As visual media, it’s in the best interest of most anime and manga to be aesthetically pleasing. After all, the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes from looking at something cute or pretty has kept fans coming back to Pokémon and the works of Studio Ghibli for decades. It’s also great for driving merchandise sales. After all, what anime fan wouldn’t sleep tight with a stuffed Pikachu or Totoro to cuddle as they doze off?
On the other hand though, if you’re trying to fight off drowsiness, we recommend decorating your room with a plush toy from the manga series Parasyte, which is so shockingly terrifying you may never close your eyes again.
Just so you know, things aren’t going to get any prettier from here.
Parasyte’s five-year publishing run from 1990 to 1995 is pretty unremarkable by Japanese standards, and a lot of creator Hitoshi Iwaaki’s human character line art is similarly lackluster. Looking at some panels, it’s almost surprising the series lasted as long as it did, as there’s a distinct stiffness to the expressions and lack of focus in the eyes of the people who populate the comic’s world.
Of course, it doesn’t matter if Iwaaki’s humans look a little off, because what he really wants to do is draw monsters. More accurately, he wants to draw incredibly imaginative, wordlessly repulsive, shape shifting aliens that have come to first take over, then feed on, the bodies of human beings.
Yes, Parasyte’s weirdness extends far beyond the unorthodox spelling of its official English title. Like many manga, its protagonist, Shinichi, starts off as an ordinary high school student. Unlike most other teen heroes, though, his right hand is taken over by a parasitic extraterrestrial. Known as Migi, meaning “right,” in Japanese, and Lefty in overseas publications where the artwork was flipped horizontally, the creature somewhat reluctantly teams up with Shinichi to fight against the other, more bloodthirsty aliens.
Iwaaki’s sci-fi horror series is back in the spotlight these days, thanks to an upcoming television anime adaptation and a pair of live-action Parasyte films set to open in December 2014 and February 2015. Grotesque as he may be, Migi is still the closest thing the series has to a pint-sized animal mascot like Sailor Moon’s Luna or Magic Knight Rayearth’s Mokona, so when toymaker Takara Tomy decided to make a Parasyte stuffed animal, he got the nod.
▼ Awwww, isn’t he soul-eradicating?
Takara Tomy apparently anticipates so much demand that just one version of Migi won’t cut it. In addition to the “life-size” 28-centimeter (11-inch) horror doll shown above, there’s also a 10-centimeter option for when you want big mental trauma in a small package.
Both are scheduled to go on sale at the end of August, with the large Migi priced at 2,484 yen (US $24.60), and the smaller at just 918 yen ($9).
We certainly understand if you judge these realizations of the monster, with his lips parted and combat blades formed, to be the most hideous stuffed toys you’ve ever seen. We’re inclined to agree, but really, we’re just happy that Takara Tomy didn’t decide to model one off of the scene where Migi turns himself into a penis.
Source: Comic Natalie
Top image: Comic Natalie
Insert images: Goo, Cakes, FK News, Comic Natalie