English Dub Review: Darling in the FranXX “Eden”

Kokoro wants to create new life in the new episode of Darling in the FranXX.

Overview (Spoilers Below):

They’ve lived on their own for over a month now, and the Parasites of squad 13 seem to have settled into a comfortable pattern. The chore wheel keeps things neat and orderly while still giving everyone time to hang out on their own terms. When squad 9 shows up unexpectedly, saying they’ve been given orders from Papa, everyone is just grateful to hear they haven’t been completely forgotten. But when one of the guests snoops around Kokoro’s room and discovers her contraband book, things take a turn for the worse. No matter what the future holds for the Parasites, at least they’ll always be able to turn to each other.

Our Take:

This episode started out pretty refreshingly. Removed from the chaos of battle and the oversight of Nana and Hachi, the group is free to just enjoy each other’s company while strengthening their bonds as friends (and maybe more, in some cases), which has always been one of the parts of the show I enjoy most. I was very glad about Hiro and 02’s scene looking over childhood drawings together, because I think I can finally see some actual chemistry between them. Early in the show’s run, Hiro seemed to be blindly following in 02’s destructive footsteps for no real reason, and she didn’t even seem to like him that much. After several episodes of backstory, though, it’s clear that they share a deeper connection than what people originally assumed. And now, getting to watch them just chill out together is a nice moment indeed. With so much shared childhood trauma, I’m glad these two are forging a genuine human/Klaxosaur relationship. (Though Hiro may not be considered ‘human’ for much longer, after the reveal that his horns have began growing.)

Kokoro and Mitsuru’s relationship is also growing, and at a much faster speed than Hiro and 02’s did. They’ve been spending plenty of time together in the garden. I’m still not sure what to think about their dynamic. On one hand, it’s nice to see Kokoro come out of her shell and form a real connection with someone who isn’t Futoshi. On the other hand, this revelation blindsided me a little. Not only has the show hinted at Mitsuru not being into girls in that way, but I totally got more of a mother/son vibe from his interactions with Kokoro. (Especially with all the hair maintenance going on.) I’m still not sure I buy into them wanting to create a new life together. What I do like about these developments are how Kokoro is becoming such an integral part of the show. At the beginning, she seemed like a stereotypically meek and mild side character who wouldn’t receive much attention. As time has gone along, though, she’s been given more to do, and now appears to be commanding a central focus for the final arc of the series.

Speaking of the final arc, it’s finally becoming clear who the real villains of the series are, and what they’ve worked to accomplish. (Well, maybe not completely clear. The show is still a murky mess when it comes to what it is ultimately trying to say to viewers.) Papa has, apparently, allowed humanity to ‘evolve’ to the point where they do not need distinct genders, complicated emotions, or physical genitalia. Except many people still do exhibit emotions, and you can’t pilot a FranXX without a boy/girl pairing? I’m not really looking forward to learning more about all this, but at least the show always looks good enough to ignore my misgivings about where things are going thematically.

Darling had a great week in terms of the dubbed version. Everyone was at their typical level of excellence, but Jeannie Tirado’s performance as Kokoro blew me away. The scene where Mitsuru finds her crying, alone in her dark room, was perfectly executed. With such a pivotal moment for Kokoro, and the show, Tirado really brings her all to the scene. Delivering dialogue while crying is difficult to do in a natural, emotive way, but she pulled it off beautifully.