They arrive in silence and darkness. They descend from the skies. They have a hunger for human flesh. They are everywhere. They are parasites, alien creatures who must invade - and take control of - a human host to survive. And once they have infected their victims, they can assume any deadly form they choose: monsters with giant teeth, winged demons, creatures with blades for hands. But most have chosen to conceal their lethal purpose behind ordinary human faces. So no one knows their secret - except an ordinary high school student.
https://gateway.ipfs.io/ipfs/QmUsyrDmD6k6tUjrZyXsZPQEy7dRU3j4CZKxd5mM4CaYow
Source: Parasyte -the maxim- on Trakt.tv
About
Parasyte is a science fiction horror manga series written and illustrated by Hitoshi Iwaaki and was published in Kodansha's Afternoon magazine from 1988 to 1995. It was later adapted into an anime television series by Madhouse, titled Parasyte -the maxim- which runs from October 2014 to March 2015.
Thoughts
First things first! I honestly have no idea that this anime series was adapted from a 1988 manga series, I mean I was not even born at that time yet but somehow when watching this anime series the whole concept, setting and storyline feels a little bit modern to me, it does not feel old nor outdated at all.
So what is "Parasyte -the maxim-" all about?
Parasyte -the maxim tells the story of 17 year old high-school student Izumi Shinichi who lives together with his parents on a peaceful town in Tokyo. When one night, worm-like aliens called Parasytes invade Earth, taking over the brains of humans. Luckily for our main protagonist, Izumi Shinichi he was only partially dominated by the worm-like aliens.
https://gateway.ipfs.io/ipfs/QmWE9kJcy7QDaJA3SUfCGpRkvdDZHEa3ZQ7c8yy8vpmaby
While Shinichi was sleeping, the parasite to which would be given the name of "Migi" tried to take over his brain by going inside his nose. Sadly for our poor parasite, Shinichi wakes up and Migi was alarmed and have no choice but to burrow into Shinichi's arm instead. This resulted in Shinichi being aware of the parasite's presence and prevented him from travelling further into his brain by wrapping his ear buds around his arm effectively locking Migi into his left arm.
Since Migi the parasite failed to take over Shinichi's brain and was locked into his arm, he lacks the basic urge and hunger for human flesh. His main purpose is to keep himself and his host(Shinichi) alive, even if that means killing other parasytes(who have successfully took control of other humans) in the process.
The main plot of the series seems to be the coexistence of this two. With only a partial take-over from the parasite Migi, Shinichi is still considered a Human and is therefore still could be a target by other parasytes. The two must then learn to coexist in order to survive and save their selves and other people around them from this deadly parasites.
https://gateway.ipfs.io/ipfs/QmZcpF9mfDg3efmAZf1cjBS7AKZrwpbjk1Q3EV5fNxsXCz
Personal Thoughts
I am just gonna be completely honest right here. After many of my friends recommended this anime to me and after reading so many positive reviews about this series. I was expecting a lot from it. Sure, I was one of those many others who was drawn to the "lots of gores" and brutality warnings. But after watching the whole series I am definitely one in the minority who was left disappointed.
It wasn't bad nor it was good. It felt lacking. This probably stems to the poor execution and pacing of most scenes, One moment they are fighting and suddenly we get the lovey-dovey romance school life moments, in other words a quick shift. Not to mention some scenes felt too rushed while some seems to be dragging a bit.
The plot and storyline however is a decent one. The battle scenes were great and the "gore" thing is somewhat achieved and totally justified. The art and animation was smooth and amazingly well done. Overall, the first few episodes of this series was great, it shows potential and one that will make any anime lovers to stick with the series. However as soon as the story progresses, it starts to become totally unforgettable. Ask someone you know who have watched this series for a while now and ask them what happened in the middle to late episodes. It was good binge-watching this series but it still is one of those anime series that is totally forgettable.
