Parasyte Ep. 4: Loneliness

Let’s try this format since the reception for the other format hasn’t been too hot.

– The “action” at the start of the episode is rather disappointing. Everything’s a blur because they’re supposedly moving super fast, but the end result is neither enjoyable nor interesting to watch.

– For a short moment, Shinichi and Migi become one, especially when the former says, “It’s either him or us.” He’s adopted Migi’s outlook on life.

– Basically, Migi will go full-out on defense, and this will allow Shinichi to “sneak up” on A and stab him with the sharp end of a pipe. Underestimating humans is one thing, but not paying any attention to Shinichi’s movements is just plain foolish. Yeah, he’s dumb, but stupidity doesn’t preclude you from having instincts. What if they lack instincts? Well, that’s not the case either, because they have the instinctual desire to eat people. Perhaps they just lack this sort of self-defense mechanism. In the end, however, this is a bit unsatisfying as an answer.

– A’s body isn’t long for this world, but the pipe doesn’t outright kill him either. Shinichi goes no further because he doesn’t want to become a murderer. Migi counters that A is not a human. It really depends on how you use the word “murder.” It has a particular meaning in the eyes of the law, so in that case, Migi would be right. But if Shinichi simply refuses to take a life and he’s using the word ‘murder’ in a hyperbolic way to convey his feelings, then he’s not wrong either. At the end of the day, however, I’ll have to give this to Migi, because if A is allowed to live, he would certainly be a danger to not just Shinichi but others as well.

– A seeks out Ryoko in an attempt to find a new host; he intends to share hers. Needless to say, she puts him out of his misery. But if she had been more foolish, I wonder if A would’ve succeeded in changing hosts.

– I wonder why Ryoko opted to blow A up instead of just killing him the same way that all parasytes seemingly use to kill their prey.

– As expected, Ryoko gets flak for being pregnant and unmarried. Blah blah, Japan is still conservative, but truth be told, she’d get flak anywhere. People wouldn’t insult you to your face here, but they’d definitely gossip about you behind your back.

– Shinichi feels strongly compelled to stop Ryoko before she kills more people. After all, she has to be sustaining herself somehow. But then again, Migi is right: that baby inside her is human. Shinichi’s brand of justice is thus a bit murky.

– Our hero confronts Ryoko and demands to know why her kind has to eat people. Shouldn’t it be possible for the parasytes to sustain themselves by eating human food? After all, they still have human bodies and thus human digestive systems. Ryoko’s only theory is that they have a “directive” to eat people. You could easily say, “But if you don’t have to take a life, why take a life?” First, the parasytes don’t really care about human lives, so this appeal wouldn’t really work on them. Second, saying this would make most of us hypocrites, wouldn’t it? A lot of people can afford to not eat meat. We can make up for the the loss of nutrition through various dietary supplements. Nevertheless, we choose to eat meat anyway, and one of our many explanations is that animal lives just don’t matter enough that we’d stop slaughtering them for food. After that, it’s just the whole “Why eat meat?” debate again. As you can see, we’re back to square one.

– Ryoko makes things easier for Shinichi, though: she will either experiment on her own child or eat it. This gives the protagonist less reasons to spare her life… though it’s doubtful that he could ever take it in the first place. Still, Ryoko is speaking as someone who isn’t a mother. What if nurturing instincts somehow kick in when she finally does give birth to her child? Plus, the parasytes are starting from scratch. They’re having to learn everything at such an accelerated pace. They’ve never had parents, they’ve never had traditions, they don’t even have their own culture. They don’t know how or if they can even reproduce. They simply adapt to the world around them and start eating. Nevertheless, even if Ryoko won’t be giving birth to a parasyte baby, she will still give birth to her baby. If Ryoko knew what being a mother was like, would she perhaps change her mind?

– Ryoko thought about taking Shinichi’s life for a second, but she suddenly backs off when she observes that he’s no longer pure. Okay then.

– Later that night, Ryoko’s mother comes to see her, but she immediately realizes that her daughter is gone. As a result, Ryoko feels as though she has to kill the old woman to protect herself. Nevertheless, I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if this visit had unfolded in a different way. If Ryoko’s mother had tried to care for her, would this have had a profound effect on a lifeform that has never known what a parent’s unconditional love is like? Sure, you can read about it in books, but you can never really know what a parent’s love feels like until you experience it for yourself. But in the end, this isn’t the path that the story took, so we’ll never know how Ryoko would’ve reacted.

– Ryoko is astonished that the old woman could see right through her act. This simply speaks to the fact that a simulacrum can never measure up to the real thing. There’s something undeniably missing from the copy — something that a loved one would immediately notice.

– Damn, Migi can now detach himself completely from Shinichi. Since he sustains himself from the nutrients in Shinichi’s blood, however, he can only run around on his own for three minutes. Still, I suppose this trick would be rather useful if they ever need to split up. And of course, it’d be a killer icebreaker for parties.

– Migi is always rather shiny, though.

– Yep, it’s a masturbation joke in case you’ve forgotten what this story is all about (see: puberty).

– Shinichi’s parents are going on a trip, which makes the kid worry. After all, you never know if you’ll run into a parasyte. Still, his mother reaction to Shinichi’s objection is a bit… off. As an aside, her voice has always kind of bothered me. Meanwhile, his dad looks like an anime J. Jonah Jameson.

– As our protagonist walks to school, he thinks, “Migi is not capable of affection.” I don’t know if I’d rule it out just yet. Like I’ve said, the parasytes are starting from scratch. Who’s to say they can’t learn how to love in the future?

– There’s something funny about Migi brandishing a handgun.

– Another masturbation joke.

– When Shinichi finally tells his parents that he’s okay with their trip, his mother thinks his wild mood swings are peculiar. Are they? I don’t think so. It’s like she’s never spent time with a teenager before. Teenagers are known for being hot and cold like this.

– Listening to Shinichi’s made up excuse, it occurs to me that I don’t think he has a true male friend at school. That’s a little strange for a guy in the twelfth grade.

– To cap the episode off, we see Ryoko looking all menacing for a second, but when the baby in her stomach starts kicking, her expression changes completely. As the birth of the child nears, I suspect our mother-to-be will have a bit of a change of heart. I wonder, however, if it’ll be too late by then.

– Over and over, this episode demonstrates that there’s a certain level of loneliness to one’s existence as a parasyte. As Shinichi bonds with Migi, he necessarily distances himself from his parents. After all, this makes sense. As we undergo puberty, we become more independent. We no longer look to our parents as much for approval and protection. Even if Shinichi’s story about being lonely is largely a lie on the surface, it is perhaps not a lie on a more symbolic level. He no longer needs them around as much. He can replace his parents with friends. He feels like an alien around them. He wants his mom to knock before she enters his room. Anyway, you get the picture.

– And despite her best efforts, Ryoko fails to integrate herself properly into society. By having a baby out of wedlock, she is ostracized by her peers. And of course, her own mother rejects her. In the end, however, she still has her baby. The baby’s kick is, in one way, an attention-grabbing mechanism that assures the mother that it’s alive. And certainly, the baby has drawn Ryoko’s attention, The problem is, will she ever feel a connection to it? Or to put it even better, will she have time to connect with it? It’s possible that Ryoko’s curiosity might get the better of her before she can form a proper attachment to the child.

– Last but not least, A finally reaches out to Ryoko for help, but not only did she reject him, she killed him. Being a parasyte is lonely.

– Certainly, Shinichi and Migi are an anomaly; they’re never truly lonely since they have each other. I suspect, however, that their relationship will become superfluous in the long run. After all, Migi represents Shinichi’s path to adulthood. Once the latter reaches adulthood, the former will no longer be needed. Will this be an E.T. situation where Migi leaves Shinichi and goes off on his own? Or will we have a more tragic ending?