Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu

In depth review #7 - Parasyte: The Maxim Parasyte, without a doubt, was an amazing experience. Anyone who had watched the anime can agree with me in saying that this show was very entertaining. The brief but appropriate action scenes, the frequent cliffhangers at the end of every.....episode, and the amazing character development kept me coming back for more every week. However, the way the anime concluded left me a little disappointed. A show literally oozing with potential in the beginning of the show, felt rushed towards the last 7 episodes. Its also worth mentioning the scope of the story was very isolated. They could of done so much more with this story, and answer so many more unanswered questions, but what can you do. It was good for what it was. Story: 7.75 (Good) A story about alien organisms taking over to the bodies of humans sounds awesome, but how exactly did this anime execute this premise? Well, to put it simply, it was ok. Yes, the journey, our main character, Shinichi, experiences was great, and the struggles between the duo and other parasytes where also well executed, but the scope of the story was just too small. The story is about Shinichi, but the anime is essentially about an invasion of organisms taking over humans in a modern society. The story could of had been so much more expansive and robust. Also, it's worth mentioning that the anime was heavily rushed around episode 18. One minute there's a fight, then the next minute there's scene with the government , then there's a sex scene. The pacing during this part of the show was just too haphazard for my liking. If i hadn't bashed the story enough, the ending was kind of lackluster. Not because the ending didn't make sense, or that it was bad or anything. What i didn't like about it was that there wasn't enough closure. One of the biggest questions i have about this anime was where did the parasytes originate from? I would of had thought that would be an obvious topic to cover in this show, but apparently i was wrong. At this point, you may think i hated the story, but i didn't. It was interesting, and a breathe a fresh air. I just had unrealistic goals for this anime since it was just so good in the beginning. Animation: 6.75 (Fair) The animation for this show was also average. Nothing more and nothing less. Most of the animation wasn't memorable but there were a couple of scenes where they used some interesting facial expressions to convey serious emotions, and drastic tension. These scenes either had me lean back a bit in my chair and say WTF is wrong with your face, or made me widen my eyes a bit and say Shit's getting real. The fight scenes between parasytes where also animated nicely. The blades clashing into one another, and the slight blood splatter was realistic and pleasing to the eye. Besides these entities however, nothing really stood out. I'm currently trying to think of a couple of scenes that i can put in this section but nothing is coming to mind. I guess this fact explains what i am trying to get at more accurately. Sound: 8.5 (Very Good) I admit it, i am a sucker for dubstep in anime. I personally listen the liquid dubstep and other dubstep variations, so i am extremely biased on this subject, but the music was amazing. The fact that i tried to find certain tracks after i watched to anime should give you a sense of how good the music was. If you don't like this type of music, this aspect of the show probably wont mean as much to you as it does to me, but regardless the music fit well with the anime. It was subtle, but it complemented the action, and stressful scenes very nicely. I honestly couldn't imaging certain scenes without the dubstep in the background. This anime is proof the edm can be properly implemented in anime successfully, and won't completely suck like most failed attempts did in the past. Other than the music, the voice acting was on point. I loved Migi's melodramatic tone of voice throughout the anime. Shinichi, Murano, and the other supporting characters voice actors also did a great job of realistically portraying their characters voices. I came to this conclusion after hearing there characters speak during the emotional scenes. Hearing there broken speech while crying, or while scared adds the element of realism which isn't always present in certain anime. The same can be said while characters where arguing with each other. There tone and the intensity of there voices made things seem as if i was watching an argument in real life. Characters: 10 (Outstanding) This anime has the best character development i have ever seen in an anime to date, hands down. It's almost shocking seeing how much a character can gradually change, and grow in only 24 episodes. All of the characters in the cast experience some magnitude of character development in the show, but the stars in my book go to Shinichi and Migi. The show introduces an interesting bleeding effect between these two characters. Since Migi and Shinichi are living in the same body, certain aspects of each other is inherited between each other. What this means is that as the show went on, Shinichi started acting more like a parasyte, and Migi started inheriting emotions like humans do. The way they introduced this and how the changes got more noticeable every episode was perfect. This was definitely the best thing that this show accomplished during its run. Something that annoyed me though was how Murano didn't stfu about Shinichi's changes for about 15 episodes straight. She was so annoying in the beginning omfg, but she did a 180 towards the end which was an improvement. Besides the main characters, there was clear character development between both species in the show (human, parasyte) which had unique changes for both. Quick examples could be seen in Shinichi's dad, and in Tomea Reiko. Overall great cast, a lot of variety, and unique character development techniques. Enjoyment: 9 (Great) I really enjoyed watching this anime. It wouldn't be a stretch in saying that this was one of the best anime to come out during the winter 2014 season. A lot of people can agree with me on this to. Just go on any forum or video are read the posts explaining how Parasyte > Tokyo Ghoul. What got me hooked on this show was that it kept me on the edge of my seat literally every episode. No, i don't think you fully understand. There was a cliffhanger every episode. Sometimes i was left there huffing and puffing since i came to the realization i had to wait an entire week to watch what would happen next. I really enjoyed watching this anime. The only thing that was wrong with it was that it wasn't ambitious enough, which really isn't a flaw, just my imagination running rampant. Either way, MUST WATCH anime right here. It was a roller coaster, i would recommend anyone who enjoys good anime to ride it. Score: 8.4/10 (Very Good) - Must Watch

"Flies know how to fly without being taught. Spiders know how to spin webs without being taught. Why is that? Here's what I think: Flies and spiders are simply following an order. I believe all lives on Earth have received orders of some kind. Don't humans have any directive? When I took over this human's brain, I received a directive. It said, Devour this species." - Tamura Ryoko What does it mean to be human? Is it our DNA that sets us apart from the other creatures that inhabit the earth? From a scientific standpoint, the answer to that question would be "Yes". However, we are not scientists, so we must answer that question in a different manner. For as long as we can remember, humans have been the champions of survival, conquering all obstacles in our path due to the sheer amount of knowledge that we can possess. But what if humans were no longer the champions? What if some other species showed up one day with the likeness of human beings and treated us as their prey? Would it be us that really deserve to survive -- or would it be the newer, more perfect human race? That is the common question brought up in the world of Parasyte: The Maxim. Based on the 1989 manga by Hitoshi Iwaaki, Parasyte whisks viewers away to a world where a parasitic alien race is attempting to attach itself to and consume the life-force of human hosts. These parasites, however, are just acting on basic instinct. With that being said, it is no surprise that our main character (Shinichi Izumi) in Parasyte becomes "Infected" by one right at the very start of the show. Shinichi, however, notices the parasite as it burrows into his arm and cuts off any path that said parasite has to make it to the brain. The result of this lies in the parasite (Who we will come to know as Migi) controlling his right arm instead of his entire body. Parasyte works off of a strong pilot episode that serves as an intense attention-grabber and coerces viewers into delving deeper into the series. Through the utilization of suspenseful endings and TONS of gore, Parasyte has become perhaps the most successful anime of 2014. But this doesn't necessarily mean that it is the best. It has flaws, just as 99% of shows do. But are those flaws enough to degrade the score of the show to a state in which it is not worth watching? Not really, no. But lets look into it further anyway as I break the show apart into a few key elements to better illustrate it. Music: 9/10 I'm going to cut right to the chase here in the music section and state that Parasyte had the single best background song of 2014. That song (Hypnotik) was a powerful blend of techno and orchestra that made each and every fight scene in Parasyte literally ten times better than they would have been on their own. And the great thing is that the soundtrack isn't only extremely interesting, but incredibly dynamic, memorable, and packed to the brim with intensity and drama. The one complain I do have about it though, is that there just wasn't enough. There were only about three or four songs that just kept getting cycled through. And even though I really REALLY liked those songs, there just wasn't enough diversity. Regardless, the music was pretty astonishing and, thanks to Hypnotik, my favorite part of the show. Characters: 7/10 Parasyte has a pretty heft cast of characters, and almost every one of them is equally important and serves as a stepping-stone in the development of Shinichi. Whether he be coping with loss or learning how the parasites work, his mind is never at rest. And for 22 hours of the day, neither is his right arm. Migi, though extremely annoying at first, quickly grows on you. No pun intended. Shinichi, on the other hand, stays pretty annoying throughout the whole damn show. He was developed well, don't get me wrong. In fact, it was some of the best development of the year. But there was just a certain unlikability to him that pissed me off almost every episode. Plus, this show killed off the only character I actually liked, so I have vendetta against it. Even though the cast is well-varied, none of them are really that all-that likable, and that's a big problem. Characters, being debatably the most important part of an anime series, need to be strong or interesting or funny or anything like that. But almost none of the characters in Parasyte really are. However, because of their development actually being good, this isn't something that should sway your opinion in watching the show. Art: 7/10 Being the adaptation of a manga from the 80's, Parasyte handles the gap between old-school anime and new-school anime very well. It feels more like something that came out of the early 2000's than something from the past few years. This brings a certain endearing charm to it for those that actually read the manga version, while still allowing new fans like myself to grow fond of it. However, there is a slight lack-in-detail in the art department. The most visually interesting aspects of the show fall upon the parasites while they are fighting, and any time they aren't, the show just looks kind of plain and boring. There is just such a noticeable artistic gap between those two things that the art can't be called perfect. It's good, yes, but good enough to be considered great? Mehhhhh, not really. Story: 8/10 The idea of humans being taken over by parasites isn't necessarily the most original idea. BUT, it's still a good one, which means there is a high-chance of success in the story department. And for the most part, Parasyte does succeed. Eventually though (Specifically in the last couple episodes), the plot gets a little too convoluted. I started to feel like the show was basically saying "Okay kids, what have we learned today?" instead of actually coming to a fitting resolution. This really spoiled things for me. Minutes ago, I was in an alternate reality where humans were at risk of dying out, and now I'm basically being told to recycle and not kill bugs. It ruined what was earlier a great plot by literally trying to teach you a lesson instead of letting the story do that on its own. Hell, there is at least five minutes of actual dialogue in the last episode where Shinichi is talking about the moral of the story. AND THEN, they literally take a complete 180 and basically say, "LOL NEVERMIND". It wasn't fair. It was like, for a brief moment, the director wanted to play a cruel joke on all the people who so diligently followed the show -- and it really ruined what could have been great. Parasyte is pretty much the "Attack On Titan" of 2014. It received a lot of early praise for its ability to set the tone of a dark story, but was consequently blown out of proportion by all those people that thought they discovered the next Evangelion. Don't misinterpret that last sentence either, because I really like both Parasyte and AOT. But there are so many better shows out there than both of them, and they really don't deserve to consume the entirety of their respective year's spotlight. Give this show a watch -- I'm almost certain you will enjoy it to a certain extent. But I would sooner recommend a multitude of shows with interesting characters and a story that lets you determine the moral on your own.

Kiseijuu (I'm just going to call it "Parasyte" from now on) is an adaptation from an over 20 year old manga by Hitoshi Iwaaki. The premise of Parasyte is nothing new by today's standards of anime or science fiction in general, but considering the source material's age, it's quite impressive and I think Madhouse did a pretty good job bringing it into animation form. One of Parasyte's strongest aspects in my opinion was the great dynamic between the two main characters, Shinichi and his parasitic "buddy" Migi and how they have to start co-existing with each other after the plot kicks in. Said plot flows pretty well for the most part and our two heroes always have something to do. This starts from Migi learning how the modern world functions by reading books or even surfing the web, to roaming the streets and interacting with other human beings at school, to fighting other Parasytes who - unlike Migi - have taken over their host's complete brain and body and start killing and eating people all over town in a not really subtle way. But of course the threats get bigger and the stakes are raised quite often as the story progresses and this leads to some well-done character development for Shinichi and even Migi, who at first only has his own survival in top priority. The character development really feels natural and there weren't any parts which stroked me as odd or forced, except for the characters suddenly having to spout preachy monologues near the end of the show. But sadly the praise in the character department pretty much ends there, since the supporting cast is rather lacking to say the least, especially the female ones. Shinichi's somewhat girlfriend and her friends take the cake, their personalities are rather flat and one-noted and they seem like plot devices serving to Shinichi unfolding as a character and occasionally driving the story along. Not to say that they are terrible, but it just seems ironic to me that the Parasyte Migi feels more human than some of the actual humans in the series. There are some other stand-out characters as well, especially the Parasyte called "Tamura Reiko" who has an interesting character arc and makes for an intriguing sort-of antagonist from the beginning to the mid-portion of the plot, she was a good addition to the cast and allowed the alien Parasytes to be seen from a completely different light. One thing I particularly liked about the show was that it didn’t fall apart at a certain point; it practically stayed true to itself and even took some time to introduce us to the protagonist’s daily life world before everything went more or less to shit. It also didn’t go down the wrong path and turned into a mindless fighting Shounen in which fan’s most discussed topics revolve around power levels and how cool the masks look (I don’t care about how the manga is) instead of themes or characters. It sadly took some head scratching detours at times and even became a bit preachy near the end. The ending wasn’t exactly what I would call a satisfying climax either, but the writing stayed consistent, the pacing was solid with hardly any downtimes and there was barely any filler content, if at all. Parasyte also has its fair share of action bits and Studio Madhouse did a good job at them for the most part, but you can clearly notice that they spread their budget too thick in the beginning and the quality of the animation dropped noticeably after the first six or so episodes, which was very disappointing, but they’ll probably fix the biggest issues In the Blu-Ray release anyway, which I am not reviewing right now, though. While there were some really detailed and very fluid bits of animation in some fight scenes, the character models became quite inconsistent as the show went on and there was quite some detail put into some scenes, but others were plain awful. Character models also look rather plain and they often use cheap 3DCG to animate non-important pedestrians or crowds of students for example, which looks jarring. It really looked downright average at some points, which is not understandable considering they often delayed episodes for a week or so. The general directing and presentation of the show felt a bit underwhelming as well at times, but to the show's credit it used some well made visuals effects in some fights or dream like sequences of Shinichi and others. In terms of sound many people’s first complains were “The dubstep sounds like shit”, and they weren’t completely wrong, but the soundtrack does have its moments and when it wants to shine, it definitely does. Not all tracks have this dubstep tunes to them and are quite beautiful to listen to, even on their own. The Opening and Ending Themes are a mixed bag as well. While I think the Ending Theme – while not being bad - was quite out of place in the beginning, it fit almost perfectly near the end of the show. But! And that’s a big BUT; I found the Opening Theme to be really atrocious. In terms of music AND vocals, I couldn’t even recognize if they were singing in Japanese or English, it was definitely a mood killer at some points. Thankfully the voice actors did a great job on all fronts, from Shinichi and Migi, who were voiced absolutely brilliant, to some of the shorter appearances as well. All the needed emotions came across believable and the voices matched their looks nicely too. No complains there. Now it’s time for the final verdict: Parasyte is a nicely written show with a great duo of main characters which mostly stays true to what it initially sets up and some really gripping moments, it was a master of tension at some points. The presentation might be a bit lacking, the show's budget was mishandled and the soundtrack mostly consisting of dubstep and the rather lackluster appearing ending might not match everyone’s tastes and expectations, but it remains a well done Sci-Fi thriller with some interesting ideas, a well fleshed out and natural setting with only a few loose ends. If you like these types of stories or especially if you’re a fan of shows like Tokyo Ghoul, but don’t mind the lesser focus on action but more on characters and plot, I can definitely recommend this show to you. It’s one of the better shows to come out of 2014 and even 2015 so far for sure. RATING: STORY SECTION: 8/10 Premise 2/2 (interesting) Pacing 2/2 (fast with no real downtime and basically filler free) Complexity 1/2 (not much) Plausibility 2/2 (set up its world and mechanics very well) Conclusion 1/2 (a bit underwhelming, but solid) CHARACTER SECTION: 8/10 Presence 1/2 (except the main two fairly generic) Personality 2/2 (some are strong, some are weak, but well founded) Backdrop 1/2 (there is some far and few in between) Development 2/2 (great and natural development on the main characters) Catharsis 2/2 (solid) ART SECTION: 6/10 General Artwork 1/2 (basic) Character Figures 1/2 (rather samey with mostly no distinct features) Backgrounds 1/2 (rather generic but solid) Animation 1/2 (good in the beginning, got weaker later on) Visual Effects 2/2 (some nice touches here and there) SOUND SECTION: 7/10 Voice Acting 3/3 (pretty good performed all around) Music Themes 2/4 (I didn’t like the dubstep, some other tracks were good to great) Sound Effects 2/3 (ok, I guess) ENJOYMENT SECTION: 6/10 Art 0/1 (looks fairly generic) Sound 1/2 (songs are a mixed bag but the voice acting is good) Story 2/3 (presented nicely for the most part and was engaging, meh ending) Characters 3/4 (great main characters but mostly forgettable side characters) VERDICT: 7/10

Parasyte is unlike many horror and Seinens we see today, its both of those done right. I really don't need to review this. To sum up this review, GO FUCKING WATCH THIS SHOW NOW!!!!!!! Now for the people who have time to read this, this show has been praised to the sun, it deserves the praise it gets, a well written plot, some really well developed characters, one of the best OPs like of all time, smart censoring and a goddamn blast to watch. Thats a second summarisation of this review... Parasyte's story is truly unique from start to finish, it pulls you in with the idea of its alien like creatures known as 'parasites' it explains to you everything you need to know in its first ep. and then slaps you on your butt gently and then you're good to go. It really explores human society and how its one fucked up society. The problems would probably include how the pacing can sometimes be, slow, we see something happen but in a way where the show needs half a damn episode to explain, get to the point already! Also it can suffer from its story can be a little dull, we get focused on one parasite in the beggining of the story, which isn't really that important and later on we get some dull things to get you hyped for bigger things to come which really does ruin the show's mood. The characters are really well done. At first we have Izumi Shinichi, the main protagonist in this show, he seems like you're typical average student, but migi comes along and spices his life up (the second MC) and seeing how 2 different beings work together is pulled off well. We see how both grow as characters and slowly become badass. There's Murano, which many people hate, I liked her, she cared for Shinichi, she dosen't wanna see him go through bad things, she's there to help him with problems, in the manga she's way more of a bitch to how people talk about her, so no hate. The Animation is pretty good for the most part, its solid and some techniques of censorship is done really well, it leaves your imagination and thats really the true gore of it. The music is decent, the OP is goddamn amazing and upbeat while the ED dosen't really fit the show, its nice yet seems more fitting to a Slice of Life than a horror. The OSTs are good even though they're dubstep, but are creative for some scenes. The voice acting is done well and deserves bonus points for realism. The show is a blast to watch, with tense ass action scenes and scenes that really get you on the edge of your seat, No dialouge is useless and it takes no time to waste your time unlike as I said earlier where some dialouge does seem to drag on. There was one episode in particular that made me bored but besides these little technical problems, you'll find not very much boredom. Story: 9.3 Art: 8 Sound: 9 Character: 9.5 Enjoyment: 9.7 Parasyte stays true to its manga which is fucking 26 years old! Yes something that old can still be good. And as people say it 'Retro will always win'. Madhouse did a splendid job adapting and i give kootos to them and hope their future projects are as good as this, especially with a One Punch Man adaption on its way by themselves! Stop everything you're watching and watch this shit, you won't regret a single minute.

Parasite is niiiice...a real gem within the rocks. There is absolutely nothing wrong about Parasite. The anime keeps you on edge from start to end...it has no flaws as a story-line, art or flow...the rest depends on the personal taste of its person. As an anime, it is exceptionally intriguing, there are no unnecessary scenes or dialogues and every sentence that is uttered has meaning. The characters are interesting, although not so influencing as to get obsessed with them. It is also rare, the fact that it poses questions of the world's general ideology. Why is the human species superior? Why is the "survival of the fittest" being denied by humans as soon as someone fitter appears, from the moment they established it? The few battles that it has are conducted in a most zestful and alluring way, while dubstep that accompanies them makes you all the more excited...neh, chibi?... If one was to find flaws, that would be at the appeal of the story. Even though, it is particularly well made and thought out, it emits an invisible coldness that makes it somewhat distant. For example, One Piece is an anime which makes you bond with it because it focuses very very much on the characters. Someone might dislike the fact that parasite focuses too much on the story and uses characters to narrate it. If One Piece's characters are on the surface, Parasite's are underneath. That, along with the violence and bloody scenes. However, unlike other anime with raw violence, Parasite doesn't use scenes as a tool to show blood, they feel almost necessary, hence the reason one might not mind them. They do not provoke, compared to other which simply want to show blood, you can say that Parasite has to.

This series opens with the time-tested anime narrative device of granting extraordinary power to an ordinary guy. Although it is an extremely common premise, that doesn’t necessarily doom the series to the tired Shonen formula. I see it like moving a pawn as your opening move in Chess—everyone from novice to master starts there. And so, to gauge the quality of an anime’s storytelling one needs to watch how it plays out. Story: 8/10 The story begins with Izumi, a geeky 12th grader, getting infested by an extraterrestrial parasite. This parasite, Migi, misses his intended target, the brain, and instead takes up residence in Izumi’s right hand. Across the world similar, infestations are taking place with most of the parasites reaching their victim’s brains, completely destroying the consciousness of the host and assuming control of their bodies. Unlike Migi, who survives on the nutrients within Izumi’s blood stream, the other parasites sustain themselves by devouring human flesh. Out of a mutual desire to survive from the other hostile parasites, Izumi and Migi form a mutualistic alliance while trying to live a normal human life. The first half of this anime straddles the line between plot-driven and monster-of-the-week. I don’t have a problem with this as it essentially allows for the main characters and plot to develop separately, saving their intersection until later. The second half is when we start to run into trouble. When that ‘intersection’ finally arrives it is somewhat underwhelming. Many (but not all) of the plot elements that were painstakingly set up in the first 12 episodes are either unceremoniously negated or forgotten about later on. By the 2/3 mark, Parasyte becomes a different anime, with the plot losing a large portion of its scale and sense of urgency. It is still a great watch. I found the story to be far more mature and introspective than pretty much anything I’ve seen since the first Psycho Pass. This anime generally succeeds in everything it sets out to do. Characters: 8/10 Despite a few exceptions, only Migi and Izumi receive significant character development. Non-main characters are generally simplistic and sometimes appallingly forgetful of or indifferent to previously witnessed atrocities. They make it look easy to snap back from watching a bloodbath to resuming life ‘business as usual’. I found that part distracting and inconsistent with the story’s more serious tone. Even the notable ‘fleshed out’ exceptions did feel somewhat engineered—strategically set up to be killed off for the sake of advancing a narrow plot point. To be fair, isolation is a major theme in this anime and thus there really wasn’t a place for Izumi to interact too substantively with others. However, there are several interesting characters who, at least in my opinion, received too light a dusting of personality or longevity to fulfill a deep purpose. Izumi: The concepts of change, evolution and hybridism are central themes in the storyline and are embodied in the main character Izumi. He starts out as a wussy high school kid but after fusing with Migi he begins to change in every way possible. There is a fascinating interplay between the biological effects of sustaining Migi, the psychological repercussions the duo’s violent encounters and the natural process of maturing into adulthood. Izumi’s metamorphosis happens steadily, inevitably and irreversibly. To some, Izumi’s character development will seem rushed or disjointed but I disagree. As anime viewers, we have been force-fed the cliché, shonen character development formula--loser gets superpower, struggles with power, finds inner badass after an internal monologue, uses the power of angry emotions to power up and defeat the villain, rescues girl. While Parasyte begins with Izumi fusing with Migi—an undeniable ‘super power’, the series is too ambitious to settle for such a simple, linear tale. Instead, the “rushed” development simply cuts out the filler and makes room for a more mature story later on. Migi is one of those characters who almost everyone will love. If I have any problem with him it’s that he’s too likeable and distinct from the other sadistic and nightmarish parasytes. He’s cute, deadly, witty and very very handy :). I say this half in jest but their companionship does mitigate some of the terror and solitude that a horror-tagged anime might suggest. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though, and the literal and figurative synergy between Izumi and Migi is really fun to watch. Their versatility and teamwork makes me wish I too had a co-pilot in my body. Murano: She is Izumi’s love interest. She’s a boring, well-adjusted Japanese high school student. I wouldn’t call her a cardboard character but she’s definitely put in the story to serve a well-defined role in the narrative. That being said, her purpose goes well beyond just propping up a romance subplot; she serves as a barometer of, and anchor for, Izumi’s humanity. Everyone in the series changes to some degree but some much faster and divergently than others. This will make much more sense as you watch the series but I thought she was a very important--albeit somewhat uncharismatic—piece of the story. Artwork: 9/10 Masterfully done, a 9/10 easy. The backgrounds were beautifully constructed and the character faces were very finely drawn. I was particularly impressed by artists’ ability to convincingly depict a wide variety of emotional states. At different points in the anime, the features of anguish, hope, coquettishness, anemia, fatigue, confidence, pensiveness, terror etc. were expertly captured with a rare, subtle elegance. The parasites were also very well drawn, especially the way they were shown to distort human faces and bodies in a way that was eerie rather than purely gratuitous. The fight scenes—though often brief—were superb, with the parasites executing an eerie, T-1000esque fluidity. My one complaint with the art is that Murano and Izumi’s mother looked uncannily similar. I found it weird, distracting and altogether too Freudian for my liking. Sound: 9/10 I liked the intro and found it ipod worthy however it may be to angsty for some. The 9/10 comes from the music in the episodes which were very memorable. I felt like it accentuated emotional or dramatic scenes very nicely. There is this really haunting and delicate piece that is played during introspective and tragic sequences. It’s like xylophone music but it sends chills down my spine. Overall: 9/10 Overall it was an a great, high-quality and thought-provoking anime. The bizarre premise, insectoid motifs and strong theme of isolation remind me of Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis.

Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu or "Parasyte" was very interesting and kept me on edge almost the whole way through. I'm sure others will review this anime to the 'T' so this will be short and simple if you don't know if you'd like it. I'll break it down into the categories that we have to grade the anime on. I'll will try to avoid any insider spoilers other than common knowledge about the anime. I'll also try my best to explain (short n sweet style) why I gave it the score I did. Story- (9/10): The story, as you probably know is all about that 'Humanity' and having it on the verge of being destroyed. That by itself is something I'm extremely interested in (Attack on Titan sort of anime) so I'm all ears at this point. I have to say, it does deliver. Its not the impact left after watching attack on titan (obviously) but it had its own twist that I'm sure anyone would love to watch. It's an experience that pulls the heart strings, gets your blood pumping and makes you want the next episode immediately. I was very happy with it. Art- (9/10): I love them gory anime, know what I mean? This anime looks pretty without a doubt from the very first episode. Once you see the 'Monsters' attack and eat, it's crazy. I rate art usually on how nice it is to watch and how smooth everything happens. They did a very good job in my opinion. Sound- (8/10): There isn't anything wrong with this soundtrack so I bounced between 7 and 8 for this score. Its nothing amazing but it went with the show. In a situation where everything's going to hit the fan, its kicks up some dubstep. Made my battles scenes all the better to watch. Character- (9/10): The characters were mostly parasites, mostly. With that being said, they had their own attitude and general mind set for domination. It was really something. With the exceptions of a few parasites that didn't make a host of the human, which made matters even more interesting. It was a pleasure to watch everyone develop and the plot thicken over time. I'm positive that the characters make this show what it is. Enjoyment/Overall- (9/10): This is a solid 9 in my book and other fans of the show probably agree. It had me hooked to the point that when I started an episode, it was over instantly. I can't say many shows do that for me. Watching someone get their head chopped off or the main protagonist figure out if this right hard is a friend or foe is just a great watch. If you want a show that delivers a good story, no ecchi, and plenty of gore then this is your show. It's nuts.

What I love the most about Parasyte is how it starts being awesome *immediately*. It's extraordinarily rare to find an anime with such a strong opening, and I almost felt like giving it a 10 after just a couple of episodes. It has this incredibly sense of immersion which draws you in as a viewer and constantly keeps you wanting to find out what happens next. As a result, this is one of the most addictive and marathonable anime I've seen in a very long time. --Story-- Based on the classic manga by Iwaaki Hitoshi, Parasyte is a science-fiction horror story about 17-year-old Izumi Shinichi who one day gets his right hand devoured by an unidentified, worm-like parasitic life form. The organism was actually trying to take over his brain, but failed and thus had to settle with taking over the place of his right hand instead. And thus begins the thrilling journey of a symbiotic relationship between a human and an alien sharing a single body, and their horrifying struggle against other Parasytes and society itself, as danger lurks around every corner when any given human might secretly have had their brains taken over on the inside by the enemy. When both human and non-human lives are weighted against each other, the story forcefully asks the question of just how much a human life is truly worth. The Parasytes are highly metamorphic and can shapeshift to just about any form imaginable at an incredibly high velocity. This enables them to disguise themselves, extend their bodies dozens of meters, harden their skin and take the shape of sharp blades, or even split in two like amoebas. Because of this there's an effectively endless potential for creativity in this anime as almost nothing is impossible when Parasytes are involved. The story kicks off with a bang and goes right into the action from pretty much the very first episode. It is interesting, original and amazingly well presented. he death count is extremely high which always keeps you on your toes as you can never take any character's survival for granted at any given moment. The pacing is superb, and on top of that the show also has a tendency to end all of its episodes in mini-cliffhangers which really makes you want to watch the next episode immediately thereafter. It reminds me a bit of Code Geass in that sense, and as a result I would highly recommend Parasyte to be marathoned rather than watched over time. I didn't watch it while it was airing myself, but in retroperspective I'm very glad that I didn't. Having to wait a whole week between every episode of this anime sounds like a nightmare. --Characters-- If you want to talk about character development, then you'll be hard-pressed to find someone who changes more over time than Shinichi does. He doesn't just grow up, but effectively becomes a completely different person over the course of the anime as a result of the horrific events he's forced to experience. What I love the most about his character is how well it showcases his struggle for his own humanity. With his right hand belonging to an alien rather than himself, can he really call himself human anymore? What consequences does this have? His emotions (or lack of emotions) are extremely well expressed in this sense and really makes you feel for him and his situation. His symbiotic partner, fittingly named Migi (which means ‘Right' in Japanese) in reference to Shinichi's right hand, is perhaps even more interesting. The Parasyte race does not possess the concepts of emotions, empathy or sympathy. Migi is an entirely logical being more reminiscent of Kyuubey from Madoka Magica or even a computer if you will with the way he thinks and acts. Of course this mentality more often than not clashes directly with Shinichi's own opinions, especially when it involves other human lives as Migi only cares about his own survival. As a result they're both friend and foe at the same time to one another, but since they're both dependent on each other they have to find a way to cooperate as best as possible nonetheless. There is also a rather large supporting cast both among humans and Parasytes in this show, some of which are more noteworthy than others but they all have their own roles in the story and feel relevant in the grand scheme of things. --Art-- Parasyte is animated by Madhouse, and as you may expect from them at this point, there is essentially nothing to complain about as far as the visual aspect goes. Everything in this show looks detailed and polished, albeit not mind-blowing either. What is definitely worth mentioning however is the way the motions of the Parasytes themselves are animated. The way Migi and the other organisms constantly morph and distort in almost horrific fashion looks amazingly gruesome and intense. The fight scenes in-between Parasytes take place at superhuman speeds, where they transform themselves into numerous tentacle-like arms with large, sharpened blades at the tips, resulting in monstrous types of fencing scenes in mid-air. It looks revolting yet captivating at the same time, and it never ceases to amaze you with how jarring it feels. --Sound-- The soundtrack mainly consists of electronic music and dubstep... yes dubstep in anime. Not something you hear every day. However this actually happens to fit the anime's intense segments surprisingly nicely, and helps to emphasize the intensity of it all very well. On top of that there are also some more tranquil piano tunes and similar, some of which are surprisingly beautiful. Bottom line being that it always feels fitting for each and every scene when it's presented. Sadly I can't quite say the same for the OP which is somewhat of an average screemo song that I didn't really like, and also the ED was really out of place I felt. Sure it was quite beautiful, but it didn't really fit the intense and serious atmosphere of the show very often. As far as the voice acting goes, we have Shimazaki Nobunaga doing an exquisite performance in the role of Shinichi, as more or less every ounce of his character was drawn out almost perfectly. Also to my amazement, Migi is actually voiced by *Hirano Aya* herself out of all people. Even now I still feel a bit weird knowing that the same VA who voiced Suzumiya Haruhi and Izumi Konata among others is now doing the voice for a metamorphic alien lifeform in a horror anime, but honestly she pulls it off almost shockingly well, which once again is testament to just how talented of a voice actress she truly is. As a side note I must however say that Hanazawa Kana's role as Shinichi's classmate Satomi was not really her best one. Or rather I don't know why she of all people was chosen for that role as it really didn't fit her voice very well. --Enjoyment-- Let me put it this way; I started watching Parasyte two days before the final episode aired with the intention of catching up just in time for it to finish... and even that ended up being too early. Seriously I could easily have watched this entire anime in one sitting had I had the option to at the time. It's just that addictive. Once you've started watching it, it's effectively impossible to stop. --Overall-- I will honestly have to say that I severely underestimated this show prior to watching it. Horror is generally one of the least interesting genres in anime for the simple reason that... cartoons aren't scary. However Parasyte proves once and for all that when correctly combined with other genres and with some stellar writing, then it doesn't actually need to be scary in order to still be absolutely thrilling. Parasyte is easily one of the best shows of 2014, perhaps even *the* best depending on who you ask. It's a fantastically well-written show with great production value, lots of originality and above all an enormous amount of plain addictiveness. Granted, the ending is perhaps not the best one you'll ever see but it's still decent enough to not drag the show down as a whole. If you're squeamish about blood and gore, or …

Fascinating, suspenseful. Parasyte leaves you craving to know more, and keeps you company with a charming creature character. ★★★★ Parasyte is the best anime of 2014 (and likely 2015). I say this with confidence. The story is about parasitic creatures that invade human bodies, taking over the brain and replacing the person. Not “controlling” them, but straight up taking residence. Your main character (MC) gets a parasite, too, but the creature fails to capture his brain. The parasite ends up taking over his right arm giving that arm shape shifting abilities. Turns out, the parasites are sentient creatures. The MC’s parasite gets a name: Migi. It means “right hand.” Instead of a being a monster, Migi turns out to be the best (and most adorable) character of the show. It’s not even a contest. He’s curious, he speaks his mind, he cares, he’s logical—he’s a little Spock. The MC himself isn’t too bad either. He has development: going from a wimp to getting a new haircut and a girlfriend—and being less of a wimp. The plotting is addicting. You’ll learn more and more about the parasites. You’ll find yourself popping one episode after another to see what happens next. It’s 24 episodes, but they go by fast. If you weren’t forced to catch this weekly then you’re lucky. The rest of us suffered every week. The episodes seemed like they lasted 5 minutes a piece. The action is engaging because there’s always this real possibility the MC and Migi could be killed by other parasites. They’re forced to strategize about their encounters. There’s no power of friendship to save them. Plus, the MC has to keep Migi a secret so the whole show has this fundamental layer of tension. They even have to grapple with moral dilemmas. The animation is good enough. It’s not particularly detailed or interesting to look at. It’s a faithful adaptation, but they should’ve added their own changes. It could’ve used more hand jokes with Migi. Some characters deserved more screen time. But these are all very minor negatives. Did I mention the awesome dubstep?

This is my first review here on MAL but I felt that this anime was certainly deserving of being my first. Story: 9/10 Upon completion of the anime I went back through and did a quick run through of it again, the story is well developed, but it isn't without a few problems here and there. Without spoiling too much the main problem I have with it is the parasites origins, and how it was never really explained. This was left a mystery even at the very end, and overall I felt that it could've lent a little closure to all the characters. It also felt somewhat rushed at times, but not to any major extremes so I felt it deserved a 9. Art: 10/10 The first glimpses of the art, animation, and character designs may not have seemed impressive, but upon watching it a second time I was really impressed with how they didn't go overboard, and add too much or too little detail. Everything from the houses, buildings, exteriors, and even the gore and battle scenes were really well balanced. The battle scenes were especially well done in this regard, they easily could've hammed it up and made it intolerable, or made them far too quick and left them lacking. So for excellent balance in the art department this I give a firm 10. Sound: 10/10 The soundtrack for this anime is excellent, and that is not an easy feat in my opinion. They managed to take several genres and styles of music and use them really effectively. At no point did I feel that the music was repetitive, and it always complimented what was going on instead of overpowering it. The opening and ending themes were excellent choices as well going perfectly in there respective spots, and I have to say it's the first time in a long time that I've watched every episode beginning to end listening to both. Character: 10/10 As much as I wish I could find at least 1 character to complain about I really can't. Every character felt very realistic like someone you could easily know in real life, instead of a generic anime stereotype. Migi and Shinichi were well portrayed and I have to give credit to their voice actors and whoever recruited them because they did a perfect job. The interaction between all of the characters was extremely well done, and at no point did I ever find my self questioning why a particular character did what they did. So with that the characters have earned a well deserving 10. Enjoyment: 10/10 As someone who has watched well over 100 anime, I can say that this is easily taking a spot in my top 5. I became attached to most of the characters parasites included, and this has been one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had with an anime since I began watching as a kid. If I were to give 1 complaint it would be that this series deserved a longer run maybe 1 or 2 more episodes on it to close it out, however the ending as is was extremely well done, and I can not fault it at all for where it did end so I'm giving it a hard 10. Overall: 10/10 This anime is near perfect, and as mentioned before is certainly going into my top 5 favorite anime. From beginning to end it kept me invested with the story, the art and animation were perfectly balanced, the music and themes were well chosen and used, the characters were believable and sounded the way they should, and it has been an overwhelmingly enjoyable experience. Despite some minor complaints that really were out of the staffs control this has been one of the best anime I have ever had the privilege to watch, and I would recommend it to anyone as a good anime to start out with, as long as their not a small child. This has earned the 10 that I'm giving it, and I hope that others can watch this masterpiece and see for them selves what can be done in a great anime like it.

Ah, Parasyte. An anime about mankind, humanity, humans, aliens and dubst- Hey, I'm Jumpy. Here's my review of Parasyte. Parasyte is an anime by Madhouse, about a teenager called Izumi, that suddenly is attacked by this worm thing and now has a Parasyte in his right hand, which he names Migi. Let's get to the point; is Parasyte good? Well, yes, but it's hard to say. It has great moments, the story is actually pretty good and for the most part, well executed. Even though the pacing was, sometimes, all over the place, it tried to keep itself in one route and succeded at that. The characters in the anime are a bit too easy to judge, actually. Izumi and Migi are great and both are well developed, but the others... Well, not so much. Murano is a very cheesy 80's chick. It really felt out of place and kinda weird, but that's one thing. It does feel like that, because the manga was made in the 80's. Madhouse adapted this anime now, in 2014, but they didn't really wanna put us in the 80's setting, so they shoehorned the internet and cellphones in this, which really can take a few viewers out of the anime. This would make more sense if it was set in the 80's, because with the internet and phones now in this generation, I don't think these monsters can hide for more than a day without being posted on Facebook. I feel like this was a stupid move, and they should've kept it in the 80's, but that's just one large nitpick. Anyways, other than Murano being a whiny shit about Izumi changing all the time, the characters were all pretty good. Yes, not all of them, but for the most part, they were alright. The animation is pretty cool. I liked it. People complain about the CGI, but to be honest, I never really noticed it. I did researched a few of the CGI in the show, which is mostly crowds and some action scenes, but they never really took me out of the anime like some other ones. You know, Aldnoah.Zero...Yeah. People complain about the soundtrack, but that's completely subjective. It comes to your taste in music, and I personally liked it. The dubstep was pretty good and so was the OP and ED. One thing I will admit is that some dubstep background songs will be playing while people are talking and/or standing, which looks kinda dumb when the drop happens in the song. Overall, Parasyte is a pretty good watch and despite some of its flaws, I thought it was pretty great, it had a good story with likable and great characters, and I didn't mind the CGI nor Dubstep. It's pretty hard to rate the show, (for me at least) because my enjoyment gets in the way, but here's how I'll settle it. Parasyte is a 7/10. If I include my enjoyment, which was rather high, I would give Parasyte an 8/10. We good? We good.

"If you have the right to live, so do we. Granted, I believe rights are a concept unique to the human species." -Migi Parasyte The Maxim is anime that deals with interesting topic; what makes us, humans, “so special” in comparison with other species? Story: 8/10 The story is really interesting, and even though there are animes that have similar plot as Parasyte The Maxim, I find this one best developed. Everything is well explained and you can always keep up with the plot. The only problem I have with the plot is the “romance” part of it. Most of the times I felt it was too “forced” and sometimes even a bit annoying. Art: 7/10 The art is not bad by any chance, but it's not breath taking either. You can say it's a little above average. Sound: 9/10 The opening of this anime is simply awesome. Maybe there is a little bit too much autotune, but I don't care. It really sets the mood for this series. The background music fits the series really well, except for some dubstep tracks. It was harder to concentrate on what's going on while dubstep was playing. The voice acting was simply amazing. Character: 8/10 Well I can't really talk too much about characters without spoiling the series so I will just say that the characters are well developed throw each episode are most of them are really likeable. You will definitely find at least one character with whom you can connect in one way or another. Enjoyment: 8/10 I really enjoyed this anime. With each episode I like it more and more. Until the last episode. The last episode was a bit too rushed. Overall: 8/10 This anime is not perfect, but it's not bad either. The story is, to some extent, original, the art is good, the music is amazing and the characters are really likeable. I would really recommend this anime to anyone who likes horror/sci-fi/ genre.

[A quick note: There will be some minor spoilers here, but the source material for this show is 25+ years old so go figure. The narrative is by no means original or groundbreaking but I will avoid mentioning anything overly significant.] So, Parasyte has finally come to a close and the adaption turned out to be simultaneously good and bad at the same time. You know, like most anime. If you haven’t heard about this show yet, it’s the one everyone is talking about with the main character who has a weird alien growing out of his hand and struggles with the implications of how this will affect his chronic masturbation habit, amongst other things. Or was that Midori Hibi… On the plus side, the pacing was done pretty well (until the final arc, where Shinici lives in a small village community for a number of days as represented by mere minutes of screen-time). Parasyte did manage to sell suspense to the audience well enough as the story unfolded. However there were a few patchy parts and some of the climatic parts were often hurt by censorship. Nonetheless, we got to see Shinichi change massively as a character – from bumbling self-conscious nerd to an existentially challenged hybrid parasyte murderer over the course of 24 episodes. And for the most part he was likable. It was interesting to watch him attempt to understand his relationship with Migi (the creature that has morphed into his hand) and the implications of playing host to such an intelligent yet wildly unpredictable and bizarrely foreign entity. Conversely, Murano managed to single-handedly cripple the show in ways that are impossible to overlook. She is a very old-school love interest: she’s totally gorgeous, possesses the brain of a goldfish and the personality of a particularly unremarkable rock. Not even the voice talent of the omnipresent Kana Hanazawa could save such a poorly written character. Murano is constantly at Shinichi’s side throughout the show like a sad puppy, hoping to understand his erratic behaviour despite the fact he keeps everything secret from her. I can’t count the number of times she said “Are you really Shinichi-kun?”. It was fucking mind-numbing. If she had a personality or some ambition then maybe I could connect with her but she has nothing. She simply just is. For the sake of it. Fortunately there are a bunch of more interesting side-characters, and the relationship between Migi and Shinichi was cool. Unfortunately, the OST was unremarkable and the action scenes were hit and miss. World-building was handled well enough but the narrative was plagued by a couple of significant hiccups, relying on Muranos selective memory (did I mention she was stupid and forgetful?) and possibly even stupider police decision-making to advance the plot. These flaws were particularly difficult for me to overlook. An additional sin made by Parasyte came in the form of an epilogue. Shinichi treats us to a pseudo-intillectual and complentative monologue that touches on how humans are actually kind of greedy creatures themselves and, get ready for this bombshell: parasitic in nature, and that we should be nicer to each other and our environment. In essence, Parasyte was not a bad show. Although it likes to think it’s a lot smarter than it actually is.

Parasyte the Maxim my favorite anime. A beautiful story that in the end shows you alot more than just an enjoyable time. For the first 5 episodes i was a little so/so on the show. The main character just wasn't for me at the time. But after a big change happens he really starts to come through and become the hero he needs to be. The part i liked the most about parasyte was the fact that it teaches how the world needs balances. Not all parasytes are monsters they just need to eat to survive, while others are in fact "monsters'. But at the end of the show they show us how people can be monsters as well. I wish there was more to this show, a second season would be wonderful even if it didn't follow Shinichi Izumi and instead was in the future about another Person infected with a parasyte. I recommended that everyone give this show a try and if you don't like it at first don't give up after a couple episodes. A solid 9.4/10 overall

I think this anime is a pure masterpiece, a huge pearl. It made me think and touched me along. The story is simply beautiful and superb. I loved the plot which I found very original. I've never faced this kind of story and frankly, from the start, it makes me very excited. It's innovative, new and fresh. And frankly, it's nice to have a story like this one, which is not full of cliché and stupid stereotypes. Without spoiler, and it based only on the anime, the story is well done and the protagonist’s evolution is progressive, we understand his reactions and at the same time we put them into question. His view of life is changing, for better or worse. Some parasytes are even surprising. It follows the moments of everyday life of the hero in total opposition to the fight against parasytes. These creatures have different characteristics, including that of being able to remotely identify and recognize each other, which does not facilitate the task to blend into the crowd. The topics discussed in this anime show current thinking and go in perfect harmony with environmental concerns. Moreover, the ecological side comes mainly from Migi. It is about the place of humans with respect to other animals, other species and the planet overall. Man isn’t itself the parasyte of this planet? This anime is supposed to bring us some answers. Otherwise in terms of gore that is present in the fight scenes, it is true that there are sometimes a lot. But it is only used wisely and also causes several feelings in the viewers as terror or disgust. There is always action and we do not get bored for a second during his viewing. Secondly, the graphics: I find them beautiful and really fun to watch. The colours are well used and are not garish; the proportions are very well respected. The physics of our hero (Shinichi) is very well done and it is quite realistic and not pushed or exaggerated. Thirdly, the music: The opening and ending are very good, nice and well presented. Let's say the opening puts us right back in the bath and the ending finish on a sweet note for that we are recovering, slowly but surely, from our emotions. Fourth, the characters in general. I liked the most of them, such as Shinichi who is charming and brave. It is the most developed character in the story, and I admire his reflections. I must admit however that his change of behaviour / personality is rather abrupt but pleasant because it simply proves that the story is in progress and his vision too. After he has become much more strong than before, this does not mean that he is no longer human, quite the contrary. Then our second hero (Migi), I admire his knowledge and supposed reflections. He is a character who can generate a lot of things at the audience, especially sympathy. Yes, I have sympathy, a sort of strange love for this little insignificant and ugly thing. Migi is attractive and surprising at the same time, and I must say that this is what makes him charming. Overall, Parasyte is really a must-watch anime because in any case, you will not regret it. It is a masterpiece, you mustn’t skip it!

Humans are the smartest creatures in existence right? We have brilliant mental processes, reasoning and thoughts which are astonishing in comparison to other organisms. But, what if we came across an organism which was exactly like us? And worse still, a threat to us? Parasyte follows the life of Shinichi, a shy, average 17 year old who's life was turned upside down after a parasyte named Migi burrowed into his right arm. The story documents Shinichi fighting against parasytes who have taken other people's whole bodies, as well as trying to come to terms with their existence. In terms of a genre, Parasyte isn't far enough to be classed as a horror, but more as a sci-fi thriller, and it's the thriller aspect of the show they succeed at. Atmospherically, the sudden switch from the norm for Shinichi's life almost has a direct effect on the viewer, as in the first few episodes, the fast pace of the story allows us to relate to Shinichi struggling to come to terms with parasytes who are looking to attack him. It's almost as if both the viewer and Shinichi is thrown into the deep end straight away. As a story, Patasyte tries to view a possibility of a symbiotic relationship between humans and parasytes, as well as empathizing with a species that, with a high amount of knowledge like humans, gets killed off due to them being feared as they kill humans. Parasyte looks at survival of the fittest, whether it be for humans or parasyte, and thus leads the show to take more of a philosophical route. Are humans really morally just in its treatment of other species? These questions are constantly made throughout. Lastly, Shinichi's life is turned upside down and the story looks at how him becoming half parasyte-half human affects his own beliefs, his family and his friends around him. However, the main weaknesses of the show are it's pacing, the message the story tried to make and the ending. In terms of pacing, the fast paced start at the beginning lead the show to become interesting early on, as we wanted to gain more information about how parasytes are, how they think ext. However, the pace of the story couldn't keep up with its fast paced start, which lead to a decrease in character development which couldn't occurred later on, secondly, there were many instances in scenes which felt very rushed and uncomfortable, as it didn't seem to fit well with what was going on at the time. Furthermore, the message it tried to get across seemed too cheap. Although it clearly showed how inhumane humans can be, it was almost mixed up in trying to decide whether to understand where parasytes came from, or to try and understand them, or both. Lastly, the ending mainly was an upset due to it coming across as a filler, as well as the constant repeat of its philosophical message. In terms of animation, the battle scenes really do spice up the thriller aspect of the show, with the fluid animation of fighting in full view. Very typical of madhouse to make sure the show was given a great feel with the brilliant lighting, as well as making darkness that bit more sinister. The characters in parasyte are done to a acceptable standard. Shinichi and Migi make up the the main characters of the show, with both equally sharing the spotlight because of their symbiotic relationship. Shinichi is developed very quickly in a very short space of time, due to the events of parasytes attacking him, as well as killing others lead to Shinichi to overcome drastic changes, which cause a devastating effect to his family life and his life at school. He turns from shy and fragile to assertive and calm for the most part. He constantly undergoes many internal struggles to find the answers in understanding parasytes, as well as humans too. Migi comes off as more of an interesting character, as his lack of emotion as a parasyte comes across as simplistic at the start, as he helps shinichi defeat other parasytes, but Migi also tries to empathize with humans too. Finally Tamura Reiko, a parasyte who had taken over a teachers body acts as main embodiment of the relationship between parasyte and humans, with her theories and beliefs ever present in the shows message. However, the main criticism of the cast is towards Murano, shinichi's partner. She is very much useless in terms of what she brings to the show, as her stance mainly stays the same throughout, as she constantly repeats "shinichi, you've changed" over and over again. Furthermore, she tends to be neglected for large portions of the story, making her influence on the show very slight. In terms of music and OST, parasyte has a very quirky soundtrack, with many battle scenes containing dub step music, which fits in quiet well. Not to mention the increased suspense it gives to certain scenes. Also, the opening song was sort of a cross between techno and rock, which I wasn't a huge fan of. But I did personally lie the mellow j-pop ending. To conclude, parasyte started off as a show with potential to become a stand out show, which it had done based on the epic battles and interesting concept, but failed as story.

Parasyte the Maxim is perhaps the most entertaining, yet disjointed show I have seen over the past year. The premise is simple; one day parasytes turn up in Japan (or across the globe, it's not known) taking over human bodies and using their human hosts to feast on other humans. Shinichi, our 17 year old protagonist, has his right arm taken over by a parasyte, Migi, and must learn to survive and co-exist with the parasyte while fighting other parasytes. This is a great premise, however the execution of the story that follows is flawed. There are two things that are consistent in Parasyte; the young female characters are stupid and plot points being forgotten. Murano, the female lead, is both annoying and useless. Most of her interactions with Shinichi involve her creating drama for no reason or simply being stupid. There's one scene where Shinichi carries Murano, jumps three stories and lands on his feet unscathed and she doesn't question whether anything supernatural is occuring, instead only looking back on that moment to remember that Shinichi is actually a caring person. Kana isn't much better, being hopelessly in love with Shinichi for no reason other than being able to "feel" his presence, something that is never explained. The general public in Parasyte are also quite stupid. There are hundreds of murders occuring frequently and yet there's no panic or change in the way the public behaves. After the mass murder at Shinichi's high school, the school is open the very next day as if nothing happened. The police are mostly clueless about what's going on, especially during the raid later in the show where they carry out one of the worst plans to attempt to discover hidden parasytes, leading to most of them being killed. As for plot points being forgotten, this leads to the show feeling disjointed. For a while Shinichi is under suspicion by the police, but that ends up being forgotten. His father appears to be a part of the investigation but that is also forgotten. Tamiya Ryouko's whole plotline ends up going no where with her concluding that the parasytes are weak, when the whole show up until that point has shown that parasytes are, in fact, the opposite of weak. This makes the show feel like it lacks direction and makes it unclear what the end game is. When the ending does come around, many of the issues of having parasytes existing amongst society aren't solved. The take home message from Parasyte is that humans are the same as animals and that we should treat animals with respect. There's nothing inherently wrong with this message. However, the method Parasyte chooses to deliver this message is awkward at best. Characters would monologue this message multiple times throughout the show, or the show would create characters to prove this point, for example, Uragami. The only points where the show attempts to explore these ideas come from the discussions between Migi and Shinichi, but these discussions don't really test the idea well. Nevertheless, Parasyte is an entertaining show. The dynamic between Shinichi and Migi is captivating and holds the series together. The way both characters grow together feels natural. Seeing how they overcome great odds to survive is incredibly thrilling. The action scenes, while hard to relate to due to the blades moving at hyperspeed, are full of tension since they have real consequences that are felt by Shinichi. It also helps that some of the side characters, such as Uda and Kuramori, play their part well and are easy to empathise with, while Gotou is a fearsome villain. The technical aspects are worth a mention. The gore is depicted well in Parasyte, however I hear that the manga has even more gore. The animation during the action scenes are satisfactory, but there isn't anything unique. The use of dubstep does put some people off, however it doesn't seem out of place. The voice acting is high quality, which is expected considering there are some big names in the cast of Parasyte. If you wish to watch an anime which involves nice action scenes, gore and are able to tolerate moments of stupidity, this show will be great entertainment and I definitely recommend it. The journey that Shinichi embarks on is memorable and should leave you satisfied.

Man good ol' Parasyte was going to give this anime a 9.5-10 until the last 2-3 episodes just ruined it for me, plus with some lackluster side characters and repetition of certain odd-fitting music at times brings it down to an 8. Izumi and Migi make a great team no doubt about it though! Story: I don't really want to ruin the plot that much, but Izumi gets infected by a parasyte, but Migi failed to control the brain, so he's stuck with Izumi and now has to balance between being a human and a parasyte. He's only in between, and feels as a total outcast to both human and parasyte, best way to describe this feeling is those children who were born of white and black parents back in the day(they were shunned by both races). Anyway, the story is a pretty good one, not too many flaws, however, there's one really stupid plot twist at the very end, with Uragami, Izumi, and Satomi...... that's not how you end an anime imo!!!! Really stupid, like why would you leave Satomi behind when Uragami is a know serial-rapist-killer........ that was just stupid.... Art: Love the artwork, very nice feel to it and the fight scenes are amazing! Sound: The voice acting is pretty well done, they nailed down Migi's voice pretty well too! My critique is some of the music is very unfitting at times though. Character: Probably the weakest part of this anime. Lets see most of the female cast is just garbage.... except for Tamiya Reiko, she gets really great character development in this one. The love relationship with Izumi and Satomi just didn't do it for me. I didn't really care for them, and Kana was annoying at times. A weak female cast of characters does ruin the score of this anime... Overall, pass all those negatives this is still a really good anime!

“You sacrifice other lives so that your own life can continue. That is how animals live. Humans are one of a kind creatures that commit suicide.” – Migi, Episode 3 Humanity is a fascinating subject. What does it truly mean to be human? Do extraterrestrial beings exist? If so, do they emote the same as we do? Surely this is a greatly exhausted topic of conversation, but one that never ceases to be interesting. Why are humans naturally altruistic? Is that what separates us from the creatures of the Earth? Parasyte The Maxim, adapted from a late 80’s manga by the illustrious studio Madhouse, takes these concepts and crafts a brilliantly paced suspense-thriller that hammers these questions home. Shinichi Izumi is a timid, mild-mannered high school student who fits most of the normal “Slice of Life” quotas. He has the normal stresses of a teenager, and has a love interest made apparent from the very beginning. Shinichi becomes infected by a parasite, whose true origin is unknown. Instead of taking over the brain like most of its cohorts, the parasite (named “Migi” by his host) is stunted, thus limiting his control to the right arm. Migi’s introduction allows Izumi to do things he couldn't possibly do under normal circumstances, and causes his arm to take on a mind of its own. The rest of the series follows Izumi and Migi’s relationship as they adapt to survive and attempt to clarify the blurred lines of humanity. As I much as I loved the series overall, I can't say I cared for the beginning as much. Instead of taking the time to flesh out the main cast ahead of time, the writers drop us in the midst of a parasite infestation from the very first episode. This puts a check in the action column, but forgets about the development one. The result is a protagonist that we really only know in tragedy, and a bunch of other characters that seem mostly reactionary in nature. It's really a double-edged sword. Sure, we get comments from Satomi (Shinichi’s love interest) about how he’s changed, but the comparison material is absent. The first major positive about Parasyte is its outstanding pacing. There are no unwarranted time gaps or over extended fight scenes, resulting in an ebb and flow, with a suspenseful story line. Most of the time it appeared as though Shinichi was just struggling to stay alive, invoking a real sense of panic into each scene. I will say that the script writers did a fantastic job engaging the audience into an exciting and dramatic show. I get that some purists will disagree, citing that the anime doesn't stay true to the manga but I'm getting kind of tired of hearing that incessant argument…. it's not going to change anything. With an anime whose characters exhibit supernatural qualities, there's really only two ways to approach it: either the oddity is explained via some “made up” reason, or nothing is said about it at all. The latter approach is one of the biggest complaints many people have about the series. Whether it's the random humans that can detect parasites based on intuition or the smorgasbord of a villain Gotou was, breaking many rules of the parasites themselves, it can be a tad frustrating. Perhaps less time could've been spent fighting the final enemy, and more time devoted to wrapping up loose ends. Although, you could also argue that the origin of the parasites was not the intent of the show’s message… which is personally how I feel. To be honest, I really didn't care where they came from because I was more focused on the intricate relationship between the parasites and the humans. This brings me to the exploration of themes present within Parasyte. I've seen other anime that involve creatures attempting to comprehend humanity (HxH’s Chimera Ant Arc for example), and it's intriguing to see the similarities and differences across each series. It's possible that I'm more obsessed with the idea itself then the way it was handled specifically here, but it was still captivating nonetheless. Could these instinctive beings, who were so initially focused on vanquishing the human race, really know how to empathize or imitate human behavior? This is largely illustrated in the growth of Migi. Despite possessing an innate desire to protect only itself, Migi eventually learns to bond with and even depend on Shinichi. You could say at the end that they're even best friends. Ryouko Tamiya’s arc is just as interesting, and she's possibly the most developed character of the entire cast. The message exists that quite possibly the parasites really aren't so much different than humans, and that our very existences threaten each other’s. It's a race to see who’s eradicated first. It can get a bit preachy and repetitive towards the end (most notably the mayor’s speech), but still resonates. The character development of the parasites is far superior to that of the humans, with many of the side characters being quite useless or convenient. For someone who’s so focused on throughout the anime, Shinichi’s development is there, but it’s just not enough substance. I had a difficult time adjusting to the massive change he underwent midway through the series, and I would've liked to see a bit more time spent on what he was “thinking” outside of battle strategies. Most of the “human” women in this series are also incredibly dense. I'm not sure if this was on purpose, but many of them seemed to do such drastic things without fear of consequence. Shinichi acted more on saving damsels in distress than exterminating the parasites at times. In the aforementioned paragraph I discussed the great characterization Migi and Ryouko underwent, convoluting the notion that parasites are inherently evil even more. It was brilliantly approached. Animators assigned to Parasyte certainly had their work cut out for them adapting the evocatively dark manga. I feel they did a superb job keeping the ominous and menacing nature of the parasites and gore scenes while maintaining the necessary level of censorship. The way the shot would shift during various character’s dismemberment was done with finesse and barely made you notice how purposeful it was. The character models were modernized appropriately and the parasites looked terrifying and intricate during the action sequences. The OP was also fantastically timed and strung together. Parasyte is quite the mixed bag when it comes to the music. The OP always got me pumped with its unique blend of AutoTune and hardcore, though it kind of waned on me when I realize they were speaking broken Wnglish through the verses O_o. The ED on the other hand did its best to kill any type of tension or suspense built up from the end of each episode. The worst instance was when it was used as its full version during one of the episodes. The track sounded more like a Boyz2Men song than a part of an anime OST. The EDM tracks get overused at the beginning of the series, but I really enjoyed the rest of the soundtrack. A seamless transition of tracks between scenes. Perhaps the greatest achievement in sound within Parasyte is the voice acting. A star-studded cast shines brightly in each of the major roles here, and some of the inflections in their voices were shrill and desperate. Maybe I enjoyed Parasyte more than I should have given it's flaws, but the flawless pacing and nail-biting suspense made it an anime I'll truly remember for a long time. Plus, the thematic exploration and talented acting was right up my alley. Understandably, there are a plethora of loose ends and unanswered questions to be had, plus a few character development problems… but overall I think it's a solid series. I recommend it greatly, especially those who are looking for a gripping story with a strong underlying message. Thanks for reading!

We have all been familiar with the concept of aliens landing on Earth and trying to achieve world domination. This has been recycled in films and TV shows many times successfully or disappointingly. However, an anime which came out in winter 2014 and finished early 2015 more or less dealt with the theme of man versus aliens. But, this particular anime portrays this concept in such a way that seems very plausible if you ask me! The story is about a high school boy named Izumi Shinichi *yep ANOTHER high school nerd* who lives in Tokyo with his parents. His life was normal until one particular day these alien lifeforms known as Parasytes rain down from the sky and take humans as their hosts by taking control of their brain. A parasite threatens to do the same to Shinichi while he is asleep, however it is unable to do so because Shinichi was wearing headphones *I swear Beats missed a perfect opportunity to have a product placement over here*. Anyway, the parasite then gets inside his right arm and is unable to seize Shinichi’s brain. As a result, Shinichi now has to deal with the fact his right hand is a dangerous alien being that now solely depends on our him to survive. He names the parasite in his right hand Migi which is Japanese for ‘right hand’. The series mainly focuses on the two’s relationship and the encounters they have with other parasytes. Not to mention, the struggles Shinichi faces in this show. Now, even before I started watching this show I knew that I was in for a treat. The story sounded very interesting despite the fact I’m not the biggest sci-fi fan. And also because the Parasyte manga in case you didn’t know was published during the 80s and it got an anime adaptation like recently. So, I was really curious to see whether the anime would take place during that time period or will take place in modern times. Well, they chose the latter and I must admit it works to the show’s advantage very much. The modern setting in my opinion was necessary in the development of Migi’s character if you ask me. Because throughout the show he does gain his knowledge from the internet. Migi thanks to the internet ends up being a walking encyclopaedia, while the rest of us waste our time debating about the colours of a stupid dress! The show may not have had the most original setting considering the fact parasites and ghouls apparently lurk in the same area, however they successfully managed to tell the story in a different time period! The characters in the show are relatable, real people who have their fair share of problems. First of all, let’s talk about our main lead Shinichi. He reminds me of another character who deals with a drastic change in his life, and the way they both get developed is more or less the same. Shinichi at first is weak and frail guy who was living in a harem anime until the parasites arrived. The next thing Shinichi knew that he jumped from Clannad to fucking Tokyo Ghoul. But, in all seriousness I really liked the character of Shinichi. He has been through a lot in the series and instead of being a wuss he does whatever he can to survive and he constantly tries to help the ones around him. He also becomes a badass after the death of a certain character which causes him to become stoic like Migi and the rest of the parasites. Then again after the death of another important character Shinichi becomes human again which I thought was very ironic and also well executed. Now, his right hand is a character of his own. I loved how Migi’s character was very developed in the series where he starts of this calm and emotionless parasite that always thinks practically and will do anything for only his survival. He doesn’t really care about Shinichi at first let alone the humans. However, as the series progresses Migi and Shinichi’s friendship blossoms. I would also like to talk about Tamura Reiko, who starts of as a brutal and emotionless parasite that ends up being pregnant with a human child. A first she was considering to experiment with it or eat it, however the woman has a change of heart and actually grows to care for the child. After twenty episodes of seeing what huge assholes parasites can be, I didn’t expect one of them to actual develop such human characteristics. And I am glad that she did change which caused her to be more likeable and relatable. I wish she would have gotten more screen time, but none the less she was one of the best characters the show had to offer. The rest sadly were not very well developed ranging from Shinchi’s parents to his friends. Shinichi’s love interest does get some development towards the end but throughout the series she was nothing more than just a potato. Then again, I guess being a potato is better than being what the rest of those undeveloped losers are. Also, only one death was truly sad whereas the others just didn’t make the audience care that much. Mainly because the characters didn’t get much development before having them literally chopped off from the show. Also, their deaths were also very predictable due to all the flashback and dream sequences. Another thing was a real let down was its inconsistent pacing. In my opinion the show started out great, but through out the middle it got a little slow however by the last seven or eight episodes things became twice as great than it was at the beginning. It’s not a major issue in fact, but it’s slow progress in the middle might cause people to drop the show. However that’s just how I felt while watching the show, you might have seen it in a different light than me. The soundtrack for the show hands down deserves a Grammy.There was only one opening and I salute this show for not changing it to something crappy in between.The opening is without a doubt one of the best I have seen in the past year and it still stands out today among very stiff competition. It was very well animated and I also loved how the opening foreshadowed what will happen in the show without making it too obvious. The song Let Me Hear by Fear and Loathing Las Vegas really helps me get into the mood of the show. The song really gets me pumped for it and you just don’t skip this hella good opening. I mean you just can’t it’s that awesome. The ending song comparatively is much calmer, which I guess the audience needs after an intense episode. The background music overall was really good and it really helped set the mood during some scenes. However, I wasn’t a huge fan of the use of dubstep of the show mainly because I hate dubstep, but hey that’s my opinion and for that reason I am not counting the dubstep as a flaw. The music that plays especially during the sad moments or the moments shared by Murano and Izumi truly stand out in numerous ways, like seriously I want this music to play when I die. The show, I heard was more or less faithful to the manga and I am glad that Madhouse was able to pull off a good adaptation of the series. Then again, it’s not like we didn’t expect anything but greatness from Madhouse . The animation was really good if not great and the character designs were still very amazing, despite the fact they are a little outdated. The show overall had this dark and serious tone but when they had some comedy in there, they handled it very well. There wasn’t much comedy not that it needed more comedy but the scenes that were supposed to be hilarious really were very well executed. Now the ending of the show, in my opinion was amazing and it managed to bring a smile on my face. I basically wanted an ending like this and I am glad I got it. However, I am not sure if others would agree with me, but don’t worry the ending was nothing like the load of turd ‘Lost’ served us. The ending in my opinion didn’t ruin the series but in fact it managed to wrap everything up very well. Nonetheless, the show did have several plotholes though as some things remained unresolved like where did the parasytes come from and yes we more or less get an understandin…