Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
seleneinsilk
For starters, I love this anime. I know a lot of people don't like it for one reason or another and then there's people that don't like it solely because of how popular and mainstream it got (we all know those types), but I have rewatched it a few times now and still thoroughly enjoy it. I think the characters are great, I think the MMC and FMC are fun and have an interesting relationship and the plot is decent. I think it could've done with a little more...world-building? I think that's what I mean, anyways. There's something about the anime that misses the mark to make it amazing, but it's very close. Regardless, I think everyone should try watching it at least once.
Read at the sourceLilCheese23
A beautiful, high-energy masterpiece that leaves a permanent impression and gets better with every single viewing
I have watched this anime about 4 times at this point, and every single time I rewatch it, I find something brand new to love about it. It earns a perfect 10 out of 10 from me, 100%. The story is completely unique and unpredictable, keeping you on your toes through every wild twist and turn. To match that energy, the stylish, high-effort animation completely fits the intense, emotional vibe of the series perfectly.
What truly sets this show apart across multiple rewatches is the depth of its cast. Hiro and Zero Two feel extremely well-rounded, each possessing their own deep flaws, emotional trauma, and beautiful personal growth. The side characters aren't just background nois…
Read at the sourceYamiLoon
Around 6 years ago, Darling in the FranXX was the first anime series I ever watched, and unexpectedly, it became the best series I had ever seen at that point (It still is).
The story takes place in a future where humanity lives in a world where children are trained to pilot giant robots called FranXX and fight mysterious creatures known as Klaxosaurs. The MC, Hiro, is a boy who has lost his ability to pilot a FranXX and feels like he has no real purpose anymore. Things change when he meets Zero Two, a mysterious girl with a dangerous reputation, and ends up becoming her partner.
The story was something new for me, and it also had one of the most beautiful characters I had ever seen "Zero Two." Whenever she appeared on screen, I just couldn't take my eyes off her.
Studio Trigger's uni…
Read at the sourcesighwtvr
I haven’t done a review at all… but I WILL for this show. The amount of times I’ve always came back to this anime despite the “sad” ending is honestly not healthy for me at all. That’s why I love this show so much. The action —> romance chemistry between Hiro and Zero Two is the one of, if not the best chemistry i’ve seen in anime. You’re hooked almost immediately. Their relationship is one of the biggest reason i keep coming back, trying to fill the void with every rewatch, even though you already know how story ends.
Before the side cast, I wanna talk about the animation first. The animation was treated with genuine care and love. You can tell that so many staff members put a lot of effort into the smallest details, and having multiple big studios working together as a collaboration rea…
Read at the sourceKatsumataJ
Darling in the Franxx is the definition of a perfectly written romantic resolve.
Darling in the Franxx does so many things right. You watch Hiro struggle to find his place in the world, trying his hardest despite feeling like he has no purpose. Then 002 comes along and shows him a path where he finally belongs. From that moment on, it doesn't matter if that path leads to his own destruction. He will walk it to the end if he has to.
When you sit down and watch this show, be prepared to question your own morality and who you should be rooting for. As the story progresses, you watch Hiro begin to lose himself, and you start wondering if you can still morally support his actions. Does he have the right to make these choices? Are they justified? Those are questions the show forces you to conf…
Read at the sourceFabelisator
Mecha, Romance, Dystopia. (Yes, also Ecchi)
Sounds like Gurren Lagann or Evangelion? Well, it better — because this show is basically an inspiration fiesta.
People tend to overhate series that openly wear their influences on their sleeve, even though being inspired by something is far from being a rip-off.
At its core, Darling in the Franxx is about the duality of growing up: that bittersweet moment when you finally start yearning for freedom, only for adult life to snatch it away and replace it with responsibilities. It’s a philosophical drama that delivers this heavy theme in a surprisingly fun and uncomplicated way.
The series gradually drops its ecchi elements throughout the first third, which will disappoint fans purely looking for fanservice. At the same time, this shift perfectly…
Read at the sourcevicec
I mean the Anime and romance was pretty fucking good for my first mech anime and it is probably in my top 5 romance animes rn but that ending really js botched the f out of it i cant lie like i wish there was a season 2 to this anime
Thats whats keeping me from giving it a 10 but if the ending had been better it would be a 10 thats why it is at a solid 9
artstyle was pretty fkn cool and you will probably enjoy this anime and the charecters were also cool and shaped around romance i feel it is pretty weird how sexualised it is for teenagers but idk thats js japanese romance atp
Read at the sourceNithitsuki
search up the word 'Sublime' and even that cant do justice for what I'd experienced
I'm not going to do a disservice by trying to write down my feelings or what I've experienced in words
One of the most beautiful and lovely anime I've ever watched. It's experience was out of world, quite literally. And what it means, to be human.
be human, go for it, give the show all you've got
let yourself be taken by it, for you will be sobbing in emotions
I really can't put it to words, please, experience it fully (ps: This profound emotional impact is entirely driven by the show's exceptional character dynamics and storytelling. While the show does feature heavy innuendos and fan-service, these elements are simply part of the world-building and shouldn't distract you from the deeply human story bein…
Read at the source_Bigwillyman_
This anime causes me great pain because the coming of age AND (space and time-transcending) love story it tells is SO GOOD, yet the ending leaves a lot to be desired.
The best part of the show is undoubtedly the relationship between Hiro and Zero Two and their backstory.
This could have been a legendary and perfect romance anime, were it not for its dragged-out an unnecessarily grand ending, which is supposed to be bittersweet but is at worst unsatisfying.
People have said that the manga ending is better. That perhaps stopping at episode 13 of the anime and continuing the manga from chapter 55 onward until the end could be the "true ending".
After consulting both endings after all these years since the show came out it pains me to say but the worst case is true, as in
BOTH ENDINGS HAVE…
Read at the sourcexKyro_
Darling in the FranXX....well this anime was pure cinema,i watched it 2 times,and i enjoyed it both times,even it has 24 episodes,the ending is not what many would expect to be honest...The ending for me was so sad and it made me feel hollow at the end.
The story,was amazing,the backstory of Zero Two and the backstory of Hiro,how they met at the start when both were kids was so touching and beautiful...
The animation was amazing,cant say anything bad aboujt it to be honest,i really liked the animation.
So overall Darling in the FranXX is an anime that will remain in my heart,and deserves a second season or something but every one knows that ain't gonna happen...And to be fair,the total score needs to be higher for this anime,atleast an 7.89 but it just has 7.20 unfortunatly,it needs mor…
Read at the sourcedorobokino
I think I am scarred for life. This is a 10/10 anime that botches its ending SO badly. I knew going in that the ending was memed on for being so bad, I thought "Surely, it can't be that bad." I was wrong. I was not prepared. And I was so so disappointed. I still think about it to this day...
That aside:
This really *is* a great show for most of its episodes. The premise of a post-apocalyptic world where humanity's survival hinges on child soldiers is very well executed. Somewhat reminiscent of Lord of the Flies, this show deeply explores the psychology of its child cast being thrusted into an independent and unforgiving environment, and the romance aspect of the show ties in very neatly as a consequence of that rather than feeling forced or arbitrary.
The animation adds to the immersive…
Read at the sourceHesoyamVarro
"If I were judging this series solely on its final arc and the emotional payoff of episodes 13–24, it would easily earn a 9/10. I felt the same tightness in my chest like after watching Attack on Titan.
However, the middle stretch is an absolute slog. The 'Blue Thingy' arc is the definition of narrative stagnation; what could have been a tight three-episode encounter is dragged out into a repetitive cycle of battles that offer zero character development and even less plot progression. By the time the story finally regains its momentum, you’ve spent hours watching the plot run in place. It’s a shame, because the brilliance of the finale almost makes you forget the boredom of the middle almost."
Read at the sourcelevi_uchiha2006
I rated Darling in the Franxx very low because it feels like an anime that exists almost entirely to create a waifu people can simp over.
From the very beginning, the focus is clearly on Zero Two. Her design, behavior and constant sexualization are pushed so hard that it overshadows everything else. Instead of building a meaningful story or deep characters, the anime seems far more interested in making sure the audience is emotionally and visually attached to one specific character.
There is barely any real depth in the narrative. The themes it tries to touch on are either poorly explained or completely wasted. Whenever the story could slow down and develop its characters in a natural way, it instead falls back on shallow drama and forced symbolism.
Character development is weak across…
Read at the sourceGg_riaa
wtf did I just watch…
I NEVER give 1 star reviews but hopefully I can save someone 9 hours of their life I’ll never get back…
I’ve watched some really boring anime’s with trash story lines and still give them atleast a 5/10 or 4/10
I gave this one a 1/10 because besides the actual plot being trash, The show is full of sexual symbolism with kids( yes kids).
I get the whole fan service part of anime. But that’s not at all what this was
because technically there wasn’t a lot of fan service it was more just disturbing themes.
These are teenagers. The show never lets you forget it.
It ties sexuality, puberty, and combat performance together in ways that get uncomfortable really fast. (Unless you’re a horny weirdo who gets off seeing teen girls be controlled like machines and treated like lab…
Read at the sourceCatTheWeirdo
Darling in the FranXX is one of those anime that isn’t perfect, but it sticks with you anyway.
The biggest reason this show works is the characters, especially Hiro and Zero Two. Their relationship is messy, emotional, and sometimes frustrating, but that’s what makes it feel real. Zero Two is easily the standout character. Her personality, design, and backstory make her really memorable, and she carries a lot of the show.
The animation and music are really good throughout. The fight scenes look smooth, the character designs are unique, and the soundtrack makes the emotional moments hit harder. The world itself is also interesting, especially how controlled and disconnected society feels.
That said, the second half of the anime definitely gets weird. The story starts strong but later int…
Read at the sourceLuckeda
I thinks this was my first romance anime, it's a great anime I was twelve when I saw, if you rather watching anime with a explanation behind, this isn't for you, but if you are looking to see a cute couple, with some drama scene it's for you, the hates in this anime is caused by the fans of Evangelion who keep saying that this is a copy of Evangelion, like I can't discord that they very similar, the robots, the positions and the objective are almost the same, but the romance is very different, I think because of I was twelve when I watched this I got supresided by the beauty of the girl, she was like a dream, and I didn't care about nothing but her, I would recommend this anime for someone who is starting watching now, because it's not that complex anime to watch, and it's a very cool
Read at the sourceRomanVint
Woah... That was an unforgettable experience...
This is Evangelion, but dumber and more horny. And it’s awesome.
Let’s be honest: if you expect a great show with an exciting plot, incredibly written characters, or any other aspects that make a story amazing — you’ll be disappointed from the very first episodes. The worst thing you can do as a viewer (in the case of Darling in the FranXX) is take this anime seriously.
Character development is uneven — in one episode they act one way, in the next they’re completely different people, as if they’ve forgotten their previous relationships. The more you think about the show’s world and its unfolding plot, the more it falls apart: either it doesn’t make sense, or it lazily reuses Evangelion’s plot twists without understanding why they worked in…
Read at the sourceScanerior
Darling in the FranXX initially attracted me only for one "point", namely the character - Zero Two. The world in which the story took place was quite uninteresting to me, as were the villains and the hero robots, who somehow copied the style of Pacific Rim. However, the story surprisingly gradually began to take place more and more outside the battlefield and I found my way to all the other main characters. On the contrary, with Zero Two I was later torn between whether to hate or like her. The whole plot was ultimately more thought-out than I expected and when the creators laid the cards on the table, I was excited, although there are still aspects that I didn't really like about the series, and those are the aforementioned villains (with one exception, if you can even talk about a villai…
Read at the sourcebeingraaandom
Darling in the Franxx had so much hype on TikTok, I figured I'd join the train, besides,the art style is gorgeous.
There was no way I wouldn't love it, right?
Wrong.
Let's start with the fact that the plot was bland, uninspired, and mind-numbingly boring. The core concept had potential, sure, but the execution was laughably bad. Watching this felt less like entertainment and more like punishment. I sat through all 24 episodes thinking, "Maybe it'll get better." Spoiler: it didn't.
The whole Franxx piloting system was ridiculous and deeply uncomfortable. Teenagers straddling each other in suggestive positions, spouting lines like "I can feel you deeper inside me" or "Go easy on me" I cringed every step of the way. It was unnecessarily sexual, and for what? Edginess? It just made everythin…
Read at the sourceYamiLoon
DARLING in the FRANXX was the first anime series I ever watched, and yep, I fell hard for it.
And I know I'm not the only one whose first anime holds a special place in their heart.
I’m the type of person who scores based on pure enjoyment.
If an anime clicks with me and hits the feels, I’m not gonna nitpick. It’s gettin’ a high score, no doubt.
DARLING in the FRANXX gave me 100% joy.
The music perfectly matches the anime’s atmosphere especially the opening and ending themes. With excellent sound design, voice acting, Trigger’s unique art style, and emotional storytelling combined with great action, everything about this show is just outstanding.
The way this anime portrays love, friendship, and sacrifice really struck a chord with me.
When it suggests that true love means embracing…
Read at the source
