Darling in the Franxx

Darling in the Franxx
Key visual
ダーリン・イン・ザ・フランキス
(Dārin In Za Furankisu)
Genre Mecha, romantic drama, science fiction[1][2]
Anime television series
Directed by Atsushi Nishigori
Toshifumi Akai (co-director)
Produced by
  • Yōsuke Toba
  • Mikio Uetsuki
  • Eiichi Kamagata
Written by
  • Atsushi Nishigori
  • Naotaka Hayashi
Music by Asami Tachibana
Studio
Licensed by
Original network Tokyo MX, GYT, GTV, BS11, ABC, Mētele, HOME, BSS, BBC, AT-X[5]
English network
Original run January 13, 2018 – July 7, 2018
Episodes 24
Manga
Written by Code:000
Illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki
Published by Shueisha
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine Shōnen Jump+
Original run January 14, 2018 – present
Volumes 3
Manga
Written by Mato
Published by Shueisha
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine Shōnen Jump+
Original run January 14, 2018 – July 11, 2018

Darling in the Franxx (Japanese: ダーリン・イン・ザ・フランキス, Hepburn: Dārin In Za Furankisu), abbreviated as DarliFra (ダリフラ, DariFura),[6] is a 2018 Japanese science fiction romance anime television series produced by CloverWorks and animated by Trigger that premiered on January 13, 2018.[7][8] The series was announced at Trigger's Anime Expo 2017 panel in July 2017.[9] A manga adaptation by Kentaro Yabuki and another four-panel comic strip manga began serialization on January 14, 2018.[10]

The anime began international distribution simultaneously upon its release, with the streaming service Crunchyroll internationally simulcasting the series, with Aniplus Asia simulcasting the series to Southeast Asia. Service partner Funimation began the dubbed release of the series on February 1.[11][12]

Synopsis

Plot

In a post-apocalyptic future, humanity is under constant threat from giant creatures known as klaxosaurs (叫竜, kyoryū), which are sub-divided into at least four categories based on their size: "Conrad",[lower-alpha 2] "Mohorovičić",[lower-alpha 3] "Gutenberg"[lower-alpha 4] and "(Super) Lehmann".[lower-alpha 5] Pushed to the brink of annihilation, the mysterious organization known as APE has led the remnants of humanity to abandon the Earth's surface for the relative safety of mobile fortress-cities known as Plantations. To defend the Plantations, children called Parasites are raised to pilot giant mecha known as Franxx[lower-alpha 6] (フランキス, Furankisu) in boy-girl pairs. Hiro is a former pilot-candidate prodigy who can no longer synchronize with his partner and they both fail to complete the training program. While skipping his class's graduation ceremony, Hiro encounters Zero Two, an infamous Franxx pilot with klaxosaur blood and red horns. After Zero Two's partner dies during a klaxosaur attack, Hiro volunteers to become her new partner, or "darling".

Setting

Darling in the Franxx takes place in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic future where the remnants of human civilization have abandoned the surface for the safety of the Plantations. Adults and children exist in contrasting environments from each other. Adults live in technologically-advanced cities within Plantations and are immortal, but procreation and relationships among them have become obsolete. Artificially-created children, termed "parasites", are educated only for piloting Franxx in boy-girl pairs to defend the adults and Plantations. Parasites are kept in isolation from adult society in environments nicknamed "birdcages", which emulate that of a bygone era, so that they can develop the emotional responses required to pilot a Franxx.

In the early 21st century, the progress of human civilization was accelerated by ground-breaking discoveries in mining technology, allowing extraction of magma energy for a new low-cost, all-encompassing energy source. Scientists contributing to the breakthrough formed "APE", an organization that would gain a large influence on world politics and the global economy as a result of their discoveries. After discovering human immortality, much of mankind opted to become immortal despite the side effect of losing their reproductive functions. Led by APE after the sudden emergence of Klaxosaurs, the remnants of human civilization abandoned the surface for the safety of the Plantations. The Franxx units were later created to combat the Klaxosaur threat.

Media

Anime

The 24-episode anime series is directed by Atsushi Nishigori, with Nishigori and Naotaka Hayashi handling series composition, Masayoshi Tanaka designing the characters, Shigeto Koyama acting as mechanical designer, Hiroyuki Imaishi serving as action animation director and Asami Tachibana composing the music.[14][15] The opening theme song, titled "Kiss of Death", is sung by Mika Nakashima and produced by Hyde,[8] while the several ending themes titled "Torikago" (トリカゴ) (ep 1-6), "Manatsu no Setsuna" (真夏のセツナ) (ep 7), "Beautiful World" (ep 8-12, 14), "Hitori" (ひとり) (ep 13), "Escape" (ep 16-20), and "Darling" (ep 21-23) are performed by XX:me (read as "Kiss Me"), a unit consisting of the series' main female casts—Zero Two, Ichigo, Miku, Kokoro, and Ikuno.[16] Crunchyroll is simulcasting the series, while Funimation has licensed the series and is streaming it with an English dub.[17] Aniplus Asia is simulcasting the series in South East Asia.[18]

Manga

A manga adaptation by Kentaro Yabuki and another four-panel comic strip spinoff manga by Mato started their serialization on the Shōnen Jump+ website on January 14, 2018.[10]

No.Japanese release dateJapanese ISBN
1 February 2, 2018[19] ISBN 978-4-08-881454-4
2 May 2, 2018[20] ISBN 978-4-08-881493-3
3 October 4, 2018[21] ISBN 978-4-08-881620-3

Mato's four-panel spinoff manga ended on July 11, 2018,[22] and was compiled into a full-color physical book released on October 4, 2018.[23]

No.Japanese release dateJapanese ISBN
1 October 4, 2018[24] ISBN 978-4-08-881621-0

Soundtrack

Darling in the Franxx Original Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by Asami Tachibana
Released April 25, 2018 (2018-04-25) (volume 1)
July 25, 2018 (2018-07-25) (volume 2)
August 29, 2018 (2018-08-29) (volume 3)
Genre Soundtrack
Length 51:38 (volume 1)
48:34 (volume 2)
1:06:40 (volume 3)
2:46:52 (total)
Label Aniplex
Producer Asami Tachibana

The series' soundtrack is composed by Asami Tachibana and published by Aniplex. The first disc containing 21 tracks is enclosed with the first home video release volume of the anime which was released on April 25, 2018.[25] The second disc also containing 21 tracks is enclosed with the fourth home video release volume which was released on July 25, 2018.[26] The third disc containing 22 tracks is enclosed with the fifth home video release volume which was released on August 29, 2018.[27]

All music composed by Asami Tachibana.

Reception

Critical Response

Darling in the Franxx received widespread critical acclaim, most notably for its coming-of-age elements. However, the ending of the series received mixed reactions from critics. Eric Van Allen of Kotaku described the series as having "moments of brilliance that will stick with me as much as its hasty, rough conclusion", and was "truly fascinating to follow", despite the ending.[28] Skyler Allen of A Piece of Anime appreciated the first half of the series as an "excellent, if flawed, coming of age mecha story with a lot of heart behind it", but described the concluding portion as a "thematically incoherent mess". [29] Kyle Rogacion of Goomba Stomp called the series "an endearing character-driven coming-of-age story", but criticized it for having by the end "eschewed everything that made it great and settled for the easy way out”.[30] However, Random Curiosity voiced a more positive opinion to its ending, stating the series will be "well-remembered for seasons to come" and "kept us all fixated and eagerly anticipating every episode set to air".[31]

Awards and nominations

The series was nominated for Anime of the Year for Anime Trending Awards 2019.[32] In addition, the series was awarded Best Sci-Fi or Mecha, and Best Action or Adventure from Anime Trending's Winter 2018 Anime Awards. Zero Two placed first in Favorite Female Character.[33] At Newtype Anime Awards 2018, Shigeto Koyama was awarded Best Mechanical Design, with Zero Two and the series itself being runners-up for Best Female Character and Best TV Anime respectively.[34]

Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result
2018 Anime Trending Awards Winter[33] Anime of the Season Darling in the Franxx Runner-up
Best Sci-Fi or Mecha Darling in the Franxx Won
Best Action or Adventure Darling in the Franxx Won
Favorite Male Character Hiro
(from Darling in the Franxx)		 3rd place
Favorite Female Character Zero Two
(from Darling in the Franxx)		 Won
Favorite Supporting Female Character Ichigo
(from Darling in the Franxx)		 Won
Favorite Supporting Male Character Goro
(from Darling in the Franxx)		 Won
Newtype Anime Awards[35] Best TV Anime Darling in the Franxx Runner-up
Best Character (Male) Hiro
(from Darling in the Franxx)		 4th place
Best Character (Female) Zero Two
(from Darling in the Franxx)		 Runner-up
Best Voice Actor Yūto Uemura (Hiro) 3rd place
Yūichirō Umehara (Goro) 6th place
Best Voice Actress Haruka Tomatsu (Zero Two) 3rd place
Best Theme Song Kiss of Death by Mika Nakashima 3rd place
Best Soundtrack Asami Tachibana 6th place
Best Director Atsushi Nishigori 5th place
Best Screenplay Atsushi Nishigori and Naotaka Hayashi 5th place
Best Character Design Masayoshi Tanaka 3rd place
Best Mechanical Design Shigeto Koyama Won
2019 Anime Trending Awards Anime of the Year Darling in the Franxx Nominated

Notes

  1. ↑ A-1 Pictures' subsidiary Kōenji Studio rebranded to CloverWorks during production.[3][4]
  2. ↑ Miniature klaxosaurs (few meters large) are called "Conrad" level, originally from Conrad discontinuity named after the Austria-Hungarian seismologist Victor Conrad.[13]
  3. ↑ Midsize klaxosaurs (dozens of meters large) are called "Mohorovičić" level, originally from Mohorovičić discontinuity named after the Croatian seismologist Andrija Mohorovičić.[13]
  4. ↑ Giant klaxosaurs (hundreds of meters large) are called "Gutenberg" level, originally from Core–mantle boundary named after the German seismologist Beno Gutenberg.[13]
  5. ↑ The largest klaxosaur class as of episode 15, spanning kilometers, originally from Lehmann discontinuity named after Danish seismologist Inge Lehmann.[13]
  6. ↑ It has a nickname of "Steel maiden".[13]

References

  1. ↑ "The Winter 2018 Anime Preview Guide DARLING in the FRANXX". Anime News Network. February 5, 2018. Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Youth in Revolt: The Uncertain Future of DARLING in the FRANXX". Crunchyroll. May 3, 2018. Archived from the original on May 19, 2018. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  3. ↑ "A-1 Pictures' Kōenji Studio Rebrands as CloverWorks". Anime News Network. April 2, 2018. Archived from the original on April 7, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  4. ↑ Chapman, Paul (April 4, 2018). "A-1 Pictures Rebrands Their Kōenji Studio as CloverWorks". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on April 7, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  5. ↑ "On Air". Darling in the Franxx Official Website (in Japanese). December 28, 2017. Archived from the original on December 28, 2017.
  6. ↑ "有楽町マルイ 「ダリフラ」展開催決定！". darli-fra.jp (in Japanese). February 27, 2018. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  7. ↑ "DARLING in the FRANXX Anime Video Reveals Story Teaser, January Premiere". Anime News Network. October 18, 2017. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  8. 1 2 "DARLING in the FRANXX Anime Reveals January 13 Premiere, Opening Theme Song". Anime News Network. December 13, 2017. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Studio Trigger Announces 3 New Anime Titles (Updated)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 3, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  10. 1 2 "To Love-Ru's Kentaro Yabuki's New Manga is DARLING in the FRANXX". Anime News Network. December 16, 2018. Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Funimation Announces Start of DARLING in the FRANXX SimulDub". Twitter. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Crunchyroll Announces Winter 2018 Simulcast License Acquisitions". Crunchyroll. January 8, 2018. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "Keyword". darli-fra.jp (in Japanese). April 2, 2018. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Studio Trigger, A-1 Pictures' DARLING in the FRANKXX Anime Reveals Video, Visual, Staff". Anime News Network. July 5, 2017. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  15. ↑ "DARLING in the FRANXX Anime's Promo Video, TV Ads Streamed". Anime News Network. November 8, 2017. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Music". darli-fra.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Crunchyroll, Funimation Announce 7 Anime for Winter 2018 Simulcast Season". Anime News Network. December 14, 2017. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  18. ↑ "ANIPLUS Asia to Simulcast DARLING in the FRANXX". Anime News Network. January 14, 2018. Archived from the original on April 12, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  19. ↑ ダーリン・イン・ザ・フランキス 1 [Darling in the Franxx 1]. Shueisha (in Japanese). Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  20. ↑ ダーリン・イン・ザ・フランキス 2 [Darling in the Franxx 2]. Shueisha (in Japanese). Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  21. ↑ ダーリン・イン・ザ・フランキス 3 [Darling in the Franxx 3]. Shueisha (in Japanese). Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  22. ↑ Ressler, Karen (July 9, 2018). "Darling in the Franxx 4-Panel Spinoff Manga Ends". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Mato's "Darling in the Franxx" 4-koma Compilation Launched! - WOWJAPAN". October 5, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  24. ↑ ダーリン・イン・ザ・フランキス 1 [Darling in the Franxx! 1]. Shueisha (in Japanese). Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  25. 1 2 ダーリン・イン・ザ・フランキス 1 [Darling in the Franxx 1]. darli-fra.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  26. 1 2 ダーリン・イン・ザ・フランキス 4 [Darling in the Franxx 4]. darli-fra.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  27. 1 2 ダーリン・イン・ザ・フランキス 5 [Darling in the Franxx 5]. darli-fra.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  28. ↑ "Darling In The Franxx Doesn't Make Good On Its Promises". Kotaku. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  29. ↑ "Darling in the Franxx Review - A Piece of Anime". Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  30. ↑ "'Darling in the Franxx' Check-in: Ending With a Whimper | Goomba Stomp". Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  31. ↑ "'Darling in the Franxx - 24 (END)". Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Nominees- Anime Trending Awards 2019 | Anime Trending - Your Voice in Anime". Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  33. 1 2 "DARLING in the FRANXX, Laid-Back Camp dominates Winter 2018 Anime Awards". Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Newtype Anime Awards 2018 Winners and Details Announced". Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Idolm@ster SideM, Bungo Stray Dogs Film Win Top Newtype Anime Awards - News - Anime News Network". Retrieved October 8, 2018.
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