Parasyte the maxim [SUB] (2014) Review

 Parasyte -the maxim- [SUB] (2014) 8.5/10

Hello everyone. Today, I’ll be going over Parasyte -the maxim-. Parasyte is a 24 episode anime that aired from October 9, 2014 - March 26, 2015 with Studio Madhouse being the animation studio behind this piece of work. Parasyte has been on my watch list for the LONGEST time now. Back when it was airing on Toonami, I missed the pilot and so I wasn’t able to watch it. I did however watch like a couple of minutes of the last episode, but I had no idea what was going on lol. Watching this now, I’m glad I did watch it. Parasyte is a very unique anime that you don’t see too often. The best shows I can compare this too would be Attack on Titan and Another, but even those don’t do this show justice. I have quite a bit to talk about, so let’s just begin.

Our story follows high schooler Shinichi Izumi as his life suddenly takes a turn for the worse. One night, while he’s asleep, a spore falls into his backyard. Within this spore hatches out a parasite. This parasite looks for its closest victim, choosing Shinichi. Shinichi, deathly scared of bugs, starts freaking out when this thing tries to burrow into his skin. Digging through his arm, Shinichi cuts off his circulation, preventing it from going into his brain. Now, with the parasite stuck in his arm, Shinichi now has to coexist with the parasite that has taken over his right arm. The parasite names itself Migi (migi meaning right in Japanese). As Shinichi is adjusting to his new life, he learns that a string of murders called the mincemeat murders are all caused by other people that have been taken over by parasites. Parasites are extremely strong beings that maximize their hosts physical abilities, being able to take over any animal that it comes into contact with, with humans being the most prominent prey. Shinichi is going to have to survive being hunted down by other parasites all the while he grows his and Migi’s abilities and relationship. He also has to survive high school while keeping his newfound change a secret. This is the story of Shinichi’s survival and a very weird commentary about the planet.

The story for this is decent at best. The overall plot is interesting, but I feel like it could’ve been done a bit better. Shinichi is a decent protagonist and his development throughout the show is very well done. I like how his relationship with Migi develops, with it growing beyond a pact for basic survival. The villains for the show are decent too, with my favorite being Shimoda, Tamura, and Gotou. I love how the show gets scientific with how the parasites work and their biology. Makes them seem much more realistic. I do find it weird how at the end of the show, it starts preaching about “oh humans are the disease to the planet and parasites were sent here to kill them off so that the planet can heal”. Like the show didn’t really need this. I also didn’t really like how the show holds back certain characters so that it can progress in a certain manner (I’m not going to say what exactly cause that will be spoiler territory).

Parasyte does not hold back on the blood, gore, and the deaths. The show also does not hold back on the brutality of said deaths. People will be getting sliced up, eaten, and a bunch of other unmentionable details. The show will also be killing off characters left and right (not to the extent of Akame ga Kill, but still). The first major death fucked me over as I was not expecting the show to go that far.

The fight scenes are top notch and easily the best part of the show besides the lore for the parasites. All of the fights will have you on the edge of your seat, and knowing that this show doesn’t hold back, you don’t know what will happen. My favorite fight (without spoilers) is Shinichi vs Shimoda (I know it’s not really a fight, but the whole situation was greatly executed) as well as the police raid in the second half of the series.

The art direction and animation is great. I really like Parasyte’s art style. Idk if it’s the line art or the character designs or what, but I love the way the show looks and the top notch animation quality nicely compliments the art style. Studio Madhouse killed it with this.

Music is great too. Not on the same level as some other anime, but it still needs to be complimented. Gotta say though, I’m not a fan of the OP. Unnecessary screaming doesn’t do it for me. The ED song is a nice 180 from the intensity of the show, but I felt it was a bit inappropriate at the end of certain episodes. The overall OST is great though. Made moments much more intense and gave more life to this show.

Voice acting is also decent. I watched this in the JP dub and the only voices that really stuck out to me are: Nobunaga Shimazaki (Shinichi), Aya Hirano (Migi), and Kazuhiko Inoue (Gotou). Everyone else was forgettable.

Overall, Parasyte is a good show and I highly recommend it to those that’s looking for a disturbing horror/action anime. It gets brutal, so be warned. I honestly want a sequel series to happen as there’s a lot more they can do with this world. I’ll be taking a step back from this genre for a bit.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time.

This is Zorgak, signing off.