Parasyte

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Parasyte
寄生獣 (Kiseijū)
Genre
Manga
Authored by	Hitoshi Iwaaki
Publisher	Kodansha Del Rey Tokyopop (Former)
Serialized in	Afternoon
Original run	–
No. of volumes	Original edition: 10 Kanzenban: 8 Del Rey 8 Tokyopop12

Parasyte, known in Japan as Kiseijū (寄生獣, literally "Parasitic Beasts") is a manga series written by Hitoshi Iwaaki.

Kiseijū was published in Japan by Kodansha in the manga anthology Afternoon, and it was published in North America in English by Mixx as Parasyte; Mixx is now known as TOKYOPOP. The twelve-volume series Kiseijū won the Kodansha best Sci-Fi Award in 1993. Del Rey Manga now has the rights to Parasyte [1] [2].

[edit] Synopsis

Parasyte centers on a teenage boy named Shin'ichi Izumi (Shin in the Mixx English version.) He lives with his mother and father in a rather quiet neighborhood when, one night, an alien invasion occurs. The aliens are called Parasytes. They are worm-like creatures that enter human "hosts" through their ears or noses, and take over their brains. A Parasyte attempts to crawl into Shin'ichi's ear and take over his brain while he sleeps, but is stopped by his headphones and accidentally burrows into one of his hands instead. In the Japanese version, it takes over his right hand and it is named Migi (ミギー Migii). In the Mixx English version, it takes over his left hand (because the images in the book are flipped to allow for left-to-right reading) and is named "Lefty."

Because the Parasyte infected his hand instead of his brain, Shin'ichi and Migi each retain their own, separate intellect. This gives them an edge in battling the other Parasytes, who see Shin'ichi's ability to think independently as a threat. Shin'ichi also feels compelled to fight other Parasytes, who kill and eat humans for reasons unknown.

[edit] The Parasytes

The Parasyte begins life as a worm-like creature which emerges from a spore, drifting to earth from the sky. The Parasyte crawls or burrows its way into the head of a human host, transforming the brain. This effectively kills the victim, replacing their personality and intellect with that of the Parasyte. Parasytes have no memories of their own and do not know where they came from, but are, as a general rule, extremely quick learners who master the language and customs of the surrounding human population.

Parasytes have the ability to shapeshift the area of the body of which they took control (normally the head). They can alter their facial features in order to assume the guise of another person. When necessary, however, they can perform bizarre and grotesque transformations, sprouting supernumary eyes, mouths, and even wings, as well as extruding an array of blades, fangs, and tentacles, later returning their face to its normal shape. These extrusions can be moved with superhuman speed, and a Parasyte can easily kill several nearby humans with an array of whirring blades before they are even aware that they're being attacked. Their primary use for this ability is murder-although they can eat other foods, all normal Parasytes have an instinctive compulsion to kill and feed upon human beings.

Parasytes have neither compassion for nor malice against humans-as a general rule, they display little emotion or none at all, and act according to whatever seems sensible and likely to ensure their own survival. However, Parasytes do sometimes appear shocked or surprised, and do develop individual personality traits-for example, Reiko Tamura (Tamara Rockford) is philosophical, Mr. A is antisocial and violent, and Goto enjoys playing the piano while Hideo Shimada prefers practicing sports. Because they are not emotionally troubled by pain or physical exhaustion, a Parasyte can push its host body to the limit, performing much better than the host may have originally been capable of doing. Of course, this also increases the risk of exhaustion or injury.

Parasytes also have the psychic ability to sense one another's presence. They can instinctively sense the proximity of other nearby Parasytes, and identify them as such. They are also aware of any killings committed by nearby Parasytes.

Although the head of a Parasyte-controlled body may appear to be made of normal human flesh, bone, and hair, it is not. Every cell of a Parasyte-controlled body part is alive, and small hair and tissue samples removed from the Parasyte will quickly cry out, wither, and die. (Later in the series, Parasytes are identified by plucking strands of hair, or with an X-ray which reveals a head with no bone tissue inside.) In this regard, as well as in their ability to suddenly create bizarre shapes out of normal human features, the Parasytes bear a strong resemblance to The Thing. Occasionally, a Parasyte displays the ability to temporarily detach itself, or part of itself, from its human host, crawling on makeshift legs to escape danger or surprise an opponent. Both Migi and Reiko have demonstrated this skill.

Parasytes are very dangerous in combat. Although Parasytes feel pain, it does not bother them, and they can shrug off a great deal of injury to their host body before dying. Its shape-shifting body parts can become incredibly tough and resistant to damage, deflecting blades and bullets with ease. When Parasytes fight one another, they usually try to kill their opponent by severing the head from the body, or by piercing the heart in order to cause death by rapid, massive blood loss. Aside from the infected region (normally the head), a Parasyte's host body is just as vulnerable as any other; however, their resistance to pain, coupled with their incredibly speed, means that it is very difficult to hit them with a killing blow. Because all of the Parasyte tissue is a "thinking muscle," they are uniquely vulnerable to injuries which damage the entire surface of the body (such as fire or acid), which can cause them extreme confusion, loss of coordination, and lack of control over their shapeshifting ability.

Occasionally, a Parasyte makes a mistake and fails to assimilate the brain of a human host. The Parasyte may accidentally merge with another part of a human's body (as in the case of Shin'ichi Izumi, the protagonist), or even accidentally merge with the brain of an animal, rather than a human. In such cases, the Parasyte either subsists on the nutrient intake of the host (as is the case with Shin'ichi and Uda), or has a compulsion to eat whatever animal species it assimilated along with a desire for human flesh, rather than humans. Such cases are seen by other Parasytes as pathetic failures or unsettling threats.

Additionally, although it is only shown in the series once, a Parasyte can become partially absorbed into a human body, where in this case the human body itself becomes "super-powered", even though the Parasyte still retains command over whatever part of the human body it's absorbed. For example, with a normal Parasyte, it would have taken over the head and it would be able to use the host to human limits as it pleases: with this aformentioned method, the Parasyte still regains command, but now the human body can far surpass human limits, to almost super-human levels. Only one character in the series ever has this happen to them though, so it could be a total fluke.

[edit] Characters

The names used in the Japanese versions and the Del Rey Manga volumes [3] are to the left, while the names used in the Mixx versions are to the right, if the names are different.

• Shin'ichi Izumi (泉新一 Izumi Shin'ichi) / Shin Izumi: Shin'ichi is the protagonist of the manga, a thoughtful, compassionate high-school boy whose hand is infected with a Parasyte. Shin'ichi is repeatedly put into difficult positions. He must find a way to peacefully coexist with Migi, the Parasyte which has taken over his hand, and reconcile his desire to protect humanity from the Parasytes with his desire to keep his own Parasyte 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 Parasyte-fighting activities, as well as the stress and grief they cause him, to his friends and family. Shin'ichi's retention of a human mind, emotion, and sensibilities causes other Parasytes to see him as a threat. He and his Parasyte must defend themselves from attacks by other Parasytes, and their ability to think and act independently, and as a team, gives them a tactical edge over normal Parasytes. He temporarily dies at one point in the series, having been pierced through the chest by his (now) Parasyte mother, but after absorbing part of Migi into his blood, he comes back to life literally hundreds of times stronger and smarter than before. He starts to lose part of his humanity though as a side effect of this, and it only gets worse up until a point in the series when he regains his humanity.

• Nobuko Izumi (泉信子 Izumi Nobuko): Nobuko is Shin'ichi's mother. She "dies" early on when she is taken over by a Parasyte, and temporarily kills Shin'ichi; she is then killed later on by a tag team of Shin'ichi and Uda.

• Migi (ミギー Migii, also called "Righty") / Lefty: Migi is the Parasyte which lives in Shin'ichi's hand. Unlike other Parasytes, Migi is nourished by the food Shin'ichi eats and so has no need or desire to kill and eat humans. Migi is, like other Parasytes, 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 he and Shin'ichi's secrecy. When he and Shin'ichi were first coming to terms, he even threatened to remove Shin'ichi'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 Parasytes as does Shin'ichi. On the other hand, unlike Shin'ichi, Migi has no inclination to place himself at risk in order to protect other humans from Parasytes. As the series goes along however, he becomes more human, whereas the reverse happens to Shin'ichi, up until an event involving a baby occurs.

• Satomi Murano (村野里美 Murano Satomi) / Sara: Shin'ichi's best friend and sometime companion. Shin'ichi and Satomi develop a romantic relationship over the course of the series, but their attraction to and fondness for one another is hampered by Shin'ichi's fear of his own monstrous nature, and Satomi's fear of Shin'ichi's secretive behavior and the mood swings that result from the trials and tribulations in his life. Up until the last volume, she has no idea about Migi/Lefty, until a near-death experience where she is (arguably) made fully aware of Migi/Lefty, but this could have just been in Shin'ichi's mind alone.

• Reiko Tamura (田村玲子 Tamura Reiko) / Tamara Rockford: A Parasyte who, coincidentally, infected one of Shin'ichi's high-school teachers. Reiko has scientific inclinations, and is driven to discover the biology, origin, and purpose of Parasytes. Reiko discovers-by becoming impregnated by another Parasyte named Mr. A-that a pregnant Parasyte will bear a normal, human child, and that Parasytes have no apparent means of reproduction. Reiko is more logical and reasonable than many other Parasytes, and allows Shin'ichi to live unmolested largely because she finds him an interesting anomaly worthy of study. She eventually becomes pregnant and has a baby; after betraying her fellow Parasytes and killing quite a few of them, the police brutally kill her. The baby survives however, thanks to Shin'ichi.

• Kana (加奈): Kana is a disobedient "bad girl" who develops a crush on Shin'ichi. 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 Parasytes. However, her senses are not as fine-tuned as those of the Parasytes themselves, and she cannot tell whether she is sensing the presence of Shin;ichi or of a normal Parasyte, putting her in considerable danger. This ability is eventually what leads to her death, and a total breakdown of Shin'ichi for a good volume or so, until he recovers from it; the after-effects of this lead to estranging him from his friends and get police to keep an eye on him, all of which last until near the final volume.

• Uda (宇田): Uda is, like Shin'ichi, a human who had a Parasyte merge with a part of his body other than his brain. In Uda's case, the Parasyte lodged in the lower part of his head. Uda's Parasyte originally does not have a name, but is later renamed Jaw (ジョー Jō). It is brash and crude-it even seems to have a sense of humour-and sometimes assumes control of Uda's mouth, distorting it into odd shapes and forcing Uda to say strange or inappropriate things. The pair befriend Shin'ichi and Migi, but prefer to simply avoid Parasytes. Because Uda is slightly overweight and his Parasyte is located in the jaw area, fights with other Parasytes tend to leave him out of breath. However, because it is located in the lower part of the head, his Parasyte can extend itself downward into his chest, protecting his heart (a popular target in Parasyte duels). Uda is normally a peaceful, easygoing man, but is nervous under pressure and cries easily. He works as a hotel employee.

• Hideo Shimada (島田秀雄 Shimada Hideo): Hideo is a Parasyte with a teenager's body who decides to integrate with human society. Hideo enrolls in Shin'ichi's high school and expresses a desire to become friends with Shin'ichi, who does not trust him. Although Hideo is a relatively peaceful Parasyte, he has no qualms about brutalizing or even killing bullies who try to start fights with him, and he continues to hunt humans (although he claims that he is learning to eat normal food instead). He is killed by Shin'ichi and Migi.

• Mr. A: Mr. A is a Parasyte who considers Shin'ichi a threat. Reiko calls him a fool while Migi describes him as "not one of our smart ones." Mr. A has no capacity for subtlety or deception, and no qualms about using his shapeshifting abilities in view of the public, reasoning that he can always get out of trouble by fighting, running away, and changing into a different face. Mr. A (or rather, his host body) is the father of Reiko's child. Shin'ichi is forced to battle Mr. A when he attempts to hunt Shin'ichi down and kill him at school. He is killed by Shin'ichi and Migi.

• Goto (後藤 Gotō): Goto is an "experimental" Parasyte created by Reiko. He is actually composed of several combined Parasytes, whose shapeshifting ability has advanced to the point where they can switch positions, each forming a different limb as the situation requires. Goto 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 Parasyte cells, Goto is much faster, stronger, and more dangerous than standard Parasytes, and nearly impossible to hurt. Goto is the last Parasyte that Shin'ichi and Migi take down; Goto actually ends up causing the temporary death of Migi, and absorbs Migi into his body for a small period of time. Shin'ichi is left with only one arm during this period, but manages to recover Migi and secures victory.

• Takeshi Hirokawa (広川剛志 Hirokawa Takeshi): Hirokawa is the leader of a cabal of Parasystes which counts Reiko and Goto among its members. The group attempts to accrue political power in order to set up safehouses where they can take their victims, killing and eating them in secret. Hirokawa gains election to the office of mayor in East Fukuyama City, a small town (by Japanese standards) of 500,000 people close to Shin'ichi's hometown. Hirokawa wins by running on a campaign centered around locally-based environmentalism. Secretly, Hirokawa is a radical environmentalist who believes that the Parasytes' purpose is to cull the human population, standing one step above them on the food chain. He is eventually found out to be 100% human, and was just a Parasyte sympathizer. He is killed by the police force.