Darling in the Franxx is a 24 episode original anime. It is co-produced by A-1 Pictures and Trigger, while animated by Trigger and Cloverworks, so you will now that it will not be your typical anime. It has the unique style of Trigger, from the aesthetics to the designs of the mecha. The mecha are definitely not your typical giant robots, they are full of organic looking curves and human-like facial expressions rather than straight hard metal.
The anime takes place in a world where there are giant monsters known as klaxosaurs (strangely also mecha-like, and stone-like at the same time) that would attack the domed cities that civilisation reside in. There are children, all having digits as their names, who are called “parasites” and able to pilot giant mecha known as “franxx”. Franxx must be piloted in a male / female pair, and they both must be perfectly in sync.
The plot follows Hiro, a boy who has no partner, and is deemed a failure. While the others graduate to become parasites, he still laments and hopes for his chance to pilot again. Fate allows him to encounter Zero Two, a girl with horns that is rumored to be the “partner killer”, all her partners do not survive past three pilots. They immediately hit it off and are compatible, showing off their potential in the franxx.
The anime starts off strong, with an intriguing setting, and slowly sorting through the confusing worldbuilding, so that the viewer gets a better idea of what’s happening. However, one thing that stands out are all the sexual innuendoes, from the way the male pilots the female in the franxx, to the more obvious flirting between Hiro and Zero Two, it can be a step too far. The setting slowly becomes clearer. This is a post-apocalyptic world, there are giant cities beneath the dome, and yet the protagonists, whom are all children, only has access to the surface facilities. All they know is how to pilot franxx, and they are inexperienced in everything else, from relationships to even what a kiss is.
Hiro’s peers are competitive, of the bad kind. They’re always wanting to outcompete each other and prove that they’re the best, by pushing down and belittling Hiro, which can be annoying to watch. On the flip side, Zero Two is extremely attached to Hiro, and the way she immediately settles to call him “darling” can be melodramatic. The pacing dramatically slows down in the middle of the season. It spends a lot of episodes covering the backstories of several of the characters, although they’re not the most interesting. It tells it in such a way that it’s in pieces, and then in the next episode, builds on that, but can feel repetitive. It also uses this way of storytelling to slowly reveal the situation, where it constantly hints at how there is a cruel fate awaiting the children, while they have false hope.
While we know that Zero Two is unique and different, you won’t be expecting the real truth. Unfortunately, along with the other stuff, this bogs down the anime as the tone changes and feels a lot more depressing compared to the beginning. It’s like the opening was a false promise, and now we are getting to what the anime really is, which can be too oppressive, like a heavy weight constantly on the characters’ shoulders. The flashy battles, adrenaline filled battle cries, and the colorful animation, all starts to slowly be replaced with muted colors and serious undertones.
The pacing is very uneven, especially when it shifts focus. While the underlying relationship of the team is intriguing, especially their team dynamic and how they fit in within the grand scheme of things (since they’re obviously being manipulated), it’s not done in an engaging way. Rather, it will eventually shift to the romantic relationships of the characters, into more of a coming-of-age type of story. This doesn’t suit the theme it had built up until this moment, so it can come off at generic and out of place.
The final section of the anime is a massive exposition dump as it proceeds to rapidly reveal the truth about everything. From what happened to the world to get to this point, to the origins of the klaxosaurs, and of course, the current mysterious human civilisation that is the result of everything that has happened. Usually when this happens, it is supposed to be satisfying. However, when this anime does it, it’s not that it’s unsatisfying, but rather, it just feels really messy. It’s like they had three distinct ideas and then forcibly mashed them together and this is what we get.
Even after the big reveal and the big battle, there are still a few episodes left, so it proceeds to continue on. It expands its scope, and it doesn’t feel like there will be enough time to close off everything it had started, yet it still dawdles along, getting distracted. Granted, it wants to show more of the personal side of things, but it’s just not done very well, and there is a lot of forced plot developments that doesn’t necessarily make the most sense or logic. The ending is quite predictable, and it’s still messy, but that doesn’t mean it lacks impact. Of course, it goes for the happy ending, and due to all the focus on the character relationships for most of the season, this is where it all pays off when you find out each of the characters’ fates and their future, and it’s sweet.
Overall, Darling in the Franxx is an uneven anime. It starts off strong, but then discards what made it interesting, devolving with a messy plot. The storytelling that focuses around the characters’ come-of-age is not inherently a bad thing, but was not done well here, breaking a lot of the pacing. The big reveal towards the end is supposed to be one of excitement and wonder but feels shoehorned in the end. The second half of the anime is completely unrecognizable in tone and content when compared to the beginning. It’s far from bad but could have really done with a lot more polish and thought into its plot development.
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