Is Netflix’s Parasyte: The Grey Based on the Anime or Manga?

Parasyte: The Grey takes place in a Korea that, like a lot of the world, has been infected by body-controlling alien parasites. But is Netflix‘s Parasyte: The Grey based on the Parasyte manga or anime?

Is Netflix’s Parasyte: The Grey Based on the Anime or Manga?

Parasyte: The Grey is set in the same world as the Parasyte manga, but it tells a new, parallel story, one set in South Korea. The general premise sees alien parasites taking over people’s remains, and as in the manga, the show’s protagonist forms a kind of symbiosis with their parasite.

“This new story taking place in a different location will lead us into a world beyond my imagination,” Parasyte author Hitoshi Iwaaki told Netflix. So both stories are set in the same universe, but Parasyte: The Grey will not beat-for-beat retell the story of the manga.

It’s similar to the relationship between Netflix’s Birdbox and Bird Box Barcelona, both telling a story dealing with the same apocalyptic event. Parasyte: The Grey’s alien invasion might not be quite as effective as Birdbox‘s.. whatever it is, but it’s hitting the whole world.

Related: Why Is Netflix’s Ripley Series Black and White?

How Similar is Parasyte: The Grey to the Original Manga?

So, if Parasyte: The Grey isn’t a retelling of the manga, how similar will it be? The central theme will be similar, one of co-operation or, as Iwaaki puts it, to question “..whether people could peacefully coexist with other organisms or mutants unlike themselves.”

But this series’ protagonist, Jeong Su-in, won’t just have to deal with the alien parasites. There’s also an organization known as Team Grey out to get the parasites and, by extension, her. She’s not going to have an easy time of it.

So the answer to whether Netflix’s Parasyte: The Grey is based on the Parasyte manga or anime is it’s not specifically based on the manga’s story or the anime’s, but it’s set in the same universe.

Parasyte: The Grey starts streaming on Netflix on Apr. 5.