Parasyte: The Maxim

You’ve probably heard of them in classic sci-fi stories before; the very idea of alien creatures who can snatch bodies to impersonate a human and walk among our society. Build on the foundation of a science fiction and body horror, Kiseijuu (also known as Parasyte) takes a full swing with its premise. It’s simple actually. We have a case of alien invasion by mysterious beings who can infect us through parasitic means. By inserting themselves into a human’s brain, the parasites can take full control and transform you into a monster. Not only does this kill the victim but now it can even add moreits body count by consuming more humans. Sounds terrifying right? That would have been a fate for a young man named Shinchi until one parasite goofs up and fails his mission. Now they share a single body but with separate personality. Let the adventure begin. With such an engaging premise, Kiseijuu really sets the par high not just by its first episodes but also by some other technical aspects from behind the scenes. First we have the powerhouse studio Madhouse who are well renowned for their reputation. Then, there’s the source material. This adaptation is based on the manga that came out over two decades ago but has earned praise. With just the forefront of these elements, the series has high expectations. Thankfully, it lives up to its hype. The show doesn’t take a break even from the start by showing the grim reality of the show’s horror. If you don’t believe me, then the first few seconds may convince you. Needless to say, a series like this is not easy to the stomach. But given that fact, it makes itself look real by showing us the brutality of the parasites. The first few episodes establishes the fact that most parasites are heartless monsters who care only about themselves and their prey. The parasite that failed to take over Shinichi’s body display similar traits by threatening to kill him and others if their secret is revealed. Migi (the name that Shinichi gives to it) often thinks strategically to survive while discarding all morality. For instance, he tries to kill any witnesses who see the symbiotic relationship between him and Shinchi. Then, there’s the actual combat where Migi fights indiscriminately at times in order to survive. Outside of combat, the show becomes a bit of personal drama. This is because Shinchi has to constantly deal with keeping this secret and not revealing it to others for the fear that they may be killed. It’s more than just responsibility but also creates the sensation of fear. For the both of them, it’s about survival in a world run by atrocity. What makes this series’ story stand out quite a bit is the ability to convey human nature and focus on more than just outlandish battles for survival. It shows the best and worst of what humans can do while also balancing out how parasites can behave. Sometimes, there’s almost a similarity while others stands in sharp contrast. For Shinchi, he undergoes big changes as the story progresses with certain events that create tragic scars in his life. These changes are reflected both physically and mentally. Even his classmates like Murano notices this and is constantly worrying about his well-being. In the beginning, we can see him as a normal guy who just wants to be normal. Until he accepts the reality later on, Shinchi is just someone who wants friends, get an education, and perhaps even fall in love. The certain events of the parasites changes all of that as he can never go back to his normal life. His relationships with Murano often has shifting drifts because of the dangers he realizes she may be in if she gets too close to him. Then, there’s the relationship between him and his parents. In particular, his mother represents as someone who sets by example of what a good parent should be. And case taken, the series doesn’t neglect to show other relationships even among the parasites. Motherhood plays a role as well as one particular parasite becomes a guardian for her child. And although she shows little feelings towards it, there’s a drastic change to her behavior later on as she begins to develop human traits. On the other hand, we can also see the worst of human nature. For instance, there’s a serial criminal in the series whose behavior isn’t far different from the parasites themselves. In contrast, there’s also Shinchi who develops quite a bit throughout this show. Remember, a big part of this series relies is crafted by the way things change and how they work. Shinchi’s experience of fighting alongside Migi turns him into a warrior beyond someone who just wishes to protect others. This is in particular true because of the tragic events in his life. His change is reflected physically and also at an interpersonal level as Shinchi becomes less and less human himself. From an ordinary kid with a timid personality in the beginning, Shinchi becomes a changed man who is serious, humorless, and pessimistic. It’s also shown in the case where Shinchi begins to develop fighting skills of his own when he can’t always rely on Migi. And furthermore, the show takes advantage of the choices he makes to further develop his character. It doesn’t take a genius to see how much the show can focus on its premise and understanding it. The show takes its turns with each episode to present thrillerish scenarios and events that connects with the characters. Its narrative also remains a strong aspect of the show by focusing on Shinchi’s role and what his decisions are no matter how risky they may seem to be. Also, be aware that the show has tragedy. More than just death, Shinchi’s losses in life expands beyond just losing important people around him. It shows that he can’t save everyone and when that happens, Shinchi feels regret because of his own lack of confidence. It’s interesting at the same time to see how much Migi changes. From the irrational display of inhumanity he shows in the beginning, we can see some of his softer sides. It seems as the story goes on, there’s attachment he feels about the human race and their behavior. While most of this is obstructed in the beginning, the development of his character reaches a point where Migi behaves like a human. On a lighter side, the show also adds some elements of comedy involving Migi and Shinchi’s relationship. Migi’s particular curiosity leads him to “research” on human sexuality which creates hilariously memorable moments. Kana’s repetitive “White Knight wet dreams” are also something of a very peculiar comedy that adds more into the show. Similarly, we can also see different sides of other parasites ranging Reiko’s care for her child to the political ways that some parasites tries to initiate into society. By presenting such events, it also shows that not all parasites are simply absent-minded for their lust to consume and kill. We even have a character that Shinchi can relate because of their own personal life circumstances. But for all its worth, the show can become a bit predictable at times. The death flags are inevitable not to mention the spoilerish opening song. While the transition of each episodes remain mainly strong, there are some minor changes between the manga and this adaptation. Furthermore, both the manga and anime has plot holes that are seemingly never answered. None of them really destroys the content of the story but some of it seems a bit odd such as the technology and Shinchi’s original appearance prior to become Mr. Badass. As a fan of the manga, I have to say that my initial impressions of the artwork wasn’t very great. The artwork has a more generic style rather than the mature atmosphere the manga delivered. After taking more careful glances though, there’s also a feel of attachment anyone can make from the art. Starting with gruesome, the designs of the parasites are both horrific and fascinating. All of them show monstrous traits with their murderous-like intent. The eyes, blades, and disfigured faces are what makes them fearful. Certain parasites also develops more powerful traits that really makes them stand out above others physically by their body structure. In this case, the designs got the job done. Migi in particular has a very fascinating appearance with his unique case of being stuck in Shinchi’s hand. For the human characters though, most of them are categorized by character design to fit with their personalities. From Shinchi’s normal parents to the various delinquents, each of them gives off an impression of humanity. But the most fascinating part about the show is Shinchi’s physical change. His tragic experiences transforms him into a more daring man and this is even reflected by his image. The sharp-edge hair, removal of his glasses, and firm body structure are just a few examples of this. And finally, the show is infamous for its graphic violence. Expect pouring blood, severed limbs, and gore that really entitles this show as horror. The action scenes are also, fast, crisp, and decorated with high production values thanks to Madhouse. Oh and that absence of censorship is a great please to the fans like myself. Soundtrack and music plays a rather interesting role. In particular, the dubstep becomes a controversial addition added to the series. Sometimes, the usage feels right while other times really feel out of place. The first episode wastes no time with the usage of dubstep so viewers will have to get used to it. It took me a couple of episodes to adapt with the OST and in retrospect, it does work out once you feel attached to it. In other respects, the characters’ voices show a good deal of focus especially with Shinichi and his change. This is reflected in his more calm and confident voice later on in the story in contrast to his quiet and timid personality in the beginning. Kana Hanazawa also plays the role of Shinchi’s love interest with a sense of innocence in her voice. But most interestingly, we have the voices of the parasites. All of them has a disturbing and distorted voice compared to their former human hosts when transformed. I give credit for this sci-fi style of portrayal to bring out the realism of their presence. But when in human form, there’s some a lack of empathy in the voice mannerisms of the parasites. Other times, there are parasitic characters who shows more of a human tone such as with Reiko and Uda. Then, there’s also the character Migi. Voice actress Aya Hirano effectively brings this character into life with her voice. Finally, there’s also the OP and ED songs. Unlike most 2 cour series, there are no changes the whole time with the hardcore OP song or the gentler atmosphere of the ED. If you’re a fan of sci-fi horror, then this series should no doubt be something of a must-see. This remarkable work is reflected not just in the story but by the characterization of its cast – both human and parasitic. The show’s focus on its various themes crafts great amounts of moments that are memorable for its nature. Shinchi’s development over the course of the series along with Migi are like experimental journeys that really makes their point. And with all this going on, we can also see how far the show can make for itself when it can make you feel attached to its premise. There will be some predictable plot elements in regards to the romance sub-plots or tragedy. However, this shouldn’t be a set-back especially when its main story is thought provoking. Hell, even the action scenes tells a story each episode. Kiseijuu is a wonder that is sometimes fun, sometimes horrific, sometimes mysterious but always entertaining.

Based off of the award winning manga series written by Iwaaki Hitoshi, coming from the highly praised Madhouse studio, with all excitement and intense story, Kiseijuu constantly finished this season with its fineness. The story set-up in a realistic world where an unknown organism invaded earth and take over human bodies, accidentally one of that organism is trying to enter into someone's body, a body of a sleeping boy named Shinichi Izumi, but the organism can only take over Shinichi hand only. The incident created a bizarre creature that lives eventually in Shinichi's right hand. Meanwhile, other organisms that successfully take over a human / animalbodies is starting to attack the Civilians secretly and eat them. With that fact, Shinichi decided to fight other ruthless parasites with Migi's help. In the story section, Kiseijuu have some notable succession. A bizarre yet successful settings brings Kiseijuu a glimpse of uniqueness to its story. The story actually not so complex, the concept is understandable and easy to remember. The individual elements of the story runs pretty well too, it was thrilling, and so exciting. The anime have a fairly balanced pacing while throwing some excitement & surprises at the same time. Kiseijuu added many other genres and mixed up into one big unity. One of them is romance, There is some scenes that included romance Although sometimes the romance felt awkward because the lack of process. The other good thing is Kiseijuu successfully illustrated the true nature of a living creature, especially us humans. Kiseijuu left some moral lessons for the audience: "Life is a valuable thing, we have to respect of human and creature life" The animation actually quite standard, not bad but not the best. The character design is decent, while, in the other hand, I fully appreciate the parasites design, it is well-illustrated & quite memorable, it success in bringing a grim & scary feeling to the screen. For the sound settings, I personally adore the Opening song “Let Me Hear” sung by Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas, it is really a great upbeat song with a real mixture of Electric & Rock. As for the background music, Kiseijuu did an excellent job in bringing such music, the music fluidly mixed up with the story in a great way, it is really fit & fresh in brain. There is nothing to say for the voice actors, it just awesome. In the character section, we have our main characters, the duo consist of Izumi Shinichi & the alien that live in his right arm named Migi. The character development centered in Izumi Shinichi, from the start of to the end, Shinichi’s have various changes including his attitude & appearance. Just like other great characters , he developed from zero to hero. From a sniffing & coward boy, he grows into a more mature & reliable man. The development describe very well. While Migi, the parasite that live in Shinichi’s hand have a meaningful role, a sense of friendship is also described between them as the story progress. While various villain with a different motive also did well in their roles. The other supporting characters do their roles pretty well. It is really good indeed. In the end, it’s just another great series. It is fully recommended if you a fan of the individual elements that included in the story, and if you seek an anime with full of excitement, proper character development, & intense storyline then Parasite is your menu.

If Tokyo Ghoul is fast food then Parasyte is fine dining. Stories that adhere to the "invasion of humanity" narrative is nothing groundbreaking by any means. It's been done many times over on the silver screen, from large-scale takeovers like 1978's Invasion of the Body Snatchers to more up close and personal ones like 2003's Dreamcatcher. The fear of an unknown sentient being that can challenge us intellectually is something that has always piqued the interest of moviegoers for decades. They're stories that could service a multitude of directions, and while not always intentional, they tend to bring up themes centered around the human condition andDarwinism. And for those that tackled these ideas on purpose, it has the benefit of becoming a decent popcorn flick or even better, an engrossing social commentary, depending on the pedigree of writing and how it's presented. Being thought-provoking, while at the same time entertaining for a broader viewing audience is no small feat to pull off. There's a balance that needs to be struck that may require compromise to avoid being too heady, but at the same time, having the know-all to make it intellectually stimulating. Thankfully, Parasyte does just that. It draws you in with its uncanny imagery and copious amount of violence, all the while adhering to the underpinnings of subtextual content that peels back the layer to reveal something much more meaningful. Of course, like any show that grapples with these ideas, it had its fair share of issues as well, but as a whole, Parasyte was a title that manages to escape with only a few blemishes where others made in a similar fashion couldn't stick the landing. Today, we'll discuss its highlights and missteps, both great and small. To avoid regurgitating info you could simply read in the synopsis, we'll dive right into discussing the focal points. While the implications of the story presented are universal, the manner that it chooses to take it on with is more of a personal one. Following the life of our protagonist, Shinichi, we see the conflict unfold through his eyes and the effects it had on his personal life. With this more intimate approach, we get to better understand the individual impact a shift in society's status quo could have on a micro-scale. All of a sudden, something other than humans had authoritarian control over Earth. It's a power struggle that's fully realized when accounting for the fact that not only could these invaders match our intellect but they are also physically stronger as well. Parasyte shows that the only thing separating us from being on the rear end of the hierarchical food chain is simply our ability to think beyond standard means of self-preservation. It's this innate understanding that gives stakes to this conflict, as we see our protagonist and most other people that encounter the invading parasitic entity, fail to properly combat against them on a one-on-one basis. While we do get a macro overview of the effects and how it manages to disrupt society, the story always kept its main focus on Shinichi's dilemma. The brisk pacing really helped to sell the situation as well. Key events that would go on to shape our protagonist's ever-morphing psyche was given enough time to sink in but the show never forcefully came to a full stop just to let it be digested, which allowed the gravity of the circumstance to remain poignant while keeping the show in motion. Traumatic events were given their time and so we as an audience were allowed time to invest in the turmoil that came as a direct result. But what ultimately made these traumatic events work is that they occurred during moments where our protagonist wasn't given ample time to process it all. This, fellow readers, is how you build proper suspense and anticipation. Something many titles have a hard time getting the formula right for. Of course, there were some issues, most of which were a result of retrofitting this 80s manga adaptation to fit a contemporary modern-day setting, while not accounting for the overexposure of current technology. The intention the creators had to modernize the material was understandable, however, the foresight to see the downside to doing that was a bit short of the mark. For example, there would be specific incidents that would go on unnoticed to society, despite the chances of them being recorded via cell phone or surveillance camera becoming a high probability, as the events themselves occurred in public settings. This also accounts for just how prolonged the time was that the parasites were able to stay in hiding in a digital age that spreads information like wildfire. The story isn't as plausible as it could have been had they kept it set in the time period it was written for. This isn't to discredit the show, as most viewers wouldn't even be bothered by it, but it's something that needs to be brought to light for those that do key in on the issue. The constant comparisons between Tokyo Ghoul and Parayste are one that's warranted since they both made their anime debut around the same time period and approached similar constructed themes and setups. However, unlike Tokyo Ghoul, Parayste actually explores the societal implications of dealing with a foreign body in-depth. The parasites were used as allegorical proxies to many of the show's concepts and not just a reason to have excessive angst and shounen cock fights. Like I pointed out in my opening line, this is what separates the two and makes a clear divide between entertainment with substance and one that barely scraped by thematically. One provided proper social commentary, while the other simply had it as an idea for flavoring. By finding a way to obtain equilibrium between thematic relevance and fun theatrics, Parasyte became one of those rare titles that could appeal to the majority, while also appeasing the interest of critics as well. This isn't to say that Parasyte dives as deeply as it could have with the topics it addresses but that it demonstrated foresight for the concepts that would usually manifest by default when dealing with these kinds of premises, to begin with. It's not a "2deep4u" title nor is it brain-dead one, it's a thoughtful action/thriller that knows just when to hit the right notes and when to let the content on screen do all the talking in its place. The art and animation weren't anything to jump out of your seat for but there was definitely a sense of quality control there. The character designs were fairly simple and help to give an idea of the character's traits before we even hear them talk. The biggest standout in the show was, of course, the fight scenes and the detailed anthropomorphic body imagery that both served to creep you out and draw on that obtuse fascination we all get for things unfamiliar to us. The color palette was eye-catching enough on a regular basis, occasionally switching to a more acid washed texture or murky-based one for whenever it tried to heighten the mood of key events (school hallway scene anyone?). While nothing that'll win any awards anytime soon, the art and animation did enough to stand on its own and that's all most viewers are concerned with anyways. Now where there will be a divide in viewers would be the music section. Parasyte's music selection is a hit or miss depending on your personal preference. It's like if one of the producers snuck into their teenage kid's room and emulated the songs straight off of their playlist. "This is what the kids are listening to these days" seem to be the thought process they went with. If anything, it really helped to distinguish Parasyte from the rest of the crowd. The soundtrack is very topical, largely composed of EDM (electronic dance music) tracks. The EDM tracks come in a few selection of different sub-genres that can range from techno, dubstep, drum 'n' bass, hardstyle, house, trap, downtempo, trance and every variant in between. Of course, that's not all it has, as there are a few new-school orchestric tracks and soft electronic piano ballads that are thrown in for good measure. But EDM is the dominating song choice, most noticeably dubstep for those unfamiliar with the sub-genres. Needless to say, if EDM is your cup of tea then you'll be in for a treat, but music is subjective and enjoyment will vary for each individual. The opening is a heavy hitting post-hardcore synth track reminiscent of bands like Pierce The Veil, The Fall of Troy and Sleeping with Sirens, if those bands were to ever go "T-Pain" on us, that is. It's a "teen angst x 100" kind of song that won't register with everyone, and like the EDM OST, it's a preferential thing. The sound effects also deserve special mention, more specifically when parasites morph or move around. It adds to the overall creep factor the show is going for, sounding almost like a pliable substance; like playing with silly potty or deflating a balloon. It's hard to pinpoint the exact sound but it was certainly unique. All in all, the show was unapologetic about its sound selection and made a bold move in an industry where j-pop and j-rock are enough to get you by. It may not be up to snuff with people that don't care for the genre but it shouldn't be discredited because of that. It added variety to the monotonous sound expected from OSTs in the anime industry. The cast of characters was a mixed bag. On one hand, a few characters were wonderfully handled, showing layered characterization to their personality with flaws that made them relatable and easy to sympathize with, but on the other, we had characters that teeter on the border of 2-dimensional to becoming caricatures. You know it's bad when Migi, an apathetic parasitic hand, showed better characterization than that of some of the side characters. But that isn't to say it bombed in this department, as the few focused characters help to carry the show. Watching Shinichi slow metamorphosis and development as a person was well-handled from beginning to end. When a traumatizing event occurred, they aren't simply used for quick blips of shock factor but go on to further influence and add dimension to his personality. May that be a loss that triggers a lack of empathy or one that helps him rekindle it. Where some of the characters lapsed in proper portrayal, they more than made up with their interactions with each other, most notably, that of Shinichi and Migi, as well as the relationship he had with the show's main love interest, Satomi Murano. Shinichi and Migi's relationship can be seen as the bridge between both species. They stand in the crossfire and both adapt and grow accustomed to each other, and because they were the focal point of the story, seeing their interaction and partnership flourish was a nice treat. But perhaps more surprising than that was just how well Shinichi and Satomi were handled together. The relationship between them was very organic, none of this "omg a boob touched my shoulder, time to blush" bullshit, but teenagers acting in mannerisms that anyone growing up can relate to. The back and forth spats between them can become tedious at times but to be fair, given the circumstances they're involved in, it was always understandable. The show's primary focus was never a romance but when it addressed it, it ended up outclassing some romance titles that only get to 1st base by its finale, which is something worth applauding the show for. Another noteworthy character was Ryouko Tamiya but I'll keep details about her involvement to a minimum. She was a parasite that helped to further explore some of the show's themes and provided better insight into the turmoil at hand. Her involvement brought up very interesting questions and plays a huge role in providing another perspective to the story. While some characters fell short and others could have been cut out entirely, the cast as a whole was fine and served their purpose. We can sit here crediting the thoughtful decisions the show made or criticizing the misguided ones all day but when it call boils down to the essentials, as a piece of entertainment, Parasyte was a show that constantly delivered. And after all, isn't that what we all came for? Enjoyment: 9/10 Parasyte was one of those titles that kept me hooked from beginning to end. It was action packed, had nice tension, great character dynamics and always left me wanting more. It made for great binge-watching material and certainly delivered in the entertainment department. While I didn't care much for the soundtrack and could do without the inclusion of certain plot details and characters, when it was all said and done, I enjoyed the 24-episode journey. Overall: 8/10 While many titles have tried this type of setup before, Parasyte stepped in to help set the benchmark for how to do it right. It balanced its themes well while still being entertaining, showing that it's possible to do both. It's a show that had a few missteps but never to the point of failure. It may not be for everyone but those generally fascinated with these kinds of "man vs nature" parables would probably enjoy what the show has to offer.

I remember hearing a lot of hype for Parasyte when it was first announced for an anime adaptation. Apparently, it was a really popular manga in the 90s about some kid who got his hand infected by an alien parasite – hence the name I suppose, although I’m not sure why the “i” was changed into a “y” – and must now learn to live with it whilst warding off other similar infected people who had the misfortune of being killed by these beings before having their entire existence taken over. Seemed like good body horror stuff as is, but then came the influx ofpeople I knew who read the manga that declared it to be the second coming of Christ and my hype for it was decent whilst not being astounding because it was being done by a Madhouse team whose only credits were to their Marvel stuff and isn’t that just another clue that they’re not the powerhouse they used to be? Well it turns out that I was right to be cautious, because not only does Parasyte not live up to the hype, but it’s knee-deep in pretty much everything I despise about Marvel stuff to boot. You know your show with dick hands and uncensored decapitations has problems when I can think of five shows from Fall 2014 I’d rather watch over it and one of them is from KyoAni. But before I get into thrashing this show, I’ll admit that I’m glad Parasyte was made, if only because its popularity will hopefully lead to more classic manga getting adapted, thus lessening the huge surplus of LN adaptations we’ve been getting as of late. In an age where self-awareness is replacing actual humor, we really do need more manga adaptations that take themselves seriously, and this along with Attack on Titan are prime candidates for ushering in that age. So thank you Parasyte for representing a spark the animation industry desperately needs now that Kickstarter has shat the bed, but that’s not going to stop me from beating you to death with a croquet bat that has spikes nailed into it. Parasyte, or Parasyte-the maxim if you want to be an asshole about it, is an adaptation of a 90s manga about a kid named Shinichi whose normal life is shattered when aliens land on his world and one of them infects his right hand in the process of trying to kill him, causing him to have a “mature relationship” with it, if you get what I mean. The story basically follows him and his desire to live a normal life whilst dealing with the changes going on in his life caused by his new situation like dating girls, helping his family, and fighting off others like him who had the misfortune of getting killed and controlled by their own infected diseases. I might as well be calling him Asian Peter due to how much he resembles Peter Parker from Spiderman in terms of situation and personality. In fact, many things about Parasyte are pretty much copied wholesale from Spiderman, like the alien infections, uninteresting supervillains, incompetent police force, large sections of the plot, and even the fact that the symbiotes…er, I mean parasytes are weak to fire. The only thing it didn’t rip off was everything that made Spiderman fun like the web swinging. How cool would it have been for Asian Peter to use his right hand to swing across buildings whilst wise-cracking like a…um, actually if it means less snarky remarks, I think I’ll accept that sacrifice whilst still snarling at the twenty other things you could have included. Because as emo as Peter got at times, at least he traded in the angst for some f*cking awesome dance moves. Asian Peter on the other hand can’t even do awesome fight moves. For something that’s supposed to be one of the major draws of the show, why does every single fight scene look like it was choreographed by Yuen-Woo Ping on the set of Cradle 2 the Grave? Whenever an action scene occurred, it would always consist of boring blade spam or five minutes of Asian Peter conversing with his hand followed by five seconds of actual action at best and two seconds of embarrassment that would make Kill la Kill laugh out loud at worst, which isn’t exciting in the least. It also doesn’t help that the music in this show is so f*cking mismatched to what’s going on that the supposed horror vibe this show coasts on is about as existent as an American-made Silent Hill game with a heavy metal soundtrack. For all that work put into having the violence uncensored and having good animation, you sure didn’t do a good job of putting some actual flair on-screen, did you Marvel director? Although considering your credits and the state of the action we get in those films, it’s kind of apropos. However, the biggest flaw that Parasyte - along with said Marvel films – has is that it doesn’t seem to have a story at all, always heading in one direction before bailing halfway through to focus on another in a round robin that would make Spiderman 3 confused. We start off with Asian Peter basically imitating what makes Spiderman great by getting going through puberty whilst dealing with the consequences of his new-found powers, so I figured that Parasyte was going to be a coming-of-age story. But after he gets turned into a superhuman, that story is put to the side to have him turn into a monster and deal with a love triangle between Asian Mary Jane and Asian Gwen Stacy that ends with the latter’s tragic death to showcase his change. So Parasyte is a story about how having powers turns you into a jerk that will hurt your loved ones? Nope. After said tragedy, Asian Peter suddenly stops acting like a monster and instead angsts about how he can’t protect anyone whilst other humans start getting involved, culminating in a sort-of-sympathetic character getting killed off in order to teach us about discrimination and how there are good people amongst the parasites just as there are bad people amongst the humans and thus they’re no different from each other when you get down to it. So your story is about how overcoming discrimination is hard, especially when you factor in the different natures of humans and non-humans, but it’s not impossible? Wrong! The real story is that “humanity is a flawed species who will always fight for themselves at the end of the day”. And even that’s mishandled badly, as leaving aside that they showcase this fact by having a bunch of stupid soldiers shoot up a building, culminating in Asian Peter killing off a super-strong experimental parasyte that’s basically the love child of Doc Ock and Venom in order to prevent more deaths, it tries to compromise by delivering the same environmental stuff that made Princess Mononoke so good. Y’know, how humans and animals are just fighting for themselves and the only reason they protect the environment at the end of the day is because they’ll die if they don’t? But it completely falls flat because it can’t seem to make up its mind regarding whether parasytes should be compared more to humans or lions, and it fails at providing a strong case for either side. The show makes a big point about how parasytes were sent to Earth in order to cleanse humanity for its crimes, so if they are comparable to humans, it’d be one of those PETA nuts channeling Jeffrey Dahmer. And if they’re supposed to be compared to lions, that fails too because last I checked, lions can’t blend in with humans much less eat at Burger King without having eyes and shotguns pointed in its direction. Not to mention, if lions really are living amongst us, killing people in secret like the parasytes have done, I say we make those motherf*ckers extinct. Parasyte’s core message regarding humanity and its relationship with the world is a good idea on paper, but the way it comments on it really leaves a lot to be desired. If the show had focused on centering Asian Peter and his right hand as an ironic victim akin to the protagonist in District 9 or as the failed mediator between two species akin to Caesar in the Planet of the Apes reboot, this might have worked. But instead, it meanders with repetitive philosophy that anyone out of middle school would know, can’t make up its mind regarding whether Asian Peter is growing and how he’s growing, indulges in really shitty shonen action cliches, and it doesn’t help that the ending doesn’t make any goddamn sense. I’ve heard a lot of people talk up how perfect it is, but all it did was have Asian Symbiote-less Carnage kidnapping Asian Mary Jane in order to confirm what we already knew, which is about as mundane an ending as you can possibly get in a philosophical narrative. Am I being too hard on an anime whose source material dates back to before the environmental trend was really a thing? Maybe, but that didn’t stop the original Persona game from getting thrashed when it got re-released, so why shouldn’t I criticize Parasyte for basically arriving way too late to have any impact on me? Plus, if it was really as good as people said, time would be kinder to it than this. But that’s irrelevant, because I’m judging the anime on its own. And on its own, Parasyte is just not a good show. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a bad one, but I can’t really say I’ll be watching it again anytime soon.