--In a nutshell: This show is really good most of the way up with a slightly weak finish, which was a bit of a shame. On the plus, at least it does end and wraps itself up - (which is more than I can say of many anime nowadays).--
Original Review with edits underneath:
What do you get if you mix a whole lot of Evangelion, a decent amount of Elfen Leid and just a pinch of Mirai Nikki? You get Darling in the FranXX.
This review is spoiler free, and aimed at those contemplating whether or not to watch the series.
[THEMES/STORY]:
"Jian, also known as 'the bird who shares wings', only possess one wing. Unless a male and female pair lean on each other and act as one, they're incapable of flight" - Ep 1.
This show is a little like Madoka Magica in that you will miss out on the gold if you judge too quickly, because the show is not what it seems on the surface. As such you can see that reflected in the top reviews, most done after only 6 or so episodes. Don't take notice of these.
The show starts off feeling very much like a Neon Genesis Evangelion clone. There were so many similarities that I found myself judging it and putting it in that box very early on. As the episodes progress, you find that whilst there are some similar themes, it is in a way its antithesis. Without giving much away, where Neon Genesis focuses it's themes on depression and increasing isolation from all others, FranXX does present the theme of isolation - but shows the journey of coming to increasingly rely on others and the growth of deep bonds.
This is a show about trust. Who should we trust? Who do we let in? Should we trust the world we were fed, or should we go out and explore our own truth? We follow a group of teenagers, clearly manipulated, lied to and shielded from basic truths of the world - as they grow to understand each other and the world around them.
This show is also romance heavy, in fact - this really becomes the centre piece of the show.
If this anime has a great ending, I would consider putting this score up to a 9, or possibly higher. I am giving it some room as it remains to be seen if this will turn out to be a classic, or will run out of steam.
EDIT AFTER COMPLETION: The main let down of this series is its ending. As said above, it could be forgiven for a misleading beginning (for reasons mentioned above). But ending in a slightly weak manner let this series down, and downgrades the series from being a classic to being just a decent showing
[ART]:
Very good. Good battle scenes, good character design. Not the best of the season but very appropriate and well done for this genre.
[SOUND]:
There are some really good tracks here. At key emotional moments (particularly sections of ep. 13-15) the music is brilliant. Good voice acting and sound effects. Very well done and fitting overall.
[CHARACTER]:
There is great variety of cast here, most of which have quite decent and deep development. There are many layers to their conflicting relationships, love triangles (but not in a harem way), many flashbacks and the like. The characters, along with the themes of the shows, are its strongest suit. It must be said though that 002 is a bit of a blend of well known characters from other Anime I have mentioned above. She is a fairly unique Character in some ways, but also feels copied in others. This is pretty easy to get over, though.
EDIT AFTER COMPLETION: The character depth and development reaches its peak around eps 14-18 or so, after which the ending is a bit meh in terms of development. Still great characters, but wish this series brought it home more strongly.
[ENJOYMENT 7]
As I mentioned earlier, if this anime had a solid ending, I'll up my overall score to a 9. It has the feels of Eva, Mirrai and Elfen all in one Anime. And trust me, the feels get very real between episodes 12-15 particularly. Thought it was a standard Mech anime? Guess again. Do yourself a
favour and watch this anime.
EDIT AFTER COMPLETION: Ending was pretty lame after a great buildup, so it lowered my enjoyment from a 7 to 8, rather than holding or upping the score. The biggest letdown is the series built-up in such a manner that it seemed to be confident in where it would go, but the ending shows that it really didn't.
