Now that Sentai Filmworks has picked up the rights to Parasyte: The Maxim for release in North America, the series is quickly making its way onto Hulu already. The streaming service has the first twelve episodes of the series now available on it in its original Japanese with English language subtitles and will be adding new episodes weekly. Of real interest and surprise for those that follow how things get on the service, those that are Hulu Plus members can get this in HD, which is rare. This is also the first series that lists Sentai Filmworks directly and not The Anime Network, which is interesting as well.

The series is being directed by Kenichi Shimizu at Madhouse with series composition put together by Shoji Yonemura. Tadashi Hiamatsu is handling the character designs for the series. Nobunaga Shimazaki is playing the lead role of Izumi while Aya Hirano is tackling Migi, the alien parasite itself. Kana Hanazawa has signed on to play Satomi Murano. Additional casting includes Miyuki Sawashiro as Kana Kimishima, Atsuko Tanaka as Ryoko Tamiya, Hiroyuki Yoshino as Uragami, Kiyono Yasuno as Yuko Tachikawa and Rena Maeda as Akiho Suzuki.

Parasyte was created by Hitoshi Iwaaki and ran for ten volumes in Japan during the 1990′s with over eleven million copies in print. The adaptation comes as the property is being done as a pair of live action films as well that are in development, which the anime series is inspired by. The manga has had a varied life in North America as it was originally serialized in Mixxzine and later found its way to Del Rey. It was released in Japan again fairly recently which led to Kodansha Comics bringing it out as well in North America once more.

Plot concept: Unbeknownst to mankind the world is quietly being invaded. Alien beings known as “Parasytes” begin infiltrating humans one by one, burrowing into their brains to take complete control of both their bodies and their identities. With an insatiable hunger for human flesh these cold and calculating creatures mutate into grotesque monsters who feed on the unsuspecting when they’re not hiding behind the faces of everyday people. Only Shinichi Izumi, a lone high school boy, is aware of the terror lurking in plain sight. After one Parasyte’s attempt to take over his brain ends in failure, Shinichi’s right arm is instead possessed by this monster with a mind and an agenda all its own. As Shinichi and his unwanted cohabitant, “Migi,” struggle for dominance of his body, the alien infection continues to grow and so does the trail of bodies in its wake. Now Shinichi and Migi must become more than host and parasite if they hope to not only protect themselves, but Shinichi’s loved ones as well. As Shinichi and Migi’s symbiotic bond deepens, will Shinichi be able to hold on to his humanity, or will he evolve into something more than he ever imagined?