Story: 10/10
Unless you really, really hate Parasyte for personal reasons, you can't give it anything lower than an 8, but to me, it's a 10. As a fan of the sci-fi genre, it was always interesting to see a more subtle approach taken to the whole 'alien invasion' theme. But Parasyte takes this beyond. Following the misadventures of the hero Shinichi, Parasyte leads you along a truly moving tale that sees Shinichi and his Parasyte amigo Migi, change and evolve as they're put through immense violence, death and trauma—all while Shinichi struggles to maintain his humanity as he notices that his behaviour is turning increasingly animalistic through each painful trial. With an increasingly powerful and terrifying series of villains emerge, bringing their own twisted ideas and ideals into the fold as Migi and Shinichi move in to end these dastardly plots. There's no compromise in this tale—life is truly cheap, and you WILL feel Shinichi's pain as the bodies drop everywhere; and you'll ask yourselves the same questions he asks himself. After a merciless and brutal trip, you'll be treated to an ending that defines Parasyte; it'll give you a hugely satisfying feeling, but you'll be left with one final question: as usual.
Art: 9/10
Parasyte boasts great art and design, and it excels where animation is concerned, especially in the high paced battles. Character design is well done, and there's nothing else inconsistent when art is concerned. There's a certain darkness conveyed all throughout the canvas here, and it fits in very well with the violent world.
Sound: 10/10
Ken Arai is a beast, an absolute beast. The dubstep music throughout Parasyte is well done and it fits, giving a sci-fi, fast paced action mix to the countless epic portions in the series. Some themes like Gotō's theme go above and beyond the other great ones; and you'll just be saying "wtf wtf wtf holy shit" the whole scene, because the soundtrack makes it all the more impressive—most notedly one scene where Goto comes chasing after Shinichi and Migi by foot, while the later are going by vehicle. Pure incredible badassery. Then there's the all time fantastic track—Next To You. The way Arai switches from dubstep to a pure, romantic yet tragic tune is simply mind blowing; and I found myself learning to play several of the themes on piano right away. Simply incredible music here. The OP isn't that great, but the ending tun is fantastic.
Character: 10/10
I don't have much to say about Shinichi and Migi; they're fantastically well written and developed, everyone acknowledges that. The two protagonists are rock solid and show massive development, and they alone mainly anchor the show, and take you on an emotional ride. Then there's Murano, definitely the most divisive character in the whole show. While people can really hate Murano, I love her, cause she's realistically portrayed. She's not superhuman, she can't tell what's going on in Shinichi's mind, and she can't possibly comprehend the non-human struggles he goes through; but she tries her hardest to. She's an everyday girl trying to hold onto the boy she loves; and in the end, she plays a very crucial role in Shinichi's life. Then there's the magnificent Tamura Reiko, a Parasyte with fantastic development, and the most tearjerking scene in the anime. Reiko is the definition of a fantastic support character, and you'll see why—she shines whenever her moments are handed to her, she'll be the one you love to hate and then...you'll see. There's also the delinquent Kana, whose devotion to Shinichi is one sided but still admirable; the main romantic completion to Murano for Shinichi. She's not deeply delved into, but she shows trait that may endear viewers to her. However, none of these characters are cliche hero types, it's important to note that. Try looking at them in the way you would lol at mainstream characters, and you'll be disappointed. Look at them as normal human beings, everyday people, and you'll realise just how good the characterisation is.
Enjoyment: 9/10
Pretty straight forward score. I liked it, after looking at it from both a philosophical and everyday point of view. Thoroughly enjoyable both ways.
Overall: 10/10
Gets a 10 in my book. There are many anime that are better, that's true, but Parasyte deserves to be AMONG the best. It's a masterpiece of emotion, thought and action; and it sucks you in. It has high rematch value and a plot that keeps going, without getting boring. Well worth the watch.
