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Animatsu Acquires Live-Action Parasyte

Animatsu has tweeted that it has acquired the live-action film version of Parasyte. The tweet did not specify if Animatsu had acquired both parts of this two-part film, or only the first. Parasyte: Part 1 was released in Japan late last year, with Part 2 following this year. The film is based on Hitoshi Iwaaki's original manga, which also inspired a television anime serial, Parasyte -the maxim-. Animatsu has already acquired the anime version for a future release.

Parasyte: Part 1

Like the other versions of Parasyte, the live-action Parasyte: Part 1 "tells the story of Shinichi Izumi, an ordinary high school student who is attacked by an alien parasite – a mysterious worm-like creature which penetrates the ears or nose of an ordinary human, attaching itself to the brain and eventually taking over the entire body. Whilst Shinichi is able to fight off the parasite before it reached his brain, it remains within his right hand.

Shinichi Izumi and the parasite now live as one. They both come to understand that if one dies, then so will the other. In a bid to survive, they join forces to fight against the threat of other parasites." - Madman Entertainment

Parasyte: Part 1 is the first of two live-action adaptations by director Takashi Yamazaki (live-action Space Battleship Yamato, Always: Sunset on Third Street) with scripts by Ryūta Kosawa (Always: Sunset on Third Street, Shōnen H). Shōta Sometani (live-action xxxHOLiC, All Esper Dayo!) stars in the films as Shinichi Izumi, Eri Fukatsu (Onnanoko Monogatari) plays Ryōko Tamiya, and Ai Hashimoto (Blood-C: The Last Dark, live-action Another, Sadako 3D) plays Satomi Murano.

Hitoshi Iwaaki's original manga ran in Kodansha's Afternoon magazine from 1990-1995. The 10-volume series (later reprinted in an eight-volume version) has more than 11 million copies in print. Mixxine, the company that eventually became Tokyopop, published Parasyte in its Mixxine magazine and later in compiled book volumes. Del Rey then republished the series from 2007-2009, and Kodansha Comics republished the manga again from 2011-2012.

ANN published a review of Parasyte after the film premiered in Japan, you can read Richard Rowland's thoughts on the film here.