When I first found out about Parasyte (without ever reading the manga beforehand) it interested me. It seemed unique. I remember watching the first episode and I fell in love instantly; every Wednesday I had to watch every new episode.
I'm terrible at finishing anime. Most of the time I'll watch the first episode and lose interest. I watched Parasyte all the way through.
STORY: 10/10
At first the premise may not strike anyone as different or groundbreaking. A normal high school boy suddenly gets special powers. At first it seems like a monster-of-the-day type deal, with Shinichi and Migi finding new parasites to fight. It isn't until midway through the series, where Shinichi undergoes a drastic change, that this story is anything but average.
There are many life themes in this series, such as what it means to be human. Throughout the series Shinichi grows and changes, and learns about human emotion and worth. Many episodes are very emotional, and I found myself crying quite a few times.
Parasyte's deeper indulgence into philosophy and emotion makes it more than what you would expect from a common seinen anime.
ANIMATION: 9/10
I have been a fan of Madhouse since I first watched Kaiji a few years ago. They have a wonderful way of showing character expressions, ranging from frustrated, scared, and upset. Shinichi goes through many phases, and even when he's angry, the animation shows it very well.
As far as character designs go, it's nothing really special, aside from the various parasites (including Migi). Another part where it shines is definitely the fight scenes, which moves at a very fast and fluid pace with lots of blood and gore.
SOUND: 9/10
When I started the series and first heard dubstep playing I was rather hesitant, not being a fan of the genre. As it went on, it became very fitting to the series, especially the action-oriented parts. Next To You from the OST is a particularly uplifting track.
The OP is excellent, one of my favorite anime OPs to date. The ED is a drastic change from the OP, but that by no means makes it bad. It's very soft and melancholy. If an episode ends particularly sadly it will invoke a lot of feelings when the song starts.
CHARACTERS: 9/10
I want to start off by saying that I liked Murano Satomi. I know it's easy for people to hate her or write her off as useless, but I think she was very important to Shinichi's development as a human being. Although I am not a fan of romance subplots (and the part where they had sex was pretty much useless), I think they have an important relationship, especially in the final episode.
But Migi is where the characterization really shines. He starts off as something that wants to learn about humans and the world they live in, and does not seem to show any kind of emotion. As the series progresses, however, he becomes attached to Shinichi and wants to protect him. Without spoiling anything, the ending shows Migi's true feelings towards Shinichi, and it was written beautifully.
I have to make a special mention to Tamura Reiko, one of the parasitic characters. She, unlike the other parasites in the series, does not simply desire eating humans. She learns to care for a human child and starts to think about what makes humans and parasites the same. Although I wouldn't particularly call her a villain (I'd say that was Gotou), she's very unique compared to the other parasites.
ENJOYMENT: 10/10
I give this a 10/10 because I enjoyed a large amount of episodes. However, since nothing is perfect, I must add that there was a rather disappointing slowdown near the ending. The parts in city hall and the character Uragami did not hold my interest very much. I did like the last few episodes, though, and I think it wrapped up nicely. The anime was a ride of emotions from start to finish, which I have trouble finding in more recent anime.
OVERALL: 9/10
Other than small flaws such as story pacing and some plot holes, I would say this is the best anime of 2014. I enjoyed it the whole way through. It made me very upset to watch the final episode to realize that I can't be excited for Wednesdays anymore. I became very attached to Shinichi and Migi, and I'm glad I saw their adventures.
It might be difficult to recommend this anime. I think it's for people who like to truly feel something from the anime they watch, and think about life and the human race. The gore and fighting are good for fans of that. It's also uncensored, so you can see Migi turn into a dick, if that interests you. Whether you enjoy it as much as I did is really up to you; but I feel like any anime fan should experience this series at least once in their life.
