The third episode of Parasyte: The Maxim aired earlier today, October 22, 2014. The title of the episode is “Feast” and introduces new parasites into the series.
WARNING: The following information includes major plot points from the episode. Continue to read at your own risk.
MAJOR PLOT POINTS
- Shinichi meets Ryōko Tamiya and Mr. A.
*One day when heading to school, Migi alerts Shinichi to the fact that another one of “his kind” is around. Turns out this parasite is going to be Murano’s new teacher and the new math teacher at the school. Tamiya finds out who Shinichi is and decides to seek him out on friendly terms. Although Tamiya doesn’t pose a threat to Shinichi and Migi, the same cannot be said for Mr. A’s character. It’s nice to see new parasites entering the story, since they will partially be a driving force in Shinichi’s and Migi’s development. They also present a challenge to the viewer, by bringing up the idea of coexistence and questioning whether or not parasites are true threats or just a species attempting to survive. This concept has been explored in anime many times before, but Parasyte never pushes the viewer to one side or the other. In the end, the viewer has to make the decision as to whether or not the parasites are a threat to humanity. - Mr. A decides to come after Shinichi and Migi.
*While Tamiya wishes to pursue a life of coexistence with humans, Mr. A has a bloodlust for them. Migi senses that Mr. A is a threat upon their first meeting, but his threatening nature becomes more apparent later in the episode. When Mr. A comes to Shinichi’s school in an attempt to eliminate Migi (and Shinichi) they are tasked with having to come up with a strategy to defeat him. While Migi initially wants to use the students as a “wall of meat” Shinichi refuses to sacrifice human lives in order to save his own. Instead, they work to come up with a new solution that won’t risk others’ lives. It is nice to see that there is still a disconnect between Shinichi’s and Migi’s thinking, because it helps to play up the idea of what it means to be human. The psychological aspect of the series is fascinating, because the similarities and differences between humans and parasites become blurred as time goes on. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how Shinichi and Migi confront Mr. A in the next episode.
EPISODE RATING: 4/5 – While the episode did an excellent job of driving the plot forward, there was a lack of character development in this episode that previous episodes had. The lack of a battle was also a bit of a letdown, because viewers most likely were used to seeing Shinichi and Migi confront parasites together and grow closer as a result of doing so. However, the arrival of new parasites who aren’t interested in senseless killing (aka Tamiya) is also a fascinating addition to the series, because it will challenge the viewer’s beliefs and feelings about what’s right or wrong in regards to the parasites. Overall, the episode did a decent job of entertaining the audience and the cliffhanger will guarantee that viewers will tune in next week to see the bloody conclusion of the battle against Mr. A.
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~K