Review of Parasyte: The Maxim

Parasyte (Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu) is a throwback to the old nineties sci-fi alien killing machine anime with a very thought provoking message. Story: Unpredictable - Parasyte goes from light-hearted school life moments to some of the most gruesome murders in the same episode. Parasyte does well to let you know early on that everyone is in mortal danger and nothing is sacred. There are moments where I was nearly unable to continue watching the show, which made it all the more impactful. Art: Parasyte's animation is above average but nothing too special in this day and age. The important scenes and characters are well drawn, howeverin some scenes they used that god awful 3D-rendering for panning crowd shots, which I absolutely hate, but can deal with in minor doses. The fighting scenes looked physical when they needed to, and they really nailed how arbitrarily the parasites can kill a person. I'm glad that they didn't shy away from blood and gore, but also didn't use an excessive - and unrealistic - amount of it.

Sound:
Solid type-cast voice acting with no annoying characters you wish would die just so they'd never speak again. The intro song is OK, a tad too "angsty-teen-who's-favorite-band-is-Linkin-Park" for me, but it fits the anime well. The outro song is really inappropriate and unsuitable except for a few select episodes, hilariously so.

Character:
A fairly bland main character in Izumi Shinichi somehow becomes more interesting by becoming more bland. The real star of the show is without a doubt Migi, with his dry humor and subtle quips that compliment his generally creepy (but somehow also cute?) appearance. The supporting cast definitely have more depth to them than Izumi, but he manages to engage the viewer by himself enough to be passable.

The strength of Parasyte is that you are never fully able to tell who is the antagonist, if there is one at all. It's about survival, and at the end of the day can you blame anyone for desiring to live?

Enjoyment:
This anime ripped my emotions to shreds; you're never quite settled in and it just keeps landing haymakers right where it hurts. It deeply invests you in its story - toys with you - before leaving you high and dry, and yet I couldn't get enough!

Overall:
9/10 due to a fantastic and thoughtful story; the only thing I felt held it back from the mythical 10/10 was a forgettable main character and several inconsistencies regarding characters (mostly with the ever-frustrating Murano Satomi). I left Parasyte feeling satisfied and yet also hungering for more.