Coming from the director of popular Korean television and movie projects like Hellbound and Train To Busan, Parasyte: The Grey has premiered on Netflix. When the streaming giant first released the horrifying trailer of the K-drama, I couldn’t resist getting excited. However, I also realized how gut-churning elements from the world of animation can look in a live-action project. Of course, it boasts a similar name to the Parasyte animanga, but let’s dig deeper to learn if the new Parasyte: The Grey K-drama is based on the source material.
Spoiler Warning This article includes spoilers for the ending of the new Netflix K-drama Parasyte: The Grey. So, proceed with caution.
Is Parasyte: The Grey Related to the Anime or Manga?
The answer to this can be Yes and No. Sounds confusing, right? Well, to be precise, Parasyte: The Grey is set in the same universe, so it’s very well canon to the Parasyte animanga. However, its story is set in a different country with completely new and unique characters.
Unlike the anime or manga, this K-drama takes place in South Korea, and it doesn’t see Shinichi as the protagonist. Instead, it features a female lead named Jeong Su-in.
So, we can say that the Netflix series doesn’t retell the same story that we are already familiar with; instead, it expands the original story by taking us outside of Japan. Well, that’s what has been made clear by the trailers and the official synopsis.
The trailer’s opening moments show the parasites planning to invade the Earth by taking possession of human brains and using them to annihilate their own kind. Interestingly, this is how the story of Parasyte: The Maxim began.
Honestly, it would not be too crazy to assume that the stories of The Grey and The Maxim happen simultaneously. While Su-in was tackling the parasites in Korea, there are possibilities that Shinichi was fighting parasites in Japan. However, the K-Drama adaptation sees the main protagonist from the original storyline appear in the finale episode to meet the captain of Team Grey.
Hence, we can expect to see him in alliance with the anti-parasite organization and Su-in in Season 2, if it gets greenlit by Netflix.
Netflix’s Parasyte: The Grey Plot Explained
Parasyte: The Grey is set in South Korea, where half of the population has started falling prey to the evil parasites who are determined to rule Earth. While the infected humans cannot take control of their own bodies, the protagonist, Jeon Su-in, turns into half-human and half-parasite.
The alien residing in her body starts talking to her, and it protects her from getting hurt. However, in the manga, we see Shinichi and Migi fighting the parasites without anyone’s support, but that’s not the case with Parasyte: The Grey. The Netflix show will see an organization going by the name ‘The Grey’ that will fight the parasites along with Jeon Su-in.
Well, this is just a summary of what you can expect from the television series; there’s a lot more than what was teased in the trailer. So, do not miss out on watching Parasyte: The Grey, which is streaming on Netflix, with all episodes out now.
