Parasyte: The Grey: Plot and Storyline Analysis
Parasyte: The Grey is an anime-inspired directed by the same director of the famous “Train to Busan.” Parasyte’s plot is about the monsters that came from the unknown, their purpose is to just simply to eat the brains of humankind and take over to control their bodies. However, that doesn’t mean that they own the body already, they can just take over the head so they can take control. Meanwhile, the main character of the story, Jung Su-In, has been eaten by one of the monsters during the time she was dying. And because she was dying, the monster needed to heal her body first before fully taking over her brain, which resulted in the monster having enough power to fully take control.
The girl, Jung Su-In, is considered a “mutant,” because she is still the host of her own body, and the monster inside her will only come out if Jung Su-In’s body is at risk. The monster can only last for 15 minutes. Going on, the policemen started to kill the monsters and monsters even started to betray each other. That’s when the story are getting intense.
A Closer Look to the Character Growth in Parasyte: The Grey
The good thing about this series “Parasyte: The Grey” is that some of the characters are evolving, not only the humans but also the monsters. There are changes in behavior that you will not expect at the end of the story. Here is the most remarkable growth of the characters.
1. Su-In and Heidi’s Relationship
At first, Heidi is just trying to protect that body and Su-In hates having Heidi inside of her, as the story goes on, Heidi feels frustrated that Su-In is being irresponsible and always putting herself at risk so the policewoman will believe her, and Heidi cannot understand why is that. Until Kang Woo explained to her, that for humans, having someone to believe you is survival. As time passes, Heidi learns more about Jung Su-In, her personality, her past, and what kind of person she is. While Jung Su-In, feels sympathy for Heidi for being stuck in her body and has no choice but to be strong to protect her.
2. Kang Woo
Kang Woo is a selfish man who only thinks about himself. He has been betrayed by many people in different ways, which is why it is also hard for him to trust someone. He is the type of person who won’t risk himself to save you. However, as he meets Jung Su-In, who saves him, there’s a change in his character. He started to care a lot about Jung Su-In and risked his life to save her.
BEHIND THE SERIES: Production Quality of Parasyte: The Grey
IT’S GIVING! Aside from creepy moments when the humans turned into monsters, there are action scenes between monsters too that make the series look cool, thrilling, and intense. Everything looks real.
Now, look at the table about how the production quality caught the eyes of many audiences.
| Visual Effects | Set Design / Cinematography | Costume and Make Up | Sound / Music | Editing and Pacing |
| By adding depth and realism to the alien parasite concept, the blend and transition between the humans and parasitic creatures are smooth and look real. | The set design and the use of lighting add intensity and a creepy atmosphere during the scenes making the story more thrilling. They also use the lighting to convey a tone depending on the context of the scene. | The costume of the series depicts the personality, age and social statuses of the characters. While the make up work looks amazing, especially for the parasite make up. | The sound and music of the drama adds thrill when the action scenes arises. Some sound effects were also added when the monster having a battle, as well as the sounds of the monsters. | The editing and pacing is good. Not too slow and not too fast, good enough for the viewers to get the flow of the scenes. Also, what a good editing skills! |
Insights and Messages
This series, Parasyte: The Grey, is not just about monsters, aliens, and action. There are some messages and lessons to reflect on, especially since there is a lot of character development and growth going on during the series. Showing Jung Su-In’s past explores why she developed such a personality in the present. The series also shows that Heidi is so strong because she had to because she can’t take full control of Jung Su-In’s body. Well, in real life, there are situations we are forced to be strong too, and that is why Heidi’s determination is very relatable.
There are also a lot of characters who positively changed their character. The main message of this series is there is always hope for redemption.
SUMMARY: Overall Audience Impact
Many K-drama addicts love Parasyte: The Grey because of its intense action scenes, they just can’t stop talking. It is unusual for a K-drama not to have a blend of romance. But even though it has no romance, the twists and turns of the story will not get you bored. From action scenes to creepy creatures, betrayals, and dramatic scenes, it all has it here. It was still a ride of emotions.
As observed, the audience usually loves the characters because of their room for growth and their behaviors are changing depends on the situation they are in. While, many also love the storyline because even if it is fiction, the obstacles or what the characters have been going through in the society, it is somewhat relatable in real life. This is recommended to everyone who likes K-dramas, and sci-fi. If you like K-dramas that have a lot of fighting scenes, thrill, and twists, this one is a must-watch for you!
Ji-hyun Kim’s love for storytelling blossomed during their time as a scriptwriter for popular K-dramas. With an understanding of scriptwriting and production, Ji-hyun transitioned to critiquing and analyzing dramas, exploring the cultural impact and audience reception.