It was made known on Wednesday that the South Korean live-action TV show based on the Parasyte manga comics will start streaming on Netflix on April 5th.
This show is called Parasyte: The Grey (also known as Kiseiju: The Grey in Korea). Along with announcing the premiere date, a new promotional image for the show was made public.
The main cast members starring in Parasyte: The Grey are Jeon So-nee, Koo Kyo-hwan, and Lee Jung-hyun.
Yeon San-ho is serving as the director for the series and is also co-writing the scripts with Ryu Yong-jae to adapt the Parasyte story for television.
This live-action adaptation aims to bring the popular manga to life for viewers in a new format and medium when it debuts next month only on Netflix.
In addition to the main stars already announced, the Parasyte live-action Netflix series has added Kwon Hae-hyo and Kim In-kwon to the cast lineup. Though their specific roles are not yet publicly known.
This Korean adaptation of the Parasyte manga is set to premiere on April 5th, as mentioned earlier.
After the debut, new episodes will continue to be released weekly over the following months until the full season concludes in June.
Netflix’s Parasyte: The Grey – A Fresh Take on a Classic Manga in the Korean Drama Landscape
Netflix’s new Korean horror drama series Parasyte: The Grey will provide a unique interpretation of the popular Parasyte manga. This highly-anticipated adaptation has the potential to be one of the most interesting live-action versions of the story made so far.
The series lands amongst several returning hit shows on Netflix in 2024 like season 2 of Gyeongseong Creature and Squid Game. It also sits alongside numerous new Korean dramas across all genres, highlighting Netflix’s major investment in Korean content.
Some of the most exciting Korean shows on Netflix this year include the comedies Chicken Nugget and Queen of Tears as well as action-thrillers like Sweet Home 3, The 8 Show, and Parasyte: The Grey.
Given Netflix’s focus on adapting famous animated franchises into live-action, ranging from Japanese anime like One Piece and Yu Yu Hakusho to American cartoons like Avatar: The Last Airbender, some fans may have felt concerned about another Parasyte adaptation.
Too often, live-action versions fail to meet expectations or offer something new.
Thankfully, early hints suggest Parasyte: The Grey will provide a very different take on the Parasyte story compared to prior anime and live-action iterations.
That creative promise adds to the thrill surrounding one of Netflix’s most notable Korean dramas this year.
How The Live Action Is Different From The Original Manga
Parasyte: The Grey will not be a direct adaptation of the Parasyte manga but rather an original series loosely inspired by the source material.
So while Netflix labels it as a “K-drama”, it differs from live-action anime adaptations like One Piece or the upcoming Naruto film.
Instead, Parasyte: The Grey aims to channel the imaginative, thought-provoking essence of the comics in a fresh way after previous anime and live-action iterations.
A key difference setting the Netflix take apart is its Korean setting rather than taking place in Japan like prior versions.
This shift to Korea for the parasite invasion storyline helps differentiate the show.
The popular Parasyte manga already spawned a 24-episode anime series in 2014 called Parasyte: The Maxim. Despite releasing nearly a decade ago now, The Maxim remains one of the most viewed anime on streaming platforms today.
Additionally, two Japanese live-action Parasyte films covered much of the manga narrative, coming out around the time of the anime with Shôta Sometani as the lead.
The movies earned reasonably positive reviews for closely following the original comics.
So while not a direct adaptation, Parasyte: The Grey has a chance to build on what earlier versions did best while also bringing fresh creativity to an engaging sci-fi world.
The shift to a Korean backdrop adds originality that will hopefully resonate with viewers when the show launches on Netflix.
