‘Parasyte: The Grey’ premiered on Netflix on April 5 amid fanfare but received subpar reactions from anime lovers. The series is a live-action adaptation of the Japanese comic (manga) ‘Parasyte’, written by Hitoshi Iwaaki. The manga was previously adapted into an anime titled ‘Parasyte: The Maxim’
Parasyte: The Maxim was an animated adaptation of the manga Parasyte. It premiered in 2014 and was produced by Studio Madhouse. The banner previously backed the anime adaptations of Death Note, Hunter x Hunter, Death Parade, and Monster.
Parasyte: The Maxim follows high-schooler Shinichi Izumi who is partially infected by Parasyte, a monster that butchers and consumes humans. The show deals with him learning to co-exist with these creatures while simultaneously dealing with the trauma of being part monster and part human.
‘Parasyte: The Maxim’ is a beloved series among the anime community and was received positively. It has gained a cult status over the years. The live-action version, however, doesn’t live up to the standards set by the anime.
Let’s examine the differences between them.
One of the main differences between the anime and the live-action series is the treatment of the fight sequences. The quick cuts in the live-action version, especially in the first few episodes are pretty jarring. The fights in the anime, on the other hand, were engaging.
They also had more gravity because the protagonist was always on the verge of landing in danger.
The protagonist Shinichi went through a lot in the anime. And, most of it was compelling to watch. His live-action counterpart Jeong Su-In, on the other hand, does not get an interesting graph till halfway through the series. For instance, in the early episodes of the anime, Shinichi loses his mother and becomes stoic. He later regains his humanity in the story. Meanwhile, Jeong Su-In doesn’t have any agency in the first few episodes.
The anime explored the theme ‘Man vs. Nature’. This, however, isn’t the case with the live-action series. Removing this conflict makes the Netflix show just a simple/generic horror-thriller. While it is fun to watch, it isn’t as deep as the anime.
There were 24 episodes in the anime, which ensured proper detailing of the characters. Parasyte: The Grey, meanwhile, has merely six, Due to fewer episodes, the detailing of the story doesn’t match the standards set by the anime.
The one aspect that the live-action does better than the anime is the body horror. The term refers to a sub-genre of horror that focuses on the physical deterioration, mutation, or mutilation of the human body. It often evokes feelings of disgust, fear, and discomfort. The eeriness of the alien-like creatures in the live-action show makes it an unnerving watch. The anime barely touched upon the body horror of the Parasytes.
To sum up, ‘Parasyte: The Grey’ has its merits but ends up being a pale shadow of the anime based on the same manga. In fact, some may even call it a missed opportunity.
‘Parasyte: The Grey’ was released on Netflix on April 5.