Kiseijū could have ended here and I would be more than satisfied with the outcome–  this is a phenomenal episode we’ve got here! Shinichi going off into the woods again from last time built this episode up wonderfully–  he’s entering this showdown weak without his partner and a measly hatchet.  Finding Gotou in a sleep-like state giving him an strong advantage where he walks right up to him without being detected.

All this time Migi has been telling Shinichi what they could achieve in these fights would be exponentially overturned with a win for them if they worked together rather than as one.  What came to mind from this fight is his battle with A.  Here though he’s gone through a ton of emotional trauma losing people close to him and seeing others die right in front of his very eyes–  the creators don’t neglect this at all because he still fears the unknown and what these things are capable of.  We see this at the trash dumping scene where he’s moving far away from Gotou as possible but suddenly he figures out that he needs to be using more of his human intellect than a parasite’s raw killing-intent.  Migi could not have showed up at a better time either–  the poison that Gotou is inflicted with here drains him of complete control over the others inside his body and just re-states Migi’s original fascination with reactions.  Something this series touched on in the first few episodes.

What makes this an even more engrossing episode is how Shinichi doesn’t kill him outright–  he’s suffering physically while this show brings out a moral dilemma for its conclusion.  Should Shinichi kill Goutou where he’s at his weakest state or murder him at this point of life?  Recollecting what Tamiya Ryoko said about their lives can’t survive on their own–  he begins to search for a valid reason in why he should kill him right then and there.  However, it’s this reoccurring theme that hardens this scene so much more–  parasites and humans are somewhat alike and are constantly evolving physically and emotionally.  Migi steps back because he knows he can’t kill his kind in this state but if Shinichi can do it than so be it.  We’ve seen heads get lopped off, people getting stabbed, cut in half and even eaten–  but this scene while doesn’t show much of anything is probably the most powerful death because Shinichi in his own mind commits murder.

Seeing this unfold is icing on the cake and I can’t wait to see what this show does for the final act!

OVERALL IMPRESSION: 10/10

—