「パートナーシャッフル」 (Paatonaa Shaffuru)
“Partner Shuffle”

Well if there was an ever an episode to confirm opinions this one would be it. In between a wicked bout of teenage angst we got a cornucopia of additional story tidbits and teasers of big scary thingsTM to come this week, yet still wound up with an episode largely content to tread the waters of character development. It was truly an episode playing to both sides of the fan base isle this week, and while opinions may only be solidified further, there’s no denying Franxx knows how to get the most out of its slow march down the story path.

As well highlighted the focus this time around was on Mitsuru and explaining away that dour attitude of his. Much like with Zorome previously this episode was always going to come at some point—the show is methodically marching down the list of undeveloped characters—but I’m not sure I expected this. Wanting to upstage Hiro and be the man of the hour sure, but being outraged over a broken promise? Secretly wanting Hiro’s attention and praise? Now that’s borderline tragicomedy. While the minds of kids are innocent to a fault and Mitsuru certainly had legitimate reasons for adoring Hiro (i.e. their differences in strength), the writers must have known exactly how this backstory was going to be seen. Starry eyed weakling looking aspiringly up at the prodigy child and eking out a promise to pilot a mecha Franxx with him? You couldn’t lay the tropes on thicker if you tried. I’m sure we were meant in part to see matters seriously, but I’ll be the first to admit, I laughed more than once at Mitsuru’s expense. Well, except him standing tall for the punch, cannot fault that bit of honour.

What arguably kept things from falling too far down the comedy backdoor, however, was the other side of this character development. With Kokoro swapping partners we got confirmation pairings aren’t permanent for example as previously described, and wound up with some very painful scenes of a thoroughly distraught Futoshi. Say what you will about Mitsuru, but Futoshi definitely didn’t deserve that out of the blue. Some correctly identified this switch coming a few weeks back, particularly with Kokoro, and while a little surprising, it’s not entirely unexpected. Each parasite, whether consciously or not, is slowly falling in love with another and realizing feelings they have no explanation for. Some of these connections are between existing matches (see Zorome and Miku), but more than a few run across pairs and breed the drama rearing its ugly head. More than competitive spirit or puberty this aspect is likely where the mentioned squad over-performance is stemming from, as emotional connections and a protective urge are more than enough to induce actions far beyond the call of duty. We won’t know this for certain for a while yet, but the reveal of a Franxx stampede mode noticeably induced by an emotional Kokoro largely proves the point: to get the most out of these big giant robots, each pilot pair has to be more than simple teammates.

Beyond this aspect though lies the darkness of which we got a (teased) face full of once again. Kokoro’s berserker switch was enough of a tell of when suffering and death will likely emerge (hint: when it’s time to use the stampede mode), but there were a few other key tidbits. Mitsuru’s weakness and elixir treatment for example hid the importance of that “child fever” which definitely isn’t the common cold by the talking of Nana and Hachi—full bets on Mitsuru’s treatment accelerating his “progression” as well. Then there was the (re)confirmation (as if we needed it) of a parasite pruning program for removing (i.e. liquidating) parasites unable to meet certain metrics. These kids are undoubtedly on a timer, and it’s only a question of when the unmistakable signs start becoming apparent to all involved. Zero Two is certainly aware of their fate, I imagine it won’t be long before the rest realize it too.

After all, when Franxx finally chooses to get serious, we aren’t going to see it coming at all.

106 Comments

    1. Mitsuru and Kokoro being together has bad implications for the both of them, we know that they can’t really be together because Mitsuru is pretty much 100% confirmed gay, even though they can pilot fine together.
      Mitsuru didn’t get enough characterization to make him particuarly important to the rest of the group, so I’m guessing they’re going to be the first to die if anyone is going to.

      vastocean
      1. He is not “confirmed” gay. He is just angry that Hiro forgot the Pinky Promise.. Well they where and are Kids, but he make an big Fuss about this. because he also took the injection where the survival are 15% or less.. (But do an little Boy understand this risk?)

        So, in short is is just pissed that Hiro forgot “him”

        Worldwidedepp
      2. How is Kokoro feeling right now, that the person she thought was a mysterious lone wolf is just a gay boy sulking over his straight friend not returning his feelings.

        Svidrigailo
    1. This going into Beast Mode, was an test for Mitsu…

      But i think the barrier to enter Beast Mode was pretty low in this Episode. If they can do it on free will, then why did Ichigo do not entered also beast mode in the Mock Battle in the start?

      No i think they should rise the barrier to enter this mode. The key should be near death emotion/panic or both pilots work for this mode.. (Overdrive). But i did not like this “fake mode”, because seconds ago they where talking calm and reasonable in the cockpit and then “Peng” beast mode. Also they surly was to calm in the middle of the Battlefield, did the other not covered them they would be long crushed into pancakes

      for me, this was not well executed. The message was okay, but the way was out of the loop

      Worldwidedepp
      1. this sudden “beast mode” out of the blue, without any hint of emotion beforehand..it was to sudden for me

        No real conclusion, emotional and story wise. They where to calm discuss inside the Cockpit where on the Battlefield the Enemy want to crush them, at least they could move into save distance and then do there the stuff… So both of them endangered the entire Squad or the FranXX that wanted to protect them..

        Okay they are Kids, but no battle Newbies anymore. Ichigo on the start gave proof that they slowly gain battle experience.. and then “Bumm” Zero Two fallen back into Lone Wolf hunter…

        Worldwidedepp
      2. Because Ichigo is a two-digits elite Pistil with a skilled teen code (015), enquanto while Kokoro is a three-digits Pistil with a high code (556).
        Also, Ichigo piloted it for just a few seconds, but if she had continued to pilot for a few more seconds, Delphinium would also have entered stampede mode.

        EivionGreen
    1. Mitsu is not 100% Gay in my eyes, just feeled betrayed from Hiro.. But all about an forgotten Pinky Promise, where 2 males cannot drive an FranXX. Perhaps he meant to drive alongside with him. Well he is doing that, so i can not really understand his drive here.

      Ikuno, well 80% Lesbian. But they had should try to swap Ikuno and Ichigo in this testing, because Ikuno surly would feel something. Because her mind was ready, Ichigo should felled a bit awkward and just helped out as leader. So they miss this change to try this out, but then we haven an 100% lesbian proof

      Worldwidedepp
    2. More likely bisexual. I don’t think they’d be able to pilot the Franxx otherwise as it is clear that it requires sexual attraction for it to work. Basically, the same as when Ikuno tried piloting Ichigo would happen if they were gay and tried piloting with the opposite gender. Whoever was gay was probably killed by Papa at this point.

      Lord Nayrael
  1. Poor Futoshi…he lost his partner and got partner to a lesbian…. Well they have been hinting that Mitsuru won’t survive for long and Kokoro got the famous hairstyle of death so advance RIP to those two

    ricz
    1. I am not sure.. this lesbian thing. Because with Futoshi both could do more when she was together with Mitsu. So in the past the problem with Ikuno and Mitsu was Mitsu’s behavior. Because we have visual proof what Futoshi and Ikuno could do. They where an full member of the Squad and even “surpass” their limits to save Kokoro and Mitsu

      I see the problem more on Mitsu’s side and hope this is now in the past.. But an entire episode for showing us how Mitsu comes out of the shell.. i hope it was worth it. Because as you can see, this episode also push up other problems

      Worldwidedepp
      1. So mitsuru is obsessed with Hiro
        Not gonna lie I’m disappointed. He’s like some extremely edgy jealous lover who can never let go of a grudge.

        Also the whole thing with Kokoro where
        I just pretend to be a nice person
        Shit, give me a break. This is like every teenage drama trope rolled into one episode.

        dan7el
  2. But Abe-san. One of your pairing coincidentally had a gay man and a gay woman being put together in arranged married, how do you respond to this blunder? How will your ruling party take responsibility?

    MorweLaicoriel
  3. Mitsuru episode.
    Sometimes I think like him too.

    I wonder how are P13’s Franxx designed.
    By the Doctor? Or from some personality test of the pistil.

    Looks like some time has past since.
    S-Planning? Sounds like a feature of a Samsung phone, lol.

    As Hachi and Nana talk, it feels like “how to bring up kids the mecha way”.
    As they find the way to raise kids with the best potential.

    Relaxed and chatting in the cockpit. Seasoned veterans.

    S-Planning is digging and setting up magma extraction?
    So its attrcting the Klaxosaurs?

    Child Fever, thats new.
    The procedure? His pills?
    Ok, the like Cyber-Newtype?

    Hmm, they know about Franxx since young.
    Conditioned to aspire to pilot Franxx.
    Mass-produced child soldier facility.
    Ali al-Saachez would want to study this operations.

    Ride together….

    Pruning, more gardening terms.

    Kokoro, that scene in the greenhouse with Mitsuru.
    Will she…?

    Zero Two still refuse to connect.

    Ikuno took it on her own to help Mitsuru, or does she…
    (Hmm, ok the wiki has switched the pilots already)
    Urgh, that promise earlier makes it hurt more for Futoshi.

    Conflict. Goro handled it best.

    They just don’t understand.
    Reminds me of a commentter that say they just don’t talk to each other about themselves.

    That book really planted its ideals deep into Kokoro.

    Papa bear come out after none of his children came back home.

    Even their pilot suits switch colors.

    Wow, so the small Klaxosaur had a change of plan and fuse up.
    All their gimmicks, they are pretty intelligent.

    The most lovey-dovey couple became rather like mentors when separated.

    Unstable pilots, big risk but yields the best potential.
    Just how long has this been going on? What year is this?

    Hmm, did Hiro have something done to him at that time as well?
    Or was he faking it to protect Mitsuru?
    Taked away? Nine qualified?

    Beast mode!!
    Cue some epic EVA music!
    Or not. Unplugged.

    Thinking what would Futoshi and Mitsuru stats in SRW be like. Balanced types?

    Futoshi has an idea of how a man should be, what one should not do.
    Part of their curriculum?

    The way Zero Two puts it gives mild shivers.

    iron2000
    1. S-planing… for me it looks like they are about to build an other City?

      Well, at last they are ramming something into the earth. So perhaps they are about to create an new hole to farm the Magma energy

      Worldwidedepp
      1. and this time the Big Monster of the Week acted female.. She was desperately trying to reach the Site, to stop them? Perhaps this Magma caves are also their Eggs and children?

        Worldwidedepp
      2. Ramming something.
        Zero Two said it stinks of klaxosaur.

        I somehow get the image that they are pounding klaxosaur remains, lol.

        I’ve thought about how discovering magma energy also brought the perhaps subterranean klaxosaurs to light, so maybe they fight to protect their home of sorts.

        iron2000
    1. Well, would it be right at the start i would agree

      But even after this many fights his behavior is hard to understand. Just all this stuff because of an forgotten pinky promise? after all this fights together? until now he was lucky and he could somehow cheat his way trough all this

      But i hope now this is all in the past now. Because all saw it, the problem with Ikuno and Mitsu is on Mitsu’s side. even if others imply that Ikuno is an lesbian she “work” in the Squad

      Worldwidedepp
      1. If they wanted to kill off Mitsuru, this episode was the best opportunity to do it.
        I am actually thinking Mitsuru/Kokoro might the pair most likely to die now. Though not any time soon. I don’t think we get any deaths until well into second cour.

        GarethXL
  4. Stampede mode.
    I suppose this mode is not induced by emotion.
    I think its a legit mode in the instructions that can be activated at will by the pistil.
    But comes with negative effects, increased strain I suppose.
    Not ready for it….when would one be ready for it?

    Parasites on the timer.
    Parasites have a timed lifespan.
    Seems like the parasites from the other plantation have some idea of it.
    But the P13 kids know nothing, perhaps by order of Doctor Franxx?
    Mitsuru somehow survive his “Child Fever” by overcoming his emotional roadblock.
    Is this the key to prolong their life?
    Hachi and Nana show no feelings to the feverish Mitsuru, just another thing to them.
    Its all for the results, the numbers.

    Parasites, just what are they?

    iron2000
    1. negative side effects:

      – to enter this Beast mode, she need to go beyond 100% for this entire time. And that is the Dangerous part of this, what Nana means. They run danger to “burn out” their life force? if they stay to long in this mode. Zero Two is an exception, she is (or looks) older then the others and her body can endure it longer (as we saw in the start, and the near dead of Hiro)

      Worldwidedepp
    2. Nana and his partner (i always forget his name) are caretakers and the ones that connect this Kids with the Adults.. So of course they have the same characteristics as the Adults. perhaps with the influence of taking care of the kids, they found the passion again.. But i think the Nana would be the first, because of her “motherly instincts”. Like the “old Woman” nearly touched Zeromono

      Worldwidedepp
      1. Nana and his Partner, need an “Zardoz” (old film with Sean Connery) to find their emotions and desires again. But be aware, with the return of them the Dark Side arise again

        Worldwidedepp
  5. https://randomc.net/image/Darling%20in%20the%20Franxx/Darling%20in%20the%20Franxx%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2036.jpg

    i do hope that we are now approaching the “problem” that Zero Two has and trying to avoid it from Darling. So i assume that Hiro should ask Ichigo for help, not only because she is the Sqaud Leader, no she is also an Girl. perhaps Kokoro could also help out, she is also kind.. i mean the entire squad is to much for Zero Two right now, perhaps when she open a bit up and an situation on the Battlefield occurs (proof of truth from the others) she reveals more of her “Dark side” she is fearing

    Yes, Zero two right now is afraid and thats why she is avoiding it

    Worldwidedepp
    1. i think a part of her fear is also in her past, no not that far in the past when she was also an Kid like Hiro, no where she came from at we saw her in the Heavy Lift plane… i bet these “Niners” has something to do with that.. i suspect she has Sisters like some “Railgun” female hero

      Worldwidedepp
      1. again to fast hit Submit:

        and i guess that she and the Sisters have an Time limit. If she do not find her partner or usefulness, she gets send away like the others.. like an metaphrase.. “She is just wasted Water!” (when an Girl is born instant of an Boy… i am looking to some specify Country)

        Worldwidedepp
      2. https://randomc.net/image/Darling%20in%20the%20Franxx/Darling%20in%20the%20Franxx%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2001.jpg
        https://randomc.net/image/Darling%20in%20the%20Franxx/Darling%20in%20the%20Franxx%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2008.jpg

        Zero Two reveals that she was evil and becomes the final boss. With all other female pilots dead or incapacitated, Hiro has no choice but to fulfill his promise to Mitsuru and pilot Strelitzia with Mitsuru as its pistil.

        Aromatic Grass
  6. One thing that helps gives more gravity to Mitsuru’s woes is that he took the dangerous Elixir Injection for his promise with Hiro to pilot Franxx together (and he made it out alive with some side effects), only to be (from Mitsu’s POV) forgotten & dumped by the one he made the promise with.

    As for Kokoro, well, sometimes a girl wants what she wants and just goes for it, leaving some broken hearts behind. That applies to males too. Sometimes a relationship just can’t work no matter how many promises, swears and oaths you do with your (supposed) partner to remain loyal.

    Oby
    1. Agreed, both Mitsuru’s and Kokoro’s situations and actions make sense, particularly Kokoro and what has been a clearly teased transition for her for several episodes. Mitsuru’s sudden reveal though felt really melodramatic for me, which is why I saw it in part as a tongue in cheek joke back to Hiro’s prodigy status. His anger and frustration are entirely reasonable considering their ages and history, but the degree and manner of it weren’t entirely conducive towards serious thinking.

  7. Given the big emphasis on how a boy and a girl have to be together to make things work, it will be interesting how Mitsururu’s and Ikuno’s homosexuality will affect things or possible bisexuality in Mitsuru’s case. It seems that a girl/girl is actually possible if unusual and harder to achieve. Given the plant metaphors it’s not that surprising. Not so much luck for Mitsuru’s desire to ride Hiro.

    dean
    1. Is Mitsuru really gay though? I mean isn’t it more like respect rather than boy’s love? since Hiro has been always leader/big brother figure when they are all just kids….Ikuno on the other hand really want girls

      ricz
  8. I don’t get this whole “Mitsuru’s a hillious fag” reaction that’s happening here…

    He made a promise to come back alive from a medical procedure that gave him a %15 chance at living, and you know, therefore a %85 chance of death. Only to come back against all odds and find a completely apathetic idol who couldn’t even be bothered to remember his life-or-death promise. Leaving Mitsuru unable to trust anybody, perhaps for the sake of his own life.

    Are you all really saying that’s, what? Comedy? Is it because he was betrayed by a fellow male and Futoshi was betrayed by a woman that all of a sudden his (Futoshis) melodramatic pain is “what arguable kept things from falling out the comedy back door”?

    Jollygolightly
    1. Yeah, this comment section has become a youtube section. I just go to reddit to discuss. I’m only checking here from time to time to skim through comments, but I know better than to discuss anything anymore.

      tanz
    2. As I mentioned above it’s not Mitsuru’s backstory or why he reacted in this manner that got me, it was how he did so and the speed of it. The sudden focus on the promise and the degree of Mitsuru’s outburst screamed melodrama to me, which when combined with reference back to Hiro’s prodigy status acquired a tragicomedy cloak. It’s arguably not fair to make light of this development for Mitsuru, but IMO it’s hard not seeing the tongue in cheek poking of certain mecha tropes with the way Mitsuru was developed.

  9. An anime about a group of teenagers going through adolescence that doesn’t happen in a highschool setting, instead happens in post apocalyptic world filled giant metallic monsters where survivors are taking refuge in colossal rounded pyramids. I know this is an overly simplified impression, but I think this is what FranXX is in it’s core and I think it does it pretty well.

    Futoshi is a victim of his own devices. He is infatuated with an idea Kokoro made in his head-not the real person. This makes him smother Kokoro of admiration and attention for all the wrong reasons, and as a result, he lessens his own value from Kokoro’s point of view. Making promises shows severe insecurity in the part of Futoshi. He can’t really expect for Kokoro will keep her word if all he gets are shallow responses. They’re co-pilots. They are not bound to be together in a binding contract of any sort, or in a relationship that requires them to be together. It is just words.

    I see lots of hate going to Kokoro which is baffling to me. She felt obligated to agree to Futoshi’s requests so that piloting the Genista would go smoothly-nothing else. She had the opportunity to help Mitsuru-who is at risk of pruning, a person she is fond of and took it. And the results speak for themselves.

    This episode is dedicated to Futoshi’s development as character as well as Mitsuru’s and Kokoro’s. Ikuno and Miku I feel are still left in the dark. Anyways, don’t be like Futoshi people.

    Make sure that your admiration and attention are earned not given.

    McL
    1. Thank you for the angle you presented. I see both stories this episode revolving around a kid wanting something from someone else so desperately they softly bully their target into the desired response and then get upset when it turns out that the target wasn’t serious about the promise.

      It’s not the target’s fault; they could’t have known how important it was to the kid asking and none of them are mature or experienced enough to see and handle the severe imbalance of interest.

      On the other issue here; I’m going to agree that we have a couple of non-heterosexual kids in the group. I only say that because of how strongly obvious it is that piloting is a euphemism for sex. In any other story, I’d think it’s a bit silly to claim Mitsuru was gay simply based on his very young admiration of Hiro.

      Since it appears that the civilians being protected are a much older generation focused on protecting themselves by sacrificing everyone “born” after and that they don’t have children; Im guessing sex is not an activity the civilians care much about if they even remember puberty. Because sex is not something when happens anymore, issues such as homosexuality are unexpected and unplanned for. It’s been emphasized that the other teams are tightly controlled; I’d guess those kids are given drugs and behavioral controls to ensure they don’t fully experience puberty and its sex-related effects. Could it be that out of all of humanity, only our little special group here have the ability to truly get it on?

      This really looks like a story in which the last remnants of the human species consist of artificially living seniors who are forcing everyone younger to die without reproducing which would result in extinction when the seniors finally knock off. Our little team with their unadulterated horomones might be the last hope for returning “humanness” and a future of new generations to the human species.

      Possibly either these kids fail and die off pair by pair and humanity is firmly fated to extinction or this series is really about these kids eventually rebelling and having lots of sex and new babies. Perhaps they’ll run away and start a new community not dependent on the magma energy and thus not needing to fight the Klax.

      danny
    2. @danny

      I totally ship them.

      https://randomc.net/image/Darling%20in%20the%20Franxx/Darling%20in%20the%20Franxx%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2024.jpg

      https://randomc.net/image/Darling%20in%20the%20Franxx/Darling%20in%20the%20Franxx%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2034.jpg

      [I don’t think Mitsuru is homosexually attracted to Hiro. I think he has enormous admiration for Hiro, but feels betrayed because he took a drug that has an 85% fatality rate and never gets acknowledged for it-until Kokoro.]

      A partnership forged though transparency and tribulations(Mitsuru&Kokoro). This is where the strongest connections happen. It has to be said that Oni(002) and Hiro does not have transparency, neither are the rest of pairings.

      I think Mitsuru and Kokoro have so much depth now compared to the other characters that they are even comparable to Oni and Hiro as dynamic characters. If this show is going to explore the development of sexuality among these adolescents, Mitsuru and Kokoro would be at the spotlight-or so I hope.

      I know that Oni and Hiro are the paramount main characters, but Oni is not completely a human-as is shown so far. Also, wouldn’t Kokoro continue to have conversations with Mitsuru about consummation? thus increasing the chances of something happening between them even more likely? Both are secretive, misunderstood characters, taking refuge in each others company…… darn, this sort of relationship is just very intriguing to me.

      Very much looking forward to A1’s and Trigger’s creators to deliver us an entertaining and memorable show. I mean, FranXX’s pacing is much better than Little Witch Academia’s already in my opinion, so best of luck to them.

      McL
      1. I think we all have to face the truth, Kokoro is a huge nasty slut. while Mitsuru is a huge beta gay being a huge Man-Child butthurt, because Hiro didn’t want to pilot his ass.

        abunai
  10. Again, ominous Zero Two momment at the end. Hmm… Man, I’m not used to this pace. In most shows at this point shit hits the fan and ends.
    Also, what’s with Hiro not remembering the promise? He looked like he was drugged or after some procedure or going to one.

    Ite
      1. Oh, also, this episode may have just confirmed the whole “Hiro and 02 met as children” thing.

        Clearly something happened and the adults wiped a chunk of Hiro’s memory, hence why he forgot the promise.
        That something could have been him somehow getting out of the Garden and meeting the loli 02 from the first scenes of the show who had also run off.
        Then the adults found them both, separated them, and short term mind wiped at least Hiro.

        Bored_Ming
      2. @bored_ming

        Definitely a strong possibility. Considering Hiro was “special” and raised with a group of normal parasites, it’s not unlikely he would have been separated for testing with others like him (ex. Zero Two) and drugged up for the purpose.

  11. Okay, what the hell writers? Futoshi shares billing with the supporting cast and therefore should get just as much respect as them, but instead, not only do they peg him into a fat hungry stereotype that’s been outdated for 30 to 40 years, but the one chance they have to actually flesh him out is soiled by having him temporarily dumped by the ‘nice’ girl and them go on a violent rampage through most of the episode!! What the hell!

    And yeah, “beware the nice girls” indeed.

    All these teenagers are horrible people. Then again, they ARE teenagers, and I give this show props for writing the OTHER teens sans Futoshi realistically.

    starss
    1. the only fault i see here on Futoshi’s side is that ne nearly suffocate Kokoro with his “straight” Love, did he ask her “do you also love me?” I think he forgotten that in his Pinky Love Life..

      Worldwidedepp
      1. someone pulled the breakers on Futoshi, or he was about to be obsess with her and see her as his thing

        Well, this is the fault i see on Futoshi’s side after reading all comments here and on reddit. Futoshi’s should give here some space and trust her more

        Worldwidedepp
    2. It is disappointing to a degree, but to be fair almost all the characters are a specific stereotype and are being developed along those lines. I do imagine, however, that Futoshi will get his “revenge” later on once the SHTF and we find out the true battle lines here.

  12. I actually really liked this character study episode. Although, I don’t necessarily see Kokoro and Mitsuru as a romantic pair. I think Futoshi x Kokoro being a cross-partner pair would be really interesting. And with the possibility of Mitsuru and Ikuno being gay, maybe that is the best option. Or maybe they will grow separately, and then swap back with a greater understanding of eachother’s circumstance.

    It’d be interesting if all these character studies we’ve been doing (where they get into difficult situations but then escape) was a game of any-many-miney-moe and the last character study ends in a death. But, I suspect any deaths will be saved for the 2nd cour.

    Between being stamen for 002 and the two treatments that Mitsuru has had, I think he’s burning up quickly and isn’t long for the world. The only question is who is in the pistil seat.

    Arin
    1. Perhaps some of the White Knights that are hidden in the OP, or the Producers see this as an change to introduce an “male Seiyuu” that are loved of many fans

      All Hail, Britania!! imagine if your her his Voice on the “enemy’s” Side

      Worldwidedepp
      1. But if he really can not “crack” her Shell, then he should considering asking Ichigo or Kokoro or even both, to help him out

        Girl to girl talk can somehow work wonders, like men to men

        Worldwidedepp
    1. It makes sense when you remember Zero Two doesn’t actually love Hiro, she loves him for what he does for her. Hiro’s her darling because he lets her go all out; the second that stops, Zero Two won’t have any issue bonding with a new darling who does the same.

      1. because he lets her go all out

        Did you really watch the episode?
        Hiro simply restricted his movements and regained control of the robot again. After that Hiro saved Mitsuru and Kokoro, and Kokoro thanked her

        DuskyPredator25
      2. Don’t worry too much about pointless shitposters written by Pancakes, he’s just one of those normalfags who understand absolutely nothing about Mecha, and then pretends to know what they’re talking about. If you don’t know, Pancakes arguing about Mecha is just as bad as, or even worse than Takaii arguing about Fate/Apocrypha last year. So just ignore him and their bullshit, and move on.

        guyver
  13. Well it’s not like Zero Two is close to one of them. I would surprise it she has talk more as the bare minimum to them. Guess Zero Two sees the others as little children.

    Enan84
      1. She’s worried about her klaxosaur transformations. It’s obvious that, without treatment, her body becomes more and more oni. And she doesn’t want Hiro to know this.

        Heinzendegger
    1. I think Zerotwo is more afraid of herself. Afraid that Hiro would leave her because of Monster side. Her canines make her uneasy

      Also this Girl to Girl talk could work like mostly Romance girl love talk.. well something similar.. this kind of stuff it would be to embarrassment to say to an boy…

      Worldwidedepp
  14. To be honest, I took Mitsuru and Ikuno’s development far more seriously than Futoshi getting NTR’d hard by Kokoro.

    It would be disappointing if they don’t double-down on Mitsuru/Ikuno’s gay feelings because Mitsuru’s stand-offish behavior would be far more understandable/tolerable if it was because of years of repressing his love for Hiro than it would be if he was just mad he stopped getting invitations to his birthday party. And it’d be the closest thing to development we got from Ikuno if her desire to pilot with women was out of romantic interest rather than just being overly-studious.

    It does suck to be Futoshi, especially since Kokoro was bound to be unfaithful and manipulative from the start, and the show keeps shooting its NTR wad repeatedly. But in an odd twist of fate, I’m feeling more bad for Mitsuru in this episode since she threw a wrench into his wish to be sad in peace by reliving his inner anguish from years of resentment and attracting both Mitsuru’s thirst and Futoshi’s ire.

    I can definitely see the Stampede Mode and Child Fever being giant death flags for characters in the future. With how temporal the pilots’ life expectancy rates are, I can see a scenario where pilots are unable to go on after shifting into Stampede Mode or slipping into a worse stage of the fever.

    Choya
    1. What a fucking slut.

      Futoshi is a cuck. Not only is he no longer her partner, he said “loved”. Past tense, so he’s literally given the fuck up.

      And the miserable beta asshole (Mitsuru) is pretty much confirmed gay for Hiro, because he wanted Hiro to pilot his ass and salving the bruises inflicted and suffered by both parties.

      And Ikuno is pretty much confirmed lesbian because she for no fucking reason said she wished the separation from the boys would last forever and her “I was serious!” comment to Ichigo.

      This is becoming a real shitshow.

      BrothersElric
    1. Have to remember too we didn’t actually see it fully activated, Mitsuru stopped Kokoro before she lost control. When one of the normal girls actually enters stampede mode like Zero Two did earlier in the season I imagine the results won’t be pretty.

  15. Man I swear this message board just keeps on giving me proof how juvenile some of you are. Like I get some of you aren’t into the development of Mitsuru, but just throwing him under the bus and just making his promise all about “Wanting Hiro to ride his ass” is just demeaning. Is Mitsuru acting like a total ass? Yup. Is he taking a pinky promise made when he was a kid too seriously? Yup. Should he feel some form of resentment….yup. Because he did something to be with Hiro (in whatever way it was meant to be) that would have led to a 85% chance of his death. He made it out, found out that the other friend completely forgot about the promise and is distant from him. So basically Mitsuru almost got himself killed for nothing. WHich anyone would be pissed about. The issue is that this happened when they were kids. Had they been older, this kind of stuff would have actually had more ground to stand on. But oh, go on, lets just continue to sum this down to “Mitsuru is being a faggot that just wants Hiros’ dick”

    SDFGS
    1. Honestly this would have been solved if Mitsuru actually attempted to talk to Hiro about it instead of being so angsty about the promise. But then again, teenage boys barely talk to each other about feelings. Just look at any highschool or college. Male friends rarely get that emotional with each other or try to “talk things out”. Besides, zero-2 is kind of keeping Hiro under wraps emotionally. Would not be surprised if she turns out to be the de’facto final boss.

      SDFGS
  16. https://randomc.net/image/Darling%20in%20the%20Franxx/Darling%20in%20the%20Franxx%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2013.jpg

    I think Mitsuru and Ikuno have the most interesting relationship in the group. I mean, sure, it rises a lot of discussions especially for Ikuno’s part. I think shes a queer, preferring a female companion and doesnt like to be dependent on the guys just like how she brought up the topic saying what if they dont have enough boys during an emergency. And as for Mitsuru, he might be bi or gay, but since Kokoro got involved with him, it kinda changed my mind a bit. You know i do ship them aye <3
    https://randomc.net/image/Darling%20in%20the%20Franxx/Darling%20in%20the%20Franxx%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2019.jpg
    Kokoro is being a sweet kokoro…she wants to be a mother. And its only natural. humu

    https://randomc.net/image/Darling%20in%20the%20Franxx/Darling%20in%20the%20Franxx%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2001.jpg
    These kiddos really reminded me of AnoHana when they were little. If theyre using the same character formula, then i cannot help but to see them as Jinta=Hiro, Anaru=Ichigo, Yukiatsu=Mitsuru, Popo=Futoshi, Tsuruko=Ikuno, Menma=Kokoro

    onion warrior
  17. https://randomc.net/image/Darling%20in%20the%20Franxx/Darling%20in%20the%20Franxx%20-%2011%20-%2010.jpg
    Girls betray. The guys don’t know this lesson, and usually have to learn it the hard way. Express yourself totally to a female, and she will despise you for not being more. Futoshi was being in puppy-love mode, and Kokoro decided to leave him and use Mitsuru as a pilot. Not talk things over with Futoshi, just dump him cold. Then Kokoro tries to say she’s not as perfect as others see her – another trope of the beautiful girl who wants to be taken seriously, so she acts bad.

    https://randomc.net/image/Darling%20in%20the%20Franxx/Darling%20in%20the%20Franxx%20-%2011%20-%2016.jpg
    Meanwhile you have the couple who were put together because they are both emphatic-free. Both are cold, tightly-held ideals. Mitsuru blew it trying to impress everyone by pairing with 02 – and it broke him. Now we learn of the “forgotten” promise. Forgotten? Hiro as a child in the flashback looked like he just underwent electroshock therapy and forgot everything but his name. And’s it’s Hiro’s fault for forgetting the promise?

    https://randomc.net/image/Darling%20in%20the%20Franxx/Darling%20in%20the%20Franxx%20-%2011%20-%2011.jpg
    And let us not forget the “older girl” trope where 02 feels safe manipulating a White Knight virgin. Because that’s what she wants, not a typical older-male relationship. Notice when 02 feels insecure, she can wrap herself around Hiro as in the last scene in this episode – more like a woman finally accepting her man, but it’s 02 in control, not Hiro.

    jhpace1
    1. The only thing 02 fears is Hiro calling her a monster even though he already showed her that he won’t countless times and she was completely fine for 2 episodes after Hiro’s arc climax.

      abunai
      1. This is retarded. There should be a limit to how fucking dense she is. Reminder that she literally can judge a person’t personality by taste.
        Again, it would be fine if it lasted one or two episodes but it’s going to take at least 5 at this rate.

        Szanboti
  18. The interpersonal drama is an important part of the story, but I think it seems all those hormones raging are the new and improved fuel to power the Franxx into stampede mode and maybe beyond. Overall, we are looking at a highly advance society that has burned itself out and is in a technological stupor (and dying). It’s going to be replaced/overthrown by “nature” (i.e. the Klaxosaurs). Which side is Squad 13 on? Zero Two?

    Keep Refrigerated
  19. Does this website moderate comments at all? I’ve been reading this website for years and I don’t remember ever seeing people throwing around fag this and slut that so much. Be civil. It’s getting to be like 4chan in here.

    K
    1. Current 4chan has improved a lot, currently reddit is considered the worst anime-related website in the west, as well as reddit users (redditors) are considered the most cancerous in all the internet. 4chan doesn’t allow ”xenophobia ”and ”racism” too, while in reddit there are multiple xenophobic and racist threads attacks on black people, countries and their cultures.

      8mmspikes
  20. It’s interesting to see the comments section after this episode. I’ve seen no mention of the possibility of any characters being bisexual. It would be fascinating to see if DARLING goes that route, though I have my doubts since it seems to want to reinforce heteronormative pairings above all else.

  21. When it come to kids, breaking (forgetting) a promise is a big thing. It’ll probably hurt more when the one who forgets is someone they idolise. I know someone who remembered a forgotten promise for 50-60 years, that’s more than a lifetime as far as I’m concerned. So, I never make promises to little kids. It is serious business to them.

    I can actually empathise with Kokoro, though I think she should’ve just stayed quite instead of making that promise. The reason she did it was because of her weakness, just like what we saw in episode 8. That episode also highlights Futoshi’s problem with Kokoro as I think it pushes him into potential stalker territory. Being in-line with Zerome during the clothes melting event, but isn’t as shameless when confronted. Can’t tell if Kokoro is disgusted with his attitude, or if she just needs some space. Either way, I can understand why she jumped at the chance to switch.

    Just a thought: a future with no sex, either for procreation or recreation, doesn’t sound appealing at all. Why bother protecting that?

    theirs
  22. I hope Futoshi learns from the pain, grows out of his idolization of women, becomes /fit/ and makes Ikuno straight.

    Yeah, Kokoro. He was being a clingy beta. At least you recognized being a lying coward.

    In the end the tsundere couple is the best.

    Grahav

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