GLIMPSE INTO: Darling in the FranXX | Love, Mechas and Monsters! [ENG/ESP]
Greetings, Hive! Here's DigitalDicast with a new post for The Anime Realm!
I want to share my experience with one of the most talked-about and controversial anime of recent times: "Darling in the FranXX." This anime has sparked mixed opinions in the community, and since several of my friends have been recommending it to me, I thought to myself, why not?
So, in this post, we'll explore every aspect from my point of view, from its confusing start to the characters and their motivations (a little spoiler, it left a bittersweet taste in my mouth). So, without further ado, let's get started with the post!
TECHNICAL DETAILS
- Author: Kentaro Yabuki
- Anime Genre: Shonen, Romance, Mechas, Comedy
- Animation Studio: Trigger x A-1 Pictures
- Total Number of Episodes (First and only season): 24
- First Airing: January 13, 2018
- Last Airing: July 7, 2018
- Status: Finished
- Legal Online Platforms to Watch the Anime: Crunchyroll
SYNOPSIS
In a distant future, humanity has created Plantation, a mobile fortress city built upon the ruins of the world where civilization has flourished. In the city, there are special barracks for pilots called Mistilteinn, although they are popularly known as "birdcages." That's where these kids live... without knowing anything about the outside world, never able to feel the vast sky. Their only mission in life was always to fight.
Before diving into the first section, it's essential to address a point that has been a topic of debate: the similarities between "Darling in the FranXX" and "Neon Genesis Evangelion." I won't delve into whether Darling in the FranXX copied Evangelion or not because I haven't even watched "Evangelion," and therefore, I can't make a precise comparison. But it's clear that other people have discussed how both series have similarities in their themes and structure, so maybe I'll make a post comparing the similarity between the two series later. Now, with that said, let's begin.
Initial Confusion: An Unresolved Puzzle
From the very first episode, "Darling in the FranXX" dragged me into a world full of mysteries and enigmas, and while having mystery in an anime can be interesting, this series took it to another level. In fact, this is the first time I've felt so lost from the beginning of a series.
The series kept the secrets behind the FranXX and the world it is set in hidden until episode 19. (Yes, you read that right, episode 19!) It felt like I had been thrown into the center of a maze without a map or compass, and it didn't feel good at all.
An example of how to start a series well by leaving questions unanswered is "Attack on Titan." From the beginning, it presents a solid and easy-to-understand world (bad titans, good humans) . Viewers get a clear understanding of the situation and the rules of the world from the early episodes. Although they don't tell us everything, they provide a foundation that makes the experience less confusing. This allows us to become more engaged in the story and emotionally connect with the characters and their struggles, especially when the series' significant plot twist is revealed.
In contrast, in "Darling in the FranXX," that doesn't happen. While they do something similar (good humans, bad klaxosaurs), they never explain how they arrived at that state, where the klaxosaurs come from, why the whole planet is deserted, etc. The only time I felt progress in the series was in the beach episode, where they discover what remained of civilization.
I don't think it would have been so hard to start with something like "Humanity started extracting energy years ago, which is said to be of alien origin, and suddenly the klaxosaurs appeared. We don't know why; from there on, we began to fight against them" to at least provide some context (although honestly, if they had done that, they would have had to change the pace of the series to a faster one).
But yes, I was constantly trying to guess what was happening and why. Sometimes, thanks to the confusion, I got bored and simply didn't want to watch the series anymore because I didn't understand anything. Undoubtedly, the lack of clarity was one of the most disappointing aspects of my experience with the series.
Moments of Enjoyment Amidst Uncertainty
Although there were parts of "Darling in the FranXX" that confused me, not everything was bad. In fact, there were moments when I really enjoyed the series.
The story of the experiments on the children, the emotional test team, and the concept of the garden fascinated me. These ideas added depth to the story, exploring complicated themes like who we are and how we relate in a troubled world.
Furthermore, when details about the characters' past and emotional connections were revealed, the story became more exciting and made me more interested in the main characters.
Despite the challenging parts and moments when I felt lost, these interesting moments (and the humorous ones too) were like small oases amidst the confusion, keeping me engaged with the story despite the issues.
Hiro and Zero Two: A Clear Contrast
Now, let's delve deeper into the central characters of "Darling in the FranXX": Hiro and Zero Two. These two characters play a crucial role in the plot, and their evolution throughout the series is worth analyzing.
Let's start with Hiro, our protagonist. At first, Hiro seems to be a typical protagonist we see in anime, as his personality lacks much depth.
As the series progresses, I expected to see a more significant change in his character. Unfortunately, Hiro remained the same from the beginning to the end of the series, resulting in him being a rather flat character from my point of view.
On the other hand, Zero Two, at first, was a character I didn't like when she made her first appearance. Her rebellious attitude and mysterious behavior made her seem distant and somewhat unapproachable, to be honest. However, as the story progressed, and we learned more about her past and reasons, my opinion of her began to change.
The evolution of her character throughout the series made her much more interesting and complex. Her story and her future relationship with the other characters added depth, and she eventually won me over as a viewer. She's an example of how the story can transform a character who initially seems like a stereotype into someone more human.
Positive Aspects of the Plot
Despite what I mentioned earlier, "Darling in the FranXX" has some good moments worth discussing in more detail. These moments stand out amidst the confusion and ups and downs of the series.
One of the highlights of the series was a shocking and well-executed plot twist that is revealed later in the story. The revelation that "Papa" was not who he seemed to be but rather a group of aliens with "malevolent" motivations.
This plot twist was not only surprising but also raised deep questions about human nature and the pursuit of happiness. It was a moment when the series challenged the viewer's expectations and added depth to its narrative.
Furthermore, although some secondary characters did not receive the same level of development as I would have liked, some of them stood out in the story. A notable example is Mitsuru, whose character development was especially convincing. Watching how he evolved and faced his own personal challenges made him an intriguing secondary character and enriched the dynamics of the FranXX pilot team.
There are other characters who also deserve mention for their great character development, such as Ichigo and Kokoro, for example, and although I would have wished for more characters to reach this level of depth, these examples of character development show that "Darling in the FranXX" had the potential to offer layered and nuanced stories, although it did not fully capitalize on it.
These positive moments not only improved the series but also made me reflect on its wasted potential. Despite the ups and downs, these flashes of brilliance demonstrate that there was a creative and profound attempt in the series that deserves recognition and appreciation.
Conclusion
In summary, "Darling in the FranXX" is an anime that has some interesting and good ideas, but it has problems at the beginning, most of the characters are not well developed, and the anime itself doesn't meet all the expectations I had. While it has its good points, I feel that the series didn't reach its full potential.
This is my opinion, and I believe that "Darling in the FranXX" could have been much better.
My final rating is: 4/10
What do you think of Darling in the Franxx? What rating would you give the anime? I'm eager to hear your thoughts, and without further ado, see you in the next post!
- Banners, dividers and subtitles made in canva by me
- Translated from DeepL
- All the screenshots were taken by me on Crunchyroll
- Original and unpublished article first published in Hive
- Avatar (DigitalDicast) created on Picrew page, page to create OC (original characters) my avatar was created in Russa's avatar creator
VERSI脫N EN ESPA脩OL
隆Saludos, Hive! 隆Aqu铆 DigitalDicast con un nuevo post para The Anime Realm!
Quiero compartir mi experiencia con uno de los animes m谩s comentados y controvertidos de los 煤ltimos tiempos: "Darling in the FranXX". Este anime ha generado opiniones encontradas en la comunidad, y ya que varios de mis amigos me lo han estado recomendando, me dije a m铆 mismo, 驴por qu茅 no?
As铆 que, en este post, veremos cada uno de los aspectos desde mi punto de vista, desde su confuso inicio hasta los personajes y sus motivaciones (peque帽o adelanto, dej贸 un sabor agridulce en mi boca). As铆 que, sin m谩s que decir, 隆empecemos con el post!
FICHA T脡CNICA
- Autor: Kentaro Yabuki
- G茅nero del 谩nime: Shonen, Romance, Mechas, Comedia
- Estudio de animaci贸n: Trigger x A-1 Pictures
- N煤mero total de episodios (Primera y 煤nica temporada): 24
- Primera emisi贸n: 13 de enero de 2018
- 脷ltima emisi贸n: 7 de julio de 2018
- Estado: Finalizado
- Plataformas legales en l铆nea para ver el anime: Crunchyroll
SINOPSIS
En un futuro distante la humanidad ha creado Plantation, una ciudad fortaleza m贸vil construida sobre las ruinas del mundo y en la que ha florecido la civilizaci贸n. En la ciudad hay barracones especiales para pilotos llamados Mistilteinn, aunque popularmente se los conoce como "jaulas de p谩jaros". All铆 es donde viven estos chicos... sin saber nada del mundo exterior, sin poder sentir nunca el enorme cielo. Su 煤nica misi贸n en la vida siempre fue luchar.
Antes de empezar con la primera secci贸n, es importante abordar un punto que ha sido tema de debate: las similitudes entre "Darling in the FranXX" y "Neon Genesis Evangelion". No voy a profundizar en si Darling in the FranXX copi贸 a Evangelion o no, ya que ni siquiera he visto "Evangelion" y, por lo tanto, no puedo hacer una comparaci贸n precisa. Pero es claro que otras personas han hablado sobre c贸mo ambas series tienen cosas parecidas en sus temas y en su estructura, as铆 que quiz谩s luego haga un post comparando la similitud entre ambas series. Ahora s铆, dicho esto, comencemos.
La Confusi贸n Inicial: Un Puzzle Sin Resolver
Desde el primer episodio, "Darling in the FranXX" me arrastr贸 a un mundo lleno de misterios y enigmas, y si bien tener misterio en un anime puede ser interesante, esta serie llev贸 eso a otro nivel. De hecho, esta es la primera vez que me he sentido tan perdido desde el inicio de una serie.
Y es que la serie mantuvo ocultos los secretos detr谩s de los FranXX y el mundo en el que se desarrolla hasta el episodio 19. (S铆, le铆ste bien, 隆el episodio 19!) Fue como si me hubieran arrojado al centro de un laberinto sin un mapa ni br煤jula, no se sinti贸 nada bien.
Un ejemplo de c贸mo empezar bien una serie dejando preguntas sin respuesta es "Attack on Titan". Desde el principio, nos presenta un mundo s贸lido y f谩cil de entender (tit谩nes malos, humanos buenos) . Los espectadores obtienen una comprensi贸n clara de la situaci贸n y las reglas del mundo desde los primeros episodios. Aunque no nos cuentan todo, nos dan una base que hace que la experiencia no sea tan confusa. Esto permite que nos involucremos m谩s en la historia y nos conectemos emocionalmente con los personajes y sus luchas, especialmente cuando se revela el gran giro argumental de la serie.
En cambio, en "Darling in the FranXX", no pasa eso, si bien hacen algo de forma similar (humanos buenos, claxosaurios malos) nunca se dice el como llegaron a ese estado, de donde vienen los claxosaurios, porqu茅 todo el planeta est谩 des茅rtico, etc. Cuando realmente sent铆 un progreso en la serie fue en el episodio de la playa, en donde descubren lo que quedaba de la civilizaci贸n.
No creo que hubiera sido tan dif铆cil poner al principio "la humanidad empez贸 a extraer energ铆a a帽os atr谩s, la cual se dice que es alien铆gena, y de repente aparecieron los claxosaurios, no sabemos el porqu茅, de all铆 en adelante, empezamos a pelear contra ellos" para por lo menos tener un poco de contexto (aunque sinceramente, si hubieran hecho eso, tendr铆an que haber cambiado el ritmo de la serie a uno m谩s r谩pido)
Pero s铆, estaba constantemente tratando de adivinar qu茅 estaba pasando y por qu茅. A veces gracias a la confusi贸n, me aburr铆a y simplemente no quer铆a ver m谩s la serie, ya que no entend铆a nada. Sin duda alguna, la falta de claridad fue una de las cosas m谩s decepcionantes de mi experiencia con la serie.
Momentos de Disfrute Entre la Incertidumbre
Aunque hubo partes de "Darling in the FranXX" que me confundieron, no todo fue malo. De hecho, hubo momentos en los que realmente disfrut茅 de la serie.
La historia de los experimentos en los ni帽os, el equipo de pruebas con emociones y el concepto del jard铆n me encantaron. Estas ideas hicieron que la historia fuera m谩s profunda, explorando temas complicados como qui茅nes somos y c贸mo nos relacionamos en un mundo en apuros.
Adem谩s, cuando se revelaron detalles sobre el pasado de los personajes y c贸mo se conectaban emocionalmente, la historia se volvi贸 m谩s emocionante y me hizo interesarme m谩s en los personajes principales.
A pesar de las partes dif铆ciles y los momentos en los que me sent铆 perdido, estos momentos interesantes (y los de comedia tambi茅n) fueron como peque帽os oasis en medio de la confusi贸n, lo que me mantuvo comprometido con la historia a pesar de los problemas.
Hiro y Zero-Two: un contraste evidente
Ahora, hablemos m谩s en profundidad sobre los personajes centrales de "Darling in the FranXX": Hiro y Zero Two. Estos dos personajes desempe帽an un papel crucial en la trama y su evoluci贸n a lo largo de la serie es digna de an谩lisis.
Empecemos con Hiro, nuestro protagonista. Al principio, Hiro parece ser un protagonista t铆pico que vemos en los animes, ya que su personalidad no tiene mucha profundidad.
A medida que avanza la serie, esperaba ver un cambio m谩s significativo en su personaje. Lamentablemente, Hiro se mantuvo igual desde el principio hasta el final de la serie, lo que result贸 en que fuera un personaje bastante plano desde mi punto de vista.
Por otro lado, Zero Two, al principio, fue un personaje que no me agrad贸 cuando hizo su primera aparici贸n. Su actitud rebelde y su comportamiento misterioso la hac铆an parecer distante y un poco inaccesible la verdad. Sin embargo, a medida que la historia avanzaba y conoc铆amos m谩s detalles sobre su pasado y sus razones, mi opini贸n sobre ella comenz贸 a cambiar.
La evoluci贸n de su personaje a lo largo de la serie la volvi贸 mucho m谩s interesante y compleja. Su historia y su futura relaci贸n con los otros personajes le dieron m谩s profundidad, y eventualmente me gan贸 como espectador. Es un ejemplo de c贸mo la historia puede transformar a un personaje que inicialmente parece un estereotipo en alguien m谩s humano.
Aspectos Positivos de La Trama
A pesar de lo que mencion茅 antes, "Darling in the FranXX" tiene momentos buenos que vale la pena mencionar con m谩s detalle. Estos momentos destacan en medio de la confusi贸n y los altibajos de la serie.
Uno de los aspectos m谩s destacados de la serie fue un giro argumental impactante y bien hecho que se revela m谩s adelante en la historia. El descubrimiento de que "Papa" no era quien parec铆a ser, sino m谩s bien un grupo de alien铆genas con motivaciones "mal茅volas".
Este giro en la historia no solo fue sorprendente, sino que tambi茅n plante贸 preguntas profundas sobre la naturaleza humana y la b煤squeda de la felicidad. Fue un momento en el que la serie desafi贸 las expectativas del espectador y agreg贸 profundidad a su narrativa.
Adem谩s, aunque algunos personajes secundarios no recibieron el mismo nivel de desarrollo que habr铆a deseado, algunos de ellos se destacaron en la historia. Un ejemplo notable es Mitsuru, cuyo desarrollo como personaje fue especialmente convincente. Ver c贸mo evolucionaba y enfrentaba sus propios desaf铆os personales lo convirti贸 en un personaje secundario intrigante y enriqueci贸 la din谩mica del equipo de pilotos de FranXX.
Hay otros personajes que tambi茅n merecen ser mencionados por su gran desarrollo, como Ichigo y Kokoro, por ejemplo, y aunque habr铆a deseado que m谩s personajes alcanzaran este nivel de profundidad, estos ejemplos de desarrollo de personajes muestran que "Darling in the FranXX" ten铆a el potencial de ofrecer historias con capas y matices, aunque no lo aprovech贸 completamente.
Estos momentos positivos no solo mejoraron la serie, sino que tambi茅n me hicieron reflexionar sobre su potencial desaprovechado. A pesar de los altibajos, estos destellos de brillantez demuestran que hubo un intento creativo y profundo en la serie que merece ser reconocido y valorado.
Conclusi贸n
En resumen, "Darling in the FranXX" es un anime que tiene algunas ideas interesantes y buenas, pero tiene problemas al principio, la mayor铆a de los personajes no se desarrollan bien y el anime en s铆 no cumple todas las expectativas que ten铆a. Aunque tiene cosas buenas, siento que la serie no lleg贸 a su m谩ximo potencial.
Esta es mi opini贸n, y creo que "Darling in the FranXX" pudo haber sido mucho mejor.
Mi calificaci贸n final es: 4/10
Y t煤, 驴qu茅 piensas de Darling in the Franxx? 驴que calificaci贸n le dar铆as al anime? Los leo y, sin m谩s que decir, 隆nos vemos en el siguiente post!
- Banners, dividers and subtitles made in canva by me
- Translated from DeepL
- All the screenshots were taken by me on Crunchyroll
- Original and unpublished article first published in Hive
- Avatar (DigitalDicast) created on Picrew page, page to create OC (original characters) my avatar was created in Russa's avatar creator