(L+CR) Darling in the Franxx

[KPSJ]

Looks like episode 16 is the start of the 2nd arc its so big and important the staff is all doing a rewatch of 1-15 with episode 16 coming out to theatres in Japan

[Blueknight78]

Originally Posted by KPSJ

Looks like episode 16 is the start of the 2nd arc its so big and important the staff is all doing a rewatch of 1-15 with episode 16 coming out to theatres in Japan

wow this serie really looks like doing "pretty well" if it is going to have a theatre section.

[KPSJ]

Originally Posted by Blueknight78

wow this serie really looks like doing "pretty well" if it is going to have a theatre section.

4/27 is the rewatch for the VA then 4/28 should be episode 16 and it must be really big change... I wonder of it will fundamental change everything.

[Kuroageha]

[Funkatron]

Originally Posted by Kuroageha

But it was I, Ichigo!

[Kuroageha]

Hiro was the heroine all along.

[Dengar]

Originally Posted by Twi

Someone on Reddit put together a decent theory: https://www.reddit.com/r/DarlingInTh..._indepth_look/

It's pretty much what I've been saying the entire time. Except as expressed by someone with a better grasp of communicating what they're thinking than myself (I really do suck at that). I do want to emphasize these two important paragraphs though.

Zero Two is an objectively awful person. She's manipulative, abusive both emotionally and physically, and is a literal man-eater - as in she's a blatant serial killer. She is the yanderest yandere since Gasai Yuno herself. If her object of obsession wasn't the self-insert MC, if she was obsessed with a side character like fucking Zorome or Futoshi or something, if she didn't have pink hair, a cute fang and tits, she would undeniably, without a doubt, be ranked worst girl. She has had zero character development since the series began. She has acted the exact same way towards everybody, Hiro included, from episode 1 to episode 12.

All of this is intentional writing. We all fell for it, hook line and sinker. We, the viewers, are "darling", because Hiro is our self-insert.

And none of this is Zero Two's fault.

So why do I think we're getting a happy ending? Didn't she just screw literally everything up and chase off the one person who loved her?

Because she knows when she's wrong. She doesn't dig in and fault the world around her, like a character doing an obvious heel turn would.

As soon as Hiro calls her a monster she knows he's right. She doesn't blame him, claim that this was all his fault or anything of the sort. She immediately - immediately! - assigns the blame to herself and internalizes it. That speaks volumes. You know how hard it is to admit you've shit the bed? And Zero Two has done this throughout the entire series. Despite APE being the source of most of her problems, she's never assigned blame to anyone but herself. She accepts responsibility for all of her actions, even if they weren't her fault to begin with. Her denied happiness wasn't because she and Hiro were chased across a frozen fucking wasteland by armed soldiers, it's because she wasn't "human" enough (and also because lol mindwipe).

I do agree with all of this.

Originally Posted by Obelisk ze Tormentor

I can't speak for others but when I said "When she began transforming, whatever fondness she had for Hiro was gone and all she really cared about was killing the Klax even if that meant sucking Hiro dry", I only used her transformation (started with the fangs) as a time signifier of when 02 started to treat Hiro like fodder, not some "other personality taking over"-excuse.

I didn't even realise you made such an argument. Anyway, it wasn't directed at you specifically, and it doesn't sound like your opinion even clashes with mine. It's just that I have absolutely no reason to believe that her transformation has had any real effect on her mind, and her behavior seems to be caused by the fear of becoming less and less human that has come with the recent increase in her horn size.

Originally Posted by Kuroageha

When you're a leader you don't play favorites.

Which means the safety of the team comes first, rather than pleasing Best Girl 02.

[HtwoN]

Originally Posted by KPSJ

4/27 is the rewatch for the VA then 4/28 should be episode 16 and it must be really big change... I wonder of it will fundamental change everything.

I bet it's the start of the rebellion arc. That means the current drama should be resolved in the maximum of 2 episodes. Great.

[Kuroageha]

Originally Posted by HtwoN

I bet it's the start of the rebellion arc. That means the current drama should be resolved in the maximum of 2 episodes. Great.

I wish. Too bad nobody bothered asking/telling trigger's staff about that.

Originally Posted by Dengar

Which means the safety of the team comes first, rather than pleasing Best Girl 02.

That sure worked at the end right?
Psst, your hate goggles are showing.

[IceHism]

Originally Posted by stray

I guess? What's Darling-esque about her other Stamen, though? They're basically lined up to die at the end of ep. 14, and from what we've seen once they do she's back to being on her own in Rampage mode. Focusing on number here is missing the point, IMO.

Who's talking about the ones shown in ep14? I'm wondering about stamen before Hiro became her stamen. There isn't a number to focus on since we know she's had a 100 or so of stamens before hiro. I just wanted to know if Hiro is the first one she would call darling and do all that other stuff in ep2. I imagine since it was self explanatory, someone would know? Anime superpower senses just isn't a very satisfying answer.

[HtwoN]

Originally Posted by IceHism

Who's talking about the ones shown in ep14? I'm wondering about stamen before Hiro became her stamen. There isn't a number to focus on since we know she's had 100s of stamens before hiro. I just wanted to know if Hiro is the first one she would call darling and do all that other stuff in ep2.

She never called the stateman right before Hiro darling in some scenes they had together. Thus I assume the answer is no unless there are proofs otherwise.

[Norn]

Originally Posted by Dengar

Which means the safety of the team comes first, rather than pleasing Best Girl 02.

So many potshots

[Blueknight78]

Originally Posted by Dengar

I didn't even realise you made such an argument. Anyway, it wasn't directed at you specifically, and it doesn't sound like your opinion even clashes with mine. It's just that I have absolutely no reason to believe that her transformation has had any real effect on her mind, and her behavior seems to be caused by the fear of becoming less and less human that has come with the recent increase in her horn size.:

and this is where many peoples diagree with you, because i can see her transformation being part of that otherwise even now she could be acting much less reckless after he calmed her down, her transformation is clear affecing her not only physically but mentaly, this was clear specially when they told which her cels started to kick to much and she was about to "transform" in a monster which hiro somehow stopped when they mixed they minds, it was really affecting her.

[Twi]

Originally Posted by Dengar

It's pretty much what I've been saying the entire time. Except as expressed by someone with a better grasp of communicating what they're thinking than myself (I really do suck at that). I do want to emphasize these two important paragraphs though.

Same here. Even then there's no guarantee what you say will get to the other person.

Then again, if the backlash is this bad for one little incident where no one died, I can't imagine how badly it'll end when someone does. It doesn't help that since they paired Futoshi and Ikuno, both of whom got rejected by their respective love interests, in the same Franxx, I feel as thought they're going to be the first ones.

[mangamuscle]

Originally Posted by Funkatron

But it was I, Ichigo!

Does this mean Ichigo is going to kill papa and then become an inhuman monster? I wouldn't rule it out

Speaking of the monster and hiro, no one has made the connection with:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iPwP-x1wsw

[_Ninja_]

Originally Posted by IceHism

But she called Hiro darling after only 1 ride. the best possible explanation for no i've seen is that she treated soldier 76 (The big white haired guy with the face mask) like shit but she has had literally 100 stamens before so im wondering why hiro is the first to be called that after 1 ride.

Because she liked how their first encounter went. He jumped in to save her and didn't treat her differently because of her horns. Also different from all the others their meeting was spontaneous. Hiro wasn't a volunteer specially prepared to ride with her and probably pumped with preconceived notions about her.

[Kuroageha]

Originally Posted by mangamuscle

Does this mean Ichigo is going to kill papa and then become an inhuman monster? I wouldn't rule it out

Speaking of the monster and hiro, no one has made the connection with:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iPwP-x1wsw

Inb4 9alpha has a drug to improve synchrony.

[KPSJ]

Concept sketch for an upcoming newtype artpiece of DarliFra

[Mad Pierrot]

Originally Posted by kuroageha

Spoiler for size:

sonochi no sadame!
Hhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrrrooooooooooo ooo!!!

[TheAlucid]

I just wanted to point out in this thread the theory that 02's recent saurification has been due to emotional distress and nothing else. That we've been mixing up symptoms and causation. She wasn't distressed because of her exaggerated Klaxosaur features, her exaggerated Klaxosaur features were because she was distressed. Episode 14 provides the best proof of this: when Hiro rejects 02 her horns more than double in size overnight. So the question becomes: why did 02's features start to saurify around when Hiro gives 02 her first present?

Given that with episode 14 we now know conclusively 02 has been using Hiro, I think it's safe to say when Hiro gave 02 the mirror the present became a symbol for her reflecting on the nature of their relationship. How trusting he was of her, how he had devoted all his being to her, how well he treated her, and how he was just fodder and being used by her. She began to feel guilt, she didn't like the face her mirror reflected, all she could see was a monster who took advantage of others. This emotional distress began to have a clear impact on her, as her fangs became pronounced.

At this point she stops putting on the romantic charade with Hiro, it's not amusing to her anymore to string him along. She rebuffs his efforts at communication, her mindset clearly described at the beginning of episode 14: she couldn't comprehend why ever she should want to reach mutual understang with some random stamen she was just using, fodder. By episode 11 she breaks the mirror he had given her, and she had promised to cherish. Perhaps a physical reminder to herself that she couldn't grow attached to him, he was simply a means to an end.

By episode 12 her mental distress has become so aggressive her horns have grown and her claws are pronounced. The episode begins with her desperately searching through the library for the children's book. She's trying to remind herself what she's doing this for, that she needs to use Hiro to reunite with her old darling. That has been her goal all along. Hiro's constant concern bites at her conscience, and she tries to placate him with a kiss- only for that gesture to be turned into an expression of his concern for her. He's scared but trying to meet her desires anyway, she can't go through with it. She starts trying to not look at him, ignore him completely. When he finds her at the lake and expresses concern over her once again she repeats her need to kill klaxosaurs and become human to herself. She won't even turn to acknowledge his existence.

When he tells her that she's perfect as she is, horns, claws, fangs included. He stabs her conscience deeply and she screams that he shut up. When he confesses it breaks her to the point she has to deny it totally. He doesn't love her, just lusts for her and is confused. If she gives him sex he'll be satiated and that will be the end of it. Only Hiro doesn't fall for it and is adamant in his affection for her alone. This is when she gives the game up completely and spells it out for Hiro: He was fodder. She was using him. She never cared for him. When she returns to the house she shatters every mirror she encounters, she's so disgusted with herself. Her chest physically hurts with torment over what she has done to him.

She decides to brute force the final stage of the saurification process at the end of the episode, that her resolve is flagging and she has to do it before it gives out completely. Nearly killing Hiro in the process.

The 02 we saw for most the first episodes was a lie, a seductress, the spider symbolism in episode 5 was actually extremely on the nose. But most if not all of us didn't want to accept it in spite of that.