Review of Parasyte: The Maxim
Parasyte: The Maxim is basically if Devilman Crybaby had been done right lol. This sci-fi/horror/action anime is one of the best made by studio Madhouse, and I actually like it more than their previous thriller Death Note. I don't have much time to re-watch anime series (mostly because I'd rather watch a new show) but I'm glad I revisited this one from 2015, which totally held up! Sure, I knew what was coming, but I'd still get excited on my 2nd viewing whenever the kickass music was about to start up. *Because* I knew what was coming, I could turn up the volume right beforethe beat dropped and, man, it was great.
What could've been a simple monster-of-the-week series evolved (hey, appropriate!) into something so much more, guys. Sure, Parasytes are killing people, but they're only doing so in order to survive. As the show points out, it's not so different from us humans killing and eating animals lower on the food chain in order to live. What's more, the show also depicts several moments of human cruelty and destruction, begging the eternal question of "Who are the real monsters here?" We also see some sympathetic portrayals of Parasytes, such as the woman Tamura Reiko who attempted to have a human baby and blend into human society.
What this show does best (as in 10/10) is its character development. We see some big changes in not just our everyman protagonist Shinichi, but also his hand Parasyte Migi! This was what I loved most about the show, how the two of them developed in different directions and became more like each other. After further exposure to Migi (and having his cells mixed with the Parasyte's) Shinichi becomes more cold and detached, less human. He even at one point throws out a dead dog in the garbage can, saying "It's just a dog shaped lump of meat now," something no human would say. Migi, on the other hand, starts out as a cynical self-serving alien, but over time grows more sympathetic towards humans. We see how his friendship with Shinichi has changed him, to the point where he even asks someone to try to understand how *Shinichi* feels, and he's even willing to put his own life on the line to rescue Shinichi?! It's wonderful. I was honestly hoping we'd get a similar relationship between Akira and Amon in Devilman Crybaby, but that's neither here nor there.
The animation is a perfect 10/10, the way the Parasytes glisten and shine when they morph and battle, it's just astounding. The dubstep soundtrack, while off-putting to some, fits perfectly in every scene it's used in. This 10/10 soundtrack is one I listen to all the time on its own, but I also can't separate it from the anime in my mind. It's essential! I also want to mention the excellent sound design in the show, the sound effects, right down to the eerie static-y voices the Parasytes use. So much attention to detail was put in this anime and that's why it's one of my all time favorites.
There were so many epic moments in this series, too many to count! Again the dubstep kicks in at key moments, transforming a simple scene where say Shinichi saves a kitten from being abused to something beyond epic. My favorite fight scene is when Shinichi must confront the Parasyte in the body of *spoilers* his mother. The action, the music, the emotion in this scene is so damn raw and perfect, I just love it. Another favorite moment is when Migi reappears during a battle, interrupting the frantic dubstep music with a simple "Yo," which had me laughing my ass off.
I have a few minor nitpicks of course. For one, the sound effect for Migi stretching sounds *a lot* like someone passing gas, and that would actually throw me off for a second in an otherwise tense action scene. I also thought for a horror anime, this actually wasn't that scary. To be fair, very few anime have actually scared me in the past. Still, Parasyte's a legendary 10/10. I hope the success of this show leads to more and more older manga being adapted to anime.