Parasite in Love 01 by Sugaru Miaki

Parasite in Love 01 Reviews

• 
  Michael

  Kengo, 27, hat die Angst vor Keimen in die Isolation getrieben. Er verlässt seine Wohnung nur ungern und leidet unter massivem Waschzwang. Sanagi, 17, erträgt keine Blickwechsel und schwänzt darum die Schule. Von der Außenwelt schottet sie sich mit Kopfhörern ab.
  Ein Mann, dessen Identität im ersten Band ungeklärt bleibt, erpresst Kengo, der einen Computervirus geschrieben hat: Entweder er wird an die Polizei verraten oder er findet heraus, warum Sanagi die Schule schwänzt.
  Die Beziehung zwischen den beiden jungen Menschen, die immerhin, wenn auch nur sehr langsam, an Fahrt aufnimmt, entwickelt sich und die beiden gestehen sich gegenseitig ihre Zwangsstörungen. Am Ende des ersten Bandes ist eine Liebesbeziehung zwischen beiden nicht mehr ausgeschlossen.
  
  Der Manga richtet sich sicherlich an eine junge Leserschaft. Das Thema Zwangsstörung wird behutsam und vorurteilsfrei gestaltet.
  Wer selbst oder im Bekanntenkreis vom Thema betroffen ist, wird PARASITE sicherlich mit größerem Interesse und mit Sympathie lesen. Für andere Leser hat das Manga viel von einem Selbsthilfe-/Ratgeberbuch und kommt etwas süßlich rüber. Dass die beiden Protagonisten unter ihren Zwangsstörungen leiden, wird immer wieder behauptet, aber wenig konkret beschrieben. Dabei wären anschauliche konkrete Situationen sicherlich interessant gewesen.
  Warum sich die 17-Jährige auf den 10 Jahre älteren Mann überhaupt einlässt, ist zunächst nicht recht nachvollziehbar.
  
  Trotzdem: Es ist sicherlich begrüßenswert, dass Mangas belastende Probleme thematisieren, die vielen jungen Menschen nicht fremd sind. Sozialphobien im weitesten Sinne sind in vielen aktuellen Mangas Thema.
• 
  ʙᴏᴋɪᴛᴀ.ɴɪᴋa

  کوساکا به وسواس شدید مبتلاست ترس از ویروس یک عارضه ی روانی به نام ocd دختری که قصد دارد روان شناس بشه به اون میگه که دوستی داره که اون هم به این بیماری مبتلاست...
  خب جاللب بود طراح خیلی قشنگی داره و داستان کند پیش میره ببینم جلد بعد چی میشه
• 
  SpaceBubble

  Un premier tome intéressant, un thème plutôt sombre et psychologique. Hâte de voir comment va être abordé le sujet de la conscience personnelle dans les prochains tomes.
• 
  tea

  If the age gap was normal this would've been so good
• 
  Irene ➰

  3.8/5
  
  REVIEW OF THE MINI SERIES
  V3 PAGE
  
  
• 
  Jon Ureña

  This is a review of the whole series (three volumes).
  
  The main concept of this story, which is unveiled slowly so it's somewhat of a spoiler, resonates with the notion that likely most depressed people have had at some point: that they are inhabited by an alien presence that feeds upon their anguish. But the story goes further: what if that alien presence has actually caused a symbiotic relationship? Although the parasite leads the host to isolate itself and develop troubling compulsions and/or fears (like germophobia or scopophobia), the alien presence also acts as a dam of sorts, consuming the excess anguish that would otherwise overwhelm the host and lead him or her to suicide. Maybe worse: what if love itself is a lie fabricated by these alien presences to manipulate human beings into doing their bidding?
  
  Our protagonist is a germophobic twenty-seven-year-old programmer who develops a virus that will shut off telephone and SMS services during a few days of the Christmas holidays. He rationalizes the fact that he feels lonely during that period, so he would prefer if other people weren't able to contact their family members or their romantic partners. Some mysterious older guy finds out about his intentions somehow (this ends up having surprisingly little to do with the rest of the plot), so he blackmails him into being the babysitter of a troubled seventeen-year-old girl who refuses to attend her high school classes.
  
  This high schooler suffers from scopophobia as well as misanthropic tendencies that have led her to quit society. Initially it seems that this girl's "handlers" are partnering her with somewhat like-minded individuals in the hopes that these third parties will end up convincing the girl to go back to school and behave like a proper human. However, the truth is more complicated, hence the parasite thing in the title.
  
  The story ended up being far deeper and philosophical than I expected. However, I was tempted to rate it lower because it never quite nails the execution. Some of the character designs are a bit too samey; combined with some extended flashbacks awkwardly introduced, at times I wasn't sure if some characters were the same but with different haircuts. I've lived plenty of years already but I doubt I've gotten that senile, so I suppose that my confusion was due to this manga's shortcomings. Also, I thought the protagonist was a bit weak. For most of the story there was little more to this guy than his germophobia and his tendency to isolate himself.
  
  I particularly enjoyed the ending. It was bold but subdued in a haunting way.
  
  In any case, good story. I wasn't too surprised to find out that this author also wrote the manga
  'I sold my life for ten thousand yen per year', which is great if you are into psychological pain.
• 
  saki !!

  this was a buddy read with my friend char! <3
  
  this manga was interesting for the most part. when it comes to manga, i'm not at all big on action-packed plots, and this is very character driven and slice-of-life-y so it was up my alley.
  
  that being said, it was filled with topics that make me feel a bit queasy, what with the computer virus aspects (it's a bit weird but i get anxiety from such things in stories) and parasites and all. thankfully they weren't explored TOO in depth, but hey, the manga is literally called 'parasite in love' - i knew what i was getting into.
  
  the characters on their own were very interesting - kousaka kengo, a middle aged man who's a huge germophobe, to the point where he cannot touch people and is scared that he'll never find love in life; and sanagi hijiri - a 17 year old girl who skips school due to her agoraphobia and loves parasites.
  
  like i said, i love these two characters on their own, and i love them in a found family dynamic, but the manga chooses to put them in a romantic relationship. if they were both of the same age group, it would have been such a good romance! but they have a huge age gap, so them being 'in love' makes me uncomfortable and i don't like it. but that's pretty much my only gripe.
  
  i also really loved the art style of this manga! char and i agreed that it really resembles that of the anime serial experiments lain. i also loved how most of the manga takes place in winter, it really adds to the vibe.
  
  all in all, despite the romance aspect, this manga was pretty enjoyable. it gets a 3 stars from me. i can't exactly pin-point why i'm not giving it 4 stars (which was my original rating), but i guess it's just something about the vibe that is not entirely my thing? again, i don't know exactly, but either way i'm excited to move onto volume 2. <3
• 
  Donatella Principi

  
  Recensione su Chibiistheway
  La solitudine e il senso di inadeguatezza possono portare la nostra mente in luoghi tanto oscuri come accade a Kengo e Hijiri. Entrambi soffrono di due fobie che li spingono ai margini della società e che limitano loro il contatto con le altre persone. Si sentono inadatti e in una società dove non c’è posto per loro. Il pensiero della morte si fa sempre più vicino. Il loro incontro però fa scattare qualcosa e iniziano a sostenersi e a spronarsi per cambiare le cose. Finiscono anche per innamorarsi, ma proprio quando le cose sembrano andare finalmente per il verso giusto succede l’inaspettato. Il loro amore potrebbe non essere genuino, potrebbe essere frutto di un secondo fine. Parasite in Love è un manga struggente e molto cupo sia nei temi che nei disegni. Come ne Il prezzo di una vita, Sugaru Miaki tocca punti sensibili e a noi vicini a partire dal forte senso di solitudine, abbandono e inadeguatezza. Non è necessario soffrire di una patologia o di una fobia per potersi rivedere nella condizione dei protagonisti. Vengono sollevate anche domande importanti sul senso della vita e su cosa sia necessario per rendere una vita degna di essere vissuta. Insomma, non una lettura leggera. Per me forse anche fin troppo cupa e a tratti opprimente, con un risvolto sci-fi che non mi ha convinta del tutto.
• 
  sani ♡

  3.5☆ man, this was depressing. but am i going to read further? duh yes.
• 
  Liz Weasleyhead

  Der Manga und die Charaktere lassen mich selbst nachdem lesen noch nicht so ganz los ❤️
  Zugegeben fand ich den Zeichenstil am Anfang noch sehr gewöhnungsbedürftig, doch mit der Zeit fand ich es gar nicht mehr so schlimm.
  Die Stimmung und Atmosphäre ist (passend zur Thematik) eher ruhig, melancholisch und auch ein wenig bedrückend.
  Kengo und Sanagi sind zwei ganz besondere Charakteren mit speziellen Eigenschaften bzw Phobien. Ich fand es schön, dass dies thematisiert wurde ohne dass sich die Story nur um deren mentale Krankheit gedreht hat. Viel mehr ging es um das zwischenmenschliche bei den beiden und wie sie ihren Phobien zum Trotz eine anfängliche und zarte Beziehung aufbauen. Sehr schön und vorallem authentisch fand ich es wie gut die beiden sich getan haben. Keigo und Sanagi haben durch ihre Umstände (ähnliche Auswirkung der Phobie auf ihr Umfeld) ein generelles Grundverständnis von ihrem Gegenüber und bringen die nötige Empathie mit.
  Die beiden haben sich mit jeder weiteren Seite langsam in mein Herz geschlichen. Ich glaube sie haben es mir deswegen so angetan, weil sich mich vom Umgang miteinander doch sehr an mich und meinen Freund erinnern und ich mich in dem Manga auch ein wenig wieder gefunden habe.
  Ich bin sehr gespannt auf die kommenden Bände und auf die Charakterentwicklungen. Und ich möchte natürlich wissen was es mit dem Cliffhanger am Ende auf sich hat.
• 
  Sunread26

  Chronique complète :
  
  https://sunread26.wordpress.com/2020/...
  
  Extrait :
  Parasites amoureux est un seinen, édité par Delcourt/Tonkam, comportant 3 tomes, au moment où j’écris cet article, seul le premier tome est sortie. A l’origine, la série est un light novel, le manga est une adaptation de celui-ci. Miaki Sugaru (Derrière le ciel gris, Le prix du reste de ma vie) en est le scénariste, et Shion l’illustrateur (et il a du talent).
  
  Kôsaka est un adulte ayant presque trente ans, au chômage, et en plus de ça, il a une phobie atroce liée aux microbes, bactéries, etc… A cause de cette phobie, il est incapable de toucher quelqu’un ou un objet qu’il sait avoir été touché par autrui. Quand ça lui arrive malgré tout, il peut lui arriver de faire une crise de panique, de s’enfuir, et surtout de se désinfecter les mains plusieurs fois.
  
  Hijiri est une jeune lycéenne ayant la phobie de regarder les autres dans les yeux. Pour cette raison, il semblerait qu’elle n’aille plus au lycée depuis un bon moment. Lorsqu’elle croise le regard de quelqu’un, il lui arrive de faire des crises de paniques, pour pallier à sa phobie, elle porte un masque audio qui lui permet de ce concentrer sur autres choses.
  
  [...]
• 
  Elizzabez

  Isolated Kengo gets blackmailed into striking up a conversation and later a friendship with Sanagi, who is cutting school. Eventually it turns out that there’s more behind them bonding and falling for each other.
  
  This was so different from everything I read recently that I was pretty much hooked and intrigued throughout all 3 volumes.
  The first volume reminded me a bit of Welcome To The NHK (just much better than that): guy hardly ever leaves his house, meets a girl who genuinely wants to hang out with him, both are socially awkward in their own way. The second volume was my favorite as we got a lot of background information to what exactly is going on. More side-characters got introduced, who had their own tragic story. The last volume was my least favorite, just because I wasn’t rooting for this ending.
  
  Initially I wasn’t the biggest fan of the character designs, because I don’t like how the eyes are drawn (looks like they all have dark circles, or smudged mascara under their eyes). But apart from them the pictures looked amazing and I particularly liked the realistic backgrounds and the large detailed portraits from time to time. The black and white contrast felt more pronounced than usual.
  
  Different forms of OCD were shown and I really liked the idea of the plot. I enjoyed how much I learned over the course of the story (there was a LOT of explaining in bigger speech bubbles, much more than other series) about parasites, general biology, and the human body, even if most of it was just scratching the surface. And some of it is maybe not exactly realistic.
  
  In the end I wished it had focused more on the scientific theme, but we did a 180 with the reasoning behind it all and the focus was on the romance again.
  
  I liked this short series but I think it could’ve turned out phenomenal with a few changes.
• 
  Anne

  The beginning was great and I liked the focus on the characters' struggles as well as the way they helped each other. Of course, the way the plot started with this guy threatening Kengo into it was a bit weird, but I still thought the relationship between him and Sanagi to be quite beautiful.
  The ending however... i really don't know. It was weird. The plot twist came out of nowhere with pretty much nothing in any way, shape or form being hinted at in the story (apart from Sanagi's interest in the general topic but that really cannot just be her reason for her interest). It was just weird. I am pretty unsure whether to continue the series, but it is still kind of intriguing as to how it is going to be explained and how it will work out. Plus, it's only a trilogy, so not that much of a commitment. Let's see what the future holds.
• 
  Bookworm.ita

  Essendo il primo di 3 volumi non me la sento di valutarlo, però posso dire che l'ho trovato molto carino. Oltre alla storia in sé (che parla di argomenti in parte attuali, come l'isolamento o i D.O.C.) mi sono piaciute molto le illustrazioni, soprattutto quelle in copertina. L'unico appunto che posso fare riguarda la differenza di età tra i protagonisti: secondo me 10 anni di differenza sono troppi, partendo dai 17!
• 
  Zaz

  Le titre de la série ne vend franchement pas du rêve, mais comme c'est court, j'ai tenté la lecture. Ce 1er tome était sympa, avec une histoire assez originale autour des phobies/TOC. Les personnages ne sont pas particulièrement attachants, mais c'était plaisant de suivre la construction de leur relation. Si l'info dumping scientifique n'est probablement pas la tasse de thé de tout le monde, de mon côté j'ai adoré cet aspect.
• 
  Aria Bipolarbooks

  Bello bello bello! È una storia molto particolare e i due protagonisti sono due persone con dei disturbi di cui non avevo mai sentito parlare in libri o manga, quindi apprezzo. Continuerò la storia al più presto!
• 
  Denise

  4.5/5 ⭐
• 
  Chiara (booksandtravels_clem)

  3.5⭐
• 
  Scythe Rowan

  Ich kenne zwar die Buchvorlage schon, aber der Manga war trotzdem interessant zu lesen.
• 
  Yuley Infante

  3.5/5✨
• 
  Roku (autumn reader)

  2.5 ⭐
• 
  faøla

  l'histoire est cool, mais the age gap???? j'peux pas
• 
  mariana

  it was okay, nothing special. i feel like there wasn‘t enough written for them to fall in love already. + the agegap is absolutely not okay.
• 
  Roberta Longo

  3.5
• 
  kot

  could be fine if they didnt add pedophilia
• 
  Eros Rubbuano

  Sono rimasto abbastanza deluso da questo volume. Il prezzo di una vita dello stesso autore mi era piaciuto molto di più e quindi per questa storia avevo aspettative abbastanza alte. Invece mi sono trovato davanti a un volume parecchio lento e a tratti noioso. Inoltre i due protagonisti non mi hanno suscitato nessun tipo di empatia e quindi mi sono immerso meno nella storia. I disegni poi non mi hanno fatto impazzire, sono molto più belli quelli de Il prezzo di una vita
• 
  Ghost user ☆

  This story could've been way more interesting, but ended up looking like a way to excuse the "forbidden love" between an adult and a minor. Also, the whole time it felt like these mangas were dumping information and then making no use of it in the story. First volume isn't bad but the other two I didn't like as much.
• 
  Medeea ⭐️

  I liked it because it was a slow love story and i enjoyed it very much its one of my first mangas and i bought the next to books already cz im so invested hahah