Iwaaki Hitoshi | Kiseijuu (R 17)

Japanese: 寄生獣
English: Parasyte
Synonyms: Parasite, Parasitic Beasts
Type: Manga
Volumes: 10
Chapters: 64
Status: Completed
Published: Nov 22, 1989 to Dec 23, 1995
Genres: Action, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Psychological, Seinen
Mangaka: Iwaaki Hitoshi (Story & Art)
Serialization: Afternoon

Synopsis: They arrive in silence and darkness. They descend from the skies. They have a hunger for human flesh. They are everywhere. They are parasites, alien creatures who must invade—and take control of—a human host to survive. And once they have infected their victims, they can assume any deadly form they choose: monsters with giant teeth, winged demons, creatures with blades for hands. But most have chosen to conceal their lethal purpose behind ordinary human faces, so no one knows their secret—except an ordinary high school student. Shinichi is battling for control of his own body against an alien parasite, but can he find a way to warn humanity of the horrors to come?

Background

Kiseijuu won the 17th Kodansha Manga Award for Best General Manga in 1993.

In 2003, it was reprinted in a eight volume complete version format; in 2014, in a new edition format, and complete version in a bunko format. The manga was adapted into two live-action movies which released on November 29, 2014 and April 25, 2015, respectively.

The series was first published in English as Parasyte by Tokyopop, ran in their manga anthology magazine Mixxzine and had a 12 volume release from June 23, 1998 to November 19, 2002. Del Rey Manga republished the series based on the eight volume reprint from May 1, 2007 to July 28, 2009. Kodansha Comics USA later reprinted the Del Rey release from July 26, 2011 to August 21, 2012. It has been published in Spanish by Planeta Comic and in Brazilian Portuguese by Jbc since September 2015.

Iwaaki Hitoshi, MAL 

Related Manga

Other: Neo Kiseijuu, Neo Kiseijuu f

Adaptation: Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu

Anime Start/End Chapter
Starts at Vol 1, Chap 1

Ends at Vol 10, Chap 64

Groups Scanlating

Gantz_Waitingroom

Inane

Manga-Otakus

Licensed in English

Kodansha Comics (8 Volumes - Complete) 

Source: MAL Manga info, Baka updates


Side notes: For some reason my manga picks have involved aliens or parasites today so I decided to take this one in 'cause I's familiar with it from before...yup via anime ofc. And I've been planning to read the manga ever since.^-^ I'm not that much into horror stories and if not seen the anime first I might have avoided reading this manga due of the genre. About the manga: Art is in good level a bit sketchy but good and as for the story... it's really good so it stays on my reading list as in active status... reading it as I can.


Main characters:

Shinichi Izumi (泉 新一)
Age: 16-18
Height: 170 cm-178.8 cm
Eye: Brown (Black in the Manga)

Shinichi is the protagonist of the manga, a thoughtful, compassionate high-school boy whose hand is infected with a Parasite. Shinichi is repeatedly put into difficult positions. He must find a way to peacefully coexist with Migi, the Parasite which has taken over his hand, and reconcile his desire to protect humanity from the Parasites with his desire to keep his own Parasite a secret in order to avoid being killed or used as a laboratory specimen. Like a superhero with a secret identity, he must also find a way to explain away his Parasite-fighting activities, as well as the stress and grief they cause him, to his friends and family. Shinichi's retention of a human mind, emotion, and sensibilities causes other Parasites to see him as a threat. He and his Parasite must defend themselves from attacks by other Parasites, and their ability to think and act independently, and as a team, gives them a tactical edge over normal Parasites.

Migi (ミギー)

Migi is the Parasite which lives in Shinichi's hand. Unlike "successful" Parasites, Migi has no desire to kill humans for sustenance, and is nourished by the food Shinichi eats. Migi is, like other Parasites, completely without emotion. His primary consideration is survival, and he has threatened (and in some cases attempted) to kill other humans who pose a threat to his and Shinichi's secrecy. When he and Shinichi were first coming to terms, he even threatened to remove Shinichi's other limbs in order to render him unable to place the two of them in danger. Migi can be reasoned with, however, and has just as much reason to be mistrustful of other Parasites as does Shinichi. On the other hand, unlike Shinichi, Migi has no inclination to place himself at risk in order to protect other humans from Parasites. As the series goes along, however, he becomes more human, whereas the reverse happens to Shinichi.

Supporting

Kana Kimishima (君嶋 加奈)
Kana is a disobedient "bad girl" who develops a crush on Shinichi. She is attracted to him because of his sensitive personality, and because she can sense something "different" about him. In reality, Kana has an unexplained psychic ability to sense Parasites.


However, her senses are not as fine-tuned as those of the Parasites themselves, and she cannot tell whether she is sensing the presence of Shinichi or of a normal Parasite, putting her in considerable danger.

Ryouko Tamiya (田宮 良子 / 田村 玲子)
Age: 31


Shinichi's substitute math teacher. She is infected with a parasite.

Reiko was a highly intelligent parasite, as she often studied the human psyche in hopes of understanding their species better. She was initially just as cruel as her fellow parasites. After giving birth and raising her child, she began developing and showing human emotions, such as laughter and love towards her son. She sacrificed her own body to keep her son safe, as the police shot a barrage of bullets at her. Before succumbing from her wounds, she revealed that she truly believed humans and parasites to be the same.

Satomi Murano (村野 里美)

Shinichi's best friend and sometime companion. Shinichi and Satomi develop a romantic relationship over the course of the series, but their attraction to and fondness for one another is hampered by Shinichi's fear of his own monstrous nature, and Satomi's fear of Shinichi's secretive behavior and the mood swings that result from the trials and tribulations in his life.

Gotou (後藤)
Gotou is an experimental Parasite created by Reiko. He is actually composed of several combined Parasites, whose shapeshifting ability has advanced to the point where they can switch positions, each forming a different limb as the situation requires.


He is the most intelligent and skilled, and is the de facto leader of the composite body. Because his head and all of his limbs are made of Parasite cells, Gotō is much faster, stronger, and more dangerous than standard Parasites, and nearly impossible to injure. The name "Gotou" is a pun on a word "五 Go" meaning number 5, implying he can control 5 Parasites, whereas the other Parasyte in the same body called Miki (三木 Miki lit. three trees) can control only 3.

Uragami (浦上)

Serial killer that can sense parasites.

Uragami is a savage, brutal killer and gets off on murdering people. Though he has come to terms with who he is, he questions why he's like that to begin with. He believes himself to be a true human being and states that everyone else is lying to themselves, while trying to conform to society's standards. While he does seem to enjoy killing, he did cooperate with the military to locate and kill only parasites. He even berates the soldiers on their inability to save the civilians.

Though he does shows great fear when confronted by a parasite, he appears only slightly annoyed when in an identical situation, with another human.

Source: MAL, Wikia

Short promotional video for the anime