Parasyte – 20
“Ehhh? What’s that you said?”
A little bit of departure from the ‘mystery’ aspect of the series, and more into ‘thriller’ as the operation against Hirokawa’s cabal of parasites in city hall continues.
What is ‘Success’?
The first countermeasure
So while they had this big plan for identifying parasites and taking them out quietly, the knowledge that they’ve taken out one of the parasites is something that the others immediately pick up on and start agitating to bust up the plan. And then it all devolves into chaos when Yamagishi decides to take matters into his own hands. As far as he’s concerned, a little ‘collateral damage’, i.e. murdered innocents, isn’t a problem because the real problem is bigger.
Just blow him away, why don’t you?
But Uragami, whose parasite sensing abilities really are the real deal, makes a good point, however obliquely. Which are the monsters? If Yamagishi is just indiscriminately killing people because he’ll get some of the right ones, does that make him stay better than the parasites? His ‘I’m figuring out how to tell who they are’ isn’t very convincing. And his method of dealing with people who don’t listen to him is brutal. Uragami even gets a couple talkbacks in, pointing out that Yamagishi has murdered people too.
Shifting Focus
Screw you guys, I’m outta here!
I liked that Shinichi wasn’t the main guy this time. Uragami is the one that they rely on to identify the parasites, he’s the one with the police. Shinichi is instead stuck in the truck. And that’s probably good, because if he was working that closely with the police, Migi would probably be discovered. And Uragami shows that he’s not an idiot, complaining about ending up at the front of the group, and running like hell when they encounter Gotou. I find it a little interesting that he could identify Gotou as a big threat, but didn’t out Shinichi. Did he identify Shinichi / Migi and just didn’t let on? Or could he really not tell.
Gotou shoots back
The fight against Gotou does make you wonder if there’s actually any way to kill him. A 2000 pound bomb? A flamethrower, like Migi said? What could actually damage him enough that he’d die? But apart from Gotou, Reiko’s words are proven true to Shinichi (and even Hirama): The parasites are fragile. Are they stronger than humans? Yes, but that doesn’t mean they’re unstoppable. And the other thing Reiko mentioned was true as well: If you get the attention of the mind of ‘humanity’, it will not go well for you. How many parasites will survive this action? Shinichi / Migi, Uda / Joe, and Gotou? None of the others from the Hirokawa group will, even though Hirokawa could have gotten out, as Gotou points out.
This episode had the kind of action that keeps you on edge, or at least kept me on edge. You knew that the faceless (literally) soldiers were going to buy the farm in a big way. You knew that the parasites were going to take a big loss. But instead of big and flashy, this was small and personal, and completely in character for the show. We’ll see if Shinichi ends up with the group for the end of the action against Hirokawa, or if he’ll be able to avoid it. And we didn’t hear from Migi much, what must it have been thinking? Did something like that show Migi its own mortality? Did it start to feel anything for the others who were destroyed? Or is it relief, since those others were Shinichi’s mortal enemies already? That brings up another question: If it’s just Gotou and Shinichi, would they even need to fight? Does he recognize Shinichi as impure or a threat, the way Hirokawa and the cabal did? Or would it just be “oh, that reason’s gone, I have no particular problem with you, don’t get in my way and it will stay that way?”
About Highway
Proving that you don't have to be young to love anime, I enjoy all genres and styles of shows. If it's not hurting anyone else, you should never be ashamed of what you like!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
It’s probably just me, but the whole deal with Gotou “absorbing and firing” the shotgun pellets broke my suspension of disbelief. Too far from field…
I kinda dig how the stand-off at the end was in the council hall…a seat of power. Before the bullets are fired, I sense some Hannibal style speechifying….
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
What broke my suspension of disbelief is that the soldiers were told to aim for the heart because when the engine stops that’s it. But that seemed to be about the only part of Gotou they didn’t shoot.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I didn’t have any issue with either thing. We saw that Reiko was able to easily stop bullets, which are higher energy than shotgun pellets. And those soldiers were pretty freaked out at the time, and it’s not easy to hit what you’re ostensibly aiming for even when you’re calm.
In short, I didn’t have any problems with that part.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
OK, I can buy the block/absorption thing. But then flinging them out with as much force as a shotgun, capable of penetrating armor? I call shenanigans on that part….and I’m still buying the mutant kill-heady death beings the show purports.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Considering that his body is more parasite than human, I kinda can let the absorbing pass. Giving a “layers upon layers” impression. It’s how he lined the pellets in order within him before firing that got me.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Even if Gotou and Shinichi/Migi are the only ones left I can’t see them just walking away from each other. Shinichi would think about the humans Gotou would go on to kill (or might kill even if he promised to stop) and want to stop him. And Migi would think that if Gotou was still around and killing the parasite hunt would continue which would endanger him. As for Gotou, he might not want to kill Shinichi/Migi for being “impure,” but he would regard them as being the biggest threat to him, one he would want to remove.
From the story-telling point of view a final confrontation between them is pretty much inevitable. The audience would be upset if they didn’t get an all out battle between them for a climax.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I have to say that I just don’t see the motivation for either one of them to go after the other one. Even if Shinichi thinks about Gotou killing other people, he knows that he has no chance – zero – against Gotou, and Migi knows it as well. They rightly figured they had a chance against Miki, but immediately ran when Gotou took over. Plus, if it’s just Gotou out killing people, that’s a lot different from a whole cabal of parasites killing people with impunity. The scale is just completely different. With one Gotou out there, it’s not a lot different from one Uragami out there.
And conversely, Gotou doesn’t need to go anywhere near Shinichi. He has never indicated a personal grudge against Shinichi. He only went after him because that was what the group wanted. Now the group is no more. I don’t think that Gotou thinks anyone or thing is a threat to him, at least as has been shown. Like I said, he could be taken out with a bomb, or maybe electrocuted, or maybe poison like Yuuko did to Shimada.
Personally, I don’t think that the show has been working up to any big confrontation like that, and would think that it was just too contrived unless they really do a lot of work to get us there.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
The show may not have been working up to any big, climatic confrontation between Shinichi/Migi and Gotou, but I think most viewers are expecting and looking forward to one. Plus, such a confrontation is almost required for a show like this.
That said, I’d be fine if one didn’t happen. Lots of issues in RL are left with loose ends dangling. Earlier I was just speculation on why and how such a confrontation could take place. And if it doesn’t and Gotou escapes, that leaves a hook on which to hang Season Two. Even if Gotou doesn’t get out of this situation are there other parasites still around?
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I’m sure there are others. We have no idea what the extent of the parasite ‘infestation’ (for lack of a better word) is, but we know that it was in other places, since we’ve seen Oda / Joe. But we also know that there haven’t been many others in those areas, since Oda / Joe say they haven’t really encountered any other parasites.
My feeling is that any confrontation between Shinichi and Gotou would be completely contrived and poor storytelling. It just doesn’t fit the show, whether viewers who think “there needs to be a fight!” care or not.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Did any believe this operation actually would head any direction but south? I think not. Obvious that Gotou was a tough adversary however seeing him as this much of beast instilled a lot of uneasiness. Rather than dealing with the firing squad with his own hands, he basically insulted them by taking them out using the same means they did on him.
Uragami impressed me somewhat. Seeing that a few privileges were allowed, I thought he’d be screwing around but he did deliver on his assigned role until he ran off at the sight of Gotou. Not that I could blame him, though.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Actually, the operation was a big success, when looked at from the point of view that Hirama’s voiceover made clear: It was an operation to eradicate an enemy, not to protect civilians. I don’t even know if Hirama was that appalled by the deaths of the innocent people, probably not as much as even Uragami was.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
He’d most likely see them as acceptable casualties for the sake of the results of the operation, something that couldn’t be helped and likened the current situation to that of a war zone.
Now that Gotou is on the offensive, the tide is capable of turning and drastically. With his cover blown, he has no reason to hold back so more bodies will be hitting the floor.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Why is his cover blown? He can immediately become someone else, just like he did before taking his current face. The reason to hold back is because living perpetually on the run sucks ass. Maybe he doesn’t really know any different, or maybe he likes it, but having the cops always chasing you sucks for anyone.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Hmmm… the only hitch I see in that is everyone on the upper floor is now subject to suspicion of being a parasite. Yamagishi blatantly told his men to shoot anyone they see after the last parasite he took out. The chances of sneaking out are slim to none so the most plausible thing to consider is Gotou killing his way through.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Or jumping out of a window or off the roof, or just running past everyone at the high speed we know he can reach, or any of a myriad other ways to get out of the area. The dude jumped through trees with blades on his feet. He’s shown the imagination and the ability to do whatever he needs to do. He truly is just hanging around for shits and giggles, not that he ever does either.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Hahaha!!! Any one of those options gets the go-ahead and he’s seen, he’d definitely give himself away.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
If he’s seen, so what? He doesn’t have to be covert is my point. He can get away, and then change, and noone has a chance. Heck, after he tore up the Yakuza, he was chased, and offed a guy who rounded the corner after him. And who knows if they’re even looking up for a guy jumping from the rooftop.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
Did they ever say what the parasites really are? Aliens, dimensional creatures?
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I can’t recall them ever addressing that topic. My opinion goes towards aliens given the OP visuals showing the parasite spores falling from the sky.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Why do they have to be aliens? Our own earthly forms of fungus are just as weird/odd/crazy/funky as anything unearthly….
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Nope, and it doesn’t matter, the way the show is presenting itself. They can be from wherever you want them to be.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Normally, you’d expect a backlash for not filling in info that pertinent.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
But it’s not pertinent. It’s irrelevant. Plus it’s part of the main conundrum of the show: What is the purpose of the parasites? Hirokawa feels that they are a response by Earth to try to counter the harm that humanity is doing to the planet. Others feel they are extra-terrestrial. That kind of interesting variation would disappear if they were known to be from someplace.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
A way of saying humanity is a disease to the planet and they are serving the purpose of a vaccine. One of the episodes had a person saying something along those lines when Reiko was still pregnant. Episode 8 I believe it was.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
That was Hirokawa.