(Major Spoilers)
Story: 6/10
This anime is the perfect example of something that was killed by hype, in part its own fault. During the first 20 episodes this show actually has a good narrative, which to me was how children are viewed and raised in countries like China. They are discouraged from breeding with romantic partners, are brain-washed by propaganda, and raised for the sole purpose of working/fighting for their country. Also, to me, it was a statement about children having to deal with the problems created by adults.
That being said, after/during episode 20 the entire narrative is thrown out the door, which was pretty disappointing.
...
I think a lot of people expected this to be the new Evangelion, which apparently it took a lot of inspiration from or just copied (I haven't seen Eva yet).
While I was majorly disappointed with the alien twist (which was shit, don't get me wrong), I think that the narrative had already made its point by then, since the cast had rejected Papa and had begun taking actions of their own accord for themselves and each other. After episode 20 the story is solely about the characters, finishing up their respective character arcs.
Art: 10/10
This anime had some of the most beautiful art I have seen in a anime series, the animation was top notch, both openings have amazing choreography and the images in the endings are amazing. This anime would have been painfully average if it weren't for its art and soundtrack.
A special shout-out to the second opening (which is the second half of the full first opening song), the artistic value of the opening visuals is amazing. I love watching the opening on youtube it is done so beautifully and with so much emotion.
Sound: 10/10
The endings and the openings were both very memorable and elicited the correct emotions. I would always listen to the ending song after each episode which I don't usually do.
Character: 8/10
I did have a problem with character development in this series, I give it an 8 because Hiro/02's story arc was done well and I thought Kokoro/Mitsuru's story arc was beautiful. Other than those two however, the characters are disappointingly under-developed, we know nothing about Futoshi, other than that he is the fat guy, and Miku is tsundere. Zorome, Ikuno got something of a story arc but it didn't do much to flesh out their motivations as characters and ended up leaving more unanswered questions (why did Zorome think he remembered the adult???). Goro and Ichigo's character arcs were just okay, nothing that was done particularly well.
Hiro/02: Hiro and 02's story arc is so freakin adorable. Yes 02 might just be waifu bait, but both of their motivations and reasons for wanting to be together are fleshed out, make sense, and the characters actually develop which seems to be a thing that is lacking in anime stories.
02 was never loved and was tortured through tests and experiments, and used by humans her entire life, so she has no problem using them to get what she wants, which is why she kills her stamens. Hiro saved her as a child, albeit for a short time, from her torment, showed her how beautiful the outside world was, and comforted and loved her. After they were split apart and their memories altered, she was able to get her memories of him back and was willing to do anything to be with him. She hated herself for not being human believing that she would never be together with Hiro because of that.
Her story arc finishes when she accepts who she is and that Hiro will stay with her despite her inhumanity. Until this point she was reluctantly accepted by Ichigo and the rest of the group, always being the one who was different. But after she accepts herself and apologizes to the group, they willingly accept her.
I personally sympathized with Hiro as a character. He uses 02 as a crutch for his own insecurities and only has feelings for her only because she makes him feel special, for around half the show. His entire childhood he questioned the adults and attempted to make life good for the rest of the children, but after his friends started disappearing and he realized that he wouldn't get any answers from the adults, he became unmotivated and his inability to pilot a Franxx only made him more insecure.
Hiro's story arc finishes at the same time as 02's when he is able to get his memory of her back and realize his actual love for her instead of using her as just a crutch.
Kokoro/Mitsuru: I honestly don't know why their arc had an effect on me emotionally. They are horribly under-developed characters, Kokoro's love for Mitsuru comes out of nowhere, and the wedding scene wasn't done especially well. Maybe it was just the sentimentality of it all and what they represented being the first to bear children, but I came to love them by the end of the show.
I have pretty much only ripped on the characters other than 02 and Hiro, but I think they worked well as a group, and, though we didn't get backstories on all of them or much development, I found myself liking all of them based on what we were shown.
Enjoyment: 10/10
I enjoyed all but one episode this show, there was never a dull time, and I was kept wondering what would happen (even though I predicted what would happen to 02 and Hiro around ep20). The twist episode was really disappointing, but I don't think it took away from the overall enjoyment of the show.
One point in particular that I liked about this show is how much I felt for Hiro and 02. It reminded me of Eureka Seven (though that show was superior in every possible way of course LOL) in that i would feel anxious when they were apart and I wanted them to get together so bad, which I don't feel often from romance shows.
Overall: 9/10
Without the amazing art, sound, and Hiro/02, Kokoro/Mitsuru story arcs, this show would have been horribly average or below in my book. The overaching story past ep20 was meh, and the other characters weren't compelling.
However, all put together, it was a very emotional experience for me, eliciting reactions which I only have had over the best of the best shows such as Code Geass. I fking balled my eyes out over this anime, so it will always be close to my heart.
I know the community is very split over this anime, and I get why people could hate it. But whether it took from other stories or not, I think it should be judged on its own merits, and not be rated compared to industry goliaths such as Eva.
All (14)FriendsRSS Feeds |
Sep 9, 2018
Darling in the FranXX
(Anime)
add
(Major Spoilers)
Story: 6/10 This anime is the perfect example of something that was killed by hype, in part its own fault. During the first 20 episodes this show actually has a good narrative, which to me was how children are viewed and raised in countries like China. They are discouraged from breeding with romantic partners, are brain-washed by propaganda, and raised for the sole purpose of working/fighting for their country. Also, to me, it was a statement about children having to deal with the problems created by adults. That being said, after/during episode 20 the entire narrative is thrown out the door, which was pretty disappointing. ... |
