English Dub Review: Darling in the FranXX “Inhumanity”

Humanity’s past mistakes are illuminated on a flashback-heavy episode of Darling in the FranXX.

Overview (Spoilers Below):

With only a few episodes left in the show, Darling in the FranXX finally gets around to filling in its backstory on the 19th episode. We learn about Doctor Frank and what led to his creation of the FranXX. The Klaxosaur’s trigger for rising to the surface of Earth also becomes clear, as well as their princesses thirst for vengeance. The episode concludes with a lackluster confrontation between Squad 13 and ‘Papa’, which ends with the APE officials promising Hiro to set the squad free after they complete the next mission.

Our Take:

Oh boy. After almost two seasons of Darling in the FranXX, we finally know the complete backstory of APE, Doctor Frank, and the Klaxosaurs. Told in a series of flashbacks narrated by the Doctor interspersed with Squad 13 and their struggle to return Kokoro and Mitsuru to normal, Inhumanity is probably going to go down as the heaviest ‘lore’ episode in the series. To be honest, it was actually more enjoyable than what it sounds like here.  Sure, there was plenty of slow-paced exposition, but the show has left enough mysterious hidden to allow for multiple reveals this week.

When the flashbacks started and Dr. Frank’s voice took over, I was mentally prepared to hate this episode. From what we’ve seen so far, Werner Frank is a nasty old man with no redeeming qualities whatsoever besides his (admittedly very smart) brain. And it is true that I found it hard to care about his life story, which we basically follow throughout each flashback/memory. Even the show doesn’t seem to want to make him admirable in the least, making it very clear that he’s an ‘atheist’ who has no time for human love or connection. This is pretty typical, boring stuff in terms of scientist backstory, but I did enjoy seeing his meager attempt at wooing fellow researcher Karina Milsa. Despite their relationship being totally bare-boned, her VA did a great job humanizing a character with very little screentime. (At least that dinner date was hilarious!) However, not even her wish to start a family can distract Dr. Frank from his goals, and she eventually perishes as one of the first test subjects for the FranXX machines. (What the hell did she ever see in him?!)

The scenes in the present with Squad 13 aren’t as interesting, mainly because they don’t really show or tell us anything we don’t already know. Everyone is bummed out about Kokoro and Mitsuru, but we already saw that at the end of last week’s episode. (It doesn’t help that the show does not transition gracefully between these segments and the flashbacks, just jumping back and forth without much reason or rhyme.) For all their power, APE sure seem like a bunch of idiots. Why put the two brain-wiped kids back on the same team, knowing their friends would try and remind them of their connection? They even are allowed to keep their wedding rings?! Either APE is angling for some unknown goal, or they’re completely clueless. After sitting through several dull moments between the Parasites, I was ready for a full-on dramatic confrontation with Papa. Well… I felt pretty let down. The scene is mostly underwhelming, aside from Zorome’s very nice development getting shown off. How did Hiro and co. even get in the room? Can anyone just walk in and speak to APE? Do they grant requests from the kids often?

Inhumanity kept my attention, but not by much. Though the show is finally letting viewers in on its secrets, the telling is done through fairly monotonous monologuing exposition and basic storytelling tropes like the loveless scientist. For such a nice looking show, Darling in the FranXX has been a mess in pretty much every other area. Oh well – who’s ready to see some gender-fluid atheists defeated by a bunch of kids engaging in the sacred ceremony of traditional marriage in the finale?