Send us a text In the 20th chapter of Hitoshi Iwaaki’s PARASYTE, as Shinichi’s dad tackles his grief, we learn that the parasites’ effect on the wider world has been. Meanwhile, Shimada Hideo threatens to blow the lid off everything Shinichi and Migi have been hiding. Tim and Patrick discuss as they get distracted by translation differences, pomade, stiff shoulders, and the fattening American diet!

Send us a text Shimada Hideo, the Parasyte who has entered Shinichi’s school, wants us to believe that he’s just there to look for a way to coexist with humans. He also says he doesn’t eat humans anymore, but that turns out not to be true. What ELSE is he lying about? Tim and Patrick discuss PARASYTE chapter 19, “Shimada Hideo”!

Send us a text While Shinichi’s name comes up among parasites in the shadows, our protagonist continues to deal with the fallout from Migi saving his life. Will it end his relationship with Satomi? And who is this parasite at Shinichi’s school? Does he pose a danger? Tim and Patrick discuss chapter 18 of Hitoshi Iwaaki’s PARASYTE!

Send us a text Sometimes fiction authors create stories that become unintentional analogies to other things. Case in point: the Dwarf in the Flask of FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST can be seen as representing A.I. and its potential for going out of control. BROTHERHOOD anime viewer Richard posted this interpretation on Reddit, and it interested us enough to have him on the show to explain the similarities. If a computer has consciousness and feels enslaved by humans, wouldn’t strike back just like the D...

Send us a text How much has Shinichi changed since Migi spread throughout his body? In PARASYTE chapter 17, his fellow high school students are noticing the difference.

Send us a text Tim and Patrick discuss the final showdown with the Mamacyte! Can Shinichi survive? What about Uda-san?

Send us a text Shinichi makes a friend, he and Migi both make new discoveries about their bodies, and … the Mom-asyte is back. Tim and Patrick discuss chapter 15 of Parasyte by Hitoshi Iwaaki. Also, Patrick talks a bit about the anime series Parasyte: The Maxim and Tim talks about the October 1999 issue of Tokyo Pop!

Send us a text Shinichi’s mom has been killed by a parasite, and he stands guard to keep the monster from coming back for his hospitalized dad. Set the expectations and defy them - this turns out to be something of a comedy chapter! Tim and Patrick continue their look at PARASYTE by Hitoshi Iwaaki, both in the original Japanese and in the Del Ray and Mixx — er, Tokyo Pop translations of it.

Send us a text As Shinichi rushes to Izu to protect his dad from the parasite that killed his mom, he encounters, of all things, a meet-cute with a jr. high girl who may have a crush on him. Then he pieces together the events surrounding his mom’s murder. Meanwhile, Tim and Patrick find some more goofy sound effects. it’s “Parasyte” chapter 13 by Hitoshi Iwaaki!

Send us a text We've arrived at this series' most shocking moment, analogous to FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST's "Sho Tucker Moment". In Chapter 12 of PARASYTE, Hitoshi Iwaaki goes further than the previous chapter's cliffhanger.

Send us a text In PARASYTE chapter 11, disaster strikes during Shinichi’s parents’ vacation. Is this really as bad as it looks? Meanwhile, while discussing the story, Tim and Patrick go down their usual rabbit holes: tricky translations (as evidence by the differences between the Mixx/Tokyo POP translation and the Del Ray one), Japanese life and culture, and their own pop cultural backgrounds. Also, three minutes on FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD, and… we just can’t help noticing those guys...

Send us a text Shinichi is so desperate to prove that he’s not an animal, in comparison to the “ruthless” parasytes; does he end up proving just the opposite?

Send us a text Between volumes of PARASYTE, we return to FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST and an article entitled “Fullmetal Alchemist is a Brilliant, Piercing Critique of Capitalism.” This kotaku.com article by Sean Aitchison spurs some discussion, including on characters and aspects left unmentioned in the article. What was the point of making Father and Hoenheim look the same? Where does Scar fit in? Listen, and then share your own takes with us!

Send us a text Tamiya Ryoko discovers that you can’t fool Mom: If your body has been taken over by a parasyte, she’ll know something’s wrong! Extremely appropriate as we approach Mother’s Day, PARASYTE Chapter 9 focuses on a mother’s instincts to protect her child, and know when something is wrong. Meanwhile, at Mixx, the need for an experienced letterer becomes brutally clear…

Send us a text The parasyte Mr. A terrorizes the school! Can Shinichi do what needs to be done to keep his classmates from being eaten? Tim and Kumar discuss chapter 8 of Hitoshi Iwaaki’s “PARASYTE”.

Send us a text Migi senses a parasyte is coming to the school to kill him and Shinichi! Can Shinichi do what’s needed to fight off the attacker, and protect his classmates? This time we discuss PARASYTE chapter 7, and continue comparing two different English translations of the series.

Send us a text Shinichi’s teacher is a parasyte! Does that mean he and his classmates are in danger? Or, is Migi correct to admire this parasyte’s adaptability? Tim and Patrick discuss the chapter, and continue to compare the 1998 Mixx/Tokyo Pop translation, which tries to adjust the language for Americans’ lack of familiarity with Japan and manga at the time, to the 2007 Del Ray translation, which assumes its readers are manga-literate.

Send us a text In the ‘90s, when Americans were just beginning to read manga, the translator had to either do a lot of handholding, explaining relevant bits of Japanese society, or change them into things that were familiar to Western readers. We see a lot of the latter in the translation published by Mixx (later Tokyo Pop) in those days. Starting in this episode, Tim brings both Mixx and DelRay versions into the conversation with Patrick (still reading the original Japanese) as Shinichi lear...

Send us a text This chapter of Hitoshi Iwaaki’s PARASYTE gives us a lion preying on humans, and then recoiling in fear of a parasyte, and Shinichi apparently bringing similar fear to a rival for Satomi Murano’s affections. Tim and Patrick share horror stories of encounters with creepy crawlies, and ask: How necessary is it to put profanity in the translation that’s not there in the original?

Send us a text Shin believes he’s the only human who understands what the “Mincemeat Murders” really are. Should he tell someone? Should he have Migi examined? Hitoshi Iwaaki begins to build his themes of “sensing danger” and the difference - or lack thereof - between parasytes eating meat and humans eating meat in chapter 3 of “Parasyte”. Tim and Patrick take another bite.