Comics / Manga

Parasyte Volume One

By Julie Gray
May 13, 2007 - 18:09

Parasyte Volume One Cover Art

'Silent invasion'...

Hitoshi Iwaaki’s Parasyte is a manga about alien, flesh eating parasites that take over human bodies and exist by dwelling on human flesh. Lovely, isn’t it? If you're stomach is doing a bit of a somersault right about now, you might not want to read on. Parasyte is violent, gory and horrific stuff.

However, if you enjoy your manga with a good dose of stylishly written horror blended in with a bit of science fiction, you're in for a treat with Hitoshi Iwaaki’s Parasyte.

There are two main characters in the first volume of this series. One is the host and the other is the parasite. The host is Shinichi and is unfortunately, one of the humans targeted by an alien parasite. The parasite also has a name – Migi. I thought it was rather odd for Shinichi to give the parasite a name but he does and as the story progresses, we begin to understand why.

Whilst there is no denying the abundance of horror scenes in this manga, what I found most interesting was the relationship between Shinichi and the parasite and how it develops. The parasite, unable to get into Shinichi’s brain and therefore unable to control his host is clumsily living in the hand of his ‘victim’.

What eventuates is a strange relationship that begins as co-existence but ultimately ends up as a relationship of co-dependency as well. Not only are they both ‘stuck’ with each other but Shinichi soon discovers that his world is about to be tipped upside down and flipped on its side! And the only way he can even begin to understand what is happening to him is through the parasite, Migi.

The artwork in Parasyte reminded me of Osamu Tezuka’s early drawing style in such works as ‘ Astro Boy’ but in particular, ‘Buddha’. Whilst the artwork has an extremely ‘rough’ look and appeal to it, the story and characters more than compensate for whatever lacks in the overall style of the images. The over-emphasised, darkened lettering that is so frequently used in this manga does give the emotional side of the story a ‘lift’ but perhaps too much of one in some instances.

Not only are the two main characters extremely well developed but the minor characters in the story are also just as interesting. It was refreshing to find that Hitoshi Iwaaki has paid particular attention to several aspects of the story and hasn’t spent all his time and energy on developing one or two characters. In particular, the character Tamiya Ryoko who is introduced later on in the manga, really sent shivers down my spine!

Parasyte deals not only with the invasion of earth by an alien life form but also takes a closer look at the nature of animals in general, all the while focusing the microscope more and more on the most prominent predatory animal of all – man. I enjoyed this aspect of the manga and this theme has given the book depth and scope, making it all the more enjoyable.

Parasyte: Volume One comes with translation notes, 'The Readers Ask, the Author Answers' excerpts and a sneak peek at Parasyte: Volume Two in original Japanese.


Art Work: 6/10
Story: 9/10
Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Contact the author of this review: Julie@thecomicbookbin.com

Last Updated: November 29, 2025 - 16:51