The review of 'Parasyte – The Grey', the Netflix series based on the cult manga by Hitoshi Iwaaki with Jeon So-nee and Koo Kyo-hwan.
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| Image Credit: Netflix |
Netflix continues the successful wave of manga and webtoon transpositions with Parasyte – The Grey, a series based on the cult manga by Hitoshi Iwaaki. The new Netflix series is the typical horror story that is so successful both on the printed page and on the small screen: between disgusting transformations, violence, and all-out blood, the story created by Iwaaki (which is modified but remains unchanged in its essence) is an engaging mix of action, drama, and horror.
Over time, then, interesting themes also come to light, in particular an unexpected ecological discourse that sees human beings as parasites who condemn the planet to extinction. The "human parasites" are contrasted with real parasites, a species that appears from nowhere feeds on human brains, and takes total control of the host individual (endowing it with disgusting and incredible abilities). The sole aim of the new arrivals is to survive, and there seems to be no middle ground: to exterminate or be exterminated.
As we will see in this review of Parasyte – The Grey, different factions are created right from the start: on the one hand, we have the soldiers willing to do anything to exterminate the invaders, on the other the creatures with mysterious origins who try to impose themselves and finally there 'is a girl, whose body has changed due to the presence of the parasite and now their consciences coexist. Who will have won? which of the species will be exterminated?
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| Image Credit: Netflix |
The invasion of parasites
One day, suddenly, a strange species of parasites falls to Earth, in different places. These insect-shaped parasites enter the human body and, after eating the host's brain, take control of it. In Korea, the first parasites find themselves in the middle of a concert and exterminate dozens and dozens of unfortunate people. From that moment on, a special team was established with the sole task of exterminating the parasites, a military team led by Jun-kyung (Lee Jung-Hyun).
But what is the purpose of these beings who came from who knows where? Survive and feed, on human flesh obviously. They can be killed if hit badly enough (especially with firearms) and are easily recognizable, contaminated individuals being completely expressionless. The big problem is that they are really difficult to exterminate because when they take control of a body they transform it into a real weapon of war: fleshy membranes that become blades, clubs, or even wings, all gathered around the monster's head.
At the same time, we also meet Su-in (Jeon So-nee), a young woman with a tormented past who, after being attacked by a madman, is "involuntarily" saved by a parasite. The parasite that finds her, dying, treats her wounds but is unable to take control of her brain, and is thus forced to live with her. The parasite inside Su-in can transform at will, but not for long, without the girl remembering anything of what happens when the monster's consciousness takes over.
Obviously, Su-in becomes a target both for Jun-kyung's special team and for the parasites, who are organizing themselves to exterminate the human race in an increasingly efficient way. Helping her, however, are Kang-woo (Koo Kyo-hwan), a delinquent willing to do anything to avenge his sisters killed by parasites, and a kind policeman (Chul-min) who helped her when she was a child. How does Su-in fit into this battle between forces, mankind, and monsters? The young woman could be the key to a completely different future for our planet…
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| Image Credit: Netflix |
A successful mix of genres
As we anticipated at the beginning, Parasyte – The Grey is one of those stories that immediately strike you for how it manages to mix horror, action, and human drama: the viewer is immediately involved in the narrative, which develops through twists and turns moments of very high tension. The numerous characters are interesting and well-developed and provide numerous facets to the struggle for survival involving both humans and parasites. We, like them, arrived on this planet with the same motivation, to continue living, it's a shame that we too, as a human race, have turned into real parasites for the world in which we live. Are we really that different from the monsters that invaded us?
The Korean series, as we are used to with most of the products available on the platform coming from this country, is a product made with a great expenditure of resources. The special effects - which obviously have to be made a great deal of use given the multifaceted appearance of the creatures - are convincing and do not fall into too much of a trap. The direction is capable of building the right atmosphere for a story of this type and the action scenes are very well orchestrated. From the screenplay point of view, however, the story sometimes seems to flow a little too quickly, taking certain fundamental passages on the nature and objectives of the parasites for granted, as if previous knowledge of the manga was taken for granted.
Having said this, however, the series created by Yeon Sang-ho is a good product, which can attract a rather large audience of viewers, as Korean series such as Sweet Home have done (the second season of which recently arrived on the platform), We are no longer alive and Hellbound. Lovers of horror, and violence but also interesting and original stories, don't miss it!
