Darling in the FranXX

What does it take to be with the one you love? It could be straightforward depending on the time, place, and circumstances. But more often than not, it is challenging and complicated. We all have our own personal experiences and stories to tell.

Anime has a knack for conveying deeply emotional romances to audiences everywhere and leaving lasting effects. The thing is, some of us never expect certain titles to feature romances like no other, thanks to limited exposure to them. Below is one title that took the community by storm and left us all scarred….

Darling in the FranXX | DariFura | Pinnedupink.com

“DARLING in the FRANXX” was an odd title, and most wouldn't be able to guess its core genres from the name alone accurately. This TV Anime series spanned 24 episodes, within which it concluded from the 13th of January until the 7th of July in Winter 2018.

It was produced by Aniplex, Khara, Movic, Ultra Super Pictures, Lucent Pictures Entertainment, Tokyo MX, Nagoya Broadcasting Network, Asahi Broadcasting, BS11, Lawson, ABC Animation, and Rialto Entertainment, licensed by Funimation, and brought to life by Studios A-1 Pictures, Trigger, and CloverWorks.

The central staff behind it included Kamagata Eiichi, Fukushima Yuuichi, Wakabayashi Hiromi, and Kobayashi Hiroyasu as Producers. It featured the genres of Action, Drama, Romance, and Sci-Fi and had the core theme of Mecha. It received a rating of PG-13 for teenagers 13 years or older.

DARLING in the FRANXX is an Original series. Targeted at the Shonen demographic, this series was serialized in Shonen Jump+ and brought to life by Author Code:000 and Artist Yabuki Kentarou.

It spawned a manga series of the same title, also known as “DariFura,” which spanned 8 Volumes from the 14th of January 2018 until the 26th of January 2020.

The story of DarliFra is set in a distant and desolate future where humanity had already been driven into near-extinction by gigantic and destructive beasts termed “Klaxosaurs.” Forced to take refuge in massively built fortress cities called “Plantations,” the surviving humans engage in bitter combat for survival.

For this purpose, children who are selectively raised here are trained to pilot equally gigantic mecha robots termed “FranXX,” the only known weapons said to be effective against the Klaxosaurs.

Functioning in boy-girl pairs, these children are bred solely to pilot these war machines and don't know anything about the outside world. They can only prove their existence and be acknowledged by continuously defending their race until the bitter end…..

Male protagonist Hiro is a young and aspiring FranXX pilot, but he loses his motivation and self-confidence after failing an aptitude test for the FranXX.

While his friends indulge in the class's graduation ceremony, Hiro skips the occasion and retreats to a forest lake to wallow in his failure. But fate takes an unexpected turn as this is where he has a chance encounter with a mysterious young girl who has two horns growing out of her head.

She introduces herself to him by her codename “Zero Two”, the series' female protagonist. But Hiro recognizes this name as that of the infamous FranXX pilot known as the "Partner Killer," fearsomely famous for somehow killing all her male partners within the FranXX.

But before Hiro can even digest this odd encounter, their Plantation experiences a sudden Klaxosaur attack. Zero Two leaves and begins to engage the rampaging creature in her FranXX but gets severely damaged in the skirmish before crashing her unit next to the helpless Hiro.

Noticing that her current partner was also dead, Zero Two proceeds to invite the stunned Hiro to pilot the FranXX with her. Somehow, the duo easily defeats the Klaxosaur in the ensuing fight, and Hiro gets out of it alive. With a new and chaotic partner beside him, Hiro has been given yet another chance to redeem himself and overcome his past failures, but at what cost exactly?

This is a series about a group of kids who have had zero sex education, fighting against robotic monsters using similar Mechas. The main plotline is not vast or complicated, so the Anime fills in the gaps using melodramatic backstories, slice-of-life drama, and love triangles.

Studio Trigger did an incredible job of filling this series with epic symbolism and sexual references. In a sense, the main characters attempt to find their soulmates with whom they share the best body compatibility to pilot their own FranXX to its full potential.

As they spend their days battling these Klaxosaur by piloting their FranXX in pairs of two, with seemingly no end in sight, they slowly discover what romance is and the truth behind their world’s present state.

The pacing, narration, and world-building are pretty good, showing viewers that this world and system is full of ugly truths and grim secrets from the onset. One must brace themselves for the ending, though, for it hits hard and feels rushed.

DARLING in the FRANXX possesses ten characters around whom the story is built. Among them, three critically impact everything that happens: Hiro, Zero Two, and Ichigo. While the central trio is characterized and developed very well, the remaining cast feels like Supporting/Filler characters.

Zero Two is a girl with a troubled past and mysterious origin, seeking out the love of her life while mauling everything that gets in the way. Hiro is a seemingly ordinary guy seeking to do his part for humanity and save all his friends. Ichigo is there to complete the love triangle as the childhood friend and complicate things for the main romance.

While they have their drama, the rest fill in the remaining gaps of the series while making small contributions to the plot. They are pretty generic, but the highlight of this Anime is Zero Two herself, who is a unique, likable, and iconic character to this day.

DARLING in the FRANXX has great Art and Animation. While it’s not groundbreaking or revolutionary, it perfectly fits the series and enhances the watching experience.

The Character designs are decent but repeated, backgrounds are fine, colors are vivid, and they used a unique take on the Mecha designs. The battle animations and angles are superb, classic Trigger style, and smooth overall—nothing to complain about in this department.

The Sounds and Music of DARLING in the FRANXX are good. Once again, nothing praiseworthy, but they did a decent job enhancing the series and conveying the atmosphere. The OSTs are okay; they are not memorable but get the task done. The Opening Theme is "KISS OF DEATH" by Mika Nakashima x Hyde, which is the most notable aspect of this series in terms of audio.

It is memorable and sets a fantastic backdrop for the Anime from the onset. The Ending themes are "Torikago", “Manatsu no Setsuna," "Beautiful World", "Hitori,” "Escape," and "Darling" by XX:me (Kiss Me), performed by Haruka Tomatsu, Kana Ichinose, Nanami Yamashita, Saori Hayami, and Shizuka Ishigami. A few of these are mildly memorable and enjoyable, while the others only live during their runtime.

Overall, DARLING in the FRANXX leaves mixed impressions. While the enjoyment factor is highly dependent on the viewer, this series receives almost equal amounts of praise and criticism. This is justified because there are so many reasons to love and hate it simultaneously.

On the one hand, it is a clustered mess, a seasonal storm, and a trainwreck by the end. On the other hand, it is ridiculous enough (in classic Anime style) to be incredibly entertaining and iconic. If you’re watching this Anime, remember to be open-minded about the humor and just chill.

Be prepared to absorb the drama, cute, endearing, and happy moments, all the same, just the way they are. It is so iconic for weird reasons, but it works and will incite something in you! There are so many things wrong with it, but it is still good enough to have a good laugh.

The best way to enjoy it is to approach it as casually as possible, with a broad open mindset, and you can be assured that you will enjoy it. There is something for every type of viewer, whether you want to nitpick at its many faults or enjoy its simple beauties. In this regard, DarliFra is a highly recommended masterpiece that simply must not be missed.