PARASYTE: THE MAXIM
by Preetish Patel
“When you feel your life’s on the line, your true nature surfaces”
Parasyte: The Maxim is an anime of extreme action filled episodes depicted with rather bold, graphic and explicit animation built upon a deep, thought provoking message. Tailored by the studio Madhouse, the anime dives deep within the genres of action, horror, crime and mystery, has several slights of comedic relief and is a perfect fit for younger audiences.
The anime is brilliantly paced throughout the entirety of its 24 episodes and is devoid of any dull phases or filler. In this fictional world bug-like alien creatures assume total control of human bodies by burrowing into their brains and then with the enhanced bodily systems, butcher and feed on other humans. Their intellect is equivalent to that of humans and via impersonations many of them are able to cement themselves, a place in society. In the anime, the notion that human lives are precious gets continually challenged as we breach into the heart of the anime.
The story starts when the 17 year old Shinichi Izumi, the main protagonist of the series, finds himself being crawled upon by a swift worm-like creature which then tries to pass into his nasal line. Shinichi manages to evade the invasion the first time but gets invaded the second time when the creature attacks his arm. Shinichi achieves a rare state of being partially infected, where he retains control of his brain but his arm now serves as a host for the parasitic creature who is then named Migi. The two face hurdles and obstructions left and right on this voyage of theirs and the plot keeps getting more complicated and more emotionally daunting as the journey unfolds. Having found themselves in a peculiar and unprecedented scenario, they both have to co-exist together and establish common grounds among their drastically contrasted principles of “living”. Migi’s prominent priority is survival while Shinichi, being a human, has strong emotional ties with his family and friends, and thus he also prioritizes the safety of his loved ones, sometimes even over his own existence.
As the story advances, Shinichi undergoes substantial character development, which is very apparent to and closely tied with, the audience. The anime has plenty of instances where the characters engage in purely philosophical conversations and arguments and the viewers persistently question themselves on what is righteous. The anime has several emotionally intense moments which connects the viewers with the characters and leaves a lasting impact on them.
The anime also entails an impeccable and serene soundtrack which has a strong replay value even after the anime’s conclusion. Its range always fits the situations smoothly and blends in perfectly with the story line. A personal favorite “Kiseijuu OST- Speak” has an immense soothing and refreshing effect. The art style is also very expressive and the animators do not shy away from depicting the blood, heat and severity involved in certain confrontational brawls.
“I’m glad that i didn’t take over your brain when we first met ..” -Migi
In conclusion, Parasyte: The Maxim is an anime with a very happening story line filled with lots of action, scenes that burst with emotional intensity, and a philosophical warfare which will keep you engaged and on edge throughout the run of the anime.