Studio Ghibli has built its repute on thoughtful narratives involving wonder, nature, and quiet reflection. Movies including Spirited Away, Totoro, and Princess Mononoke beautifully mix fantasy points with real emotion to capture the curiosity of audiences from children to adults. Yet at one point, the studio almost took a much more darker approach.
Apparently hidden behind Ghibli’s gentle image was a surprising idea and that was an adaptation of Parasyte, the horror manga by Hitoshi Iwaaki. Even though it sounds far faraway from Ghibli’s world, the project was seriously discussed and Hayao Miyazaki himself was interested. Nevertheless, the concept faded before it began, not since it didn’t fit, but because another person already owned the rights.
Parasyte (2014) pic.twitter.com/xRWhqTynMS
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Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki Considered Adapting Parasyte
Former Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki mentioned this concept back in 2015 during a podcast conversation with producer Genki Kawamura. Based on Suzuki, each he and Miyazaki were drawn to Parasyte at one point.
The manga was already notable within the Nineteen Nineties. It’s a couple of boy who loses his hand to an alien, paving the door to weird events and resulting in questions on morality. It’s extremely violent and disturbing in nature, and is full of body horror. But underneath the blood there are themes that Ghibli had touched upon before – the character of being human, our connection to nature, and the associated fee of survival.
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These were the exact same themes that Miyazaki showed in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, where the important plot was about each humans and non-humans coming to a state of coexistence, per Screenrant. Ghibli has tended to at all times grapple with the state of balance between man and nature. Nevertheless, Parasyte does it with blood and dismembered limbs but possibly that conflict between subject material and philosophy is what caught Miyazaki’s eye in the primary place.
What Went Unsuitable with Studio Ghibli’s Parasyte?
Nevertheless, Ghibli never got to maneuver forward as Hollywood had already stepped in. In 1999, Don Murphy and Jim Henson Pictures secured the rights for a live-action version. Later, it moved to Recent Line Cinema and horror director Takashi Shimizu got attached to it. But nothing got here of it because the project stalled and shifted hands and never reached the screen.
So far as Ghibli is anxious, the door had already been closed by then and fairly than chasing the rights, the studio continued with original work.
Finished Parasyte
Among the finest 24 episode anime I’ve seen. With a banger opening and ost, to an incredible protagonist in Shinichi, Parasyte delivered in every aspect and it’s a must-watch imo. Quite a lot of similarities Tokyo Ghoul which I also loved. Easily top 15 anime
9/10 pic.twitter.com/j2PntpiXBh
— Luka 🥸 (@LukaZer0) November 20, 2021
Parasyte Found Recent Life in Anime and Japanese Cinema
Years later, Parasyte was revived in Japan. In 2014, Madhouse released an animated adaptation, which stayed very near the unique story yet placed it to a present-day touch. Also around this time limit, two live motion movies, directed by Kawamura himself, were released.
The Japanese audience welcomed each versions, showing that Parasyte still had something necessary to say.
Although Ghibli never made the film, the concept still lingers. Would Miyazaki have softened the violence or leaned into it? Could Ghibli have embraced a brand new, more adult tone? Nobody knows but the likelihood stays an enchanting chapter within the studio’s history.
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