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Darling in the FranXX is best described as a failed experiment, although that might not be entirely true in the sense that it certainly achieved widespread appeal and amassed a considerable following of its own. Through my own viewing experience, I can surmise that there was in fact no other goal in mind. Darling in the FranXX feels like little more than a vapid and desperate attempt to harness the influence and legacy of other anime, and does so clumsily with seemingly no intent of creating its own identity. Much of its elements are thoughtlessly replicated from successful shows such as Evangelion and Gurren Lagann, without an understanding of what made these elements work in their own respective titles. It handles these elements so incredibly poorly and with such naivety that it could almost serve as a parody of the material it takes after.

The main character Hiro in particular faces an internal struggle relating to self-esteem and a desire to be needed, not dissimilar to that of Shinji Ikari from Evangelion. But while Shinji was given a thorough introspective on his character to make him feel like a real human being, Darling in the FranXX makes no hesitation to skip over to the drama, expecting viewers to buy into it the moment it’s established. Hiro along with all the other characters doesn’t feel human in the slightest because his conflict is conceptual. Conflicts are not character traits; incessant monologuing on how Hiro wants to be Zero Two’s partner is not substantial enough to take priority over the action or, better yet, actual story and character progression. This is just one example of what Darling in the FranXX does wrong compared to the works it takes after, specifically Evangelion and Gurren Lagann. Both these shows did what was necessary to flesh their characters out before opening the floodgates on the drama. There was drama in those instances of course, but it was in relatively small doses and was mostly a side effect of character interaction and certain other events. It’s as if the writers of Darling in the FranXX wanted to take inspiration from Evangelion and to a lesser extent Gurren Lagann without having watched either of those shows to discern what made them work in the first place.

Much of why Darling in the FranXX fails as a character study or drama amounts to the basic issue that the characters are sorely lacking in depth, and likewise fails to so much as come close to the monumental standard Evangelion had set in stone. Evangelion arguably contains some of the most human characters in all of anime, for reasons that are apparently lost on Darling in the FranXX. Character interactions felt genuine and grounded, effectively fleshing out these characters as well as their relationships with one another. Much focus was put on how they each operated in the grievous environments they were confined in. No such introspective or chemistry is present in Darling in the FranXX despite there being similar conditions. Hiro and Zero Two’s want for each other, Ichigo’s jealousy, and the Parasites’ discovery of love all remain conceptual without any complexity or dynamic whatsoever. In other words, the show’s focus lies squarely on the destination with hardly any focus on the journey, which flies directly in the face of basic story writing.

The character interactions in general are often completely mundane and are taken more seriously than they have any right to be. Most of the time they hardly evoke anything that isn’t already known by the audience and are overblown to a sometimes cringe-inducing level. Once a singular concept is made apparent by a certain dialogue or monologue, subsequent interactions relating to this concept serve no purpose to the narrative apart from artificial drama. Ichigo’s fixation on Hiro in particular has no effect on Hiro’s arc nor his character, and only serves to spur more dramatic tension. Ichigo herself has no depth apart from her love and concern for Hiro, and the drama involving her once again remains conceptually the same with no complexity to warrant its screen time. It’s also funny how quickly her mind changes once things turn out to be fine in the end, as sees Zero Two “for who she really is”. There’s hardly any dynamic present with any of the characters in Darling in the FranXX. Their traits all boil down to love or concern for one another or a singular goal of their own. There’s no events in between to further characterize them or challenge their beliefs. If you were to assemble a plot chart based on the events in each individual character arc on Darling in the FranXX, it really becomes apparent how barren the story really is, even compared to first-grade-level writing.

The characters in Gurren Lagann were hardly complex themselves, but the show excels in other areas which make moments with its characters so worthwhile compared to FranXX. For one thing, Gurren Lagann doesn’t excessively pile on drama where it doesn’t belong. It recognizes that it isn’t fit for any sort of cerebral commentary or psychological analysis, and instead focuses on making its characters charismatic and endearing, only prioritizing the characters’ internal conflicts when it was deemed necessary. Circumstances were introduced at a steady pace to keep viewers in tune with the adventure and understand the characters’ struggles. And the drama in the second half, although it had mixed reactions from viewers, is still arguably more plausible and impactful than Darling in the FranXX could ever manage. The show effectively set these characters as it let other elements run their course as the simple character arcs were left in the back seat. What results is very likeable characters within a captivating series of events which is all executed tremendously. Darling in the FranXX is too focused on its futile effort on making these characters sympathetic to make them appealing in any other way.

What Darling in the FranXX holds in place of natural story progression is its world building. Much of the motivation held by the characters is the dark truths they find about their own world. This kind of story isn’t uncommon, and The Matrix is perhaps the most well-known example of this particular setup. This was also the case with other anime like Ergo Proxy and Shinsekai yori which, unlike The Matrix, take the form of a long, continuous narrative. Where both these anime succeeded where Darling in the FranXX fails is how they made these narratives captivating as an actual storyline. Discovering these disturbing secrets had an effect on the individual characters. Their views on the world changed substantially, and sometimes even considered giving up because they didn’t want to have to endure more pain. Nothing of this sort ever happens in Darling in the FranXX. These discoveries don’t add to their character in any interesting or dynamic way. They just pile on more reasons for the characters to act against their society. Their goals remain exactly the same and they seem to persist without hesitation no matter how much of their anguish is displayed. The most it ever manages is short-term shock of the characters only to be brushed off immediately after.

The world-building itself doesn’t fare much better. It’s a mish-mash of cliches and borrowed ideas that fail to surprise anyone with at least a moderate experience with sci-fi. The show also seems to be more focused on whipping up surprises and twists about its world than maintaining any cohesion. Many elements of its world remain underdeveloped as though they were hastily thought of as production deadlines were drawing near, which is honestly my exact impression.

Even as flat as she is, Zero Two is the closest thing to an interesting character that this show has on offer, but fundamentally she doesn’t act the way she should in the first act. All throughout she’s been portrayed to be lonely, distrustful, and longing for someone who will give her comfort. And yet despite all this, she acts like a jolly, flamboyant, promiscuous exemplar who is far more easy going than any of the other Parasites in Squad 13. This was presumably done to make her more likeable, and possibly to juxtapose her descent into anxiety later on. But this comes off as artificial because of how illogical it is, and rendered completely implausible the moment an attempt is made to give her a tragic backstory. Consistent characterization is worth sacrificing a facade of a personality such as this. It's easy to see that if Zero Two wasn't like this at the start she wouldn't have the widespread appeal she does now, which I think ultimately reaffirms how poorly-thought-out her character really is overall.

This goes to further display how Darling in the FranXX is at odds with itself in regards to its tone as well as plausibility. It’s pretentious take on sexuality is just one example; the show is littered with other things like this. Dr. Franxx is presented as noble, powerful, and ambitious individual with a lot of importance to the storyline. And yet the very first scene he’s in is a comedic moment where he molests a co-worker, and with no repercussions I might add. Additionally, puerile sex innuendos run rampant in a show that clearly wants to be taken seriously in nearly every instance. They have a place in Kill la Kill, where they clearly mesh with the overall tone. And in Evangelion, symbols relating to sex and birth were deliberately nuanced, attributed to the varying conditions of the characters and evoking them indirectly, just as symbolism should. Darling in the FranXX’s approach on this routine is designing the cockpits in such a way that puts both pilots in doggy-style intercourse. It’s a frivolous stylistic choice far more inane than anything in Kill la Kill and adds nothing of worth to the sort of themes it wants to get across. This image is seen frequently throughout the show, and makes it harder to get invested in whatever dire situation is in play. Whether it’s possible to collide the styles of Evangelion and Kill la Kill successfully and seamlessly, I can’t say. I can say however that this is certainly among the worst ways of going about it.

Sexuality is supposedly a theme with the story and characters alike, but the way it’s handled feels a lot more like a means of falling back to basic anime tropes than any sort of meaningful take on the matter. Anyone familiar with the medium can understand what I’m getting at here. Flustered male characters, embarrassed female characters, beach episode, you name it. One episode in particular encapsulates a pitifully juvenile boys vs. girls affair, which is handled quite poorly and serves as nothing more than a bare-bones teamwork lesson with fanservice thrown in the mix. What’s also preposterous is the fact that, despite that they don’t know what sex is or what a kiss represents, they’re somehow aware that nudity is inherently sexual. As it stands, Darling in the FranXX’s take on sexuality is about as cerebral and nuanced as your usual harem. The very implication of a theme relating to sexuality has no place here whatsoever, other than to seemingly mask its intentions as something greater than what you’d find in a harem.

Many people seem to think that Darling in the FranXX had lots of potential, and had the ability to easily achieve much more with what it had. Personally, I disagree with that sentiment. While I won’t say there was no hope for it to turn out better, I can’t say that much potential was wasted. Almost every element of Darling in the FranXX feels bought off from other shows. It uses the visual design of Kill la Kill or any Trigger anime for that matter, the concept of fusing mecha pilots taken from Gurren Lagann, and the existential journey from Neon Genesis Evangelion. The only remotely novel concept in the show is how the FranXX’ take on the form of the pilot, which is little more than an aesthetic design and a rather uninspired one at that. Most elements in Darling in the FranXX are already present in many shows before it, and are handled much better. Much of the apparent potential within Darling in the FranXX has already been manifested elsewhere.

I imagine most of the effort made in the production of Darling in the FranXX was put into the action sequences, which I can say are rather impressive. They’re well-choreographed, fluidly animated, and have lots of energy to accentuate that trademark Trigger aesthetic. This is one of the few departments of the show which doesn’t feel as though it was soullessly bought off, but seems to have some degree of skill and diligence put into it. This quality might have amounted to something if any ounce of value in this department hadn’t already been bested by earlier shows, namely those made by Imaishi himself. In this regard you’re already better off flocking over to those anime instead, and with much better story and characters at that.

The artstyle on the other hand is nothing more than a passing grade, and feels like a spinless compromise between that of Evangelion and Kill la Kill, topped with A-1 Pictures’ own flavor of blandness. The designs of the Franxx’ are quite standard and ordinary, contrary to the enigmatic and daunting look of the Evas. The character designs are reminiscent of Kill la Kill, only trimmed of any unique or endearing quality and reduced to an SAO-level of creativity. The only environments that look even remotely striking are the Plantations and the labs within them, which take an obvious inspiration to that of Evangelion. Their scheme of yellow and red lighting along with how well they’re animated certainly looks appealing, if not a weaker effort compared to Evangelion. Overall, the aesthetic department is a case of hit-or-miss. Whatever styles it takes from other shows, it just drops aimlessly hoping that at least a few pieces will fit well.

The best word to describe Darling in the FranXX as a whole is “superficial”, from the very idea of it all the way down to its execution. Its ideas are already outclassed from the start and the end result doesn’t even serve as a lesser alternative. There doesn’t appear to be any thought or consideration towards most of the elements, which presumably goes to show the thought process during the show’s creation. I see little to no signs of this being made as a work of imagination instead of a means of garnering an audience through controversy and artificial drama. It’s pitifully boastful about its tacked-on themes, has fanfiction-level story writing, and completely disregards logic for the sake of viewership, with Zero Two yet again being a perfect example. Regardless of how shamelessly derivative its core ideas are, Darling in the FranXX was not beyond salvaging. It had its material, which could have been utilized to uplift itself from the mangled state it turned out to be in the end. It might not have been the best at any of what it had to offer, but at the very least it could have delivered a serviceable experience with possibly a unique flavor of its own. As it stands now, Darling in the FranXX has exhausted almost any reason to justify its own existence. It’s an effort, or lack thereof, that I feel nothing but contempt for. I don’t exactly bear resentment or malice towards this show like so many others. I see this show as little more than a tragic accident, which I can only hope will fade away in the near future.