English Dub Review: Darling in the FranXX “A New World”

A New World plunges the Parasites into their final mission – one that will require many sacrifices.

Overview (Spoilers Below):

The final mission for Squad 13 is upon them, and they’re going to be tested like never before. APE decides to sent Strelizia to take control of Star Entity, which is apparently a giant super-weapon that they’ve obtained from the Klaxosaurs. To their surprise and dismay, the princess of the Klaxosaurs shows up and takes Hiro hostage (after gifting 02 with an extremely bloody injury). Little did anyone know, the APE overlords have rigged the weapon to self-destruct if piloted by the Princess… huh?!

Our Take:

The title of Darling in the FranXX’s twentieth episode is no joke – A New World really does seem to usher in a brand-new potential world for the show. With only a mere handful of episodes remaining, this is the beginning of the end, and the staff is going all out in their attempts to craft an explosively gigantic final arc. It’s too bad that in spite of all their efforts, I couldn’t help but feel bored throughout most of this week’s new episode.

It may just be a case of throwing too much at us at once. Not only are there a lot of new conflicts and plot points going on, but the episode makes sure to cram in practically every side character we’ve seen before. Papa, the Klaxosaur Princess, the rival squad of Parasites – they all show up to play roles of varying importance. I’m not saying that the show shouldn’t bring back characters from previous episodes, but when they do, there should be a solid reason for doing it. Whether in plot or character, I believe A New World would have benefited from settling down and focusing on a tighter storyline and smaller cast of characters. (This criticism might even apply to the entire series so far. FranXX wants to be about rebellion, robots, rogue scientists, and kids in the midst of sexual awakening. When these things aren’t integrated successfully, it can start to come across as a real slog.)

When it comes to the things in the old world, I’m a little uneasy. This may sound crazy, but it’s starting to look like Kokoro and Mitsuru may just become the first parents in eons. And I still don’t know what to think about this development. I’ve relayed my distaste for the whole ‘Kokoro/Mitsuru couple thing’ before, but now they’re going to have a kid? How old are they? How will Kokoro even get the medical attention she needs in Papa’s repressed and sexless futuristic dream world?

I was glad to see a sweet moment for Hiro and 02. In between the chaotic battles and strange social messages, Darling in the Franxx has managed to make me care about the relationship these two share. (The flashback episode helped a lot; baby 02 is still one of the cutest character designs I’ve seen in a while!)  Riding toward an uncertain future, their hope for freedom is made me all the more upset when their personal freedoms were intruded upon by the Klaxosaur Princess.

All in all, this episode hasn’t changed my opinion on the show. A New World definitely managed to throw in a few unexpected twists, but it did so in such a strangely haphazard way that I still felt bored watching it. (The uninspired combat sequences certainly didn’t help; full of telling how the Parasites had never faced a battle like this before instead of simply showing it.) At least nothing in this episode was actively terrible? A New World earns a ‘meh’ from me.