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Two seasons of Parasyte: The Maxim have been broadcast in Japan since October 2014, and now the anime will be coming to even more fans in the U.S. The anime will broadcast on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, one of the U.S.’ leading channels for animation. It will air beginning in October late night during the Toonami block. Up till now, the anime was distributed immediately following the Japanese broadcast on anime streaming sites aimed at overseas audiences. It seems this added broadcast on a major channel will play a role in expanding its popularity.
Parasyte: The Maxim is an anime adaptation of an original work by Hitoshi Iwaaki considered to be a masterpiece sci-fi manga. With 20 years having passed since the end of its serialization, this adaptation has been a long-awaited one. At the same time, a two-part live-action movie series has been released, which is a huge hit as well. Starting with the movie adaptation, attention on this dramatic story is building once again. The original manga is a huge hit with over 15 million copies of the tankobon volumes sold. Of this, four million have been added to the total since August 2014. It’s plain to see the series’ fanbase is increasing due to the anime and movies.
The series’ popularity is similar even overseas. The series entered the top five most popular anime streamed with subtitles directly following its broadcast on Crunchyroll, one of the largest Japanese anime streaming services for those overseas.
Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim is a popular channel with older teens and young adults, and it has an audience of 96 million across the U.S. Expect a Parasyte boom to spread through the U.S. as this anime produced in Japan is able to reach a mass audience.
On the anime, producer Toshio Nakatani commented, “Originally making the ‘first’ adaptation of the original series some 25 years ago was a unique challenge. I dare say that the concept that flowed into the roots of the series may have been an alarm for everyone to live in the moment. Being able to convey to everyone the sorts of passions that creators of Japanese anime have - there is nothing that would make me happier.”
Parasyte: The Maxim
© Hitoshi Iwaaki / Kodansha Ltd., VAP, NTV, 4 cast
Source: animeanime