Is ‘Parasyte -the maxim-‘ Worth Seeing? Here’s Our Honest Opinion!

Parasyte is a seinen manga by Hitoshi Iwaaki. It was published between November 1988 and December 1994 and was compiled into a total of ten volumes. An anime television series aired between October 2014 and March 2015, and two live-action movies were released in November 2014 and in April 2015. A spin-off series titled Parasite Reversi, scripted and drawn by Moare Ohta was published between March 2018 and May 2021. But, while Parasyte is definitely one of the most popular seinen titles… is it worth the watch? Is the anime adaptation good enough that it deserves your time and attention? Keep reading to find out.

What is Parasyte -the maxim- about?

Shinichi Izumi is a seventeen-year-old boy who lives with his father and mother in a quiet neighborhood of Tokyo. One night, however, parasitic aliens, with appearances very similar to those of worms, invade the Earth to enter the bodies of human beings through the nose and ears to reach their brains and take control of them.

Among the many parasites that fell from the sky, one tries to enter Shinichi’s ear while he is sleeping, but fortunately, he cannot do so due to the earphones he is wearing. The parasite then, having woken up Shinichi and been discovered, has no choice but to enter the body of its victim by making a hole in his right arm. This desperate action will prevent him from reaching his brain forever because the boy manages to use the earphone cable to tie his arm, preventing him from continuing.

While maintaining separate intellect and intelligence, Shinichi and Migi – the nickname with which the little parasite who now literally acts as the boy’s right-hand man is baptized – are therefore forced to live from this moment on in the same body and get to know each other.

Furthermore, since Shinichi still has control of his brain, the two also become the target of other parasites who only see humans as food, leading them to fight together for their survival and thus form an even stronger bond. While Destry learns the culture and customs of the human world, learning feelings foreign to his race, such as compassion and altruism, Shinichi will have to face tragedies and changes that will change his life forever but which, also thanks to his new host, will be able to overcome, finding his own way in the world.

Parasyte -the maxim- is a classic, but watch it only if you have a strong stomach

Now that we have taken care of the basics, as we have introduced the series and told you about the general plot structure of the series – is Parasyte -the maxim- worth your time? Well, what we can say here is that Parasyte -the maxim- is definitely a seinen classic. And while we know that seinen titles are rarely as popular as shonen titles since they target a much smaller audience and tackle much more complex topics, which is not for everyone’s taste, Parasyte -the maxim- has managed to cement itself as a true anime classic.

In that aspect, we cannot really say anything against the anime. Sure, the manga does add some extra layers, but Parasyte -the maxim- is a really good and visually bold adaptation of the cult classic manga. It offers basically everything that you, as a fan of Parasyte, would want, and we can confirm that, in that aspect, you will be more than satisfied with the adaptation. So, if you want to see the world of Parasyte animated, then Parasyte -the maxim- is something you definitely need to check out, as the series does, indeed, deliver.

But is it for everyone’s tastes? Well… no. First of all, those who don’t like seinen works will not find much to enjoy in Parasyte -the maxim-. Secondly, the series is full of gore and violence, so if you’re not a fan of such scenes, we must tell you that Parasyte -the maxim- probably won’t be your cup of tea. Of course, if this doesn’t bother you, we recommend it, as Parasyte -the maxim- is a great adaptation of an even greater manga series, and we definitely think that it is worth your time, so – go for it!

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