Two lonely people who prefer to keep the world around them away from them fall in love with each other. In The Parasite in Love, we meet Kengo Kosaka, who suffers from extreme misophobia, and Hijiri Sanagi, who suffers from scopophobia, a fear of looking. Kosiaki's parents committed suicide when he was eight years old. He was left alone for most of his life, his phobia preventing him from making contact with others. His hands were red and disheveled from the thousands of times he had washed them to protect himself from germs. Kosaka and Sanagi met by chance. Sanagi saw Kosaka collapse on the road. She helped him to recover by hospitalizing him, which marked the beginning of their common history.
How did the parasite affect their romance?
At the beginning of The Parasite in Love, Sanagi talks about a worm in her head. The worm was behind her phobia and controlled her to some extent. Her mother, Maya, also had a worm and allegedly committed suicide because of the worm's control. Sanagi's family wanted to cure her of the disease.
When Kosaka was treated at the hospital, Izumi examined a sample of his blood and discovered that he had the same worm as Sanagi. Upon learning of the situation, Sanagi's grandfather and doctor, Yuichi, advised Izumi to approach Kosaku and Sanagi. The parasites in their heads would grow due to their proximity, making it easier to eliminate Sanagi and Kosaka's bodies.
Yuichi's theory was that the parasite was the reason why the host's body felt a certain attraction when it met another person with the same parasite. It was not love, but the way the parasite mates and lays eggs. Once the eggs are produced, the parasite drives the host to suicide, making him mentally unstable. Through his research into this mating theory, Yuichi was determined to save his niece from suicide. Although Sanagi was not against the treatment, he refused to involve Kosaka in the process. Since her grandfather said it was impossible, she refused to be treated. The treatment would have made their love affair fade away, and Sanagi was not willing to give up his love.
Explanation of the ending of the film The Parasite in Love
Sanagi disappeared before the treatment started, and Kosaka managed to find her. She took him to the lake where his mother committed suicide. He confessed that he would rather have died than lose someone's love. Although his feelings were caused by a parasite, he found comfort in Kosaka, and their life together was happy. Sanagi often quoted the story of a man who loved cats, but it turned out that he had been infected with toxoplasma, the virus that made him fall in love with cats. If he had been cured, he would have lost what he loved most. Would this treatment solve his problem? After all, he had conditioned his life to his attachment. Even if the attachment was the result of a parasite, would it mean getting rid of him and losing the person he loved?
Kosaka was willing to participate in Sanagi's journey, even if it meant death. He hugged her and they kissed, involving the parasites as well. After the screen goes black, we find Kosaka and Sanagi in a hospital bed. Yuichi has treated them by force. After being released, Kosaka began to lead a normal life. He worked in an office and became quite popular because of his work. But his life was interrupted when he received a call from Izumi; he was informed that Sanagi was missing. He searched through Sanagi's contacts and found a letter she had written to him. She had written it in the hospital, remembering her happy days and fearing that those memories would fade with time. Kosaka planned to release a virus on Christmas Eve; the virus would affect phones around the world and cause a breakdown in communication, causing much pain and suffering. This was his way of leaving a trail and paying back society for never understanding him. Sanagi knew his plan and promised to meet before the Christmas tree, when there would be chaos everywhere.
Kosaka launched his virus, but there was a mistake. His virus was flawed, like himself, and he didn't care. He waited in front of the Christmas tree, and even though it was 7 o'clock, there was no visible effect of his virus. Sanagi was by his side. He decided to keep his promise. As they exchanged greetings, the world around them descended into a state of chaos. As people ran around them, they promised each other to stay together no matter what.
Meanwhile, Izumi discovered that there was an egg in Kosaka's blood. She concluded that the parasites had mated and that Sanagi also had an egg. Yuichi was surprised to learn the truth, but Izumi understood that humans and parasites could exist simultaneously. He was Sanagi's father. When Maya committed suicide, Yuichi decided not to treat him to see what the death of one potential parasite would do to another. Izumi said he was proof that cohabitation was possible, that he still loved Maya, and that he had never looked for another potential partner or attempted suicide.
"Parasites in Love" is an unusual love story with elements of science and drama. By the end of the film, the message is conveyed that people are suicidal when they are forced to give up on love. It was not the parasite that caused the death, but the loneliness felt by a man who has lost his sense of love. It is easier to blame the parasite for the increase in deaths caused by suicide than to address its root cause. Society's extremely problematic attitude towards mental health issues is what the film ultimately raises.
