While writing this review, I will be using references from the lyrics of the OP “Let Me Hear”, performed by Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Do you know the food chain theory? We, humans stand high and firm at the top of it, we are the absolute predators, with no enemies which can pose a threat to us. Our main means of dying are either from old age, a disease, an accident, or being murdered. All in all, it is quite a rare case (of course this doesn’t mean there isn’t) that our life will be ended by another species. Yet, it is much easier for humans to end the life of another living being, various examples include domestication, hunting, and urbanization etc. That’s right, you are probably the most comfortable species on Earth, where you can be sitting so comfortably in front of your laptop while the other species live in fear of being killed any time.
In Parasyte, alien beings emerge and pose a threat to humanity, people fear of being killed, people keep calling the parasites “monsters”, as their emergence had shaken the firm foundations humans had built on top of the food chain. You see, being long time winners of the Earth and suddenly have that taken from you really scares the shit out of everyone, myself included.
I know, Parasyte is merely a science fiction anime, but time and time again Parasyte reminded of the true nature of our world we live in, and we must not ignore nor run away from the truth: humans are the true devils. The ones with the power to destroy nature, to subdue other species, to create rules for the world, all for the benefit and selfishness of ourselves.
Am I being cynical here? Perhaps. But this was what Parasyte had left in me after finishing it: a powerful, probably long lasting effect which would change my viewpoint in the world we live in.
Adapted from the manga of the same name which ended 20 years ago, Parasyte: the maxim has its story fully laid out and the producers have all the privilege to dictate the pacing of the show, which is pretty well done in my opinion.
Art and animation wise, it was handled by studio Madhouse, famous for their top-notch quality, as such, there aren't any big issues at this department, the sceneries are well drawn and fitted well; the animations are fluid; and the expressions of the “normal” human beings are quite brilliantly presented here. One thing that I admire from this section is how Madhouse did some redesigns on the characters, making them more distinguishable than their manga counterparts, and raised the charm of these characters to new heights. Censoring is present, but is done a lot better than some of the animes I’ve seen (Tokyo Ghoul S1 and Pupa, just to name some).
For the sound, Ken Arai did most of the BGM, and most of them fit well in the scenes they were inserted in. Both the OP and ED are great songs, where the OP, an electro-metal song, had lyrics written specifically for the show; ED is a slow and soothing ballad which provides comfort to the overall gruesome and emotional experience the show provides. As for our seiyuus, many of them are well experienced in the industry, and it was truly a delight to have them running the show.
Now for the characters, with the story written by a Japanese and the setting set in Japan, being an Asian myself, I can understand the way the characters act. I’ve seen complaints about how annoying this particular character is, his/her actions are unfathomable etc etc, this is because of the differences in culture, and the different environments we all are raised in. In other words, do factor in the various backgrounds of a person before you judge one’s actions.
Throughout the show, we can observe the nature of parasytes, and how they gradually evolve, which is very interesting and fascinating. Some of the parasytes have more intellect and even went further than just being a predator of humans, some wanted to learn more about themselves, learn more about humans, and also learn more about the world. Their developments serve as the main talking points about the true nature of humans.
The ride of watching Parasyte was indeed a thrilling one, I laughed, I cried, and I screamed to various events happening in the show. It truly got me hooked. I had this finished within 3 days, which is a good indicator to see how much I enjoy this myself.
Regrettably, there are questions left unanswered as the show ends, and the viewers will have to connect the missing dots together. Also, the show utilized way too many coincidences in order to drive the story or to provide some character development.
In conclusion, Parasyte is a great anime which will provide you tons of food for thought about our world in a very broad sense. Of course, powerless as we are as an individual, in the end, most likely nothing will ever change, and our lives will just go on as normal. But hey, with some questions for you to think while in the shower, that’s not so bad sometimes, eh? Prove that you are different from monkeys! (laugh)
TL;DR:
++ Intriguing story.
+ Smooth pacing.
+ Great animation quality.
+ Nice cast of characters
- Too many coincidences.
- Many questions left unanswered.
