About Parasyte: The Maxim

Parasyte: The Maxim also known as Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu is a Japanese science fiction horror anime television series produced by Madhouse and directed by Kenichi Shimizu. It was broadcast in Japan from October 2014 to March 2015. The series follows a 17-year-old high school student Shinichi Izumi, whose right hand is taken over by an alien Parasite named Migi, finding himself in a battle against other Parasites who feast on humans.

Making / Production

Adapted from the Hitoshi Iwaaki’s 1988 manga series with the same title, the anime series coheres to the original manga's storyline while providing modern updates like different settings and added elements of psychological horror. The anime received critical acclaim, with praise for its narrative, animation, voice acting, character development, and its approach to the moral questions it raised.

Actors

• Migi - Voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki (Japanese), Adam Gibbs (English). Migi is a Parasite who has taken over Shinichi's right hand. Unlike other parasites, Migi forms a symbiotic relationship with Shinichi and does not possess a desire to take over his brain.
• Shinichi Izumi - Voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki (Japanese), Adam Gibbs (English). Shinichi is the protagonist of the series. After his mind and body are co-opted by a parasitic alien, he must learn to coexist with the creature in order to survive.
• Satomi Murano - Voiced by Kana Hanazawa (Japanese), Luci Christian (English). Satomi is Shinichi's love interest and is initially afraid of Shinichi after his personality changes.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The English dubbed version of Parasyte: The Maxim was aired on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block in America, from October 2015 to April 2016.
• Parasyte was initially published as a manga in the late '80s and early '90s. It took more than two decades for it to get an anime adaptation.
• The character Migi was not named in the original manga.

Awards

Parasyte: The Maxim won the Best Animation award at the 20th Animation Kobe Awards. Additionally, the series won the Best Score and Best Editing awards at the 9th Tokyo Anime Award Festival.

Quotes

• Shinichi Izumi: "The moment a life is born, it already begins to approach death."
• Migi: "You have my sympathy. But remember, the survival of others is not your responsibility."
• Satomi Murano: "It's like you're Shinichi, but you're not."

Music, Soundtrack

• The opening theme "Let Me Hear" of the anime series is performed by the band Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas.
• The two ending themes, "It's The Right Time" and "Next To You", are performed by musician Daichi Miura and Ken Arai respectively.
• The original score of the series was composed by Ken Arai. The soundtrack consists of a blend of rock, orchestra, and electronic music.