Parasyte is a philosophical masterpiece masquerading as a gore-filled horror anime. The anime explores questions like, “what is the human species?”, “is speciesism justified?”, and “is environmentalism just human self-gratification?” Add a riveting plot and touch character interactions – and that’s here’s what we end up with.
What is “the maxim” anyways? Ironically, for a human-invented concept defined as a short pithy saying, it is spoken in the show from the parasite perspective. Essentially, parasites have inhabited earth with a simple directive to rid it of its parasites (classic hero-villain ambiguity as in e.g. Godzilla). However, we have the character who becomes the partial host of a parasite (imo the show’s best character) whose merge conflicts with the character’s own stubbornness for humanity. At first, the two live on a symbiotic relationship, with the parasite acting as a guardian and the protagonist the host. The parasite has no sympathy for human emotions, whereas the protagonist (like all others) see the parasites as monsters to rid of. However, due to the numerous interactions the two encounter in a society full of monsters (human or parasite), they become close friends and by the end have nearly come to equal footing on their views.
I don’t want to divulge further. Come for the gore. Leave with the feels. It’s a underrated masterpiece.
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 9/10
World: 9/10
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