# Parasyte -the maxim- (2014)

> A teenager's right hand becomes a sentient alien parasite, and he must survive a world where other parasites are quietly infiltrating humanity.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/54793

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 24
- Episode runtime: 23 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, science fiction, horror, drama
- Network: Nippon TV
- Cast: Nobunaga Shimazaki, Aya Hirano, Kana Hanazawa, Kiyono Yasuno, Hiroyuki Yoshino, Chieko Sasai, Kimiko Saito, Rie Murakawa
- TMDB rating: 8.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3358020/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: graphic
- Tone: grim, unsettling, philosophical, melancholic, tense

## What critics say

Acclaimed by audiences as a dark, gory and philosophically probing take on the parasite invasion story, with a strong central relationship between Shinichi and his parasite Migi.

## Synopsis

Parasyte -the maxim- (2014-2015) is a Japanese animated science fiction horror series produced by Madhouse and broadcast on Nippon TV, adapted from the seinen manga by Hitoshi Iwaaki. Across a single 24-episode season, high school student Shinichi Izumi (voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki) survives a parasite invasion that failed to take over his brain and instead lodged in his right hand. The creature, called Migi (voiced by Aya Hirano), becomes his uneasy companion, and together they navigate a world where shapeshifting alien parasites are secretly slipping into human bodies and feeding on unsuspecting victims. Each episode mixes ordinary school and family life with abrupt, grotesque violence, and the story keeps returning to Shinichi's struggle to protect the people around him, including classmate Satomi Murano (voiced by Kana Hanazawa) and his own family. The tone is grim, unsettling and often melancholic, with a strong current of philosophical unease about what it means to be human. Fans of Tokyo Ghoul, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Death Note will find resonance in its blend of body horror, moral tension and psychological dread. Set in contemporary Japan, the series rewards viewers who want a dark, thoughtful seinen anime with its share of gore and shocks.

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