DARLING in the FRANXX

Episode 12

It's always been clear that something about the Parasite's origins fundamentally set them apart from the world of adult humans that they protect, but DARLING has taken its sweet time peeling back the layers that separate these children from everyone else, with each passing week revealing only sparse bits of worldbuilding and backstory. Well, the pacing and intensity of DARLING's storytelling ramp up this week, as “The Garden Where It All Began” takes the Parasites to the titular snow-swept laboratory where they were raised, where Ichigo and Hiro both dive deeper into the mysteries surrounding Zero Two and how far she is willing to go to get what she wants. From the outset, the entire episode does an excellent job of evoking the uneasy curiosity and dread that drives both the cast and the show's audience. I may have my reservations with how DARLING in the FRANXX handles its plotting and the way it's developed its more big-picture themes, but I certainly can't accuse the show of slacking when it comes to delivering moody and compelling entertainment in the moment.

In addition to marking the halfway point of DARLING in the FRANXX's run, episode 12 also wraps up the ensemble-developing arc we've been in for the past half-dozen episodes, which means that Hiro and Zero Two are thrust back into the spotlight once more. The rest of the Parasites at the Garden undergo basic tests while Zero Two is forced into her own series of experiments and procedures. The primary subplot involves the group getting into trouble when they become too curious about the lives of the younger Parasites at the Garden, as they discover that the next generation of pilots is being engineered to be more pliable and obedient. Hiro learns that Naomi never returned to the Garden, which further solidifies that Parasites who leave the Garden never return, and it is increasingly obvious that they do not graduate into adults either. It also remains unclear as to whether Parasites are simply killed off in battle, by the government, or somehow become Klaxosaurs themselves, and the exact nature of Dr. Franxx's experiment on the Plantation 13 kids remains similarly obtuse. So while DARLING continues its slow trickle of world-building and plot dissemination, the pieces of the puzzle remain so vague that it's difficult to grasp where all of this foreshadowing is headed.

Though the plot of DARLING in the FRANX is as nebulous as ever, the character work on display continues to improve, with Zero Two getting some sorely needed attention this week. While the brief scenes between her and Hiro have hinted at the discontent bubbling beneath her lackadaisical exterior, this week the floodgates finally open and DARLING really digs into Zero Two's interior conflict. Her self-loathing and desire to become “fully human” are predictable developments, but I still appreciate the dimension added to her character through emphasizing how much she hates the horns and fangs that mark her as the outlier of the group. I also recognize the show's clumsy but well-meaning attempt at subversion here: Hiro thinks that he can solve Zero Two's self-image problems by confessing his love and showering her with compliments, but that backfires horribly on him. Zero Two believes that the only way to be reunited with her “Darling from back then” is to kill as many Klaxosaurs as possible and gain a human form; if Nine Alpha is to be believed, she has been willing to sacrifice up to a hundred other partners to do this.

I say this development is clumsy because, despite all the wonderfully moody bits of animation and thrilling action scenes that demonstrate Zero Two's unraveling mental state, the writing remains too shaky to make things land as effectively as they should. For one thing, unless the show is going for a deliberate fakeout, its becoming obvious that Hiro is Zero Two's original darling, even though Zero Two doesn't remember it. At this point, I don't think that adding altered memories on top of its existing vague tropes does DARLING's plot any favors. Also, this means that while Zero Two isn't immediately fixed by Hiro's naïve confession, we may be on the path to his love solving all of Zero Two's woes once the full truth of their childhood connection surfaces. The episode does hint at Hiro's own impending transformation though, so things could still go in an unexpected direction.

The biggest problem is that the audience is so in the dark about DARLING in the FRANXX's world, plot, and themes, even halfway through the show's run. We still don't know how Zero Two came to be a human/Klaxosaur hybrid, nor do we understand the implications of FRANXX's experimenting with the Plantation 13 Parasites in either a plot-related or thematic sense. While I'm perfectly fine with a show taking time to unveil all of its secrets and mysteries, it's also hard to fully invest in Zero Two's plight when we don't understand the stakes surrounding her quest for humanity or the mechanisms by which she was made monstrous in the first place. So while giving Zero Two clearer motivations is very much appreciated, the jury is still out on whether that development will lead anywhere worthwhile.

However, I can't deny the efficacy of the episode's final scene, with Zero Two emerging as a slaughter-red phantom, ready to choke the life out of Hiro if it will get her what she wants. It's a highly derivative image for EVA-alikes, founded upon emotions and tension that the show hasn't fully earned, but it's nonetheless compelling in the moment, and that's pretty much the status quo when it comes to DARLING in the FRANXX. It's a gorgeously shot and consistently well-animated homage to some of the most famous anime ever made, but even after twelve weeks it remains almost impossible to nail down what this version of the hybrid-mecha story is meant to bring to the table. Many scenes brim with creative potential fueled by the show's thrilling aesthetic, but so often we're left just as adrift as the Parasites, fumbling for answers in a world that still hasn't provided any guarantees of a satisfying response.

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.