Parasyte, Volume 08

It's characteristic of anime and manga to fumble their endings in some way. Even if ultimately pleasing, some aspect of the ending -- not properly clarifying on a narrative point that really needs to be addressed; prolonging the story and losing authorial purpose and motivation; overstuffing plotlines and ideas to only dull the impact of the main story point; realizing that The End is Nigh and rushing to pull everything together; et cetera -- frequently shows up to remind us of both the limited creative capabilities of most human beings and the production deadlines that animation studios and manga-ka alike contend with. Fans accept this, and as long as an ending delivers on their interests, they couldn't care less about the series' shortcomings.

Yet there are such things as finite stories, and Hitoshi Iwaaki's Parasyte is one such example. In spite of its rather straightforward beginning, giving the distinct impression that this is Shinichi's story alone, Iwaaki illustrates other characters' growth. Some, such as Shinichi and Reiko, take longer than others to respect what and who they are, and what sort of value we should place on life. Others, like Murano, seem to have unconsciously grasped What's Important from near the beginning. Some, as we see with many of the parasites and Uragami, never come to terms with them. All of these paths allow Iwaaki to create multifaceted and believable individuals, each with their own philosophies and quirks, to come into the story for however long is needed.

Also, as if to further emphasize the importance of each characters' developments, as well as the nature of Parasyte's story, there are multiple Q&A letters and Iwaaki's humorous and insightful reflections printed at the end of this volume. These anecdotes give a further sense of finality, driving home how the outlook of the manga has matured to a more balanced, stoic-like position by the end. Somewhat surprisingly, this change is a result from Iwaaki being dissatisfied with humanity's self-loathing that was becoming more common as environmental awareness set in, which he himself had shared early in the series' serialization. Creating a more nuanced viewpoint, he manages to go beyond self-defeating ideology to recognize the humanity of the monsters within us. There is no more fitting resolution to this deeply human work.

Parasyte, Volume 07

This is truly the penultimate volume, the high tension stretching as far as possible as the Japanese government moves towards the eradication of the parasites. For the majority of this volume Shinichi maintains the distance of an observer, caught in predicament of inaction -- which, as will haunt him later, may well lead to an unnecessary massacre of citizens and soldiers.

Despite the pauses in procedure, this is also probably the most action-oriented volume of the series thus far. Humans and parasites are both killed with little discretion, the army failing to keep their trap under control as they surround and systematically kill suspected parasites in their once-veiled headquarters (or "nest"). Hitoshi Iwaaki is frank as always about death, even if some of the revelations and proclamations -- particularly those of Mayor Hirokawa -- lead to a perception of damnation of human arrogance. Iwaaki himself admits that he attempted to portray those involved as acting as they naturally would, affirming that he doesn't "spend a lot of time deploring [his] own species." Further questions are raised about the development of the parasites themselves, as Iwaaki also notes his responses that Migi, Reiko and Goto are no longer acting with practical interests -- perhaps a suggestion of communities "corrupting" rational thought?

The art also continues to improve and move further away from the charmingly dated 80s styles found in the first volumes. The opening chapter title page immediately stands out, depicting Uragami -- the killer introduced in the prior volume -- with a sadistic gaze strikingly portrayed by bold lines that is helped by the effectively minimal shading. Iwaaki's empty space is used more sparsely and successfully, as well, with a greater use of backgrounds and more appropriated examples of the aforementioned technique applied to emphasize the threat that Goto poses as he clinically manipulates and murders the ignorant soldiers in his path.

Parasyte, Volume 06

While not devoid of emotion -- Shinichi's struggle to maintain his sense of humanity provides plenty of moments for that -- Parasyte is generally far more subdued in sentimentality compared to most manga. A certain incident in volume four that would pass for fodder in other series is detachedly presented and ended, with only a handful of references to it appearing since then. This relative sterility stays near-constant throughout the series.

Until this volume. Hitoshi Iwaaki ratchets up and maintains tension from start to finish in the aftermath of the intricate fight from volume five. All factions involved are moving, and this gradually culminates in the penultimate chapter of this volume. Here Iwaaki grants the sort of climax that has been needed, and gives the spotlight and final word to one of the most compelling and developed villains I have read in manga.

I could talk about the various problems and questions that are raised here, but no justice can be given in just a couple meager paragraphs. Iwaaki has simply created one of the most consistently well-written and ambitious manga available in English. It's a cliché, but you are doing yourself a disservice if you have not checked out Parasyte.

(Oh, and Andrew has to be commended for the translation, particularly the humorous asides.)