An amazing show that’s easily misunderstood.

Pretextor said:
poopy fart penis.

-Kokomi- said:
It's amazing to me that you can still be positive after all the negativity in this thread. I would be crushed by this. Maybe I'm too sensitive. Either way, it's impressive.

MindlessWalker said:
you're mistaken if you think people will be willing to talk in depth about a show as widely hated as franxx, plus franxx is just an nge ripoff that appeals more to casuals for lack of a better term

Monochrosanity said:
It’s definitely not as bad as people say, but I wouldn’t go around saying haters missed the point of the show. The themes aren’t exactly super hard to grasp or told with nuance. The small amounts of visual imagery used never really goes beyond symbolising general themes, which is a shame as it wouldn’t have been too hard to expand upon what was there to build more complex analogies.

LordKirkis said:

Calling out haters is not the point of this thread, the point of this thread is to bring clarity, to announce my enjoyment and respect for this series.

Monochrosanity said:
I’m glad you loved the show and that it left a real and meaningful impact on you. I can really relate to that sentiment as my favourite anime, Utena, is incredibly important to me as well. I’m glad that you’re encouraging others who might be in the fence to give your favourite anime a try, hell all I do on mal is just shitpost about my favs lol.



The main reason for my post being rather dismissive is due to how you worded your original post.

Again, sharing your love for something is great and should be encouraged. But saying things like “viewers can't appreciate what's actually being presented to them” and “it isn't sad or bad at all; you simply missed the point” does make your post come off rather condescending and only pushes potential viewers away. It rubs a lot of people the wrong way.

Sorry that I misunderstood what you were trying to say, I’m assuming you meant well and were just frustrated with the constant negativity thrown at DITF.

MindlessWalker said:
you're mistaken if you think people will be willing to talk in depth about a show as widely hated as franxx, plus franxx is just an nge ripoff that appeals more to casuals for lack of a better term

Monochrosanity said:
I’m glad you loved the show and that it left a real and meaningful impact on you. I can really relate to that sentiment as my favourite anime, Utena, is incredibly important to me as well. I’m glad that you’re encouraging others who might be in the fence to give your favourite anime a try, hell all I do on mal is just shitpost about my favs lol..

Niko1987 said:
The show was a masterpiece leading up to the last few episodes, then it dropped to an 8/10 for me just cause of them. The ending was just abysmal honestly

Hussein- said:
Bruh not to be rude but aint no way someone is gonna read all of that.
Imo the show was ok nothing special about it.

Littletenshii said:

I did actually read everything👍👍
It was quite interesting tbh

LordKirkis said:
Darling in the Franxx is an amazing show, but many likely missed the point. Darling in the Franxx gets flak and a lower score because viewers can't appreciate what's actually being presented to them. A lot of the shows symbolism and expressions are lost on them primarily because they come into the show expecting your typical B-Rate action-filled shounen. Darling in the Franxx is a lot greater than that considering the sum of its parts. There are layers to Darling in the Franxx that needs to be explored.

On the surface Darling in the Franxx features child drama and mech fights blended in to a balance. In the span of 24 episodes viewers can appreciate a medley of interesting scenarios; child drama, mech battles, aliens, sexual innuendos, beach episodes, dystopian worlds, torture, mad scientist, creepy adults, bedtime story books, and purposeful plot/character revelations. This is all fantastic sure, but the show truly soars when all of these things are framed by its primary themes/ideas and then encapsulated in the shows primary focus; the characters Hiro & Zero Two. Through these two characters, and their stories everything is framed to greater detail and perspective. Therein lies the genius and enjoyment of Darling in the Franxx as a whole.

Its a bummer when I see folks complaining about the surface level things in the show while completely overlooking much of its carefully crafted details and ideas. Still its to be expected... not everyone is going to understand things or connect to the degree the showrunners and artist hope viewers do.

Speaking of which the ending.. it isn't sad or bad at all; you simply missed the point. Zero Two wanted one thing more than anything in her life, and that was to be with Hiro which she was granted for all eternity, and even past life after death. Hell she even gets to be human and have babies with her love eternal, Hiro. If that's not a good ending to you then I don't know how else to explain it.

-------------------------------------------------EDIT---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some folks wanted some specific reasons why I loved this show... so here it is.

To give specifics about things I loved about the show...

-Watching Hiro and Zero Two finally find each other and spend precious time together was particularly heartwarming to me, because I really believe these characters went through a lot of unwarranted hell, particularly Zero Two who was as pure and in need of a lot of love as any princess character.

-The OST was absolutely fantastic as were the visual, I think most can agree here. "Hitori" played during the intro to the picture book was sung by the voice actor of Zero Two. How amazing is that? And what beautiful song and vocal work it is!

-As I've mention the OST is absolutely fantastic, as a matter of fact I enjoyed them so much I was able to connect to even characters with very limited supporting roles, which was basically everyone but Hiro & Zero Two. I can probably pick out 7-10 favorites and talk in detail about their vocal works, the instruments employed, the emotion they impart and the story they tell. This might sound absurd, but I am dead serious. I really love music in shows and video games that tell a story and impart emotion. The composer for Darling in the Franx; Asami Tachibana achieved this to fantastic results!

-I love some of the inspirations from classics this show employs; Neon Genesis Evangelion (although several Key Gainax members worked on Darling in the Franxx so that might be why.) and classics like Beauty & the Beast. (picture book)

-Zero Two and her first beautiful thing being the picture book, a book that itself is highly detailed, intriguing to look at and despite being her first beautiful thing.. ironically forebodes of dark times to inevitably come. The "dark times" did indeed come and most people hated it. In truth though they did not come to pass entirely because in actuality Zero Two and Hiro did manage to change their destiny and live happily ever after despite the picture books dark foreboding. This was actually represented by the last picture which was badly drawn by Hiro (he just isn't a great an artist as Zero Two unfortunately :) ).

-I loved the representation of the mythical creature the Jian and how that mythical creature related to the characters and their life as Franxx pilots. Its relevance made a lot of sense thematically and was very endearing.

-Besides the Jian there is a lot of other symbolic things to pick out that relates to the characters and the plot that follows;

-"Strelizia in reference to the flower Bird of Paradise. The flower symbolizes freedom, joy, and paradise. It also represents a good perspective of life."

-The design of the True Apus, its crossing to the far reaches of space and what that meant was profound because it meant a variety of things; a lot of it depressingly sad, a lot of it being quite beautiful.. to the point of confusion. You are basically left wondering weather to root for them or to cry for them. One thing is for sure; Hiro and Zero Two were very certain of what they needed to do and that gave me plenty of reassurance. In the end I was happy about how strongly they loved each other, their friends and the universe as a whole which they did manage to save.

-I found the innocence, love, pain, and struggle the characters experienced very impactful... particularly Zero Two, and Hiro's who's pain resonated with something in me. It all came off very real.

-------------------------------------------------2ndEDIT---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For anyone who it may concern;

I am more of a video game buff. I pay particular attention to the narrative parts of video games, character design, graphic design, animation detail, gameplay mechanics, sound design and the composition of the games tracks are all highly considered. All this translates pretty well into my enjoyment of anime too. I've played nearly every game worth mentioning under the sun and I am very proud of it. Some folks believe games cant tell a story, or move you emotionally as a show or a movie can. This is false and very ignorant... games can do the same and sometimes to a greater degree. See "13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim" if you haven't already. You haven't? well hell you don't know what you are missing!

-------------------------------------------------3rdEDIT---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just bought the Blu ray of Neon Genesis Evangelion from Amazon.com. Too many times brought up and now its time to watch it. Sub of course. And no one even try to convince me otherwise. Please. <_<

-------------------------------------------------4thEDIT---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A couple of things I should add about me so as to temper expectations when engaging me and this thread. I don't particularly like or enjoy Shonen; I can't find myself appreciating them as they are generally too long and I quickly grew out of them after DBZ. If you whole heartedly enjoy Shonen that's great, but you will likely find this post and me deplorable. Just an observation, and maybe some of you will better see where I stand in terms of my expectations for anime. I also don't generally enjoy dubs.

-------------------------------------------------5thEDIT---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posting a very eye opening interview with the 3 key guys who developed the show. Please indulge and read to have a better insight into what Darling in the Fraxx truly is;

https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-feature/2018/10/05-1/interview-darling-in-the-franxx-creators-talk-franxx-trigger-and-zero-two

Some answer highlights!;

“Nishigori: With most of the other characters we thought about how much we could take away from them without compromising their core design, but with Zero Two the idea was to just toss everything in and keep adding until we reach critical mass and can’t add anymore.”

“How about True Apus? Was that more of a Tanaka or Koyama design?

Nishigori: One of the first concepts we had was that Zero Two would become a giant robot in the end. We had a lot of meetings with Koyama-san and had to think about how we would bring her back from the final battle. I mean, she’s a giant robot. It was kind of weird to leave that as the final form, so we thought “why don’t we create a form which is her most beautiful form?” and that’s how she ended up wearing the wedding gown. She couldn’t turn into a human in the end, but she was still in the most beautiful state she could be, so it was more of a design concept”

LordKirkis said:
Darling in the Franxx is an amazing show, but many likely missed the point. Darling in the Franxx gets flak and a lower score because viewers can't appreciate what's actually being presented to them. A lot of the shows symbolism and expressions are lost on them primarily because they come into the show expecting your typical B-Rate action-filled shounen. Darling in the Franxx is a lot greater than that considering the sum of its parts. There are layers to Darling in the Franxx that needs to be explored.

On the surface Darling in the Franxx features child drama and mech fights blended in to a balance. In the span of 24 episodes viewers can appreciate a medley of interesting scenarios; child drama, mech battles, aliens, sexual innuendos, beach episodes, dystopian worlds, torture, mad scientist, creepy adults, bedtime story books, and purposeful plot/character revelations. This is all fantastic sure, but the show truly soars when all of these things are framed by its primary themes/ideas and then encapsulated in the shows primary focus; the characters Hiro & Zero Two. Through these two characters, and their stories everything is framed to greater detail and perspective. Therein lies the genius and enjoyment of Darling in the Franxx as a whole.

Its a bummer when I see folks complaining about the surface level things in the show while completely overlooking much of its carefully crafted details and ideas. Still its to be expected... not everyone is going to understand things or connect to the degree the showrunners and artist hope viewers do.

Speaking of which the ending.. it isn't sad or bad at all; you simply missed the point. Zero Two wanted one thing more than anything in her life, and that was to be with Hiro which she was granted for all eternity, and even past life after death. Hell she even gets to be human and have babies with her love eternal, Hiro. If that's not a good ending to you then I don't know how else to explain it.

-------------------------------------------------EDIT---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some folks wanted some specific reasons why I loved this show... so here it is.

To give specifics about things I loved about the show...

-Watching Hiro and Zero Two finally find each other and spend precious time together was particularly heartwarming to me, because I really believe these characters went through a lot of unwarranted hell, particularly Zero Two who was as pure and in need of a lot of love as any princess character.

-The OST was absolutely fantastic as were the visual, I think most can agree here. "Hitori" played during the intro to the picture book was sung by the voice actor of Zero Two. How amazing is that? And what beautiful song and vocal work it is!

-As I've mention the OST is absolutely fantastic, as a matter of fact I enjoyed them so much I was able to connect to even characters with very limited supporting roles, which was basically everyone but Hiro & Zero Two. I can probably pick out 7-10 favorites and talk in detail about their vocal works, the instruments employed, the emotion they impart and the story they tell. This might sound absurd, but I am dead serious. I really love music in shows and video games that tell a story and impart emotion. The composer for Darling in the Franx; Asami Tachibana achieved this to fantastic results!

-I love some of the inspirations from classics this show employs; Neon Genesis Evangelion (although several Key Gainax members worked on Darling in the Franxx so that might be why.) and classics like Beauty & the Beast. (picture book)

-Zero Two and her first beautiful thing being the picture book, a book that itself is highly detailed, intriguing to look at and despite being her first beautiful thing.. ironically forebodes of dark times to inevitably come. The "dark times" did indeed come and most people hated it. In truth though they did not come to pass entirely because in actuality Zero Two and Hiro did manage to change their destiny and live happily ever after despite the picture books dark foreboding. This was actually represented by the last picture which was badly drawn by Hiro (he just isn't a great an artist as Zero Two unfortunately :) ).

-I loved the representation of the mythical creature the Jian and how that mythical creature related to the characters and their life as Franxx pilots. Its relevance made a lot of sense thematically and was very endearing.

-Besides the Jian there is a lot of other symbolic things to pick out that relates to the characters and the plot that follows;

-"Strelizia in reference to the flower Bird of Paradise. The flower symbolizes freedom, joy, and paradise. It also represents a good perspective of life."

-The design of the True Apus, its crossing to the far reaches of space and what that meant was profound because it meant a variety of things; a lot of it depressingly sad, a lot of it being quite beautiful.. to the point of confusion. You are basically left wondering weather to root for them or to cry for them. One thing is for sure; Hiro and Zero Two were very certain of what they needed to do and that gave me plenty of reassurance. In the end I was happy about how strongly they loved each other, their friends and the universe as a whole which they did manage to save.

-I found the innocence, love, pain, and struggle the characters experienced very impactful... particularly Zero Two, and Hiro's who's pain resonated with something in me. It all came off very real.

-------------------------------------------------2ndEDIT---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For anyone who it may concern;

I am more of a video game buff. I pay particular attention to the narrative parts of video games, character design, graphic design, animation detail, gameplay mechanics, sound design and the composition of the games tracks are all highly considered. All this translates pretty well into my enjoyment of anime too. I've played nearly every game worth mentioning under the sun and I am very proud of it. Some folks believe games cant tell a story, or move you emotionally as a show or a movie can. This is false and very ignorant... games can do the same and sometimes to a greater degree. See "13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim" if you haven't already. You haven't? well hell you don't know what you are missing!

-------------------------------------------------3rdEDIT---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just bought the Blu ray of Neon Genesis Evangelion from Amazon.com. Too many times brought up and now its time to watch it. Sub of course. And no one even try to convince me otherwise. Please. <_<

-------------------------------------------------4thEDIT---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A couple of things I should add about me so as to temper expectations when engaging me and this thread. I don't particularly like or enjoy Shonen; I can't find myself appreciating them as they are generally too long and I quickly grew out of them after DBZ. If you whole heartedly enjoy Shonen that's great, but you will likely find this post and me deplorable. Just an observation, and maybe some of you will better see where I stand in terms of my expectations for anime. I also don't generally enjoy dubs.

-------------------------------------------------5thEDIT---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posting a very eye opening interview with the 3 key guys who developed the show. Please indulge and read to have a better insight into what Darling in the Fraxx truly is;

https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-feature/2018/10/05-1/interview-darling-in-the-franxx-creators-talk-franxx-trigger-and-zero-two

Some answer highlights!;

“Nishigori: With most of the other characters we thought about how much we could take away from them without compromising their core design, but with Zero Two the idea was to just toss everything in and keep adding until we reach critical mass and can’t add anymore.”

“How about True Apus? Was that more of a Tanaka or Koyama design?

Nishigori: One of the first concepts we had was that Zero Two would become a giant robot in the end. We had a lot of meetings with Koyama-san and had to think about how we would bring her back from the final battle. I mean, she’s a giant robot. It was kind of weird to leave that as the final form, so we thought “why don’t we create a form which is her most beautiful form?” and that’s how she ended up wearing the wedding gown. She couldn’t turn into a human in the end, but she was still in the most beautiful state she could be, so it was more of a design concept”

AsuxAX said:
ah... such interesting scenario, bedtime stories, definitely love them.

LordKirkis said:


Absolutely loved the idea of the picture book and the role it plays in this Scifi story. It was unexpected, and I appreciated so much how beautifully it was used in this story.

AsuxAX said:

My reply was supposed to be sarcasm lmao.

jarrific said:
This show is so bad I had to write a review on it.
https://myanimelist.net/reviews.php?id=371071

ibm30rpg said:
Typical elitist argument where if the vast crowd goes against you, your reaction is to simply rebuff them as misinformed. Seriously look at yourself in the mirror.