If Darling in the FranXX was not a joint production between two of the most influential anime Studios in recent years, this show might not have been on my radar, but since it was I decided to check it out. To my surprise, Darling in the FranXX may turn out to be a pretty decent show.

The story is set in a far-off future, where pairs of male and female kids pilot robots called Fran. Hiro, one of these kids, is unable to pilot one of these robots with his partner, so he decided he should leave the place known as the birdcage and go home. On the day before the pairs of kids, also known as parasites, are supposed to test pilot the knew Fran, Hiro, the shows main character, meets a mysterious girl, the one who many call the partner killer. From their, Hiro’s life starts to change forever.

Right off of the bat, though, I do have a few complaints. First, the show has not clearly explained what about Hiro makes him incapable of piloting the Fran, and considering this is a key plot point for why him and Zero Two, the girl he meets, even begin piloting together, it would be nice to find out by next episode. Second, I am a little worried that a lot of the show’s main cast is not going to get much development. With a show like Eureka Seven, this was not a problem because it was over 50 episodes. Darling in the FranXX, however, only has 24, and considering that the Director has had little work in actual directing, I am not too confident overall.

That does not mean that the show cannot be good and in fact what the show has given in the first episode has been overall pretty good. Zero Two certainly seems likable enough to carry the show even without Hiro being interesting at all, and at the very least the character drama between her and the other pilots will likely create some intense moments. I’m not convinced this is going to be the next Eureka, and especially not the next Evangelion, but I do think that what is here so far could come together cohesively and make a pretty decent mecha.

How did you guys feel about it? Does it have potential? Is it going to be a total flop? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and bye for now, Friendos!