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Parasite in Love - Roman
Die Angst vor Keimen hat den arbeitslosen Kengo in die totale Isolation getrieben. Dem Programmieren von digitalen Viren hingegen widmet er sich mit Hingabe. Kengos Leben ändert sich schlagartig, als ein mysteriöser Fremder vor seiner Tür steht und droht, ihn auffliegen zu lassen, sofern es ihm nicht gelingen sollte, einen Zugang zu Schulschwänzerin Sanagi zu finden. Doch die 17-Jährige leidet an einer sozialen Phobie und hat ein ausgeprägtes Interesse an Insekten. Entgegen aller Wahrscheinlichkeit kommen Kengo und Sanagi sich nahe. Näher noch, als es gut für sie ist...
306 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2016
47 people are currently reading
747 people want to read
About the author
Sugaru Miaki
24 books256 followersSugaru Miaki (三秋縋) is a Japanese writer. He was born in 1990 in Iwate Prefecture. He debuted in 2013 with Starting Over. He is also the author of Three Days of Happiness, Parasites in Love, and Your Story.
In March 2019, Your Story was nominated for the 40th Eiji Yoshikawa Literary Newcomer Award.
See 三秋縋
In March 2019, Your Story was nominated for the 40th Eiji Yoshikawa Literary Newcomer Award.
See 三秋縋
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
July 25, 2023
3 stele ca nu mi place ca unul de 27 s a indragostit de una de 17 dar poveste e gen interesanta deocamdata
August 31, 2022
This book is exceptional. I am rating five stars because of the emotions it gave me. Only thing I would have liked here would be more of an open ended ending.
April 9, 2020
"If we keep staying together like this, I think I'll kill you someday, Mr. Kousaka."
A romantic but sad love story of a clean freak and a girl who loves insects and to play truant....
I stumbled upon this book when I knew that my favourite actress - Komatsu Nana would be the female lead of the film adaptation <3 Parasite in love contains only 9 chapters, quite short compared to other romantic novels I've read before. The sypnosis is not new: 2 people who suffers from OCD meet and help in other reintergrate into society. By being with each other, they gradually come out of their ivory tower. By sharing and leaning on each other, Kousaka and Sanagi feel himself getting better with each passing day.
"As usual, he couldn't ride the train by himself, but if he went with Sanagi, he could even do a simple restaurant visit. Though it was slow going, he washed his hands less frequently, spent less time cleaning, and the smell of disinfectant in the room weakened."
"I read in a book a long time ago that animals don't have a sense of past and future; to them, there's only the present. So as much pain as they experience, even if it accumulates as an experience, the pain itself doesn't accumulate. So their first pain and their thousandth pain can only be recognized as "my current pain." Thanks to that, they can't have hope, but can't fall into despair, and just seem to stay in that peaceful state. A certain philosopher once called it "total investment in the present"... but I look up to that way of living animals have."
So, what sets Parasite in love apart from other mental illness book? It lies in the twist of this book, which explains the title:
"The worm in your head and the worm in Hijiri Sanagi's head are calling to each other. You might think Hijiri Sanagi's your fateful partner, but that feeling's been created by the worm. What you have is nothing more than a puppet love."
Sanagi refused to take treatment. She locked both of them in the icy container in the hope of convincing him to refuse to get rid of worm. Her decisiveness and stubborness tore my heart out:
"So? So what if it's an illusion?" Sanagi's voice went shrill. "What's wrong with a sham of a love? If I can be happy, I don't care about being a puppet. The worm did things for me that I couldn't do. It taught me how to like people. Why should I kill such a benefactor? I know about the puppet strings, and I'm leaving myself to them. If that isn't my own will, then what is?".
When it comes to Kousaka, he wondered if their love was "lovesickness", and they would lose interest in each after once they were rid of that parasite. Kousaka made up his mind to undergo treatment and say goodbye to Sanagi.
Each step she took toward him, he backed away, and if she backed away, he stepped toward. It was like a dance.
It's not until Kousaka didn't allow any girl to enter his house - where Sanagi slept in before, did he realize that love is irresistible, even without the existence of worms. As in the past days, although Kousaka always tried to "keep things as they are", he couln't deny that he has feelings for her. Throughout the story, his love towards Sanagi is pure and sincere. I felt regret that their happy days wouldn't last long. However things fell, Sanagi's fate was the same. At least they used to have peaceful and fulfilling days and one of them still lived and went on with his life.
A romantic but sad love story of a clean freak and a girl who loves insects and to play truant....
I stumbled upon this book when I knew that my favourite actress - Komatsu Nana would be the female lead of the film adaptation <3 Parasite in love contains only 9 chapters, quite short compared to other romantic novels I've read before. The sypnosis is not new: 2 people who suffers from OCD meet and help in other reintergrate into society. By being with each other, they gradually come out of their ivory tower. By sharing and leaning on each other, Kousaka and Sanagi feel himself getting better with each passing day.
"As usual, he couldn't ride the train by himself, but if he went with Sanagi, he could even do a simple restaurant visit. Though it was slow going, he washed his hands less frequently, spent less time cleaning, and the smell of disinfectant in the room weakened."
"I read in a book a long time ago that animals don't have a sense of past and future; to them, there's only the present. So as much pain as they experience, even if it accumulates as an experience, the pain itself doesn't accumulate. So their first pain and their thousandth pain can only be recognized as "my current pain." Thanks to that, they can't have hope, but can't fall into despair, and just seem to stay in that peaceful state. A certain philosopher once called it "total investment in the present"... but I look up to that way of living animals have."
So, what sets Parasite in love apart from other mental illness book? It lies in the twist of this book, which explains the title:
"The worm in your head and the worm in Hijiri Sanagi's head are calling to each other. You might think Hijiri Sanagi's your fateful partner, but that feeling's been created by the worm. What you have is nothing more than a puppet love."
Sanagi refused to take treatment. She locked both of them in the icy container in the hope of convincing him to refuse to get rid of worm. Her decisiveness and stubborness tore my heart out:
"So? So what if it's an illusion?" Sanagi's voice went shrill. "What's wrong with a sham of a love? If I can be happy, I don't care about being a puppet. The worm did things for me that I couldn't do. It taught me how to like people. Why should I kill such a benefactor? I know about the puppet strings, and I'm leaving myself to them. If that isn't my own will, then what is?".
When it comes to Kousaka, he wondered if their love was "lovesickness", and they would lose interest in each after once they were rid of that parasite. Kousaka made up his mind to undergo treatment and say goodbye to Sanagi.
Each step she took toward him, he backed away, and if she backed away, he stepped toward. It was like a dance.
It's not until Kousaka didn't allow any girl to enter his house - where Sanagi slept in before, did he realize that love is irresistible, even without the existence of worms. As in the past days, although Kousaka always tried to "keep things as they are", he couln't deny that he has feelings for her. Throughout the story, his love towards Sanagi is pure and sincere. I felt regret that their happy days wouldn't last long. However things fell, Sanagi's fate was the same. At least they used to have peaceful and fulfilling days and one of them still lived and went on with his life.
February 18, 2022
I might be extra harsh on this because I love Miaki's books so much, but this was a little disappointing. 3,5 stars, I guess.
This wasn't a bad book, but it also wasn't as good as any of the other books of Miaki I have read. It started of different, there was no childhood scene at all, instead it went straight into the story. The first half of the book read like a romance novel, and was very predictable too. I like that Miaki is branching out into different types of mental illnesses, but I feel like it wasn't as... emotional? I'm not sure how to explain it. It's clear that he researched mysophobia a lot, though, so that's not the problem.
Once our two main characters meet, the book follows the "love treats all mental illnesses" trope. I was waiting for the book to explain this in a believable way (as Miaki is known to do) and it did, to a point. (I'll get back to that).
The first half also includes a lot of information about parasites, which could sometimes make it feel a bit dry. I'm not particulary interested in them, so reading chapters about some kind of parasite wasn't exactly exciting. I feel like there was too much of it, and if there was just a bit less, it would have made for a more compelling read.
Most of the twists in this book were extremely predictable. And I kinda feel like maybe Miaki felt the same way, because he throws in some new twists near the end, that are very unpredictable, but also kinda clash with the story. Things that made sense, stopped making sense after the extra twist.
It feels like plottwists for the sake of plottwists, which is a pity.
I really like Miaki's writing style and this novel was no different. The characters were okay, they had a few very unlikeable actions, but overal were likeable enough. I don't feel like they developped through this story. While most of Miaki's books have incredible character developement, it was kind of lacking in this one.
This wasn't a bad book at all, it just wasn't as good as I've come to expect from Miaki, and because of that, it was kinda disappointing.
This wasn't a bad book, but it also wasn't as good as any of the other books of Miaki I have read. It started of different, there was no childhood scene at all, instead it went straight into the story. The first half of the book read like a romance novel, and was very predictable too. I like that Miaki is branching out into different types of mental illnesses, but I feel like it wasn't as... emotional? I'm not sure how to explain it. It's clear that he researched mysophobia a lot, though, so that's not the problem.
Once our two main characters meet, the book follows the "love treats all mental illnesses" trope. I was waiting for the book to explain this in a believable way (as Miaki is known to do) and it did, to a point. (I'll get back to that).
The first half also includes a lot of information about parasites, which could sometimes make it feel a bit dry. I'm not particulary interested in them, so reading chapters about some kind of parasite wasn't exactly exciting. I feel like there was too much of it, and if there was just a bit less, it would have made for a more compelling read.
Most of the twists in this book were extremely predictable. And I kinda feel like maybe Miaki felt the same way, because he throws in some new twists near the end, that are very unpredictable, but also kinda clash with the story. Things that made sense, stopped making sense after the extra twist.
It feels like plottwists for the sake of plottwists, which is a pity.
I really like Miaki's writing style and this novel was no different. The characters were okay, they had a few very unlikeable actions, but overal were likeable enough. I don't feel like they developped through this story. While most of Miaki's books have incredible character developement, it was kind of lacking in this one.
This wasn't a bad book at all, it just wasn't as good as I've come to expect from Miaki, and because of that, it was kinda disappointing.
June 22, 2021
(5/5) Wunderbare Verbindungen zwischen dem Menschen und den Parasiten!
Dem Buch ist es sehr gut gelungen Gemeinsamkeiten von Parasiten zu der Liebe schön und plausibel zu erzählen.
Passend war auch die Hintergrundgeschichten der Protagonisten, insbesondere das beide sich mit Parasiten, Viren und Würmen beschäftigen, und sich sehr gerne darüber unterhalten.
Interessant ist, wie sich alle Abschnitte aufbauen, immer hatte es mit den Phobien oder mit den Parasiten zu tun, obwohl es sich letztendlich um die beiden geht. On Top, sind die Titel der Abschnitte super passend gewählt, was ich persönlich sehr wichtig finde.
Betrachtet man den Titel des Buches im Zusammenhang mit der ganzen Geschichte und dessen Emotionen, dann kann ich wirklich sagen, dass 'parasite in love' nicht nur der beste Titel, sondern auch die schönste Geschichte, die ich gelesen habe.
*** AB HIER SPOILER (ZUERST DAS BUCH LESEN)****
Der Wurm 'Stille Nacht' und die Würmer, die beiden als Wirt eingenommen haben, sind erstaunlich gut erzählt worden.
'Stille Nacht' ist tatsächlich in dem Sinne ironisch, dass die entstandene Beziehung, die für beide wichtig war, ins Schwanken brachte, und trotzdem sind beide von diesem Wurm fasziniert gewesen. Vorallem wie Sanagi sich dann für Kengo begeistert hatte und sich dann auch in ihn oder in den Wurm, verliebt hatte.
Die 'Liebeswürmer' geben dieser Geschichte am Ende den sehr großen Plot, dass sie nicht böse sind, sondern wirklich liebe Begleiter von ihren Wirten sind.
Heraustechen möchte ich die Küsse von Sanagi, nicht nur waren diese Küsse Liebesküsse, sondern auch ein Weg sich mit Kengo mittels Parasiten zu verbinden, deswegen ist 'parasite in love' solch ein gut gewählter Titel.
Schade finde ich, wie der Wurm von Sanagi gestorben ist, sie ist diejenige, die Würmer so doll liebt, und leider auch ihren Lieblingswurm verlor.
Ob das ihr Grund ist dennoch sterben zu wollen? Sie hat ihren Suizid zum Glück überlebt, und herausfinden können, dass sie sich wirklich lieben mit und ohne den Parasiten, dann noch den Tod zu wählen finde ich wirklich schade, denn sich von der Liebe zu trennen, wie es auch davor schon passiert ist im Krankenhaus, ist sehr schmerzhaft, sowohl für Sanagi als auch für Kengo.
Schreibt mir gerne auch Eure Meinungen und Eure Gefühle zu dieser Geschichte. Das wird mich sicherlich freuen!
Dem Buch ist es sehr gut gelungen Gemeinsamkeiten von Parasiten zu der Liebe schön und plausibel zu erzählen.
Passend war auch die Hintergrundgeschichten der Protagonisten, insbesondere das beide sich mit Parasiten, Viren und Würmen beschäftigen, und sich sehr gerne darüber unterhalten.
Interessant ist, wie sich alle Abschnitte aufbauen, immer hatte es mit den Phobien oder mit den Parasiten zu tun, obwohl es sich letztendlich um die beiden geht. On Top, sind die Titel der Abschnitte super passend gewählt, was ich persönlich sehr wichtig finde.
Betrachtet man den Titel des Buches im Zusammenhang mit der ganzen Geschichte und dessen Emotionen, dann kann ich wirklich sagen, dass 'parasite in love' nicht nur der beste Titel, sondern auch die schönste Geschichte, die ich gelesen habe.
*** AB HIER SPOILER (ZUERST DAS BUCH LESEN)****
Der Wurm 'Stille Nacht' und die Würmer, die beiden als Wirt eingenommen haben, sind erstaunlich gut erzählt worden.
'Stille Nacht' ist tatsächlich in dem Sinne ironisch, dass die entstandene Beziehung, die für beide wichtig war, ins Schwanken brachte, und trotzdem sind beide von diesem Wurm fasziniert gewesen. Vorallem wie Sanagi sich dann für Kengo begeistert hatte und sich dann auch in ihn oder in den Wurm, verliebt hatte.
Die 'Liebeswürmer' geben dieser Geschichte am Ende den sehr großen Plot, dass sie nicht böse sind, sondern wirklich liebe Begleiter von ihren Wirten sind.
Heraustechen möchte ich die Küsse von Sanagi, nicht nur waren diese Küsse Liebesküsse, sondern auch ein Weg sich mit Kengo mittels Parasiten zu verbinden, deswegen ist 'parasite in love' solch ein gut gewählter Titel.
Schade finde ich, wie der Wurm von Sanagi gestorben ist, sie ist diejenige, die Würmer so doll liebt, und leider auch ihren Lieblingswurm verlor.
Ob das ihr Grund ist dennoch sterben zu wollen? Sie hat ihren Suizid zum Glück überlebt, und herausfinden können, dass sie sich wirklich lieben mit und ohne den Parasiten, dann noch den Tod zu wählen finde ich wirklich schade, denn sich von der Liebe zu trennen, wie es auch davor schon passiert ist im Krankenhaus, ist sehr schmerzhaft, sowohl für Sanagi als auch für Kengo.
Schreibt mir gerne auch Eure Meinungen und Eure Gefühle zu dieser Geschichte. Das wird mich sicherlich freuen!
December 26, 2023
Voy a pensar que siguieron viviendo una vida juntos, con sus bajones, pero disfrutando la compañía del otro por muchos años.
Pensar lo contrario, podrÍA MATARTE !!
--------------
Ahora sí hablando muy seriamente, quiero decir que esta debe ser la mejor representación de mental illnes que yo he leído.
Aunque bien es cierto que la misofobia o miedo a la suciedad de Kousuka y la escopofobia o miedo a que te miren fijamente de Sanagi son los protagonistas y se ahonda mas en cómo estos trastornos afectan sus vidas cotidianas, aislandolos del resto del mundo y básicamente transitando por la vida (más que viviendola) la autora Sugaru Miaki retrata perfectamente la depresión, la ansiedad y la ideación suicida.
Los capítulos finales de este libro son extremadamente agridulces. Me quedo con el corazón destrozado, sí, pero no puedo evitar empatizar profundamente con el POV de Sanagi.
Quien ha vivido con ese dolor, entiende que amar con todo tu corazón a alguien no te cura, y menos aún te quita las ganas de querer sacarte de este mundo cada día de tu vida...
"It was always this way. I was so scared to live, I couldn’t bear it. If I didn’t take something, I became afraid I would never get it my entire life. If I did take something, I became afraid I would lose it someday.
The scariest thing was that I would never love anyone, and no one would ever love me. If I was going to live a life like that, I thought it would be better to just die as soon as possible. But now that I have learned about love, now I’m more scared than anything to lose it. If I’ll have to continue on with this fear, I think it’s best to die as soon as possible.
A trend toward death. A self-destructive program. In the end, however things fell, my destination was the same. Happiness and unhappiness are two sides of the same coin, and especially to a coward like me, they have almost the same meaning. Everything serves as an argument to entrust myself to death. That’s the person I am.
So I at least want to end it all while the coin is facing up. There’s nothing to win from dying at the proper time. I’m already exhausted from getting sad and getting happy.
So I’m sure I’ll put a period on my life soon. Then the curtain will fall on the history of my life. It’ll never be written to again. There could be no better time to quit while I’m ahead."
Yeah, I get her....
Pensar lo contrario, podrÍA MATARTE !!
--------------
Ahora sí hablando muy seriamente, quiero decir que esta debe ser la mejor representación de mental illnes que yo he leído.
Aunque bien es cierto que la misofobia o miedo a la suciedad de Kousuka y la escopofobia o miedo a que te miren fijamente de Sanagi son los protagonistas y se ahonda mas en cómo estos trastornos afectan sus vidas cotidianas, aislandolos del resto del mundo y básicamente transitando por la vida (más que viviendola) la autora Sugaru Miaki retrata perfectamente la depresión, la ansiedad y la ideación suicida.
Los capítulos finales de este libro son extremadamente agridulces. Me quedo con el corazón destrozado, sí, pero no puedo evitar empatizar profundamente con el POV de Sanagi.
Quien ha vivido con ese dolor, entiende que amar con todo tu corazón a alguien no te cura, y menos aún te quita las ganas de querer sacarte de este mundo cada día de tu vida...
"It was always this way. I was so scared to live, I couldn’t bear it. If I didn’t take something, I became afraid I would never get it my entire life. If I did take something, I became afraid I would lose it someday.
The scariest thing was that I would never love anyone, and no one would ever love me. If I was going to live a life like that, I thought it would be better to just die as soon as possible. But now that I have learned about love, now I’m more scared than anything to lose it. If I’ll have to continue on with this fear, I think it’s best to die as soon as possible.
A trend toward death. A self-destructive program. In the end, however things fell, my destination was the same. Happiness and unhappiness are two sides of the same coin, and especially to a coward like me, they have almost the same meaning. Everything serves as an argument to entrust myself to death. That’s the person I am.
So I at least want to end it all while the coin is facing up. There’s nothing to win from dying at the proper time. I’m already exhausted from getting sad and getting happy.
So I’m sure I’ll put a period on my life soon. Then the curtain will fall on the history of my life. It’ll never be written to again. There could be no better time to quit while I’m ahead."
Yeah, I get her....
August 9, 2025
More of a 3,5 tbh.
It rly was an interesting read. Kinda easy to binge ish.
I like it when authors actually do research and incorporate it in their story. Like getting to know more about diff insects n parasites was interesting and relevant to the plot too.
Props to it making me more self aware of my own social awkwardness that I’ve been pushing down. After I started reading it and went out, I felt hella uncomfortable and feared being perceived. I really could relate to the mcs and they kinda felt real I suppose. At times it moved me u could say.
The plot certainly is intriguing but i still don’t know how I feel about the end. At the end they lwk got their happy end after all. And meh
In the end, it’s more of a romance story typa honestly. but for me the romance wasn’t romancing/didn’t rly like em tgt esp bc yeah.
I was so encouraging of Kosaka when he decided to be rational and realistic. then he gave in to her as always which rly irked me. Too indecisive man n no character development. Not rly
Also I don’t rly enjoy being pushed around too much w twists. I feel like the twists were too much
I do believe the age gap thingie and specifically her being a minor is unnecessary. Their contrast coulda been made clear otherwise too if that is what the author was going for.
It rly was an interesting read. Kinda easy to binge ish.
I like it when authors actually do research and incorporate it in their story. Like getting to know more about diff insects n parasites was interesting and relevant to the plot too.
Props to it making me more self aware of my own social awkwardness that I’ve been pushing down. After I started reading it and went out, I felt hella uncomfortable and feared being perceived. I really could relate to the mcs and they kinda felt real I suppose. At times it moved me u could say.
The plot certainly is intriguing but i still don’t know how I feel about the end. At the end they lwk got their happy end after all. And meh
In the end, it’s more of a romance story typa honestly. but for me the romance wasn’t romancing/didn’t rly like em tgt esp bc yeah.
I was so encouraging of Kosaka when he decided to be rational and realistic. then he gave in to her as always which rly irked me. Too indecisive man n no character development. Not rly
Also I don’t rly enjoy being pushed around too much w twists. I feel like the twists were too much
I do believe the age gap thingie and specifically her being a minor is unnecessary. Their contrast coulda been made clear otherwise too if that is what the author was going for.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2022
First of all, this is the kind of novel that sticks with you for a bit, and allthough it wasn't perfect, it might be one of my favorite reads yet. The dynamic between Sanagi and Kosaka was very pleasant, and the potrayal of mental illness striked me a lot, as i had been not expecting such a realistic take on partnership where both parties have their own fair share of baggage when i got into this novel. The parasitic lore, combined with the underlying question: "Are these feelings genuine or created by our circumstances?", created a beautiful melancholic atmosphere which resonated with me a lot. Regarding the ending, i am quite torn between loving and hating it. But maybe that was the intent all along, by making it such an open cocnlusion and ending it more or less with a metaphor, you can't stop dwelling in your own imagination of what might happen.
February 9, 2025
Lots of fun.
Like welcome to the nhk except with parasites instead of cults and scams.
Like welcome to the nhk except with parasites instead of cults and scams.
December 28, 2025
read an unofficial English translation
I loved the portrayal of mental health, involvement of parasites, and storytelling that leaves a lot up to the reader's interpretation. I thought the final plot twist left a lot of plot holes, and I couldn't get past the age gap between the main couple. overall this was a really interesting read, and I have concluded that I too have been infected with the worms
I loved the portrayal of mental health, involvement of parasites, and storytelling that leaves a lot up to the reader's interpretation. I thought the final plot twist left a lot of plot holes, and I couldn't get past the age gap between the main couple. overall this was a really interesting read, and I have concluded that I too have been infected with the worms
June 18, 2019
A touching, yet unconventional love story. Coming into this novel having never read any of 三秋縋‘s work before, I was surprised by the twist, and pleased with how events played out.
Read
October 19, 2021先看漫畫再讀小說，漫畫挺忠實還原了這個故事，但兩人間的愛情描寫普普不太有說服力，不過想想對異男來說喜歡高中女生好像也不用太多理由（咦）。最後的轉折有點倉卒，整體是個輕鬆好讀不大深刻的作品。
November 14, 2021
Alors oui totalement. la différence ne ma pas déranger mais LA MEUF CEST LZ PLUS GROSSE CONNASSE QUE JAI JAMAIS VUE MAIS GRONIASE VA TU AVAIT TOUT POURQUOI TU AS TOUT CHIER COMME CA PTN
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2023
Incroyable, j'ai adoré et la fin m'a énormément touchée. Un livre qui m'a fait lâché plus de larmes que ma rupture✌️
July 13, 2025
在读到男女主脑子里有虫，导致他们排斥社会并互相吸引这段时，总体感觉还可以，这个设计很合理得解释了男女主的厌社会症状以及为什么他们在没多少铺垫下互相喜欢。本来他们吃了药再相遇还能喜欢对方就可以了，但是作者却非要写女主不想杀死虫，在有虫的影响下和男主在一起，这个反转直接把前面两人感情铺垫少的问题暴露出来了。看完感觉很别扭，明明是he却有种看be的感觉
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2025
Was zur Hölle?
December 2, 2025
Parasite in Love (English title)
Has similar characters to their other books, but the fantasy element of parasites didn’t really click with me.
Has similar characters to their other books, but the fantasy element of parasites didn’t really click with me.
November 30, 2025
9/10
I loved this book. Not as much as 3 days of happiness but for some reason it stuck with me. I enjoyed reading it through and I liked the ending even better. Though I'm not actually sure about what to think about the ending.
It follows 27 year old Kousaka who has OCD which manifests in obsession about cleaning. He cannot keep a job, he cleans all the time and his room smells and looks like a hospital and he takes hours long showers. His idea of dirtiness is "other people". And he wears a mask and gloves outside. We can see it early on as he visits a shop and the clerk just touching him send him into panic home quickly sprinting home and showering for a little too long.
And Sanagi a 17 year old girl with scopophobia, with no friends, not attending school and big headphones to pacify her.
Honestly, im just going to share my thougts. I couldn't stop thinking about the book after reading it for some time. It really struck me. And maybe the ending did the most. Though im still not sure what im supposed to think about it. Did she commit suicide or not? I mean it looks like it and the dream she had didnt seem to meaningful but when she leaned on him it also looked like maybe she was fine. Following sugaru's miaki's theme in the previous books I read. The couple ends up together in the end happily overcoming difficulties. And if not that then they are just happy until the last moment. But i'm not sure here.
And also.. Couldn't have she just kissed him in the end? she said she didnt have the parasites anymore, and she expressed she could but didn't want to kiss him. That it didn't matter as she already wrote her note. But does Kousaka really mean this little to her? If she truly loved him and she expressed her only regret would be leaving him behind, then just kiss him. That's all..
But maybe I misunderstood.
Anyway this is probably one of my favorite books, even if the ending was ambiqous (at least to me) I still felt the weight of her possible suicide. It really left me thinking and im not sure why. And everytime I thought about it, it made me feel something. A bit of sadness, bittersweet. Which I have come to love. Even now, when I think about it, I have this longing to experience something like it again or something akin to that. Its still quite vivid in my mind. Anyway definitely amazing.
I read 3 days of happiness by him which was better than this one. But for me 3 days of happiness was a masterpiece and my favorite book. And this one was also truly amazing. Maybe its not for everyone, but I really enjoyed it.
I loved this book. Not as much as 3 days of happiness but for some reason it stuck with me. I enjoyed reading it through and I liked the ending even better. Though I'm not actually sure about what to think about the ending.
It follows 27 year old Kousaka who has OCD which manifests in obsession about cleaning. He cannot keep a job, he cleans all the time and his room smells and looks like a hospital and he takes hours long showers. His idea of dirtiness is "other people". And he wears a mask and gloves outside. We can see it early on as he visits a shop and the clerk just touching him send him into panic home quickly sprinting home and showering for a little too long.
And Sanagi a 17 year old girl with scopophobia, with no friends, not attending school and big headphones to pacify her.
Honestly, im just going to share my thougts. I couldn't stop thinking about the book after reading it for some time. It really struck me. And maybe the ending did the most. Though im still not sure what im supposed to think about it. Did she commit suicide or not? I mean it looks like it and the dream she had didnt seem to meaningful but when she leaned on him it also looked like maybe she was fine. Following sugaru's miaki's theme in the previous books I read. The couple ends up together in the end happily overcoming difficulties. And if not that then they are just happy until the last moment. But i'm not sure here.
And also.. Couldn't have she just kissed him in the end? she said she didnt have the parasites anymore, and she expressed she could but didn't want to kiss him. That it didn't matter as she already wrote her note. But does Kousaka really mean this little to her? If she truly loved him and she expressed her only regret would be leaving him behind, then just kiss him. That's all..
But maybe I misunderstood.
Anyway this is probably one of my favorite books, even if the ending was ambiqous (at least to me) I still felt the weight of her possible suicide. It really left me thinking and im not sure why. And everytime I thought about it, it made me feel something. A bit of sadness, bittersweet. Which I have come to love. Even now, when I think about it, I have this longing to experience something like it again or something akin to that. Its still quite vivid in my mind. Anyway definitely amazing.
I read 3 days of happiness by him which was better than this one. But for me 3 days of happiness was a masterpiece and my favorite book. And this one was also truly amazing. Maybe its not for everyone, but I really enjoyed it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2025
This book seriously made me sob
June 14, 2025
this was peak with lot of emotions and mental health counseling wish it had more clear
September 12, 2023
Ich hab etwas gemischte Gefühle bei diesem Buch. Einerseits war es sehr interessant von der Thematik und dem stilistischen Aufbau, andererseits an manchen Stellen etwas weird… aber ich fang erstmal mit dem Guten an.
Mir hat gefallen, dass sich der Autor für die Story Zeit gelassen hat. Es fühlte sich nichts Erzwungen an, wie ich es schon bei vielen Romanen empfunden habe. Zudem hat der Autor die langen Exkurse über Parasitismus -die Charakteristisch für diesen Roman sind- spannend, lehrreich und interessant gestaltet indem er immer wieder Bezüge zur Story und der menschlichen Liebe gezogen hat. Das hat für mich den Roman auch so besonders gemacht. Die Tatsache, dass sich jedoch ein 26-jähriger Mann und ein 17-jähriges Mädchen ineinander verlieben finde ich jetzt nicht ganz so prickeln. Klar, dies geschah mehr unfreiwillig als gewollt (Den Grund kann ich nicht erwähnen, weil er das ganze Buch Spoilern würde), trotzdem denke ich, es hätte andere Wege gegeben um das Outline anders zu gestalten. Trotzdem wurde die Beziehung erwachsen un realistisch mit allen Risiken und Nebenwirkungen erzählt.
Ich habe in vielen Reviews gelesen, dass das Ende nicht so freudig aufgenommen wurde. Mir hat es jedoch sehr gefallen und ich bin auch der Meinung, dass es Notwendig war.
Der Roman ist auf jeden Fall lesenswert für jenen, der sich für Biologie interessiert und über meinen Cringefaktor hinwegsehen kann. Eventuell bin auch zu Prüde. Deswegen meiner eher neutrale Wertung von 3 Sternen.
Mir hat gefallen, dass sich der Autor für die Story Zeit gelassen hat. Es fühlte sich nichts Erzwungen an, wie ich es schon bei vielen Romanen empfunden habe. Zudem hat der Autor die langen Exkurse über Parasitismus -die Charakteristisch für diesen Roman sind- spannend, lehrreich und interessant gestaltet indem er immer wieder Bezüge zur Story und der menschlichen Liebe gezogen hat. Das hat für mich den Roman auch so besonders gemacht. Die Tatsache, dass sich jedoch ein 26-jähriger Mann und ein 17-jähriges Mädchen ineinander verlieben finde ich jetzt nicht ganz so prickeln. Klar, dies geschah mehr unfreiwillig als gewollt (Den Grund kann ich nicht erwähnen, weil er das ganze Buch Spoilern würde), trotzdem denke ich, es hätte andere Wege gegeben um das Outline anders zu gestalten. Trotzdem wurde die Beziehung erwachsen un realistisch mit allen Risiken und Nebenwirkungen erzählt.
Ich habe in vielen Reviews gelesen, dass das Ende nicht so freudig aufgenommen wurde. Mir hat es jedoch sehr gefallen und ich bin auch der Meinung, dass es Notwendig war.
Der Roman ist auf jeden Fall lesenswert für jenen, der sich für Biologie interessiert und über meinen Cringefaktor hinwegsehen kann. Eventuell bin auch zu Prüde. Deswegen meiner eher neutrale Wertung von 3 Sternen.
May 13, 2021
Very interesting concept. I loved the parasitology background info and how thought out the fictional 'worm' was. But how he got to the ending was a bit strange. I wasn't as convinced by Sanagi's 'proof' and I think it would've ended stronger if Miaki emphasised Sanagi wanting to die w/o any uncertainties of her happiness - this would explain why Kousaka's mom killed herself too, which would've formed a better parallel.
w.r.t style, the narrative POV shifts were kinda strange. You're in third-person one minute and all of a sudden you're shot into the first-person. I think Miaki should've just stuck to first for consistency.
Another great Miaki work though. His concepts are very captivating.
w.r.t style, the narrative POV shifts were kinda strange. You're in third-person one minute and all of a sudden you're shot into the first-person. I think Miaki should've just stuck to first for consistency.
Another great Miaki work though. His concepts are very captivating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2021
Ein außergewöhnliches Buch, welches mich persönlich stärker berührt hat, als ich es mir gedacht hätte. Sugaru Miaki schafft es sowohl Zwangsstörungen, Parasiten als auch soziale Ängste so angenehm lesbar und plausibel darzustellen, dass man nicht umher kommt, mit den Protagonisten mitzufühlen.
Die ganze Geschichte hat einen extrem melancholischen Grundton und zeigt auf, wie schwer es für Individuen in unserer schnelllebigen Gesellschaft sein kann. Es zeigt auch, welche Kraft Hoffnung haben kann und wie stark Depression in den Grundzügen der Persönlichkeit verankert ist.
Wenn ihr also eine Lektüre mit angenehmen Lesefluss haben wollt, welche euch sicherlich das Herz zerreißen wird, greift zu.
Die ganze Geschichte hat einen extrem melancholischen Grundton und zeigt auf, wie schwer es für Individuen in unserer schnelllebigen Gesellschaft sein kann. Es zeigt auch, welche Kraft Hoffnung haben kann und wie stark Depression in den Grundzügen der Persönlichkeit verankert ist.
Wenn ihr also eine Lektüre mit angenehmen Lesefluss haben wollt, welche euch sicherlich das Herz zerreißen wird, greift zu.
March 27, 2022
Ein überraschend tolles Buch!
Die Geschichte ist zwar mit sehr viel medizinischem Wissen zum Thema Parasiten gefüllt, sodass ich wirklich oft etwas gegoogelt habe.
Aber ich habe auch oft aus Neugier Sachen im Internet gesucht. Bei manchen Wörtwrn hätte ich es lieber sein lassen sollen. 😂
Besonders toll fand ich einfach die Kombination aus Parasit und Liebesgeschichte.
So sehr mich das Ende jetzt auch zerrissen hat, eine klare Leseempfehlung! ❤
Die Geschichte ist zwar mit sehr viel medizinischem Wissen zum Thema Parasiten gefüllt, sodass ich wirklich oft etwas gegoogelt habe.
Aber ich habe auch oft aus Neugier Sachen im Internet gesucht. Bei manchen Wörtwrn hätte ich es lieber sein lassen sollen. 😂
Besonders toll fand ich einfach die Kombination aus Parasit und Liebesgeschichte.
So sehr mich das Ende jetzt auch zerrissen hat, eine klare Leseempfehlung! ❤
July 18, 2022
An extraordinary book that touched me more than I could have imagined.
At the end, the 'loveworms' give this story the very big plot that they are not evil, but are really dear companions of their hosts. Sanagi was able to find out that they really love each other with and without the parasite
I would like to highlight the kisses from Sanagi, not only were these kisses love kisses but also a way of connecting to Kengo via parasite, that's why 'parasite in love' is such a well chosen title.
At the end, the 'loveworms' give this story the very big plot that they are not evil, but are really dear companions of their hosts. Sanagi was able to find out that they really love each other with and without the parasite
I would like to highlight the kisses from Sanagi, not only were these kisses love kisses but also a way of connecting to Kengo via parasite, that's why 'parasite in love' is such a well chosen title.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2024
finished reading, finally have the time to read this after i found out about the movie long time ago and got amazed by Komatsu Nana’s acting.
parasite in love is the type of manga that isn’t actually straightly-perfect but i enjoyed most of the time while reading them. quite short compares to the light novel but beautiful art style for sure. also i always love manga that are bringing up mental health/psychological theme on its aspect.
parasite in love is the type of manga that isn’t actually straightly-perfect but i enjoyed most of the time while reading them. quite short compares to the light novel but beautiful art style for sure. also i always love manga that are bringing up mental health/psychological theme on its aspect.
December 4, 2024
tengo sentimientos cruzados con este manga, por una parte estoy encantada con la historia, sanagi es un personaje muy bueno y con el cual se me hizo facil conectar, pero por otro lado...fue extremadamente incomodo para mi la relacion entre ella de 17 años y el otro tipo de 27, siento que esta absurda diferencia de edad es innecesaria y la historia pudo haberse desarrollado igual de bien sin ella, por esa razon no pude disfrutar tanto como queria este manga, enserio queria amarlo, es una lastima
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