As this series starts it appears that there is a brutal serial killer at large in Tokyo but it soon becomes apparent that the killer isn't quite human; alien parasites have been invading human bodies and taking them over. They then look human
right up until they attack then a variety of bladed limbs emerge and kill the victim who is then consumed! In order to take over the host the parasite must take over the brain; one potential host, series protagonist Shinichi Izumi manages to prevent the invading parasite reaching his brain leaving it trapped in his right hand. He is rather shocked when his hand morphs into a creature with eyes and a mouth and starts talking to him! He dubs this creature 'Migi' and over the course of the series they develop a more symbiotic relationship. Migi protects Shinichi from other parasites who can somehow sense that he is both human and parasite and thus a potential threat to him. It isn't just other parasites that present a danger; if the authorities learn what he is they are just as likely to consider him a threat and kill him. If Shinichi is to survive he will have to avoid both parasite and human threats
he will also have to deal with many personal tragedies along the way.
There are so many anime series these days with magical battles and excessive fan service that when something like this comes along it really stands out from the crowd. On the face of it Shinichi is the usual anime protagonist; a high school student who is forced to deal with an unusual situation however his relationship with Migi makes him quite different. This relationship develops beautifully over the series as our perception of Migi changes from seeing him as a threat to seeing him as a likable and even a strangely cute creature. The parasites and the way they operate are inventive and the action scenes are exciting, dynamic and quite brutal. The series doesn't shy away from tragedy; Shinichi's mother is taken over by a parasite early on and a girl he has grown close to is killed. The series does not show the situation as black and white; the more we learn about the parasites the less bad they seem as a whole and we are reminded about just how bad humanity can be at times; indeed Shinichi's final fight is with a human aggressor. If you are tired of anime clichés and want a grown-up show with a difference then this one is certainly worth checking out.
These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.
There are so many anime series these days with magical battles and excessive fan service that when something like this comes along it really stands out from the crowd. On the face of it Shinichi is the usual anime protagonist; a high school student who is forced to deal with an unusual situation however his relationship with Migi makes him quite different. This relationship develops beautifully over the series as our perception of Migi changes from seeing him as a threat to seeing him as a likable and even a strangely cute creature. The parasites and the way they operate are inventive and the action scenes are exciting, dynamic and quite brutal. The series doesn't shy away from tragedy; Shinichi's mother is taken over by a parasite early on and a girl he has grown close to is killed. The series does not show the situation as black and white; the more we learn about the parasites the less bad they seem as a whole and we are reminded about just how bad humanity can be at times; indeed Shinichi's final fight is with a human aggressor. If you are tired of anime clichés and want a grown-up show with a difference then this one is certainly worth checking out.
These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.