Darling in the FranXX is my favorite anime and it will always be special to me because it was the anime that really helped my anime watching take off.
I watched essentially 4 anime prior not fully understanding the medium or watching with a purpose. Due the my personal emotional attachment to the series and the series's bittersweet ending, I began to crave more of the emotional satisfaction as well as some sort of personal conclusion to the rather heartbreaking ending. It's kinda ironic now because after watching several more emotional shows, I realize there isn't much of a way to satisfy a tearful ending to an anime except to watch more.
I am well aware that the anime has many flaws, especially how rushed the ending was and the unanswered major plot holes, but I owe almost my life to it. I was primarily playing video games before I got into anime and I was bored of it. The same old formula just replayed in different ways was getting boring. Most of all, I was struggling emotionally from depression and a lack of friends. I never went out to hang out, much less talk to anyone in school. I began to act up a little from what I believe was a want to feel. Anime brought me back. I began to reconnect with emotions I forgot I had and I realized sadness isn't always bad, cause everything needs to end and the bittersweet sadness is what makes life. Another thing to note is that no matter what ends in your life, anime is always there to go back and rewatch which I love. Hearing certain anime openings can bring me back to different times and I remember everything happening during my life at the time I watched that show.
It took some time but in real life, I found new friends as well. I connected with other anime watchers and we all started watching seasonal anime and discussing it every week. It gave me something to look forward to in life and frankly, it was the only social interaction I had. But it was enough, and I was glad for it.
I fully support Darling in the FranXX for multiple reasons. The animation style was just right for me with not much exaggerated and low-detail gag drawings. The soundtrack is by far my favorite, I have it all downloaded on my phone and computer. The characters were somewhat diverse and could have been used for a lot more if they extended the series. The storyline would have been great if it weren't for the abrupt explanation to everything. Episode 13, The Beast and the Prince, is by far my favorite episode of an anime ever. It gave much needed emotional attachment and depth to the two main characters. It was what boosted the anime so much more for me. This anime had the right mix of action, slice-of-life, drama, and romance for me. I even bought the DVD and I plan on purchasing the book (not the manga, I'm already reading that) as well.
To sum it up, Darling in the FranXX is the anime that started my anime watching and by doing that, it saved my life from emotional problems I was having at the time. |