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Overanalyzing Anime
Blog Owner & Lead Writer
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.
Mild spoilers follow. But, don't worry, I'm not going too deep into plot specifics.
Parasyte: The Maxim has a lot going for it from the start. The story is one that instantly reels you in with the mystery of where these strange beings come from, as well as how exactly humans will fight against them. The Parasyte's have a slew of abilities, all stemming from their ability to morph their flesh into practically any substance. More so, with a Parasyte attached (at least partially) to our protagonist, you'll become immediately invested in seeing exactly how the story plays out for the unexpected duo.
Speaking of our protagonist, Shinichi, I have to say that he is, perhaps, one of the best anime leads I've seen in a while. While seemingly unimpressive at first glance, Shinichi goes through drastic changes - both physically and emotionally - that develop him into a character that you can't help but want to see more of. While many anime characters remain relatively static for the entirety of their story, Shinichi is much more fluid in regard to his growth as a character, and that's part of what makes him such an excellent protagonist. He's very human in how he acts and reacts to the strange things that are happening to him, whereas characters in other supernatural shows become accustomed to their new status quo (post powers) very quickly.
A lot of that has to do with his relationship with his Parasyte, Migi, who serves to juxtapose Shinichi in the best ways. Where Shinichi is ruled by his emotions, Migi does only what it believes to be logical. This results is plenty of tension between the two leads and while I won't go so far as to say that their relationship is antagonistic in nature, I wouldn't say that the two are best friends either. It's the complicated nature of their relationship - the forced cohabitation between two extremely different individuals (and species) - that makes watching them so very entertaining. While Shinichi is a great character on his own, he really is all the better with Migi by his side.. or, erm, on his side.
I'm the type of person who'll always choose DUB over SUB whenever I have the option, and it's always a treat when you can tell that the voice actors really bring their all. This is one of those cases. The voice acting in Parasyte is incredible, and the dialogue was much more realistic than I was expecting in terms of its word choices. There was a lot more profanity than I'm used to hearing in anime, and I was totally for it. Calling someone a "bitch" is what you'd expect from high school students, so why not include it? The great voice acting, especially when coupled with the amazing artwork, really makes Parasyte: The Maxim all the better.
Really, though, what makes this series so great is it's length. With only twenty four episodes, you can be sure that you're going to get something meaningful out of every episode. Shorter series, such as this, ensure that you don't have to worry about fillers, and can instead expect significant plot advancements with each new episode. Not only that, but you can also expect surprises that you might not otherwise get from longer series - this is especially true in the way of character deaths. While I'm definitely not going to say anything about who dies throughout the story, I can say that there will be a few deaths that'll literally make you gasp.
All in all, there's just so much to love about this show - definitely more than what I have listed here. I encourage anyone who's even remotely interested to check it out. It's an emotional rollercoaster that will leave you reeling by the time it wraps up its story. Trust me, it's really worth it.
You can find the entire series on Hulu now.
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