also learn to understand each other in their free time. It's related mostly from Shinichi's point of view, but there are exceptions.
A few random scenes are shown so that you are helped to understand what kind of world this is, like, for example, a dog getting infected, a parasite attacking his prey while he's driving so that they both end up dead/on the verge of it, etc. In the end, all small things fit into place.

Art:
It's a stretchy art, not your every day anime style, with big eyes, small mouths and unnoticeable noses. No wasp-shaped female bodies, with departed feet and toes from one foot facing those of the other. So, if you like it realistic, you'll love it, and if you prefer classic innocent art, you should go pick something else to read. Either way, it's very clean, no useless lines, no greys, no overwhelming background. Balanced and nice. Not much gore, merely your every-day blood here and there to go along with the severed arms, heads, feet, and not to forget, the corpse-left-to-dry-on-a-rope-like-a-piece-of-clothing, with bones and flesh sticking out.

Character:
The characters are well- made, each of them has its own personality and way of thinking, even the parasites, who basically become human-like diverse, with emotions (...well, mostly different ways of interpreting their instincts), memories, and judgement. No two parasites are the same. some are dumb, others are curious, some are intelligent whilst others are leaders, well... you get the idea. People are just as well outlined: sometimes, you can guess how they will react, other times, they surprise you.
Reading the story overall, you can outline 3 distinct collective characters: parasites, feeding of and mingling with humans; humanity,conscious of the presence of its predator and fighting it off, and the 2 known symbiots (parasites who failed to invade the brain + the host), outcasted by other parasites, are helping humanity. Sometimes, parasites win, other times, humans do.
The most complex characters are Shinichi and Migi, and in both their cases we see a huge character growth from the start to the end of the story.Migi becomes like a thinking weapon for Shinichi, whilst Shinichi grows up, matures, and changes along the way. He becomes more mature in the way of thinking and judging, and at the same time, his emotional nature is being dulled by the presence of his parasite, to the point where he is regarded as an extremely cold person by some.

Enjoyment:
Well, I did say i re-readed it a couple of times already, and it's also my favorite manga of all times, so it's obvious that I really enjoyed it. I laughed my ass off when Migi transformed into a huge penis when Shinichi was in public, I felt sad for the puppy that died in Shinichi's arms after being hit by a car, and I was hooked up with the development of the plot 'til the very end, not once bored.
There are no flashbacks, so the story is incredibly easy to follow.

Overall: The only thing I trully didn't like about the manga was that I didn't get to know what exactly were the parasites and where did they come from and all of that. It felt as id there was some sort of all-powerful being that had a plan for them, and after a while, he abandoned it and left the poor parasites to survive on their own and do what they will with their lives, as if it was testing humanity. It left a blank sheet on this chapter. But this is only a small Minus that is overthrown by countless Pluses. I deeply recomment it to anyone who appreciates action, crime, survival and evolution. If you just want to see senseless fighting, sex or an alien invasion, pick something else, because this is not what you're searching for.

Dec 26, 2021

burger_time

Recommended

The story of Parasyte puts an average high school boy―Shinichi Izumi―into a world well beyond the limits of his imagination, as a creature attempts to take over his brain. The creature seems to fail but, soon enough, Shinichi realizes that his life would never be the same. The creature has inhabited his left hand, forcing Shinichi into a monstrous world, learning of the species which is now a part of himself.

Shinichi tries to simultaneously live his new life and the life he once had, which proves to be impossible. The story unfolds as he and the creature inside him, named Migi, converse. Shinichi feels ... it is now his duty to do something about the alien invaders feeding on humans. In his journey, he is forced to contemplate the intricacies of mankind and the species, both preexisting and new, with which they coexist on Earth.

This manga puts an emphasis on humanity and the supposed "foolishness of mankind", flipping the term 'parasite' from the alien newcomers to humans. Multiple characters in the manga preach this, saying that these "alien invaders" are not parasites to mankind but, rather, they are the cure to the Earth's poisonous inhabitants: humans.

The manga delves deep into the coexistence of parasites and humans, akin to the coexistence of humans and the countless other species on Earth. "Who has the right to be at the top of the food chain?" "Who has the right to decide whether or not another organism has the right to live?" "Who has the right to decide how to alter the world in which they live?" "Who has the right to use the world to the benefit of themselves?" "Who has the right to live?" Many questions like these are thrown around, in order to highlight the hypocrisy that mankind holds.

Many conflicts present themselves as these "parasites" and humans hold an innate inability to exist alongside each other. Shinichi strikes deeper into parasite society, being told that parasites are merely clumps of cells unable to survive on their own, much like the early stages of human life. He learns that parasites are not above humans or vice versa―he learns that they are the same.

The prevailing theme in all of Parasyte is the humanity and selflessness that mankind holds for each member of their own species. We would put ourselves in disadvantageous situations in order to help one another. We would care for those unable to do so themselves. We would do something for someone else, even if there was nothing to gain from it for ourselves. We spend time and relate with each other, cherishing our moments of life together and caring for those who will carry this behavior of ours on.

Parasyte manages to unfold an extraordinary story with philosophical, contemporary, and social themes, through the lives of seemingly ordinary and average characters. The characters are very realistic, believable, and relatable, being normal people forced to live abnormal lives. The story is a very nice length: not too long and not too short. Not once did I feel the story to be rushed, muddled with inconsistencies, or anything of the sort. The only thing I can complain about is that it is over. I consider Parasyte to be the best piece of work I have consumed, being a very peculiar story with characters I can understand and relate to. Parasyte also gives you lots of things to ponder, leaving behind a very important message to carry with you: "Hold close to something...Until the day you die."