Anyway getting that out of the way, let me be clear, this anime is straight up depression, it is on the level of Kimi no Suizou wo Tabetai but a bit worse.
Story 9/10
It is sci-fi and people will not really understand some things at the start, in addition various important aspects of the story will not be presented until late in the show, the story as i have seen seen is not very original, but when a new viewer watches it he wouldn't know so it does not really affect, frankly i don't see any bad in series copying others and only taking the best parts, but that is my point of view i guess. The whole thing is really connected like the title, the color of the two XX's, the "darling", you will get it when you finish it.
Audio 10/10
The opening theme song is really good and the intro itself was not that bad ,but it does not play a huge role in the series so i won't be taking that into a count. Plus, the voice actors were actually pretty great, except a part of Zero Two saying "darling" too much but you will get used to it.
Characters 9/10
We can see a lot of character development, each character is given at least a bit of backstory and past struggles. Although, Hiro didn't have that much development but that is discussable. Really loved the characters and even some of the supporting ones.
Animation/Effects 8/10
They were undisputedly enjoyable but there were not a 10, like Kimi no wawa or Weathering with you, pretty consistent, overall good can't hate or rely on animation too much when watching a show.
Enjoyment 10/10
I really didn't have a hard time watching, kept me excited throughout the episodes, no filler (expected in a 24 episode series), you could argue that the audio is too loud, but only the fights were a problem (personal opinion).
Overall 10/10
I know that the numbers don't add up to 10 but even if they don't when you feel that it deserves it you can do as you please, because it about your personal experience and enjoyment of the anime not others, don't get me wrong i think reviews are great but only in part of judging animation, audio and story. What matters is what you like and i really damned liked it. It is bugging me seeing people giving a 1 and scaring people off, the "plot was copied" "parts were stolen" arguments are stupid in my opinion, some people haven't watched the same anime as you.
Darling in the FranXX is really underappreciated, i am no expert but i can surely tell you if you are a "casual" like me, you will enjoy it, it opens up to variety of watchers. If I wanna leave you with something, it is, don't be afraid of trying something, it will do no harm, it is not a crime to drop a series, just try it out.
