5 Reasons To Watch Parasyte

Why You Should Watch Parasyte: The Maxim

Every now and then you'll come across a show that's just so good that you can't help but tell people about it. For me, at this moment, that show would have to be Parasyte: The Maxim. Having just finished the final episode last night, (really, early this morning) I'm still attempting to wrap my head around it all. Parasyte is unlike any other anime that I've seen, which is why I feel even more inclined to share my thoughts on why people should watch it.

To start, Parasyte: The Maxim tells the story of Shinichi Izumi, a seventeen year old high school student who has been partially infected with a Parasyte - a dangerous, (seemingly) otherworldly creature that inhabits the body of humans and feeds upon them. Shinichi quickly realizes that he'll need to work together with his Parasyte, Migi, if he has any hope of keeping himself, and the people he cares about, safe from this strange, invasive enemy.

PLOT:

The plot revolves around parasitic aliens that descended upon Earth with the desire of consuming human flesh and overpowered humanity by burrowing into the brains of easy targets. These extraterrestrial beings acquire full control of their host.

The parasite, Migi, is unable to move from his current location in Shinichi’s hand and has no choice but to rely on Shinichi in order to stay alive.

As a result, the pair is forced into an unusual partnership and must now defend themselves from other antagonistic parasites that wish to eradicate this new alliance that poses a threat to their species.

Action Sequence:

Parasyte has insane action sequences that leave you glued to your seat because every single scene is both life-threatening yet crucial for the character’s development.

The fights are always lighting quick and precise. One-fifth of the show consists of action which is the perfect proportion for an anime of this genre.

The episodes are fast-paced and even the action scenes are written in such a way that is informative but also doesn’t make it feel like information-overload for the viewer.

The most praise-worthy factor that makes the fights all the better with such excellent animation.

Setting:

Parasyte mostly takes place in a quiet neighborhood in Tokyo, Japan where the main character Shinichi resides with his parents.

The show does justice to being a horror manga series with its intense, psychological twists.

Characters:

i) Main characters

Shinichi Izumi is the main protagonist of the Parasyte series. He is a high school student whose right arm was infected with a parasite that he later names Migi.

Shinichi is introduced as a thoughtful and nice person who cares a great deal for those around him. Sometimes, he also comes across as a bit of a pushover and a coward, due to his awkward behavior and paralyzing fear of bugs.

Shinichi’s initial fears subside after he starts forming a bond with Migi.

Migi, which means righty, is the name given to the parasite that resides in Shinichi Izumi’s right hand.

Migi is unlike most other parasites in the series. He is described as an intelligent organism that didn’t develop an urge to eat humans, due to not consuming the brain of the host, which also allowed Shinichi to retain his individuality.

Migi often thinks of Shinichi as a threat because he is always getting into fights to save others, and he once threatened to harm him to stop him from getting them in any danger.

ii) Supporting Characters:

Reiko Tamura or Ryouko Tamiya, is a Parasite and one of Shinichi Izumi’s high school teachers.

Reiko is shown as a highly intelligent parasite with the scientific disposition and an ambitious goal to discover the biology, origin, and purpose of parasites.

Kana Kimishima is a disobedient character or rebel who develops a crush on Shinichi Izumi.

She is a calm and carefree person, who seeks out entertainment occasionally through bullying. Because of her carefree nature, she had no qualms with her friends bullying others as well, except for when it came to Shinichi Izumi.

Satomi Murano is Shinichi’s best friend and companion.

Both the characters develop a romantic relationship over the course of the series, but their attraction to and fondness for one another is held back by Shinichi’s fear of his own monstrous nature and Satomi’s fear of Shinichi’s secretive behavior because of the unusual situation he is in.