Darling in the Franxx
A dystopian mecha romance about piloting in pairs.
Darling in the Franxx is a Japanese science fiction mecha romance anime television series co-produced by A-1 Pictures and Trigger, animated by Trigger and CloverWorks, that premiered in January 2018. The series is set in a dystopian future where artificially created children are raised solely to pilot giant mecha in pairs to defend the remnants of civilization. It focuses on the partnership between Hiro, a former prodigy, and Zero Two, a hybrid human and elite pilot who aspires to become entirely human.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Mecha, Romantic drama
- Creator
- Code:000
Facts from the source article.
Track listing
Darling in the Franxx Original Soundtrack Volume 1
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | cÅGE | cAnON. | 4:56 |
| 2 | Vanquish | Benjamin, mpi | 2:40 |
| 3 | Odds and ends | 2:23 | |
| 4 | o-DOR | 1:48 | |
| 5 | Dino-S | 2:01 | |
| 6 | BEAST | 2:46 | |
| 7 | Counterattack | 3:03 | |
| 8 | Operation | 3:04 | |
| 9 | Reversal | 2:47 | |
| 10 | In the FRANXX | 2:09 | |
| 11 | Trente | 1:51 | |
| 12 | Distopia | 1:52 | |
| 13 | Godliness | 2:20 | |
| 14 | Aile | 2:24 | |
| 15 | Clarity | 2:29 | |
| 16 | Nuance | 1:50 | |
| 17 | Miel | 1:30 | |
| 18 | Dropping | 2:08 | |
| 19 | CODE:002 | 2:36 | |
| 20 | VICTORIA | 3:06 | |
| 21 | Torikago (BGM-Rearrange) (composed by Katsuhiko Sugiyama, arranged by Kohta Yamamoto) | 1:55 | |
| Total length | 51:38 | ||
Darling in the Franxx Original Soundtrack Volume 2
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FUSE | Benjamin, mpi | 3:01 |
| 2 | Battle Cry | Dj L-Spade | 3:30 |
| 3 | Your smile | 2:17 | |
| 4 | Abandoned Places | 1:41 | |
| 5 | The Seven Sages | 1:43 | |
| 6 | Klaxosaur | 2:23 | |
| 7 | Gutenberg | 2:23 | |
| 8 | Shady History | 2:37 | |
| 9 | ADuLt | 1:35 | |
| 10 | One's Word | 1:52 | |
| 11 | Vita | 1:53 | |
| 12 | CHiLDRen | 1:31 | |
| 13 | CODE:015 | 2:52 | |
| 14 | Lilac | 1:52 | |
| 15 | Red Hibiscus | 2:28 | |
| 16 | The Sands | 2:09 | |
| 17 | Boys×Girls | 1:44 | |
| 18 | VICTORIA -piano ver.- | 3:10 | |
| 19 | Lilac -guitar ver.- | 1:51 | |
| 20 | Mistilteinn | 2:30 | |
| 21 | D#regards | cAnON. | 4:12 |
| Total length | 48:34 | ||
Darling in the Franxx Original Soundtrack Volume 3
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CODE:016 | 2:29 |
| 2 | RoCco | 1:59 |
| 3 | Lotus | 1:59 |
| 4 | CODE:001 | 2:26 |
| 5 | CoiL | 3:16 |
| 6 | DESPAIR | 2:25 |
| 7 | InVaDeR | 2:44 |
| 8 | GLADIOLUS | 3:52 |
| 9 | JUSTICE | 2:20 |
| 10 | Requiem | 2:55 |
| 11 | Cherry blossoms | 2:23 |
| 12 | HIRO and ZERO TWO | 3:41 |
| 13 | cÅGE -piano ver.- | 1:57 |
| 14 | JUSTICE -Epiano ver.- | 2:28 |
| 15 | Pray for.. | 5:49 |
| 16 | cÅGE -SPS ver.- | 2:43 |
| 17 | FUSE -instrumental- | 3:01 |
| 18 | Battle Cry -instrumental- | 3:30 |
| 19 | Vanquish -instrumental- | 2:40 |
| 20 | D#regards -instrumental- | 4:12 |
| 21 | cÅGE -instrumental- | 4:55 |
| 22 | Torikago (BGM-Rearrange) -guitar ver.- (composed by Katsuhiko Sugiyama, arranged by Kohta Yamamoto) | 2:56 |
| Total length | 1:06:40 | |
Track listing from the source article.
Synopsis
Darling in the Franxx is set in a dystopian post-apocalyptic 22nd century where humanity has abandoned the surface. Adults live in mobile fortress-cities called Plantations and are immortal, but procreation and relationships have become obsolete. Artificially-created children, known as parasites, are raised in isolation in environments called birdcages, deprived of individuality and educated only to pilot Franxx in boy-girl pairs. A male pilot is termed a stamen, a female a pistil. In the early 21st century, discoveries in mining technology allowed extraction of magma energy, leading to the formation of APE, an organization that gained immense influence. After human immortality was discovered, many chose it despite losing reproductive functions. APE, led by a figure called Papa, governs the remnants of civilization. Humanity is threatened by giant creatures called klaxosaurs, categorized by size as Conrad, Mohorovičić, Gutenberg, and (Super) Lehmann. Parasites have short lifespans.
Media
The 24-episode anime series was directed by Atsushi Nishigori, with series composition by Nishigori and Naotaka Hayashi. Masayoshi Tanaka designed the characters, Shigeto Koyama served as mechanical designer, Hiroyuki Imaishi as action animation director, and Asami Tachibana composed the music. The opening theme is Kiss of Death by Mika Nakashima, produced by Hyde. Ending themes include Torikago, Manatsu no Setsuna, Beautiful World, Hitori, Escape, and Darling, performed by the unit XX:me, composed of the main female cast. Crunchyroll streamed the series with Japanese audio and English subtitles; Funimation licensed it and premiered an English dub. A manga adaptation by Code:000 and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki, along with a four-panel spinoff by Mato, began serialization on Shōnen Jump+ on January 14, 2018. From volume 4, the manga differs significantly from the anime. Seven Seas Entertainment licensed the manga for North American publication on July 1, 2021. The soundtrack, composed by Asami Tachibana, was released across three discs with the home video volumes.
Reception
Reception to Darling in the Franxx in English-language media was mixed. Some reviews praised its focus on coming-of-age and romance elements, while others criticized the heavy sexual innuendos involving teenagers, lack of plot development regarding the alien species VIRM, plot twists in the second half, and rushed pacing after episode 15. Eric Van Allen of Kotaku noted moments of brilliance in early mech fights and the character Zero Two but disliked later plot developments and the ending. Kyle Rogacion of Goomba Stomp called it an endearing character-driven coming-of-age story but criticized it for settling for the easy way out. Random Curiosity voiced a more positive opinion of the ending, stating the series would be well-remembered. At the Newtype Anime Awards 2018, Shigeto Koyama won Best Mechanical Design, and Zero Two and the series were runners-up for Best Female Character and Best TV Anime, respectively.
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