DARLING in the FRANXX

Episode 11

After finishing DARLING in the FRANXX's eleventh episode, “Partner Shuffle”, my first thought was: 'Oh Boy. So this is where the show gets messy.'. On the one hand, it might seem like I have little room to complain; not only is this another excellently directed and firmly entertaining episode on the surface, it also finally sees the show addressing the existence and perspectives of queer characters. (At least they seem to be queer, given the show's blatant central metaphor.) But despite the episode's ostensible strengths, the full experience of watching episode 11 left me more uneasy than anything. I'm now less sure than ever what DARLING in the FRANXX is trying to communicate with its muddled metaphors and vague characterization.

This episode pushes Hiro and Zero Two to the background again as Kokoro, Mitsuru, Futoshi, and Ikuno get involved in a rather complicated experiment. Chlorophytum continues to struggle on the battlefield, so it's proposed that the Parasites engage in the titular partner shuffle to see if something can be done. Ikuno and Kokoro both jump at this chance – Ikuno does so because she wants to try piloting as a pistil-pistil combination with Ichigo, and Kokoro acts on her crush for Mitsuru that has been building up over the past few weeks. This results in drama that's mostly predictable but still well-executed, which is DARLING's trademark routine at this point. Futoshi is simultaneously heartbroken and riddled with worry over Kokoro's safety, Kokoro feels bad but remains driven to explore her burgeoning maternal instincts, and Ikuno is bitterly disappointed that her connection with Ichigo can't get a FRANXX up and running.

While these are obvious developments for the story to follow, the episode is directed confidently enough that the drama still feels compelling. Futoshi may be the most one-note character in the cast, but you still empathize with the poor kid when he realizes that he isn't the only partner Kokoro will have. You also clearly understand Kokoro's conflict, caught between wanting to stay true to others' perceptions of her while still feeling the urge to follow the possibilities that a new partner could help her explore. Perhaps most importantly, we at last get some insight into Mitsuru's rotten attitude, and it's the most compelling development DARLING has given us in a while. It turns out that Mitsuru was once close enough to Hiro that they made a promise to pilot a FRANXX together one day. Mitsuru even went so far as to undergo a potentially fatal yellow-blood-cell injection to become a viable FRANXX candidate, but Hiro ended up forgetting all about their pinky-sworn vow to one another.

All of a sudden, Mitsuru's angst becomes incredibly sympathetic, and his setup as a foil to Ikuno carries significantly more weight. Ikuno's position as the series' token (and probably tragic) lesbian has been telegraphed for months, but seeing Mitsuru also struggle with his feelings for another Stamen complicates things in a fascinating way. Ikuno even calls out the irony of their pairing, with the both of them putting up a façade of coldness because it hurts too much to be apart from the one person they wish to be with. But whereas Mitsuru pushes others away to protect himself from being betrayed again, Ikuno chooses to be upfront with her goals. Sadly, this gets Ikuro and Ichigo nowhere, but Mitsuru and Kokoro do end up forging a connection that helps Mitsuru begin to move forward, even if he can't yet get over Hiro's betrayal.

This is also where the frankness of DARLING's mecha motif makes Mitsuru's character arc feel messy and troublesome. If we're looking at the FRANXX as simply a mechanical stand-in for various forms of human connection, it makes sense that Mitsuru would heal the wounds of a failed friendship by reaching out to others who can understand him better. The problem is that this show has gone so far out of its way to drive home the explicitly sexual connotations of the FRANXX and the erotically charged relationship between Pistils and the Stamens.

This is why it has been so easy to read Ikuno's desire to pair with Ichigo as a metaphor for the character's queer sexuality, and why the same can easily be read into Mitsuru feelings for Hiro after this week's episode. The problem isn't that it would be wrong for Mitsuru to develop feelings for both Hiro and Kokoro (bisexuality exists). It's more that I'm troubled by how the show frames its unrequited same-sex pairings versus the traditional male-female ones. Ichigo almost seems relieved to confirm that same-sex setups are not an option for FRANXX operation, and Mitsuru casting off his grudge against Hiro is framed as an emotional burden that he's able to overcome once he forges a connection with a female pilot who wants him. The climax of both Kokoro and Mitsuru's emotional arc arrives only when they finally come together with to pilot Genista to victory against the Klaxosaurs, which frames Mitsuru's attachment to Hiro as toxic and painful compared to his connection with Kokoro as a healing bond that will allow him to function as a Parasite.

It's one thing to present the FRANXX, and therefore the experience of puberty and adolescence, from a purely heterosexual lens; it's a limiting perspective, but if you can forgive that more traditional angle, you can at least just focus your attention on what's being said about male-female partnerships. It is an entirely different matter to clearly frame same-sex attraction as being detrimental to FRANXX operation. Given that this series looks to be using the Parasites and their FRANXX as an allegory for societal complications that plague contemporary society, I sincerely hope that DARLING will elaborate on Ikuno and Mitsuru's stories with more nuance going forward. Sadly, “Partner Shuffle” doesn't fill me with much hope.

Potentially troubling thematic developments aside, this is another excellently produced slice of sci-fi action from A-1 Pictures and Trigger. The cast is coming together more and more as this arc develops, and this week's Klaxosaur battle was one of the best action sequences the show has delivered so far. While the plot still has yet to take much shape, the week-to-week experience of watching DARLING remains as fun and intriguing as ever. It's when you stop to think about what the show might be trying to say that things get trickier. Of course, it's still too early to pass judgement, but I'm starting to become more wary of the ideas that are running beneath the surface of DARLING in the FRANXX's pleasing outer shell.

Rating: B

DARLING in the FRANXX is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

James is an English teacher who has loved anime his entire life, and he spends way too much time on Twitter and his blog.