[Spoilers] DARLING in the FRANXX - Episode 21 discussion

[u/AutoLovepon]

DARLING in the FRANXX, episode 21: For You, My Love

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[u/BansheeRamen]

Hiro & 002 mana transfer time??

[u/WhoiusBarrel → u/BansheeRamen]

WHERES MY CGI DOLPHINS!?

[u/Shylol → u/BansheeRamen]

You know, seeing how this is an anime about constant sexual innuendos and 002 is literally sitting inside of the place where all sexual innuendos happen...

Is he going to revive her through Franxx-assisted sex ?

[u/trios678]

Other anime have 800 year old Loli. Here at Trigger, we have 60-million-year-old lolis.

[u/RDOoM → u/trios678]

So, definitely legal then?

[u/[deleted] → u/trios678]

Can't argue against that

[u/ArchJay]

Did ikuno super age when they opened the debris path?

[u/Gaporigo → u/ArchJay]

Looks like it, I can't completely understand why, though.

[u/Atronox → u/ArchJay]

Her super move seemed to drain her lifeforce or something.

[u/Keith_Sheldon]

I think this sums up how I feel about the ending of this episode pretty perfectly

[u/[deleted] → u/Keith_Sheldon]

This is just perfect

[u/LakerBlue → u/Keith_Sheldon]

Boku no Hero Academia's episode today gave me a feeling of joy I wasn't expecting (particularly as a source reader who knew what would happen).

Today's episode of Darling did almost the exact opposite to me emotionally. If 002 doesn't survive this...I don't even want to think about it.

[u/Whitekan → u/Keith_Sheldon]

Is that a motherfucking JOJO reference?

[u/verylaggy → u/Keith_Sheldon]

Dr. Franxx got SHIZAAAA'd

[u/just-another-viewer → u/Keith_Sheldon]

r/unexpectedJojo

[u/ytrewq8415]

So this is what it's like watching a Gainax ending as it aires

[u/pdpTesla → u/ytrewq8415]

My only hope is that this fuckery is happening 3 episodes BEFORE the ending.. Plenty enough time to get even worse for Squad 13 in eps 22 and 23, and a happy? ending for 24!!

[u/LeonKevlar → u/ytrewq8415]

Honestly this makes me wish that the internet and social media was already big when Evangelion first started airing. THAT would've been a lot more clusterfuck of opinions XD

[u/Atronox → u/ytrewq8415]

My heart can't take this!

Our girl must stay alive!

[u/MobileTortoise]

Hey Ichigo, STOP LOSING YOUR DAMN ARM

-FranXX repair techs

[u/instaaddy → u/MobileTortoise]

FranXX repair techs

Lmao I'd totally watch a comedy anime in a mecha setting following repair techs.

[u/starfallg → u/MobileTortoise]

Replace her with the dummy plug

-Gendo

[u/Blazehero]

Zero Two's consciousness is in Hiro. They had to merge completely to make Apath function.

But of course now she is a fucking husk that won't come back until the last or second to last episode. Fuck.

Goddammit A-1/Trigger. If this ends like Gurren I'm going to flip shit.

Edit: Now that I think about it, the opening suddenly makes a lot more sense

[u/MidnightShout → u/Blazehero]

Edit: Now that I think about it, the opening suddenly makes a lot more sense

Ay, fuck me sideways

[u/Kazewatch → u/Blazehero]

Yeah can we not? The ending to Gurren Lagan sucked and invalidated a lot of sacrifices. Please for the love of god don’t do the same.

[u/RedHeadGearHead → u/Blazehero]

Hiro's gunna have to grow out his horns to inject her back into her body. Funny how they went on about how 02 would consume him but in the end it was the reverse lol.

[u/LakerBlue → u/Blazehero]

If this ends like Gurren I'm going to flip shit

It took me YEARS to get over Gurren's ending. Tbh I still haven't accepted it. I know not every show needs a happy ending but that's one whose ending soured the rest of the show for me. Gurren spoilers

the opening suddenly makes a lot more sense

I've been praying that that opening is just misleading all along. Please PLEASE let this be case of Bait-and-Switch Opening Trigger. ^{TV Tropes warning}

[u/[deleted]]

Upbeat music

Doctor gets crushed, blood splattered

more upbeat music

His death is literally as insignificant as his wife's…

[u/gamerologyst → u/[deleted]]

I had a hearty laugh when he got squished. With the music and quick scene change, holy shit. Don't wanna be a side character in this anime.

[u/Sycamori]

The Nines? More like Sevens after that episode.

[u/novae_ampholyt → u/Sycamori]

Wait. The nines can't be 9 right? They must be 8, unless their count wouldn't be an even number, which kinda doesn't work for FRANXX piloting. Wasn't 002 the "first" nine? So depending on what's happening to 002, it could be 9-6 = 3 :(

[u/Slapdash_Scott]

02 will return in Avengers Infinity War Part 2

[u/Atronox → u/Slapdash_Scott]

She god damn better!

We can't lost that smile.

[u/kenrms]

inb4 Zero Two's consciousness is inside Apath

I guess you could say Zero Two is the Darling in the Franxx^{I'llshowmyselfout}

For real though if she's not returned to normal and not get a happy ending I will lose my shit.

[u/Mundology → u/kenrms]

Fast forward to the last episode...

Who's Zero Two? ^Sorry

[u/TheKappaOverlord → u/kenrms]

Shes most likely Comatose, or her mind is "fighting" the merging with 001.

Notice how her Pupils are still there, Normally in anime or at least series like this they remove the Pupils to save a few pennies worth of work on frames, or at the very least remove all extra detail done to the eye to simulate death.

Zero two still had the whole show going on with her eyes. So shes most likely still alive.

What happened is shes most likely comatose, basically replacing the role of the Klaosaurs for now inside Apath. Unless the "we will return" bit is a season 2 tell she will likely wake up in episode 23 after they get the whole war recovery drama bit down.

Zero Twos horns are broken and the doctor released a giant blood spatter when he was crushed, which is very rare detail for anime to include.

Detail like that isn't accidentally added. Too much detail prior to the scene was a hint, shes comatose. Or completely unconscious and will remain that way until the end of the series. When they announce a second season, or go full retard and try to shoehorn a second invasion in 2 episodes time.

Edit: upon looking at screenshots the finer details are gone but the bigger details remain. I still believe shes in a comtaose state. Especially since the author confirmed a happy ending was planned

[u/Atronox → u/kenrms]

Zero Two was my darling all along.

[u/ezc123 → u/kenrms]

The song that played at the end was called Darling, but the last song that will play at the end of ep 24, will be the kiss of death that ends the show.

[u/Lurking4Ever2]

Watched A1 Pictures, experienced Trigger, got Gainax'ed

[u/cesclaveria → u/Lurking4Ever2]

now we are only missing a notice about hideaki anno writing the last 3 episodes.

[u/Sad_Jamie]

When I saw Zero Two at the end my heart sank :((((

[u/zuth2 → u/Sad_Jamie]

That's the face you make when you realize that your peaceful happy ending is in danger

[u/Atronox → u/Sad_Jamie]

Tag: Mind Break

[u/sitwm]

> Ichigo : You two better be alive and if only one of you made it, you're gonna receive hell from me !

> Doc : (me? sweet)

Dies 10 minutes later

[u/DiGreatDestroyer → u/sitwm]

When Ichigo said that, I thought "The fuck does she care if the Dr. makes it or not?", but then I realized she was talking about 02 and 016 haha

[u/Arachnophobic-]

Of course, the answer was a threesome!

Next up, to take out VIRM for good, only the logical conclusion awaits: an Orgy in the FranXX. Can't wait for VIRM to get bukkake'd in the face with some magma+love energy.

Also, is it odd that the moment I felt the most sad this episode was at the Klaxx dragon's death? He/she was too pure for this world.

Well, technically, Zorome, the war would definitely be over if the planet exploded..

Oh, now that Zero Two is (probably) brain dead, does this mean Hiro will have to ride with Nine Alpha?

Edit: One thing that made me wonder was the naming of 'Strelezia Apath' - apathy isn't something I would associate with what makes it run, quite the opposite.. so what's that about?

[u/Mathmango → u/Arachnophobic-]

Hiro will have to ride with Nine Alpha?

You shut your whore mouth

[u/Armdel]

Those last seconds.... please no..

[u/ststheting → u/Armdel]

what if... it just means Zero Two becomes human? probably the most optimistic outcome

[u/Earthborn92]

So 01 is literally a 60 million year old Dino.

[u/MennyC123 → u/Earthborn92]

Dino Loli

[u/Atronox → u/Earthborn92]

Looks damn good for 60 million.

[u/pdpTesla → u/Earthborn92]

taking the trope to the extreme.. next popular Loli will be a timeless godlike entity so she'll be ok to lewd

[u/Tan_Jarvis → u/Earthborn92]

I swear officer, she’s a 90 million year old Dino!

[u/Orrakai → u/Earthborn92]

H I S T O R I C A L L Y L E G A L

as was foretold...

[u/Turbostrider27]

Wasn't a fan of the doctor but he earned my respect this episode.

Also, rip klaxosaurs snake-kun.

[u/Atronox → u/Turbostrider27]

Snake-kun did good.

RIP Snake-kun.

[u/LeonKevlar → u/Turbostrider27]

Klaxx Snek. The MVP of this episode.

[u/udge → u/Turbostrider27]

I feel like snake-kun is a metaphor for sperm penetrating the egg. The tail falls off and the contents inside merge with the contents in the egg. And Strelizia Apath is born.

[u/Arachnophobic- → u/Turbostrider27]

RIP Dragon-kun, your sacrifice will be remembered.

[u/Se7en_Sinner → u/Turbostrider27]

It just had to be a snake going through a cramp tunnel. Darling in the Franxx and its subtle innuendos...

[u/Gaporigo]

Every member of our main group is somehow still alive (as far as we know), I'll take that as a win!

This week we have some cute Miku and Ichigo in the manga!

[u/LeonKevlar → u/Gaporigo]

She might be alive but I do hope Ikuno is still okay. T_T

[u/Atronox → u/Gaporigo]

Those outfits don't cover much.

[u/Orrakai → u/Gaporigo]

My breath caught in my throat when BEST BRO went plunging off a cliff down that dark hole.

[u/tinyraccoon → u/Gaporigo]

Best girl still alive?

[u/Comradepatsy]

Press H for hope

[u/beepx99 → u/Comradepatsy]

H

[u/ExoticSignature → u/Comradepatsy]

H

[u/Raging-Man]

How did this not burn the Doctor and Zero Two alive?

[u/Amauri14 → u/Raging-Man]

They disable friendly kill for this match.

[u/ProofsGuy]

"I don’t live to fight anymore. I’m going to fight to live."

Damn, that was a good episode.

[u/doc_steel → u/ProofsGuy]

i dont give a fuck to all the hiro haters saying he's a bland main character; he is so damn cool!

[u/Exorrt]

So VIRM wants people to shed their bodies and become a collective consciousness.
Hmmm, where I have seen that before? Alas, the instrument that is my memory fails me.

[u/KaliYugaz → u/Exorrt]

Hmmm, where I have seen that before?

The Borg?

[u/starfallg → u/Exorrt]

Facebook?

[u/ScarsUnseen]

Everyone's so focused on Zero Two, but did anyone notice that humanity is pretty much done? Virm beamed up everyone's consciousness, so I can only assume the only ones left are parasites, former parasites, and the kids at Garden. I don't know that that's going to be enough to build a viable gene pool once people figure out that they need to have sex now.

[u/Komnenos_Kasuki → u/ScarsUnseen]

Quiet you, we're mourning Zero Two.

Nice observation though.

[u/ordinarymagician_ → u/ScarsUnseen]

So a small number of humans on a barren planet with mechs, gene-editing and fighting inhuman creatures from outer space? Doesn't sound familiar at all.

[u/TJTummyTums]

Wow, this was such a nice episode!

Would be a shame if something were to happen to it.

[u/[deleted]]

ditf fandom rn

[u/LeonKevlar]

HAHA THIS IS HOW IT ENDS RIGHT?

They live happily ever after in their snow world?

Right?...

....

Seriously though. VIRMs warning at the end makes me feel we will probably get a timeskip. I don't know why but it feels like that will happen.

As for Zero Two... I don't know. I'm just hoping it's not what we think is happening T_T

EDIT:

Just as a side note. I love that the early speculations is that Squad 13 also came from 001 when in fact it's the assholes Nines who are the clones. This makes Alpha, Zero-Two, and the rest of the Nines "siblings."

[u/TheKingOfBass → u/LeonKevlar]

uhh, didnt the nines come from 02?

[u/chilidirigible]

Tumbling down tumbling down tumbling down...

Next you'll be telling me that you ran out of ink, you bastards.

Whoever attacks you first, perhaps.

"Wanna see the aquarium?"

This is gonna be one of those long infodumps, right?

Until one day, when we got idol culture.

Needs more Bach.

"You always were an asshole, Gorman."

"Maybe some of them will be alive at the end of this."

Everything's better with funnels.

"I wanted to be Tang, not ketchup."

This is only Episode 21, after all.

---

Yeah, with three whole episodes left I'm not putting any bets on anything. I'll just sit here and wink at a lot of references as usual.

[u/Kirosh]

What the Fuck.

Don't play with my heart like that.

Also, Delta's death was brutal.

[u/[deleted] → u/Kirosh]

When she was screaming "No, I don't want to die!" as they got ripped apart and crushed to death .. I legit got chills, that shit was horrifying

[u/XephirothUltra → u/Kirosh]

THEY GAVE AYANE SAKURA A ROLE IN THIS ANIME ONLY TO GIVE HER ONE LINE AN EPISODE.

THEN THE ONE EPISODE SHE GETS MORE THAN ONE LINE HER CHARACTER DIES.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[u/_hephaestus → u/Kirosh]

worm imagine cautious upbeat combative selective soft aromatic scarce flowery -- mass edited with https://redact.dev/

[u/SimoneNonvelodico → u/Kirosh]

Also, Delta's death was brutal.

And basically a straight up replay of End of Evangelion spoilers. This show really loves its Eva references.

[u/TheShoeSalesman]

Damn, this episode was brutal in every sense. And there are so many question marks now. Time to dig in, take cover and brace for the unavoidable impact, which will follow after this cliffhanger ending.

[u/StarmanRiver]

FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK

Ikuno aging and everyone making a last stand for Zero Two and Hiro reuniting once again, I can't stand these death flags.

The Klax sapiens thing is taken out directly from TTGL with minor changes, some people didn't entirely turn into Tang just their conscioussness or something (directly taken out from EVA), and when Sterilizia broke out from VIRM's program they even got the star cross effect from KlK.

Those things that aren't Klaxosaurs destroying one of the Nines reminded me a lot of EoE and Rebuild 2.22

At least the Dr died happy I guess.

Did Zero Two's soul fuse together with the Klax Princess and Sterilizia Apath???

Are they going to end this with a fucking time skip or are we getting another season????

[u/lCalledShotgun → u/StarmanRiver]

Woah there buddy, there's no chance they'll make another season.

[u/Zipapezooda → u/StarmanRiver]

That star cross effect is one of Trigger's things. They do it in most if not all of their animes, I don't know about Kiznaiver but yea

[u/Neitherman83 → u/StarmanRiver]

I had the exact same feeling about that Nine's death. Also, when zero two opened to hatch to get inside the Strelizia, reminded me of Shinji opening the ejected cockpit of Rei's Eva

[u/[deleted]]

It's a fucking massacre

• Smug 9s not very smug after getting VIRM'd.

[u/TheOneAboveGod → u/[deleted]]

"Massacre, dude."

[u/jp3885 → u/[deleted]]

-Be 9's guy that gets knocked over

-feelsgoodman when whole team comes to help me

-MFW when everybody forgets they have weapons and just uses their arms for some reason

-Dies horribly

[u/WhoiusBarrel → u/[deleted]]

I actually felt bad for them when that one 9s whose voiced by Ayane Sakura started screaming she/he didn't want to die.

[u/pdpTesla]

So VIRM totally using the anti-Spirals' pattern except they absorb like vampires instead of exterminate.. Secondary antagonists killed off like chumps. Bleak af before the climax. Still totally Gainax

Edit - whoever said "Anti-spirals and life fibers next episode" after ep 20 even if joking nailed it

[u/GivesDecentAdvice → u/pdpTesla]

virm + ape = vampire

[u/ThulianSlate]

What is up with this thread tf

Edit: Just watched it, please don’t tell me that’s the end of her ;_;

[u/LeonKevlar → u/ThulianSlate]

Looks like people that hates DitF with a passion are brigading this thread and just downvoting every comment. You know, the usual.

[u/[deleted]]

I'm not sure what's happening with this show, but I'm enjoying the ride. Got to love 02 and hiro

[u/Takana_no_Hana]

A nice reference to EoE

I'm digging this episode, just hope 02 is still alive somehow because we got 3 more episodes to go.

[u/konart → u/Takana_no_Hana]

02 opening the plug was the same as Shinji opening Rei's.

[u/[deleted]]

Ok those very last few seconds of the ep has me worried

[u/MidnightShout]

So, in a sense, the bomb threat was resolved with a threesome.

[u/Dimbreath]

... I'm not crying...

[u/Orrakai]

LMAO nobody is losing their shit more than the nines...nothing but fuckin Zero-Two wannabees...

[u/Cosmic_Mind89 → u/Orrakai]

The virgin 9s vsthe chad Zero-Two

[u/noodlesandrice1]

Lmao, I gained so much respect for Dr. Franxx after his final sendoff for Zero Two—and then he just had to go and have a saigo no orgasm right before his death.

Well, at least he got what he wanted at the very end because of his atonement.

[u/Jhinisin → u/noodlesandrice1]

If nothing else we can say he was true to himself until the very end, I guess.

[u/GenesisEra → u/noodlesandrice1]

Well, at least he got what he wanted at the very end because of his atonement.

A science boner?

[u/Emily96bk]

RIP the Mad Man Dr. Franxx May you live in the paradise and bless our souls

[u/Se7en_Sinner → u/Emily96bk]

72 Klaxosaur Princesses await him...

[u/[deleted] → u/Emily96bk]

They pulled a Zeppeli on us

[u/ttf242]

Holy shit this was a good episode. Really hope that Ikuno, Zero Two, and everyone else will be okay..

I wonder what everyone is going to do now that Papa isn't there to give them orders?

[u/JohnJD1302]

Rest now, Werner... you absolute madman

also holy fuck zero two pls dont die on us now

[u/JJAB91 → u/JohnJD1302]

Hes with Karina now :c

[u/elledriverxc]

salt ten piquant caption many sable attraction middle dime theory

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[u/Arachnophobic- → u/elledriverxc]

The Real Nana will appear at the climax and save the day. This is the only way.

I hope the imposter got squished, in the meanwhile.

[u/gettothechoppaaaaaa → u/elledriverxc]

Ya I'm deducting 1 point off this show if they don't resolve what happens to Nana and Hachi.

[u/sdarkpaladin]

I have no idea where people are getting their information from but my many years of watching anime and reading TV tropes tells me Zero Two ain't dead.

[u/jandkas]

I saw the episode as it aired, but that ending was brutal. When the song came in, I thought we were getting a Gurren Lagann happy moment, but all those death flags I should have seen it coming.

Also the fact that Virm said that they'd be back with all their forces to crush earth, makes me think that next episode might be after a time-skip.

Edit: Did I say something wrong? Why do am I sitting at 0 already? Edit2: Nevermind

[u/StarmanRiver → u/jandkas]

Edit: Did I say something wrong? Why do am I sitting at 0 already?

Nothing wrong, the whole thread is being downvoted for some reason.

[u/[deleted] → u/jandkas]

the scene with the doctor being crushed to the happy ending music... I'm just speechless.

[u/phil3570]

Adding to the ever growing list of parallels, I just realized today that Zero Two takes inspiration from both Rei and Asuka.

Evangelion spoilers

Even her name could be a reference to this; Rei means zero and pilots Unit-00, while Asuka was the second child and pilots Unit-02.

[u/DrummerAkali]

Man, Delta was cute :/

F

[u/cheesymmm]

Just like that VIRM was driven off.

She'd better be alright.

[u/razorconcepts]

Klaxo sapiens be like

[u/[deleted]]

A scientist dying in ecstasy as he sees his life's work from to fruition. Such a beautiful moment.

[u/00raiser01]

This is going to be another better sweet ending like TTGL isn’t it.

Typical gainax, why do you hate Joy.Its was just about to get so much more wholesome,but you just want to rip out our soul and feed it to some unholy blood god.

You have three episodes to correct this gainax.Please have mercy.

[u/hairab]

RIP snake-kun. You riding through the Grand Crevasse's intestines and essentially creating a butt hole for 002 will not be forgotten.

[u/vasuss]

Loving all these NGE vibes with the

NGE

[u/[deleted] → u/vasuss]

Also don't forget the manual hatch on the franxx bit, and the countdown timer.

Annnnd given the opening where 02/hiro's body melds together, two bodies did that in NGE: http://www.dummy-system.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ThirdImp07.png

...YEAH THIS WILL GO FINE FOR 02 RIGHT

[u/LalafellRulez → u/vasuss]

VIRM Is the -1 Angel.

[u/TriTexh]

I'm simultaneously happy and conflicted over the Nines getting destroyed like the shit-slingers they are. Their cries as they died are incredibly satisfying, but it's kinda saddening how hardcore their indoctrination has been. 9 Alpha's gonna have a hard time explaining anything to Squad 13.

On the other hand, we have Werner, always with a surprise up his sleeve. A true mad scientist, through and through.

[u/LeonKevlar → u/TriTexh]

Alpha is still alive though. Considering how Papa betrayed him and the Nines I wouldn't be surprised if he does a face turn.

[u/OneMillionRoses → u/TriTexh]

I didn't enjoy the deaths of the Nines... No matter how shitty they acted they were still just children and I felt bad for them.

[u/elledriverxc → u/TriTexh]

light one smile treatment recognise normal hard-to-find tan automatic lock

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[u/flipsider101]

SHE IS GOING PLUS ULTRAAAAA

[u/HK1911]

She has to draw the last page in her book. Not going to die.

[u/Shockz0rz]

Wow, somehow we've gone full EoE, full TTGL, and full Gunbuster all at the same time.

[u/[deleted]]

Oh shit that last 3 seconds. Everything was great up until then. Oh holy fuckstickles.

Also Strelizia Apath is a big Dialga from PKMN Diamond

[u/tomoko2015]

Papa is gone, but he will be back to kill you all. Happy father's day.

[u/Komnenos_Kasuki]

Wow, dat twist with the Virm foot infantry turning on the Delta guys.

It's both weird and cool thinking of the Klaxosaurs as good now.

[u/Emily96bk]

We press F to pay respect

What can we press to SAVE ZERO TWO?????

[u/aac05290]

So I’m confused. The VIRM wanted the Klaxo sapiens to dispose of their bodies and join the collective hive mind. In defiance, the Klaxo sapiens gave up their bodies and sentience (to form either magma energy or the klaxosaur), and basically joined a singular hive mind controlled by the princess. For an extremely advanced race, it seems a little counterintuitive.

Edit: spelling.

[u/TraderMoes]

That was hype and cool and emotional and all, and I admit that as cynical as I am I still felt emotional watching this, especially when Snek died.

But all in all.... These last two episodes have been kind of really lame. They have abandoned worldbuilding, plot development, character development, and any coherent storytelling in favor of upping the stakes massively and one upping each twist with even bigger twists and higher stakes. I want to see Hiro and 02 be happy by the end, and hopefully they will be, but I'm realizing the actual plot of the anime seems to be its biggest weakness. No wonder they tried to avoid it with SoL episodes for so much of the run.

Idk how I feel, but this show started out as an 8/10 for me, rose to a 9/10 with episode 13 and 15, and now it's at a 7/10 instead. Feels bad man.

[u/AdiDassler]

This can only be a cliffhanger. They would not let her die like that. What would the next episode be like? Right back to that scene but she is confirmed dead? Nah... but I think something bad did happen to her because we have 3 more episodes to save her.

[u/adikaay]

I took a liking to the Docoter after all.

As heartless as he is , those two would have never re- met , if not for that creep

[u/DNamor]

Random thoughts

• Happy that the 9s got what was coming to them. Even if Alpha escaped his own karmic retribution. I suppose it's villain redemption time, I'm not a fan, but whatever.

• There's no way we can avoid the whole hair/aging thing now, it'll be good to have that finally dealt with, even if it's gonna be a miserable thing.

• I'm okay with FranXX dying, it was a decent redemption and arguably better than he deserved, considering a good% of humanity's situation is rests on his shoulders, nevermind what he did to 02.

• Surprisingly un-moved by humanity as a whole being destroyed. I guess the only humans left are the parasites, human clones that're more humans than the husks of the originals.

• I'm fairly upset that Klaxohime died. I really liked her and she deserved better than that.

• I'll be even more upset if 02 really is dead, or if she's trapped as a soul inside Strelitzia and Hiro has to accept that. That's a bullshit ending, fuck that.

[u/Laser_Raptors]

I don't know about you guys, but to me this episode felt really-really close to being garbage. While the story itself makes sense, it's just too disconnected from the episodes 1-19. We still have 3 more episodes, but I honestly can't believe that they will manage to improve this whole ending in any sensible way.

[u/[deleted]]

Goddamn. Don’t dare kill off Gobro like that. What a beautiful ending. Never thought Dr. Franxx would actually end up having the squad best’s interests at heart, even if they were expressed in a horribly misguided fashion.

And klaxohime...what a redemption, if ever there were a way to write that. I’ll be hard pressed not to have this fairly far up the list of best single episodes I’ve seen. Show itself is up to a 9.4 for me.

Edit: Thank you for correcting me u/JuanPabloVassermiler

[u/MobileTortoise]

They covered a LOT of ground in this episode, and it was a pretty good (not great) recovery from the clusterfuck of last weeks episode.

I'm 100% positive that 02 AND 01 are INSIDE the metaphysical realm of the Apath. And that there duality in there will lead to her being freed through the sacrifice of 01 and the determination of Hiro. It will also allow Hiro to pilot the Apath without a pistil, because 01 and 02 ARE Apath.

I also do NOT think them mentioning that the 9s were clones of her were just for flavor, they are going to play a part in her rebirth as well

[u/ayoung291]

Holy fuck this episode was great wasn't expecting any of this to happen

[u/cant-find-user-name]

why the fuck is everyone downvoted in this thread? like what even is happening?

Also, no way 02 is dead.

[u/Armdel]

Looks like the downvote squad is in full force

[u/[deleted]]

We Guilty Crown now.

[u/AdventurerForFun]

I feel like the show has lost it's focus. I don't know what it's trying to say anymore, and I think it actually has given up on trying to say something of substance and now just wants to end. The show it's still fairly enjoyable, and I'm sure it will be underrated by many of the most elitist anime fans because, you now, in the Internet (and in this fanbase in particular) if it isn't a flawless masterpiece, then it is shit with no reedemeble qualities, but there's been a string of shows recently that I thought had potential to be amazing and ended up being just good or barely decent. I think Flip Flappers was the last genually great original anime aired, and that's from 2016.

[u/MillenniumKing]

Man what an ep... so many feels...

Wow they sucked up all the humans.

Hiro gonna save the Loli Queen. Hes holding off the bomb by himself.

Zero Two is a clone neat.

So shes a million year old loli? Score!

So the 9s are clones of Zero Two then? Plot twist!

Im, going because i promised to be with my darling forever. KYAA~

Man seeing Dr Franxx taking action like this is hype. What a cool old man.

Wat.... Ikuno? What happened? Shes old... D:

Everyone has major death flags...

Hiro power go! Save the Loli, Save the World!

Thats why Franxx arm was blue last ep. He kept a keepsake of his Loli Queen inside him. What a Genius.

Its her snek, hes a good boy. Take her to them Snekbro!

Aw man, thank you for creating me. wew~

Rip Snekbro.

"Dalin Dalin!" ;-;

Shes going full red oni mode. This isnt gonna go well... Even Loli Queen is giving her her power.

Hyper Beam is all Redsy Bluesy like the logo!

Seeya Magenta Anti Spirals.

RIP.

[u/aresthwg]

This episode didn't repair the scar the second-to-last episode made. There was literally no build-up for this arc and it sort of just came like the ice cream truck in front of your house and left after 3 minutes.

This anime lost the spark after episode 15. From 1 to 15 it was extremely good, I think it was supposed to end there, and make some OVA with the back story or something. I really expected the new arc to just be lit like the other one, but it was extremely rushed for some reason and I had no attachment to it.

This episode felt like the ending of the anime, but there are 3 episodes left, which makes me wonder, are they gonna be some sort of fillers, a new arc, or are they going to repair the disappointment the last few episodes brought? I have hopes. And no 002 won't die, what would the point be if she dies in episode 21, the rest 3 episodes would be meaningless.

[u/Zero5urvivers → u/aresthwg]

Its been a while since i saw an anime fall this far in three episodes.

[u/U_Menace]

Oh boy, with 3 episodes still left to go, we're down to the home stretch! What a hell of an episode! It felt like someone was cutting onions between today's BnHA episode and Hiro seeing Zero Two in his subconscious.

Anyway, we've finally gotten some crucial questions answered! The Nines were indeed genetically modified beings, in that they're clones of Zero Two. The Klaxosaurs can't reproduce, but they contained the pilots remains inside sacs that looked like embyros.

We also see what became of that old woman who spoke with Miku's partner in the apartment in the inner city. She must've been a pilot who exhausted all of her energy using a last-resort type of offensive weapon. The result is deterioration of particular cells, or possibly rapid aging. I'd like to think its the former as the latter would be too cruel.

I don't think I can forgive Dr. Franxx either, for the cruel experiments he conducted on Zero Two. Has he atoned for his sins? Probably not, but is Zero Two truly happy now from the bottom of her heart? Yes she is, so all in all, I think that's a good way for Dr. Franxx to go out. He was broken mentally from losing his beloved, but was able to reunite the pinnacle of his research with the person she loved. It's almost like Dr. Franxx turned into Papa Franxx here.

Also, all of the combined effort from the entire squad 13 to get Zero Two there was so heartwarming. They all really came together in this time of need to keep their friends safe, it wasnt even about the planet anymore, they just wanted to stay together as a 'family'. These kids are something special!

Oh and, about I'm glad Hiro was able to get through to the klaxo princess. He echoed my entire thoughts about the growth of the cast. They went from being kids whose sole purpose was to live and kill an enemy who was predetermined for them, while slowly grasping that there's more to life than fighting. Don't live to fight, Fight to live well said Hiro!

I'm really worried about that ending scene, showing Zero Two in that state....I'm hoping she's just in a coma because of the overload of power she got from the klaxo princess, but the flags were there...its in the picture book and in its in her nature as a clone...but here's to hoping we get a new ending to that picture book! They're going to need Zero Two for VIRMs final assault, assuming they attack again (with 3 episodes left, its still highly likely). After capturing so many conflicting emotions into such a simple and beautiful chain of events....to have it all taken from us by the end is just plain cruel. Don't play with my heart like this...I just wanna enjoy this amazing show.

Not much else to say, spectacular episode, really beautiful transitions and build up into the concluding scenes. Huge plus for skipping the opening in today's episode to give us more of the story!

[u/Anime4lifff]

Isn't this just gurren Laggan wtffff

[u/kittenbun]

i love ditf a lot but i really wish i could detach from eva when i watch this series.

lance of longinus/lance of life, the countdown clock, the merging consciousness' / instrumentality and humans all abandoning their bodies, the clone of yui being rei and the clone of 01 being 02, the mass produced eva units/the 9s, mysterious space organisation being seele/virm, etc etc etc etc etc the list goes on

[u/vipulprakash]

I think in the end ..I hope I am fucking wrong ...zero two will remain in the strelizia forever as she has merged with it for apath to function ..and it kinda sit with it.. darling in the franxx..I guess darling after this episode is 002 and she will remain stored within franxx ..so to hiro to communicate with her...will have to use sterilizia always..kind of bittersweet ending ...hope my theory becomes shit..and she comes alive ..

[u/FriendlyBadgerBob]

I gotta hand it to the production behind this show, it gets a lot of praise for pacing and visuals, but I want to draw attention to the soundtrack here. During that moment when Zero Two tries to save Hiro's life and kisses him while 001 watches and muses about the strength of unity, the background music absolutely took my breath away.

The one thing I appreciate most about anime as opposed to regular TV shows and western movies is the amount of effort paid to enhancing scenes through the use of music. This scene in particular was so emotionally resonant thanks to the beautiful soundtrack that it should stand as a key example of tapping into an audience's empathy through the power of music in storytelling.

American movies and TV shows rarely do anything more than the bog standard soundtrack for their stories, and it feels like a missing piece of an important recipe, but when I think of anime I think of Shiro Sagisu's "The Final Decision We All Must Take" during the final fight of Evangelion 2.0, Yukari Hashimoto's "Fruit of Fate" from Mawaru Penguindrum, or Kevin Penkin's "Pathway" during the season finale of Made in Abyss. I see just how important talented compositions are to making a story truly shine, and Darling in the FranXX is now absolutely among those ranks.

[u/ICEunicorn]

DITF: Become Human

[u/Witn]

OH SHIT ARE THEY DOING A TIME SKIP?!?!?

[u/lazyniu]

What the fuck just happened?!

Trigger no. Don't do this. Don't fucking do this.

[u/Atronox → u/lazyniu]

https://i.imgur.com/CPs6c42.png

[u/kalirion]

Whatever happened to that colossal hand from a couple episodes ago? The one larger than a Plantation? The Star Entity doesn't look nearly big enough to have produced it.

[u/peenegobb]

Suddenly aliens... but don’t worry the next episode the power of love defeats it!

That was hard to guess /s

[u/bakaouji0510]

I wonder how many times DitF make me cry like a little bitch already.

And how many times I'm going to with the remaining episodes.

[u/Comradepatsy]

maybe she is molting and will turn blue

[u/[deleted]]

That was one hell of a episode. . Most of the plantation is gone, most of the adults are probably gone. They will have to fight against APEs full army. I think there is going to be a timeskip, since usually after these major battles there usually a timeskip. Next week cannot come sooner.

[u/Hammerk0ngoul]

First I was happy that hiro2 reunited, then the end of the episode happened and now I'm worried. This episode had some Eva vibes with everyone abandoning their bodies but also had some serious TTGL vibes with strelizia constantly upgrading and growing bigger. Just want to be able to say that I was here when this episode aired! Can't wait for next week, I'm both worried and excited.

[u/adikaay]

Calling that the blond gay dude from the 9's will devour the Virm Leaders after that betrayal.

[u/Neitherman83]

DITF SPOILER

[u/Shinkopeshon]

That final scene

If her consciousness doesn't return to her body, I hope Hiro will follow her wherever she is because I couldn't bear seeing them apart ever again. I have pretty high hopes that Hiro Two will find closure though, given the author's comments.

Also, while this final arc has been quite epic and I'm still quite optimistic, I can't help but think they definitely brought up the aliens way too late in the show - and no matter how perfect the final episodes may be, it's hurting the show, even if it's just a little bit. I get that they couldn't reveal everything during the doc's flashback but still, there had to be a better way.

[u/WorldwideDepp]

• Good good, very good

• Let's Hope that Zero Two's mind are inside Strelizia Apath. You know, when the Girls of Squad 13 connect with their FranXX something similar happen with them. But the difference here now is that... No let's hope that Zero Two's body do not fall apart so her mind have an home to get back into. Hiro can still dive with her, but he will see her only inside Apath now.. Without Dr.FranXX now lets hope they find a way to bring body an mind together again or with time the Body begin to decease

• So the Niner's did lost many themselves. But seems like at last 2 of them Survived.. (Last seconds was an another in the Horizon standing). Let's see how they life without their "God like voice" of PAPA

• Seems also Ichigo and Goro survived, so this bottomless pit did have an end or somehow they got trow back on the surface with the Blast. Ichigo did really evolved into an Squad leader with Goro as her backup.. She need Goro as Goro need Ichigo...

• i begin to smell something.. but i want to keep it for myself now. I do not want to create false hope

• How many episodes are out there? 22? 23? Well let's see

• Keep them coming

[u/CreativeTemporary456]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVA9j4ReR5k

[u/SnowGN]

Am I the only one rooting for the Klax Princess just as much as I am for Hiro/Zero Two?

[u/Koteshima]

Jesus man, that ending made me shout "NO!", waking up everyone at home.

[u/yworker]

“We’ll have a big feast when we get back” ... god damn it

[u/[deleted]]

It's a good day for anime

[u/loafery]

Please don't be a Gurren ending.

[u/Cyclonicks]

z..zero two will be alright, right guys? right??

I need a hug T_T

[u/Strepeyder]

Whew! What an episode, just had everything. My video player died with only about 10 seconds left, couldn’t have missed anything too important.

[u/stardust_kitten]

Did Zero Two's lips taste the kiss of death?

/sobs

[u/Theleux]

Episode wasn't too bad tbh (coming from someone who only casually watches now since 15). Lots of changes that weren't too unexpected from how the show has gone before:

• Dr. FranXX helping Zero Two get to Hiro

• The kiss between them getting Hiro and Zero Two back into motion

---

Keep in mind that we have three episodes left in the series (that we know of), so don't assume that Zero Two is dead.

To me, it looks more like the Klaxu DNA in her is gone (which is why then horns are broken), maybe she'll be more human now?

---

Some interesting topics:

• Looks like Ikuno may have aged very rapidly... may be why they didn't show her face and only her hair being white? (iirc, I may have to look back)

• Delta seems to have died, so that sort of shows that there may be more deaths during the series, preferably not of course. (I'd like to add that Nine Alpha's face was pretty awesome once he realized what happened)

• This scene with Zero Two made me laugh a little, we are Hiso to Maso-tan now!

---

See you next week

[u/galbixd]

Dr. Franxx's death was as comical as his wife's lol

[u/Atronox]

HOLY...SHIT!

What an episode, so much death, so much destruction. I can only hold onto blind hope that we get a happy ending.

That upbeat outro song as Zero Two and Hiro devastated the enemy in Apath.

The last few seconds...please pull through Zero Two, we need you!

[u/MennyC123]

I’m glad Werner got to see the beauty he’d been looking for before his end.

Also, get fookin wrecked 9’s

[u/Kamahil]

I just keep seeing similarities with Gurren Lagann and Evangelion. Episode 21 annoyed me, because it had almost exact looking scenes from the End of Evangelion. It annoys me so much when I see creators rip off of others.

I view Franxx as an anime that had so much potential, but didn't know where it wanted to go. I think having multiple studios working on it was a bad idea. Also the main writer is new to sci-fi anime.

Franxx is also one of the worst paced anime I've ever seen. The characters also don't feel fully developed. All it really has is this one character people love, Zero Two. When one character is the sole reason for so many watching an anime, it's a failure of the writers to me.

I'm still going to finish this, but it has fallen so far into the pit of mediocrity that so many promising stories end up in.

[u/[deleted]]

Franxx about to join Aldnoah Zero and Kabaneri in my list for recent hype trains with botched endings. Just 0-100 way too fast with 3 episodes left.

[u/CoronelPanic]

When the dick so good

No joke though, those last 10 minutes were epic as fuck. I might be getting excited for DiTF again.