Parasyte: The Maxim

Everything in existence undergoes a process of change; therefore, change is inevitable; one might go so far as to call change a natural law, a universal "maxim". Parasyte: The Maxim is a stunning new science fiction anime with a unique story and rock solid character development. The series examines themes of transformation and change - Ovid's literary masterpiece "Metamorphoses", after which the opening episode is named, immediately comes to mind for comparison.

Parasyte: The Maxim (2014) is based on a manga series that ran from 1988 to 1995. Most of us won't realize this fact now, but bizarre science fiction focusing on alien lifeforms was quite popular in the 1980s and 90s. Great science fiction films like the Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), The Thing (1982), The Fly (1986) and They Live (1988) are but a few examples of films that popularized the genre. Parasyte has successfully resurrected bizarre sci-fi for a new generation, and the timing couldn't have been better.

The protagonist of Parasyte is not your typical hero and the plot is far from cliché. As a caterpillar undergoes change by transforming into a butterfly, so the protagonist undergoes change by transforming into a new man; your job as the viewer is to ask questions about this transformation and find the meaning behind it - ergo, what exactly has transformed and why does it matter?

The plot is believable and not outside the realm of possibility considering our limited knowledge of the universe. Like Ovid's masterpiece, the anime expertly probes the meaning of humanity; what it means to be human and what makes us human; as well as the psychological and physiological state of sentient beings. Ultimately, the series focuses on the protagonist's intellectual development or more precisely his intellectual "evolution". The evolutionary concept of survival of the fittest comes into direct conflict with the protagonist's views on empathy and altruism which proves problematic for decision making and creates for him a moral dilemma: should he place himself in danger in order to help others? The human part of him says yes, while another sinister part of him says no. But perhaps I've said too much.

The first 5 episodes set the stage for an astonishing and action packed story that follows. The series will make your jaw drop. I've seen every episode thus far and I see nothing but a bright future for this series. If you haven't seen Parasyte, what are you waiting for? This is the best new anime of 2014. It will become immensely popular. If you watch it now you will be amongst the few who can say that you were a fan from the start. Parasyte rivals Attack on Titan and Steins; Gate. If you loved those shows, you will love Parasyte as well.

A top notch science fiction anime with unlimited potential. DO NOT MISS!

10/10.

I honestly enjoyed Parasyte more than I thought I would. I was consistently hooked after every episode. The pacing is really great; I never found one episode boring or uninteresting. The story is just really wacky, and its originality really makes the show more entertaining. The characters are by far the best part about Parasyte. The friendship between Shinichi and Migi is so strange and yet so well developed. Plus, the English dub is really, really good; it's far better than the average dubs you'd get. Overall, Parasyte's a great show, definitely worth your time.

**This review is done by a guy who watches/plays a lot of action/violent movies, games and anime... and yet the dumbstruck reviewer finds the prominent theme of Parasyte to be way better than just mindless fighting.**

Parasyte is something of a one time enchantment. Just one season and thats just it. Its something you get when elements like action + sci-fi + gore + romance + psychology are added and created by the godlike Japanese. Let me say that after 5-6 years of me turning into an adult, this is the pretty much the one that brought me close to uhh... crying, something that I never do. It made me all giddy up inside with the story driven around a high school guy with an intelligent alien as his right hand, how his perceptions about being a human and how he views humanity changes, how he becomes inhuman (mentally, NOT physically) to the point where its visible to near and dear ones. Love life aside, the protagonist often ponders about how he got this way much like we think at night about ourselves. But its the essence of the protagonist's mental/psychological change that takes the cake. He concurs that regardless whatever humans go through, certain human elements (read: compassion, envy, self-preservation,but also sacrificing oneself for the greater good etc.) can never be given up, for they are in our blood, in our DNA (though I might be overstating a bit!).

Also, the pain and suffering of losing a friend (who has a crush on you and you know it) is beautifully depicted and enhanced by the heavenly music. Oh, the music in this anime plays with your heartstrings, I kid you not. And this comes from a guy who isn't affected by romance genre. Im not going ahead and praising the action and the boss-battles (well implemented), you will have to treat yourself to it but the music really is divine, combining piano with dub-step, it gets your heart pumping. I personally award 11/10 for the BGM. Trust me when I say, the music is on par with Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack On Titan). A segment of Episode 02 will tell you that, you will know what Im talking about once you hear it. I actually watched that segment repeatedly ~20 times, just to hear the BGM.

It was this combination of awesome elements mixed together beautifully that had driven me to binge watch the entire dubbed series. My only *minor* sorrow (not disappointment) is that I probably will not get to watch a sequel of this legendary franchise, for the manga this show is based upon, ended 20 years ago.

I have already (personally) recommended this to all my friends and will do so here, because you will do yourself a big favor by witnessing this anime. Like I mentioned, for an action- maniac, I barely got into describing the tense action sequences. Treat yourself and go for it, its on par with Tokyo Ghoul (Season 1) and a great experience.

Long Live Japan, Long Live Anime!!!

For those who shy away from gore I'd suggest trying to make it through the first few episodes, unlike the major of the last 20+ years worth of "horror" this is not "gore porn" but brutality with a purpose, critical to the story.

The violence and pain all serve a purpose, telling a story and helping to define what is/not human.

For such a short run (24 Episodes) it does a unusually good job of capturing the stages of grief and the resulting "hollowness" that can be felt by those subjected to repeated trauma. It doesn't stop there and even highlights the growth that can occur as a result of enduring these hardships.

The plot of Parasyte is essentially a much more violent version of 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers.' Parasitic aliens (we assume, the audience never gets a definitive origin story) covertly arrive on earth and begin taking over human bodies and eating humans indiscriminately. They accomplish this by "eating" the humans' heads and replacing them with their own bodies. However, some humans manage to stop the parasites from taking over their brains. But as a result, the parasites eat and fuse with a different part of the body in order to survive. The Main Character, Izumi, is one of these people. The parasite was only able to take over his right arm.

Because of his unlikely situation, Izumi ends up between a rock and a hard place. Since the only people who discover the parasites' existence are subsequently eaten, Izumi is the only living human who knows of their existence (at least in the beginning). However, Izumi's parasite, known as Migi (right), threatens to kill anyone who he attempts to inform. Nonetheless, the duo eventually grow to be allies as their number of mutual interests increase.

I have only one complaint about this series, regarding its pace. In my opinion, the series "crescendos" too early. The most emotional events of the series take place in episodes 5 and 12 (out of 24: less than halfway through the series), rendering the remaining half of the series a little deadpan and slow-paced. If I had to quantify the difference, I'd say that the first half of the series is a 10 but the second half is a 7. But when compared to other horror series, 'Parasyte' is still rather amazing.

Parasyte is a Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror series; but more than that, its very philosophically and emotionally stimulating. This series delves into the issue of the existence/purpose of altruism, which is left rather open-ended. I took the larger meaning to be that altruism, while pointless in-and-of-itself, is an unavoidable side effect of happiness, because comprehending happiness requires empathy. But every viewer will draw their own individual conclusions.