Alternative titles: Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuitsu
Manga by Madhouse
Streaming on Crunchyroll

Premise

Amidst a mysterious alien invasion, high school student Shinichi Izumi discovers his hand has a mind of its own. Everything but hilarity ensues.

Aqua’s verdict: Infectious

The world of anime provides too little certainty for us to be sure beloved source materials get the treatment they deserve, but Parasyte immediately manages to set aside any and all doubts with a strong first episode. Without censorship or overly glaring ill intent to quickly cash in onto the upcoming movie duology, there’s no denying that Parasyte is very, very good, but it’s harder to put my finger on why it is. After all, the premise, as of now, seems little to write home about, the art design isn’t particularly gripping and the soundtrack consists mostly of the kind of repetitive electronic drone contemporary action games like to split your ears with. First and foremost, it’s Parasyte‘s twisted creativity that makes it truly stand out, from the crooked flexibility of Shinichi’s hand — voiced by a particularly welcome Aya Hirano — to the sickeningly horrifying design of its monsters. Parasyte is brutal, but not gratuitous like horror anime so often are. The violence is brief, shocking and presented without melodrama, aided by some solid direction.

It helps that Parasyte is a horror show in the same way Yozakura Quartet is a shounen battle anime. The visceral body horror is an essential part, but it almost plays second fiddle to the strong character interactions. Whether it’s Shinichi begrudgingly forging an alliance with his callous new right hand or awkwardly trying to hide his new powers from his adoring parents, it’s these moments that stand out more than the story’s science-fiction elements, making the gruesome body horror all the more disturbing when it interrupts a scene that could’ve come straight out of an indie family dramedy. As such, Parasyte has a weighty sense of tension, but a surprisingly big heart, and it manages to balance out both in equal measure. Even the obligatory breast grope scene makes a lot of sense in context, and has effects lasting longer than a flushed slap and a stuttered insult. Immediately playing out its menace without resorting to cheap methods for grabbing your attention, Parasyte is off to a great start. It’s just a pity that OP sucks on toast.

Zigg’s verdict: Lend a Hand

I have to say I was very impressed with this first episode of Parasyte. Bar one or two sloppy moment it’s gorgeously animated by Madhouse, who bring a strong fusion of the manga’s old style and more modern look. It’s very well paced too, wisely using its moments of absurd gore sparingly and for maximum effect. There’s an odd interplay between the comedic and horror elements of the show that is awkward but also weirdly charming and is pretty deftly handled. The seeming absence of any sort of possible resolution is troubling, but I’ve been told the manga takes that well in hand (no pun intended) so the only real issue here is my natural squeamishness towards all things body horror. Nevertheless, I think I’ll keep watching, as there’s just too much that’s interesting here to pass up on.

Gee’s verdict: Unnerving In All the Right Places

As a fan of the original manga, Parasyte holds a special place in my heart. I’m not a fan of horror or gore, but I do love unnerving imagery and tone. The Parasyte manga weaved such an interesting tale I couldn’t take my eyes away from it. Fortunately, Madhouse brings their A game to the table with the anime, which largely succeeds at capturing the original’s spirit, despite modernizing the story for present day and the introduction of some anime-only elements. Well-animated, Migi and the other parasites’ transformations are properly gross and weird to look at. Their ungulations and movements hint toward their otherworldly nature in a way that the manga couldn’t totally reflect due to the limitations of its medium. The censorship is also done with relative subtlety, using the silhouettes and implications to strike fear into you, rather than relying on JoJo’s or TERRAFORMARS’ ridiculous black bars. However, it isn’t just the horror and tension that Parayste does so well, but the interplay with its lighter elements which serve to define and flesh out our characters. Shinichi and Migi’s reluctant cooperation already says tons about the two right off the bat and make them a surprisingly engaging duo for viewers. Throw in the mystery of who are the parasites and what they want, and you have a genuinely interesting story. I can’t wait to see how the anime plays out.

Euri’s verdict: The Doujins Are Gonna Be The Woooooorst

I was kind of in two minds about watching this show, as while the concept is quite intriguing, I’m also being put off horror more and more. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it, but rather it’s more fun to be scared with other people, to see the reactions. One of the best things about watching Another with other people was seeing everyone react to each grisly death. But hey, I figured I’d give this a look anyway, as it’d be nice to get something outside of the fantasy adventure genre and all the boob groping never mind.

This show is really, really cool. There’s something incredibly fascinating about this relationship between parasite and host, and given that the alien is basically forced into defending its host for survivals sake, there are no doubt going to be some really interesting character development. It is brutal, with plenty of viscera, crazy alien murder, mutations and even a straight-up human murder, and while that’s creepy and unsettling, there’s just so much I want to know about the aliens and where this is all going. Also Aqua is wrong, the opening is great and I’ll fight you. Don’t you talk bad about my electro-screamo-metal, damn it.