Parasyte: Part 1

A wave of strange killings spreads across the world as alien parasites arrive on Earth and take over human hosts by entering through the nose or ears to reach the brain. High school student Izumi Shinichi escapes that fate when the creature instead takes control of his right hand, leaving his mind intact. Sharing one body with the parasite, which he calls Migi, Shinichi must hide his situation while other, fully transformed hosts pursue their own agenda. Eri Fukatsu plays Tamiya Ryoko.

Takashi Yamazaki directed and co-wrote the film with Ryota Kosawa, adapting Hitoshi Iwaaki's manga. It is the seventh of the eighteen features Yamazaki has directed, following Stand by Me Doraemon and preceding Parasyte: Part 2. Shota Sometani stars as Shinichi, with Sadao Abe voicing Migi and Ai Hashimoto, Kazuki Kitamura and Masahiro Higashide in supporting roles. Production involved Robot Communications, TOHO, dentsu and Kodansha.

Released in Japan in late 2014, the film earned about 10 million US dollars worldwide, a modest return for a production of this scale. On IMDb it holds 6.8 out of 10 from roughly 5,110 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 7 out of 10 from around 321 votes. The two audience scores are close, indicating a generally favourable but not enthusiastic response.