Parasyte -the maxim-

Episode 14

The focus shifted again this week, as with Murano out of Shinichi's life for the foreseeable future, Tamiya Ryouko and her private investigator took center stage. We got some negotiations and planning between Shinichi, Migi and their old half-parasite friend, witnessed the end of our mediocre investigator's not-so-private investigations, and got all the Ryouko and Baby anyone could ask for. The show isn't exactly boiling over with conflicts at the moment, but the continuous shifts in philosophy and character psychology are still offering plenty of twists and turns.

We opened this week with Migi finally coming to accept some of the fundamentals of Shinichi's philosophy - “I have come to realize just how much you reject the notion of killing other humans,” he says, and in light of this “we should table killing for now.” Thanks for that, Migi! With "no killing" finally agreed upon, Shinichi and Migi decide to bring in their old pal Uda and his parasite-jaw, now known as Joe. I liked the gag of the two parasites confirming the private investigator's face here, but like many scenes in this episode, these early parts largely just existed to move the plot forward.

We then jumped to Ryouko and her investigator, who she decided to fire after witnessing both his mental fraying and how close he'd come to the truth. This was followed by one of the creepiest scenes of the series altogether, as Ryouko's recollection of the investigator's discomfort had her breaking out into an awful, rigid laugh. Ryouko's always been a disarming character, but it seems her continued evolution is shifting her from strictly cold and practical to actually enjoying a little villainy. The parasites may be hardened killers, but schadenfreude is a specifically human invention.

We then learned a little bit about the private investigator, who dreams of being some kind of great detective, before he was promptly kidnapped by Shinichi and Uda. Shinichi ends up explaining the story so far, but his request to be left alone by the private investigator is met with a “you should turn yourself in, even if it means being sacrificed for experiments. That's what being human means!” That definition of “being human” reflected both backwards to the investigator's personal bravado and forward to the episode's later monologue, but its immediate reaction was provoking a speech from Migi that was easily the best moment of this episode. Migi lays into the investigator, chronicling all that Shinichi has suffered through and asking if the investigator could have handled the same, and though Shinichi coldly acknowledges that this speech is likely an act designed to provoke a specific effect, it's still an act Migi would not and could not have performed half a season ago.

In the episode's last act, the title “The Selfish Gene” finally came into play, as we sat with Ryouko as she listened to a lecture on the possible genetic origins of certain kinds of “altruism.” The lecturer first debunked the investigator's definition of humanity, as he explained how certain animals will sacrifice themselves for the good of larger communities, and then went on to question the thing Shinichi holds as most valuable - the love of his mother. The selfish gene refers to the idea that love itself could be considered no more than a reflection of our programming, our genes' desire to propagate themselves however possible. And in the episode's final scene, Ryouko directly mocked that love, glibly talking about experimenting on her child and provoking Shinichi with questions about his mother. Shinichi's angry now, with all of his insecurity about his humanity and anger towards the parasites honed into one targeted feeling of hatred towards Ryouko.

This episode wasn't quite as focused, exciting, or visually compelling as some of the others, but it did reasonable work in pushing the plot forward while both advancing several character threads and playing some thematic tensions against each other. With Ryouko exhibiting more human emotion and Shinichi accepting his growing distance from humanity, it's likely we'll be getting another clash between the two any time now. And with the next episode titled "Something Wicked This Way Comes," I'm guessing Shinichi will be running into even more problems before then.

Rating: B+

Parasyte -the maxim- is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Nick writes about anime, storytelling, and the meaning of life at Wrong Every Time.