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EP. REVIEW: DARLING in the FRANXX


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Stark700



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Posts: 11762
Location: Earth
PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 7:01 pm Reply with quote
This anime has been a lot of fun. Also reminds me a bit of Kill la Kill awhile ago including the fan servicy stuff. Zero 2 has all my attention at the moment out of the character cast.

Also the mecha designs....very stylish.
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Yazu13



Joined: 19 Jul 2017
Posts: 129
PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 7:13 pm Reply with quote
I think this is pretty much Trigger's new style. What initially seems crazy or lacking in subtlety eventually reveals itself to have a smart message and all of that wacky stuff in the beginning makes sense by the end. Only two episodes in and there's a clear confidence about the show, and it does a good job of making the audience want to know more. This is looking like a slow burn kind of series, and I can imagine how clever it will seem after more is revealed. Trust in Trigger.
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Chrono1000





PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 7:20 pm Reply with quote
The complaints about sleazy fanservice seem a bit hollow when DARLING in the FRANXX is about sex. Okay, it is more than just sex since the show will cover the issues of gender roles, power dynamics, and sexism. Of course 02 is a big change in that world not just because she can pilot the FRANXX herself but also because of the many indications that she thinks differently (she casually sits down at the table with the boys saying that "this table felt more comfortable"). The accusations I have seen on Twitter that it is just a sleazy fanservice show seems to be missing the point which is that it is clearly going to examine the ideology that the world is based on. Not that there is anything wrong with fanservice and no one is actually getting exploited in a fanservice show. With that being said Ichigo did get a bad deal in episode 2 but I think that her suffering isn't for cruel drama but will be an important part of the plot in the future.
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dm
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Joined: 24 Sep 2010
Posts: 1346
PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 7:31 pm Reply with quote
Chrono1000 wrote:
Okay, it is more than just sex since the show will cover the issues of gender roles, power dynamics, and sexism.... The accusations I have seen on Twitter that it is just a sleazy fanservice show seems to be missing the point which is that it is clearly going to examine the ideology that the world is based on....


At this point, these assertions seem more like wishful thinking than certainties. The series will be more interesting if it goes in the direction you hope, but at this point it's not clear it is going to. We'll see.
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Niello



Joined: 22 Dec 2013
Posts: 302
PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 7:32 pm Reply with quote
This reminds me more of Kiznaiver than Kill la Kill or Little Witch Academia, so I;m honestly not expecting much. The first two episodes already look like a disappointing set up. I'm sure Trigger has some kind of crazy twist waiting, I just hope that its great enough to turn this around. Right now despite attempting at all the metaphors and analogy, it doesn't seem like it will say something smart with it.

Last edited by Niello on Sun Jan 21, 2018 7:33 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Ashen Phoenix



Joined: 21 Jun 2006
Posts: 2904
PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 7:32 pm Reply with quote
I'll wait until I read more about subsequent episodes before I decide if this show is for me or not, but right now the "bog-standard exploitation and objectification" accusations are a potential deal-breaker for me. I genuinely enjoyed Kill la Kill reveling in its over-the-top sexiness, but that also wasn't made solely at the female characters' expense in order to titillate a presumed straight male audience.

Fingers crossed the DARLING shows the same depth later on, because right now its one-sided and rather demeaning fanservice is nothing but off-putting to me.
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Beatdigga



Joined: 26 Oct 2003
Posts: 4352
Location: New York
PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 7:36 pm Reply with quote
Zero Two is a full on Lum reference, isn’t she?

It’s clear the show has something to say about natural attraction and possibly gender roles, but it’s taking the most Trigger path possible.
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Yazu13



Joined: 19 Jul 2017
Posts: 129
PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 7:43 pm Reply with quote
Beatdigga wrote:
Zero Two is a full on Lum reference, isn’t she?

It’s clear the show has something to say about natural attraction and possibly gender roles, but it’s taking the most Trigger path possible.


Well, it's made by Trigger so what do people expect..........
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青白



Joined: 30 May 2012
Posts: 184
PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 7:53 pm Reply with quote
I didn't take the fanservice all that seriously, so it didn't hinder my viewing experience as it did for James. Taking that into consideration, I have absolutely enjoyed these episodes so far, primarily because their desperateness for their "sexual compatibility" felt so real.

Ichigo is a character with lots of personality; after being so eager to get it on with Hiro, at the end of the episode she was secretly cursing him for being "so bad" at it. That was a very nice touch.

Also, the character design feels awfully similar to Ano Natsu De Matteiru. Anybody else feel the same?
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Chrono1000





PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 7:55 pm Reply with quote
dm wrote:
At this point, these assertions seem more like wishful thinking than certainties. The series will be more interesting if it goes in the direction you hope, but at this point it's not clear it is going to. We'll see.
Since it is a completely original project I can't deny that possibility but 02 seems like a central figure in this story and she certainly doesn't seem to care much for the current system in that world. I can't see the story punishing her for not fitting into her assigned gender role and I think it is very likely that she will end up challenging the system itself. That would be similar to past Trigger shows and in my opinion that is how they are setting the story up since you are supposed to feel that the current system is wrong.
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jenthehen



Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Posts: 835
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 7:57 pm Reply with quote
I’m really enjoying this show so far and I am crossing my fingers it’s going somewhere interesting. I find it pretty compelling how the adults possibly know what they are doing but the teens have 0 sexual frame of reference. It’s not like they know they are simulating sex - they don’t even know what kissing is. Whereas 002 seems to at least somewhat know what’s up. I’m just looking forward to seeing this play out.

I haven’t seen anyone mention this elsewhere, but I also like how the girls’ headpiece looks kind of like the traditional Japanese wedding wear.
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Alan45
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Joined: 25 Aug 2010
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Location: Virginia
PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 7:58 pm Reply with quote
@Beatdigga

Well, she has two horns, she calls the object of her affection "darling" and her name is pronounced Oni. So, yes it is a Lum reference. Hiro is no Ataru though. Ataru never had any problem rising to the occasion with any good looking female.
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zrnzle500



Joined: 04 Oct 2014
Posts: 3767
PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 8:09 pm Reply with quote
While I definitely like the visual production, I do share James' concerns. I'm not put off by fanservice, but the cockpit design was a bit much for me, and I'm hoping the key art with Zero Two in the pilot's seat is correct. She seems to fit the part, personality wise at least.

I'd say Aquarion (primarily the first season and Evol) is just as brazen in the horny teens + robots = Sex metaphor, though they did it through super robot combination rather than cockpit setup.

青白 wrote:
Also, the character design feels awfully similar to Ano Natsu De Matteiru. Anybody else feel the same?


This is why.
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tentensan



Joined: 22 Feb 2013
Posts: 102
PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 8:19 pm Reply with quote
I understand the complaints for the fanservice. Although, as a lady, the fanservice didn't bother me at all. I'm way more interested in the story at hand so sometimes it doesn't even register to me in my head. I really like this series and I can't wait till a new episode comes out every week. Zero Two is honestly the best and I can't wait to hear more about this universe. It's made by Trigger so I know there has to be a reason for everything. This is a series I'm going to keep my eye on.
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Hershey's



Joined: 06 Dec 2017
Posts: 27
PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 8:25 pm Reply with quote
I'm not sure what's more annoying? The hamfisted overt SYMBOLISM, the drab almost ugly design of this entire show, the boring cast and setup which is just another fresh coat of Evangelion or the fact that people keep calling this a Trigger anime when the first two episodes were animated by A-1 in this joint production? Either way can't say I'm impressed with what's been shown thus far, all throughout the show I just kept thinking that even Aquarion did this better.
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