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Parasyte -the maxim- poster

Shows that feel likeParasyte -the maxim- (2014–2015)

A species of parasitic aliens descends on Earth and quickly infiltrates humanity by entering the brains of vulnerable targets; insatiable beings that gain total control of their host and are capable of transforming themselves to feed on unsuspecting prey. High school student Shinichi Izumi falls victim to one of these parasites, but the creature fails to take over his brain and ends up in his right hand.

If you loved Parasyte -the maxim-, the closest series we have are Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (2021), The Rising of the Shield Hero (2019) and Elfen Lied (2004). All three share Parasyte -the maxim-'s cerebral and dreamlike feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Blue Box (2024).

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If Parasyte -the maxim- hit the spot, these will too

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation poster
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
2021– · 3 seasons · TOKYO MX
★ 8.2action & adventure · animation · sci-fi & fantasyHulu

Common ground in both: romance and seinen

The difference: Takes it somewhere less contemplative than Parasyte -the maxim- does

When a 34-year-old underachiever gets run over by a truck, his story doesn't end there. Reincarnated in a new world as an infant, Rudy will seize every opportunity to live the life he's always wanted. Armed with new friends, some freshly acquired magical abilities, and the courage to do the things he's always dreamed of, he's embarking on an epic adventure—with all of his past experience intact!

The Rising of the Shield Hero poster
The Rising of the Shield Hero
2019– · 5 seasons · AT-X
★ 7.6animation · action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasyNetflixHulu

Common ground: romance

Iwatani Naofumi, a run-of-the-mill otaku, finds a book in the library that summons him to another world. He is tasked with joining the sword, spear, and bow as one of the Four Cardinal Heroes and fighting the Waves of Catastrophe as the Shield Hero. Excited by the prospect of a grand adventure, Naofumi sets off with his party. However, merely a few days later, he is betrayed and loses all his money, dignity, and respect. Unable to trust anyone anymore, he employs a slave named Raphtalia and takes on the Waves and the world. But will he really find a way to overturn this desperate situation?

Elfen Lied poster
Elfen Lied
2004 · 1 season · AT-X
★ 7.8action & adventure · animation · drama

The same two preoccupations: affectation, and gore

The difference: Trades the romance of Parasyte -the maxim- for an angle of its own

The Diclonius, a mutated homo sapien that is said to be selected by God and will eventually become the destruction of mankind, possesses two horns in their heads, and has a "sixth sense" which gives it telekinetic abilities. Due to this dangerous power, they have been captured and isolated in laboratories by the government. Lucy, a young and psychotic Diclonius, manages to break free of her confines and brutally murder most of the guards in the laboratory, only to get shot in the head as she makes her escape. She survives and manages to drift along to a beach, where two teenagers named Kouta and Yuka discovers her. Having lost her memories, she was named after the only thing that she can now say, "Nyuu," and the two allow her to stay at Kouta's home. However, it appears that the evil "Lucy" is not dead just yet...

Blue Box poster
Blue Box
2024– · 1 season · MBS
★ 8animation · dramaNetflix

Both are working the same pair: high school, based on manga

Taiki Inomata loves badminton, but he has a long way to go before he can reach nationals. When Taiki sees upperclassman Chinatsu Kano practicing her heart out on the girls’ basketball team, he falls for her hard. After an unexpected turn of events brings the two closer together, sports might not be the first thing on their minds anymore!

The King: Eternal Monarch poster
The King: Eternal Monarch
2020 · 1 season · SBS
★ 8.1sci-fi & fantasy · dramaNetflix

Both are built on the same subject: detective

Korean emperor Lee Gon tries to close the doors to a parallel world which was opened by demons; a detective tries to protect the people and the one she loves.

Sword Art Online poster
Sword Art Online
2012–2020 · 4 seasons · Gunma TV
★ 7.5animation · sci-fi & fantasy · action & adventureHulu

Cerebral where it counts, dreamlike underneath

In the near future, a Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG) called Sword Art Online has been released where players control their avatars with their bodies using a piece of technology called Nerve Gear. One day, players discover they cannot log out, as the game creator is holding them captive unless they reach the 100th floor of the game's tower and defeat the final boss. However, if they die in the game, they die in real life. Their struggle for survival starts now...

given poster
given
2019 · 1 season · Fuji TV
★ 8.2animation · drama

The same preoccupation in both: tragedy

Ritsuka’s lost his spark for music—until he hears Mafuyu sing. One voice pulls him back in, and suddenly, everything starts to change between them.

InuYasha poster
InuYasha
2000–2010 · 2 seasons · ANIMAX
★ 7.9animation · action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasyNetflixPrime Video

Both keep coming back to the same thing: based on manga

Kagome Higurashi is a modern day young girl who lives with her family by the old Higure shrine. Unbeknownst to Kagome, she is the reincarnation of priestess Kikyo and posseses the "Jewel of Four Souls" (the Shikon jewel). One ill-fated day, Kagome locates an ancient well near her home and is abruptly transported through the well and into a feudal Japan, inhabited by demons. There, she encounters Inuyasha, son of a powerful demon father and a human mother, who is pinned to a tree by an enchanted arrow.

Descendants of the Sun poster
Descendants of the Sun
2016 · 1 season · KBS2
★ 8.2drama · action & adventure

Contemplative and kinetic in the same breath

After a chance meeting in a hospital, an ardent soldier falls for a gifted surgeon. Opposing philosophies tear them apart, but fate has other plans.

Kaiju No. 8 poster
Kaiju No. 8
2024– · 1 season · TV Tokyo
★ 8.2animation · action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasy

One thread runs through both: gore

In a world plagued by creatures known as Kaiju, Kafka Hibino aspired to enlist in The Defense Force. He makes a promise to enlist with his childhood friend, Mina Ashiro. Soon, life takes them in separate ways. While employed cleaning up after Kaiju battles, Kafka meets Reno Ichikawa. Reno's determination to join The Defense Force reawakens Kafka's promise to join Mina and protect humanity.

Without Breasts There Is No Paradise poster
Without Breasts There Is No Paradise
2008 · 1 season · Telemundo
★ 6.9action & adventure · drama · crime

Both land scale and romance at once

The difference: Sits closer to crime than Parasyte -the maxim- does

The tragic story of Catalina Santana, whose ambition is so strong that she will risk her life due to her obsession with having bigger breasts to attract drug lords and have all the luxuries in the world.

Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- poster
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-
2016–2026 · 1 season · TV Tokyo
★ 8.3animation · mystery · action & adventureHulu

Both are built on the same subject: tragedy

Natsuki Subaru, an ordinary high school student, is on his way home from the convenience store when he finds himself transported to another world. As he's lost and confused in a new world where he doesn't even know left from right, the only person to reach out to him was a beautiful girl with silver hair. Determined to repay her somehow for saving him from his own despair, Subaru agrees to help the girl find something she's looking for.

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The best-reviewed series that share Parasyte -the maxim-’s defining feeling.