The darling in the FRANXX. It seems like no matter where we look this show keeps popping up and making its existence known. So, after seeing enough gifs to intrigue and confuse us, we decided to give it a try.
Initial impressions: It piques your curiosity and gives you just enough information to set a solid foundation for the characters.
This a mecha type anime, so we have people inside machines to fight monsters. That’s the basic gist of the first episode. The unique spin we get with this anime is that the pilots of these machines, known as FRANXX, are always male and female partners. They connect this to some unique bird in the anime that only has one wing. That part was a little… overkill? I understand the “deeper” connection and foreshadowing was trying to be made, but I wasn’t feeling it.
The two people who reference this bird are Hiro and 002. Long story short — Hiro has no talent at all and basically got kicked out of (we’ll call it an academy for now because I’m not sure what it is yet) the academy, while 002 is super powerful and known as the partner killer (because whoever pilots with her dies). They meet under unsavory circumstances, 002 says she likes him, disaster strikes, they end up piloting together.
The FRANXX turns into a fighting maiden when the people inside are really in sync and that’s what happens with Hiro and 002. It’s pretty cool to watch. The animation is good and the characters are introduced in such a way that we can see what type of role they will play in the future without it being an annoyance or detraction from the main story or main characters. I think 002’s character seems interesting, but I’m not really thrilled about Hiro as a character. After watching Ancient Magus’ Bride, I’m not too excited to watch another show with a self-deprecating main character.
The only thing I just didn’t like at all was how belabored the meaning behind the title was. After a while, it was kind of like, “okay, we get it!” He is her darling. They are inside the FRANXX. They are the birds with one wing who have to depend on each other. Symbolism received. Title understood. Let’s move on now.
Other than that though, the show seems like it will be pretty decent. We’ll probably watch some more of it, but a decision hasn’t been made yet. If you have an opinion on it and think it’s worth a watch (or not) let us know. We’d love to hear some of your thoughts about The Darling in the FRANXX.
The Otaku Couple
I'd Rather Anime 