Why PARASYTE: THE MAXIM Should Be The Next Great Anime On Your List
Let me start off by saying (because some elitist in the Facebook comments who won't read this post probably will) that the Parasyte series has long existed in Japanese pop culture. It began as a Manga way back in 1988 and enjoyed a seven year run before discontinuing in 1995. Recently, the series experienced a resurgence in the form of two live action films, and this amazing anime series.
If You Like Attack On Titan...This Blows That Away.
Simply put, Parasyte is about an invasion. Small wormlike creatures are invading human bodies and controlling their brains to feast on other humans for sustenance. This invasion is widely unrecognized by the human race until one teenage boy, Shinichi Izumi, ties a tourniquet around his arm to prevent an invading creature from getting to his brain. This forces the being to mature within his arm and become sentient. Migi, as he is called, is unable to explain his or others existence, and thereby enters a partnership with Shinichi to ensure their own survival.
What unfolds after is a slow revelation of the invasion of Japan as miscellaneous gruesome murders occur around the nation. Shinichi and Migi explore these situations to find more information about what's happening to them and why the "Parasites" are invading. This leads to some dark moments, high flying action, and some really interesting concepts.
Almost everything about this show is awesome, but what particularly drew me in is the interesting dynamic between the Parasites and the humans. Shinichi and Migi are bound to the same body, but Migi is quick to announce they are not friends. Protecting Shinichi is mere self-interest for Migi as he does not wish to die, and his constant regret at being unable to control Shinichi's brain is hilarious.
The other Parasites are just as interesting, as most are legitimately confused as to why humankind dislikes them. In their reasoning, humans are animals, and animals eat other animals, so why do people see their killing as strange? They also have this intelligence about them that is lacking from most zombie-like invasion shows that I can really appreciate. I much prefer my cold-hearted super killing machine aliens to have a brain, I'm learning.
Another awesome strength of this show is the action sequences. The bad Parasites typically attack through the use of the human head, which unravels into a muscled mass of tentacles and razor sharp knives. At first, I thought the concept was a direct lift from the Parasites found in the Resident Evil games, but after seeing the history of the series it's more correct to say Resident Evil stole from this series.
(Ignore the bad dub...this video is to give you a taste of the action...but it is far from the coolest scene. I just don't want to spoil things for you.)
The character development over the course of 15 episodes has been awesome as well, I might add. Shinichi from the episode shown above to now has done a complete 180, and the things he was concerned about then aren't even close to what he's worried about now. While it's not uncommon in anime, there are a few shows who fall into the "character who stays the same throughout the whole series" trap, and that can really bring you out of things. This show feels like real people experiencing something otherworldly, and I absolutely love it.
The series is still running so I implore you to catch up (should only take five hours) and get on the hype train before the bandwagon attaches! Oh! I completely forgot to mention that the intro and outro music is completely awesome, which always elevates an anime in my mind.
You're still here? After how much I built this up? GO WATCH IT, YA DINGUS, AND POST YOUR OPINIONS!