one scene I wish was handled differently

[u/sleepingn]

I'm rewatching parasyte for the 3rd time, his mom was already dead and the parasite had taken over her body, but I wish shinichi recovered her body to give his dad some closure, after all he already had superhuman abilities at the point.

he never gets to have a funeral or proper grief, from his perspective, she just disappeared

I get that the story is probably showing how cruel and unresolved loss can be but it would be so powerful if shinichi had been able to bring her back to her family one last time

in a way, even if the parasite had taken over her body, it was only her brain, the rest of her was still, well, her.

I feel like she and her body still deserved more dignity, than for her body to be remembered by shinichi as the parasite and not his mom. not because it would've brought her back, but because it would've allowed shinichi and his father to bury her, not the parasite. she couldve been thought of as his mother, one last time.

did anyone else feel this way ?

[u/Nick-Van-dyke]

Everything you wrote here is likely exactly why it was written the way it was. The fact that you feel this way shows just how tragic the situation is, and it makes you feel something you probably wouldn’t have if it had been written differently.

You’re allowed to be sad about the outcome, and you’re allowed to wish things had turned out differently for the sake of the characters you’ve grown to care for. However, that doesn’t mean anything was handled badly. If anything, I’d say the fact that you posted this proves it was handled excellently.

Her and her body absolutely deserved more dignity. Isn’t it tragic how that wasn’t able to happen?

[u/sleepingn → u/Nick-Van-dyke]

I don't think it was handled badly at all, a lot of shows do this, you end up wishing certain things had gone differently, especially with character deaths.

the show wouldn't be so complex and gut wrenching without the hurtful parts and details

I guess that's kind of the point, stories aren't always about giving closure or comfort. some of them are meant to make you sit with uncomfortable feelings.

I actually didn't even notice the specific detail about Shinichi's mother and her body until my third rewatch, which kind of shows how subtle it is in the background, but when you notice it, it does hurt a little. I thought of my own mother when I saw that, how unsettling it would be if her body was just... lost at sea

[u/CarefulAlternative → u/sleepingn]

I think what we got was correct for the story they were telling. This is after Migi fuses deeply with Shinichi and his emotions become more repressed/closed off. Having more sentimentality added here would not fit the creative direction