English Dub Series Review: Darling in the FranXX

Darling in the FranXX is a good-looking, action-packed series that never manages to rise above genre expectations.

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Set sometime in the distant future, Darling in the FranXX follows the lives of a group of kids (called ‘Parasites’) and their struggle to survive in a dystopian world where love is unheard of and feelings are forbidden.

Raised solely for the purpose of piloting giant mechs called ‘FranXX’, the Parasites live normal lives until a mysteriously magnetic girl – with horns – arrives on the scene. Hiro, the main character, meets her bathing in the river and is instantly captivated. Their relationship forms the main backbone of the show, and is one of the better storylines that run through it.

As the squad members begin to question their elders and learn about love, they also take part in epic battles against creatures called Klaxosaurs. But when they learn the truth about where their giant enemies came from, it leads them down a journey that doesn’t stop until they’ve changed their entire world.

Our Take:

Darling in the FranXX was one of the most anticipated shows in recent memory. Coming from the combined power and legacy of Studio Trigger and A-1 Pictures, expectations were high even before the first preview had dropped. Trigger has been responsible for anime classics such as Kill La Kill and Little Witch Academia, while A-1 Pictures has been attached to shows including ERASED and Anohana. The two of them collaborated together to produce Darling in the FranXX.

You might expect something groundbreaking or astonishingly original from these animation powerhouses, but unfortunately, the show is sorely lacking when it comes to the actual plot points. That’s not to say that nothing ever happens. There are several major twists and lots of your standard space battles and inspiring monologues. The problem is that the show’s crew never manage to combine all the story beats into a cohesive whole that hangs together well. Some of the story choices come out of nowhere, and many of the ones that are given proper lead-up are blindingly obvious tropes that we’ve seen again and again. No, I wouldn’t look to Darling in the FranXX for complicated character motivations or a plot in-depth enough to theorize about.

Luckily, the characters themselves are pretty good. Hiro gives off a first impression of being a standardly bland anime protagonist (his name literally sounds like ‘Hero’), but the show gives him enough depth to make him seem real and allow us to root for him and his relationship with 02. As a character, 02 herself is more of an enigma. Everything about her is tailor-made to make her a popular character. From her pink hair to her adorable horns, she’s one of the coolest-looking cast members – and runs close to being a prime example of the manic pixie dream girl trope. Story-wise, she doesn’t get a whole lot to do, unfortunately. After her romance plot with Hiro is mostly resolved, she gets a bit of backstory, but it isn’t really explored fully and we don’t get to see inside her head very much. The other characters are all well-designed and distinctive enough to give them their own personalities. Ichigo is a personal favorite, mostly because she looks just like Cocona from the criminally under-watched 2016 show Flip Flappers.

When it comes to the production values, Darling in the FranXX is somewhat of a mixed bag. Not unexpectedly, the first handful of episodes stands out for being very well animated and composed with lots of interesting shot compositions. The rest of the show can look a little shaky in certain episodes, but apart from several boringly staged battles, the direction is definitely competent and the show certainly has a unique visual identity with lots of bold colors and good-looking character designs. The music is fine, but only has a few themes/motifs I could pick out. There are two opening theme songs, and neither one is exceptionally memorable.

A show can sink or swim due to the dubbing, and for the most part, Darling in the FranXX is given a very respectable dub led by veteran Funimation director Clifford Chapin. Matt Chapman and Tia Ballard voice the main duo of Hiro and 02, and bring a lot of pathos to their relationship. The cast is rounded out by tons of other excellent performances, like Brittany Lauda as Ichigo, Ryan Reynolds as Zorome, and Jeanne Tirado as Kokoro.

Darling in the FranXX is a show that was ultimately doomed by the high expectations everyone had going into it. With names like Trigger and A-1 Pictures attached to it, fans hoped for more than tired Evangelion references and a boring conformation to traditional gender roles and science fiction tropes. The series may look and sound nice, thanks to solid production values and a well-made dub, but I don’t think I would recommend it unless you know what you’re getting into before you start.