Parasites amoureux, tome 1

恋する寄生虫 [Koi suru kiseichuu] #1

by Yuki Hotate (Illustrator), Sugaru Miaki (Contributor)

Kengo Kôsaka, un jeune homme au chômage. Hijiri Sanagi, une adolescente qui ne va plus à l'école. Alors qu'ils cherchent tous deux à se réintégrer à la société, ils finissent par ressentir une attirance l'un pour l'autre et tombent amoureux. Mais leur bonheur ne durera pas longtemps. Ce qu'ils ne savent pas, c'est qu'ils ne sont que des marionnettes, manipulées par des « insectes »…

Comment réapprendre à vivre lorsqu'on s'est volontairement exclu de la société pendant de longues années ? Trouver l'amour peut être la plus puissante des réponses, à moins que quelque chose nous échappe...

Genres: Manga, Romance, Fiction, Comics, Graphic Novels

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 26, 2018

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[⋆ ࣪˖ ִֶָ sel ་༘࿐ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sorry but, I don't really care.

[ʙᴏᴋɪᴛᴀ.ɴɪᴋa · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[dorotea]

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

[Irene ➰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8/5

REVIEW OF THE MINI SERIES V3 PAGE

[Jon Ureña · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Donatella Principi · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[ren !! · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[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!

[kyt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could be fine if they didnt add pedophilia

[keira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parasite in Love starts from a conceptual premise that, on paper, is fascinating. The work contains very interesting and highly exploitable ideas, proposing a promising intersection between biological determinism, mental health, and romance. The notion of parasites influencing human emotions and behaviors offers fertile ground for questioning the nature of free will in love, suggesting a narrative that could have delved deeper into how much of our affections are genuine and how much is mere chemical or biological manipulation.

Visually, the manga is undeniably appealing. The art is delicate and aesthetically pleasing, achieving an atmosphere of fragility that fits well with the melancholic tone of the story. The covers, in particular, are excellent; they have a design that immediately captures the attention and promises a poetic and careful experience. It is a work that catches the eye and maintains remarkable graphic consistency throughout its pages.

However, as you read on, you get the feeling that the themes are being addressed in a somewhat unfortunate way. I seriously question whether the direction the author took was the most appropriate way to explore the concepts already established. The parasite metaphor, rather than serving as a vehicle for delving deeper into the protagonists' psyche, sometimes feels like an obstacle that muddies the message, occasionally trivializing the internal struggles and disorders that the manga attempts to portray.

Along these lines, the narrative execution leaves much to be desired. I am not sure that this was the best way to approach the ideas initially proposed. There is a palpable disconnect between the richness of the concept and the reality of the script, where the plot decisions seem to veer toward resolutions that do not quite satisfy the complexity of the premise. It feels like a missed opportunity to tell a truly transcendental story about loneliness and human connection.

Despite these structural criticisms, I must admit that I liked, to a certain extent, the conclusions the characters reach. When the manga allows itself to delve into the philosophical and psychological depth of its protagonists, it finds its best moments. There is valuable introspection about accepting one's own flaws and the shared nature of pain that resonates strongly, saving the work from being a total failure in terms of writing.

In short, I personally did not find “Parasite in Love” to be an outstanding work. The prevailing feeling is that this concept could have been explored in many other ways, and that the one chosen was not the best. Although it is not an entirely bad manga, I find the second volume particularly bland, lacking the pace and strength necessary to sustain interest. However, the ending manages to redeem part of the journey, being quite solid and emotional, which, added to the beauty of the art itself, makes the final experience mixed but not entirely negative.

[47Time · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world in this manga feels a bit barren. Other people only show up when the main characters are supposed to be provoked. Still, it's fun to follow the main characters themselves, in their broken ways. Will their loneliness be a thing of the past or will it deepen when they are forced to step out of their safe spaces? Are those spaces as safe as they believe them to be or are they a downward spiral into hopelessness? It's enough for me to keep reading. That cliffhanger helps too.

Kengo Kousaka is obsessed with cleanliness caused by germaphobia. He rarely leaves his meticulously disinfected home, but he is going to be forced to do so. The computer virus he developed a virus makes him a target for a man named Izumi who blackmails him into befriending a young woman named Sanagi Hijiri. She is broken too, in her own way, and years older. They will find they have things in common, but also things that set them apart.

He doesn't feel confortable sleeping in his bed any more and falls asleep while she is visiting. As she tries to wake him up by poking him with a finger, he lashes out a bit too violently and scratches her face. Sanagi stops visiting Kengo, but later asks him to meet her.

She reveals why she hates people's gaze. To her it feels like an invasion of her privacy because she is scopophobic. Kengo conforts her and reveals his own phobia. When he mentions he has never kissed a girl or held her hand, Sanagi disinfects her hands, puts on a mask and gloves, and kisses him. This brings the two closer and makes their phobias are a bit easier to control. They agree to face their fears head-on by Christmas Eve. But then, she says she worries that if they get too close, she will kill him. Her words.

During Christmas Eve, Kengo's virus activates and he is unable to contact Sanagi. He worries he will never see her again, but they meet near a Cristmas tree, as per their agreement. Everything falls back into place for them, as they both longed for the meeting.

After New Year's, Izumi warns Kengo of a 'worm' that makes him not suited for society. Huh? That is, in fact, the last line in the volume.

[Liz Weasleyhead · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Mattia Fabiani · Rating 3 out of 5]

È abbastanza difficile ragionare su qualcosa di così intenso e passionale, ma allo stesso tempo criptico e confuso come la riduzione a fumetti di “Parasite in Love” in cui tutto funziona nel suo studio della parassitologia, nel suo fondersi con le relazioni, con l’amore e la solitudine.

Ma quando deve approcciarsi all’applicazione di quei concetti -sviscerati in un volume e mezzo su tre- tutto crolla per mancanza di tempo, chiudendo i tre volumi con un buon finale ma insoddisfacente per il lettore più sentimentale.

Rimane solo una profonda curiosità del Parasite, sul suo funzionamento e viene sicuramente voglia di saperne di più. La parte “in Love” proprio non funziona.

[Zaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Marcelo Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

Con un arte bonito y una premisa curiosa que replantea el amor como un parásito psicológico. Sin embargo, la historia a menudo se sabotea a sí misma, cambiando su drama característico por explicaciones técnicas densas que se sienten como un cambio de narrativa engañoso.

Tu disfrute dependerá de tu tolerancia a sus defectos: la lógica cuestionable detrás de la trama, una brecha de edad significativa (y muy dificil de dejar de ver) y un ritmo que se ve interrumpido por sobrecargas de información. Justo cuando la dinámica entre los protagonistas se vuelve más interesante, a menudo son relegados a un segundo plano.

Es una joya imperfecta para quien valore conceptos interesantes y la atmósfera estética por encima de una trama sólida. Es para lectores que no les importa un final melancólico y abierto, y que están más interesados en la premisa que en un viaje narrativo coherente.

[Aria Bipolarbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Rafmuaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Sensei Sugaru Miaki’s work pulled me deep into his world. I really like the story in this manga, it’s such a rare topic, especially since it’s about two people who both have their own phobias and how they slowly learn to overcome them… and that’s where their love starts to bloom 😮‍💨💞

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 ⭐

[Dana Guerreiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dérangeant; Touchant; Original

[Chiara (booksandtravels_clem) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐

[Scythe Rowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Yuley Infante · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5✨

[Roku (autumn reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐

[faøla · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Simone Mosca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una serie corta ed improbabile che mi ha piacevolmente colpito pannello dopo pannello. Una storia d'amore tra le altre cose avvolta da difficoltà apparentemente insormontabili.