#darling in the franxx spoiler

[megane-boys]

Today's Megane is: Goro from Darling in the FranXX

[ghxst-system]

i say "im so normal and together" till someone puts on Darling In The Franxx

i then start wildly sobbing and saying shit like "the kids...." "bird imagery look birds" "the feast..." and "let them be happy"

[thefrogwhobarks]

spoilers for (Harmony, KR Revice, Darling in the Franxx)

Is it just me or do some Japanese science fiction have this theme about healthcare systems being used to exert control over people? It's definitely a theme in Project Itoh's Harmony, where it seems that the healthcare system prevents you from harming your body, and that its ultimate conclusion is taking over your free will.

Kamen Rider Revice, even though it doesn't really much to say about this topic, did have an episode where people were offered a better place to live in, if they get their inner demons removed, like they were getting vaccinated.

There's also Darling in the Franxx, where people are either kept in tanks or their emotions turned off.

idk, I just feel like there's something there, but I don't know nearly enough about Japanese healthcare and/or culture to tell where this is coming from... IF it's coming from something there.

or maybe medical dystopia is just a regular sci-fi thing and it's not just a Japanese thing. Still, I don't think I seen western sci-fi ever go "hey isn't a strong healthcare system kind enables fascism" right? I mean, if there's one out there... please let me know!

[lilybecca1]

What are your fav personal headcanons about BakuDeku? What are your favorite (canon) moments of BakuDeku? Also, do you have any fav ships (from any fandom) that the dynamics remind you of BKDK? Thanks if you want to answer....

Hi! Omg yes I actually do have one ship that reminds me a lot about bkdk now that I think about it. Haven't even realized the connection before but holy shit

And it's HiroZero from Darling in the Franxx

Cause hear me out guys (MAJOR spoilers). They start out as childhood friends, but then fade apart because of the seperation. One of them ends up totally forgetting about that one defining moment in their childhood (Hiro aka Deku) while the other completely hyperfixates on it to the point of pushing everyone away (Zero Two aka Bakugo). Hiro (Deku) is amazed and in awe about everything that Zero Two (Bakugo) is. Zero Two always tried to fight on her own, because she thinks no one else can keep up with her, and thinks that Hiro is just a fodder stuck by her side just like everyone else, but he proves himself that he is capable again and again, completely changing Zero Two's view of him, and turning her from a cold, distant person who doesn't care about anyone else, into a caring, sensitive person who warmed up towards making friends, and who is completely devoted to Hiro.

Throughout the entire anime, Ichigo(kinda parallel to Ochaco) tried to get Hiro to be less reckless and stop throwing himself into fights, but for Hiro, it's always "Zero Two and the others". No matter how hard Ichigo tries to make him settle back into the life that he had with them, in his eyes, he will always see Zero Two. For them, it's always only each other. The love that they have for each other goes much deeper than what anyone else can comprehend.

And the whole symbolism behind Hiro and Zero Two is the symbol of the doves with one wing. Alone, they cannot survive, but when they're together, they can soar higher than anyone else. Two doves that are incomplete without each other. Two sides of the same coin.

And the ending is what I loved the most. In the end, they become each other, they become the one and the same soul. Their feelings completely become one. They end up floating across space for years and years, time insignificant as long as they're together. Just like bkdk's "Even if we only have one lifetime, together we have an unlimited supply". Because it doesn't matter if they die, as long as they'll remain by the other's side even in the afterlife.

"I had nothing, but you gave me a sense of meaning". Just like how Hiro felt his life was meaningless until Zero Two came along. And these are both quotes from the song "Because you're my hero" aka the song about Izuku's feelings towards Katsuki.

"It was like I was put under a spell. Her two alluring horns, and my first ever look at a naked girl’s body, left me transfixed, unable to take my eyes off of her." The same as how Izuku couldn't take his eyes off of Bakugo, because he was transfixed by his amazingness.

"When we first met, I couldn’t take my eyes off you. You were confident, held your head high, and I found that beautiful." I honestly wouldn't be able to decide if this came from Izuku or Hiro. Izuku always found Bakugo's confidence, the way he always held his head high something that he couldn't take his eyes off of. And he found it beautiful too. You can see it in his eyes, even if he never said it with the same words.

"You and I; alone and lonesome. With the wings that I tore apart with my own hands, it will never be possible again to fly away. The days that I could spend as your wing, the sky that I dreamed we could take to some day. It has all started fading away, far, far away." Which for Bakugo means, "the dream of flying together, of being heroes together that I tore apart with my own hands at the river, it has all started fading far, far away because of what I did"

"If Zero Two can’t smile for me, than I might as well be dead." It's similar to how Deku feels, like when he said he can't imagine a world without Kacchan in it.

"Liar. If that were true, then why is your last page left blank? Don’t fly off on your own. Please, Zero Two, let me stay with you. Together...let’s rewrite that story."" Bakugo knew he would die too when he sacrificed himself, yet he did it anyway, for Izuku, even if deep down all he wanted was to compete with him for the rest of his life. "Nevertheless, my heart is crying with your pain. Can I at least be by your side, even if we cannot understand each other""Together we steal the future and imagine it" quotes from some of the ending songs.

"The distant skies. Beyond time and distance. An overwhelmingly long journey just for the two of us. You're a part of me. I'm a part of you. I'll remember your warmth, along with the memories we've made together. I'll never let you go again!" Never let you go again, just like bkdk's version of I'll never let your hand go ever again. "Won't let that hand slip away anymore. Forever and ever ahead, the two of us together" also a quote from one of the songs.

"I’m always alone, too. Thanks to these horns." And Bakugo used to always be alone because of his anger, which made him seem like a monster.

"Maybe we can't win alone, but the two of us together can!" Just like Bakudeku ✨

Bakudeku IS literally HiroZero, because the love and connection they have is the same, even if their story isn't. Two doves who are meaningless without each other, but they give meaning to eachothers' lives and fly forever together, for the rest of their lives.

All the parallels are FREAKING INSANE

Like them meeting under a cherry blossom tree in their second life

And becoming TWO STARS IN THE SKY, TWIRLING AROUND EACH OTHER LIKE TWIN STARS?

if they were orange and green it would be undeniable

And also the hand holding symbolism between them too, and how first it was Hiro that held out his hand to Zero Two and "saved" her, then in the end, Zero Two held out her hand to him, just like Bakugo in the manga.

Like seriously, the only thing different in their story is that they actually kissed.

And now I actually remember how beautiful I found their story when I watched Darling in the Franxx and I can say the same about Bakudeku. Their story and their connection is just as beautiful too, and it goes way beyond mere human emotions. They are one and they mean more to each other than anything else.

HiroZero is the canon version of BakuDeku

Okay this already turned out pretty long but I'll answer the rest of the questions anyway:

My personal fave headcanons:

Deku being able to tolerate spicy food even better than Bakugo is one of them 😂 like he literally has no pain receptors in his body. He broke his bones over and over again during the tournament and even used his MOUTH. Like you can't tell me he can't tolerate spicy food cause I bet my ahh that he wouldn't even FEEL that

2. My second one is Bakugo being the housewife 😂 like y'all he can cook, he's a clean freak, he orders everyone else around, he'd be so housewife material in the relationship

3. Bakugo always making physical contact with Deku in some way. Like whether it's just a playful shove, or putting his elbow on him, that guy cannot keep his hands off of Deku for even a second

4. Both of them having nightmares and panic attacks after the war about losing each other, and only being comforted by feeling the other's presence

5. Bakugo visiting Izuku every single day at school and sneaking into his classes while the students stare at him like wtf you doing here. Then after a while they're just like Deku-sensei your husband is staring in from outside the window again

6. Katsuki getting jealous over small things even though they're not even dating. Like you went out to eat with Shoto instead of me???! How dare you, this is the worst betrayal of my life

7. Even when they're adults, they know by heart the All Might theme choreography dance they learned when they were kids and Deku always makes Bakugo join him to dance it with him at parties

8. Izuku: How can anyone hate the rain?

Bakugo: Oh God they're tryna drown me in this ho

9. They're crossing the street, car honks:

Bakugo: F*CK YOU D*CKWAD

Midoriya, bowing 20 times: I'm so sorry please forgive his behaviour

10. They don't hang out like their other friends, when they hang out they are just simply quietly doing their own thing, being in the same space but in a comfortable silence, not feeling forced to make conversation. They just quietly enjoy each other's company while they do their own thing

11. Bakugo: is protective and gets easily jealous and makes a big show of it

Deku: is possessive but doesn't get easily jealous (idk if that makes sense lol)

12. Bakugo: gets offended easily and dramatically pouts for some time after but he calms down quickly

Deku: doesn't get hurt or angry easily but once he does actually get into an argument, he avoids Bakugo for days

And favorite canon moments though would probably be:

DvK2, basically the whole fight

Bakugo running to Deku in the hospital

Every single time Deku loses control cause of Bakugo getting hurt

The entire second movie

Deku punching Bakugo (that was kinda satisfying)

River scene (literally the most defining moment)

Swan dive scene (it's literally the base of all the angst that ever existed in every fic, and I love angst so)

Bakugo's apology (not just because of Bakugo apologizing, but Izuku's reaction too. This is one of the biggest scenes where we see just how much he actually means to Izuku)

The entire snowy mountain camping chapter in the novels (it was literally THE turning point in Bakugo's feelings and it wasn't even animated bruh)

Okay if I write any more than that I'll probably end up listing every single bkdk moment in the entire manga so that's enough probably 😂

[freezing-kaiju]

THE BIG POLL, ROUND ZERO, REPLACE BLADE BRAVE!!!!!

Beautiful show it is, Kamen Rider Blade must come to an end soon. I will cry. But the world must move on.

And I decided to make this one an anime poll, since some of the legacy options from the very first poll ended up being much longer than the rest. SO! This is all shows between 20-50 episodes, around the same length as a Rider show!

You must choose at least one; if u want more, leave it in the comments or tags or replies pls and i'll count your additional votes at the end!

Agatha Christie’s Great Detectives Poirot and Marple - A young detective related to famous detective Miss Marple joins other famous detective Hercule Poirot as his assistant and learns from these two legendry mentors to solve murders. I love detective shows but I'm not too familiar with Poirot and Miss Marple so maybe the show could serve as an introduction to them. It seems cozy but compelling! The lead writer worked on a bunch of the big popular serieses (Pokemon Sun & Moon, Fairy Tail, Death Note, and Anpanman). This one's a legacy inclusion!

Blue Gender - A man from the modern day with a strange illness goes into cryosleep and wakes up in a destroed earth where mechs and aliens fight and there is a cool tall woman who has a mech. It has gore, mechs which I do need to see more of, but it's a military series. Space's also listed in the genre stuff which...is that a spoiler, do they go to space? 26 episodes, so it's on the longer side, less diligence may apply. This one's a legacy inclusion!

Dirty Pair - 80s anime, two Hotted Boobhaving space agents fight and bicker their way through the galaxy in a distinctly 'two bi women constantly getting divorced' vibe. I don't remember if this one is a legacy inclusion, but it's a famous show!

Scrapped Princess - Fantasy setting, A local white girl doomed to destroy the world and her adoptive siblings travel the world to avoid her devastating fate. also... There's mechs?? Wikipedia tells me it’s a lighthearted but mournful show that uses Clarke’s third law to bridge the gap between scifi and high fantasy. This one was handpicked by a dear friend!

Texhnolyze - by the creators of Serial Experiments Lain, it’s a show that seems similarly angsty and cerebral but much grimier. A boxer gets dismembered, cyborgized, and possibly radicalized deep in the bowels of a city that never sees the sun. ALSO GACKT IS THERE?

R.O.D. READ OR DIE -THE TV- - a potentially jojoish, gay little show about a novelist with a heady mix of hubris and self-loathing and three bibliophile sisters with Paper Abilities fighting various goons and also Britain. It seems like a romp!

Captain Earth - In the vein of Super Sentai (sadly without the precious masks), a color coded group of teens that seems to include a Yaoibait Kaworu fight aliens on behalf of NASA, with a robot that has a REALLY big hat. Supposedly it’s got a lot of intellectual depth!

RahXephon - the second name on everyone’s lips when someone says Evangelion Rip-off, after Darling in the Franxx. Mechs that are blatantly angels, a JSDF, and blue-blooded men in black. I tried a bit, and it’s got a great capture of humanity in times of crisis and such a beautifully 2000s aesthetic.

Devilman Lady - what if you were Devilman and a Lady??? What if there was a blond woman and you were a beast and there was all this blood and violence. Psychological, grungy, and gorgeously 90s. And it's a yuri!!!

Chrno Crusade - Cisgender Bridget and a devilboy (no relation to devilman or devilmanlady) do exorcisms for an order of nuns in 1929 New Yawk Citay. It's a het romance, full of bumbling and comedy and period era ghostbustiness. Also for some reason in a lot of the art (like this one) Chrno is whitewashed?

ITS NOT LETTING ME PUT AN ELEVENTH VIDEO TAKE THIS AND SOME POSTERS

A Precure - I've seen Kamen Riders, Super Sentais, an Ultraman, but I've not seen the sister show to them all; Pretty Cure! SO clearly I need to, and if this one doesn't win it'll flood the poll to replace Ryuki. These options are suggestions; might be others.

[original image sources: agatha's is from the op but can be found screencapped here, gender, dirty, scrapped, texhnolyze, die, earth, rahxephon, lady, crusade (official magazine art findable here), pre tty cure (official posters findable in those places). i replaced them with trailers tho lol. but check the ones that are oroginal anime wallpapers out theyre very nice]

[someawesomeamvs]

Warning: Potential spoilers, profane language, sexual imagery

Title: Lower Your Expectations

Editor: Joker AMV

Song: Lower Your Expectations

Artist: Bo Burnham

Anime: Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, "Kiss Him, Not Me", Free!, Kimi ni Todoke, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Violet Evergarden, Ouran High School Host Club, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Noragami, Yuri!!! on Ice, Boku no Hero Academia, One Punch Man, Nanatsu no Taizai, Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto, Akatsuki no Yona, Mahoutsukai no Yome, Kamisama Hajimemashita, Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, One Piece, Kuroshitsuji, Fairy Tail, Gintama, Mob Psycho 100, KonoSuba, Kaichou wa Maid-sama, Death Parade, Ore Monogatari, Fruits Basket (2019), Monogatari series, Overlord, DanMachi, Rent-a-Girlfriend, Haikyuu!!, Akame ga Kill, Re:Zero, Nekopara, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Highschool of the Dead, Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku, Naruto: The Last (film), Darling in the FranXX, Shokugeki no Souma, Highschool DxD, Kakegurui, Kaguya-sama: Love is War, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl-senpai, Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso, Clannad, Durarara!!, Sword Art Online, Spice and Wolf, Mirai Nikki, Doki Doki Literature Club (game), Kill la Kill, Shingeki no Kyojin, Himouto! Umaru-chan, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Gakuen Babysitters, Bloom Into You, Wolf Children (film), 3-gatsu no Lion, Kyoukai no Kanata, Maquia: When the Flower Blooms (film), K-On!, Koe no Katachi (film), Orange, Chuunibyou demo koi ga Shitai!, Rising of the Shield Hero, Tamako Love Story (film), Spirited Away (film), AnoHana, unknown anime

Category: Comedy

[c0rinarii]

WELL! I have just concluded the game that i bought on impulse bc i was hyperfixating on some of the characters (guess who!). I have A LOT of thoughts, but i'll start with some nutshell character thoughts and pairing shenanigains. Spoilers below!

That 4th tier deserves a bit of elaboration

Juro: He is, at his core, a blank sheet of paper. A mild sandwich with no seasoning. And I like how this game handled that fact bc he was someone more prior to this, but he's given a new personality so he can rest from being so self-sacrificing (if he's anything like the juro izumi from 2 loops ago). He's in the "they're there" tier for a special reason, bc he's kind of meant to be just There.

Renya: Despite being there just to help the audience answer some questions regarding the fucked up narrative of the story, I think what gives him a leg up from the "They're there" tier is his lowkey hilarious relationship with Ryoko. He is perplexed and lowkey salty about how short their relationship lasted no matter how hard he tries. He tries to not gaf as much as Ryoko does but he still does. Ei calls him out on this. Its so so funny.

Megumi: HER NARRATIVE ON GRIEF WAS VERY WELL DONE and if it werent for the spaghetti bullshit of an ending the epilogue was, I would be soooo so intrested how she'd handle moving on from Izumi. I find the concept of Juro/Megumi much more bearable with Juro now having one sided feelings for Megumi while Megumi considers giving him a chance or not. That wouldve been a great closing to their relationship instead of. just getting toghether with no qualms! yeah juro i totally wasnt mouring a dead version of you in that simulation. lets kiss.

Miyuki: I KNEW YOU COULD SAVE THOSE KIDS WITHOUT INFLICTING SEVERE TRAUMA. Sadly aside from "saviour from above" themeing with her, theres nothing much outside of that. While im greatful she was there, she is just there in the end. But her efforts give her a leg up from that tier.

Chihiro: The concept of a very peeved elderly woman stuck in a pre-schoolers body is a funny one and im just extremely glad that 13SAR is not big enough that sobposters arent using her at large to fufill their degen fantasies. Aside from that shtick though, nothing else. Thats literally a baby

Moving onto the canon main pairings!:

I saw someone calling HijiOki queer-bait and i can kindaaaa see why when basing it off the epilogue. Yeah they havent seem to progress much past 5 years and are at best still at talking stage while some of the others are literally married with kids (oh i'll get to that.) But I like to see it as the only pairing with realistic progression past. everything thats happened. Aside that they're just very funny!! Love their dynamic, will be rooting for them no matter how long it takes.

I did not expect myself to like SekiFuyu this much!! I do agree that Iori ESPECIALLY deserves more story outside hanging with gals and crushing over Sekigahara (not to say i didnt like it!!), but im very glad that the story subverted my expectations! I want them to be happy first and foremost, but i feel like the added angst from Iori realisng that she was a clone of THE Chihiro Morimura wouldve made this ship just a little bit more peak. Aside that, I support Iori shoujoisms and Sekigahara finding love and happiness.

I think my rating on Nentomi will change the more I ruminate on it. MeguJuro would be bumped up above RenRyo IF they didnt immediately fall in love after those 5 years and have Megumi still "thinking about it" while Juro goes "pleaaase :(" bc i think Megumi deserves to tease him a lil and think more about What the hell happened. ShuuYuki is the worst case of comphet between a lesbian and a looser bisexual ive seen.

Now.... the elephant in the room.

Ive talked to moots about how much i abhored the ending at first. Aside from the Darling in the Franxx-esque cop out, you expect me to believe that some of them just. got toghether after everything?? without any processing of What The Hell just happened?? nothing at all?? god

Im not the one to usually complain about comphet bc yeah its something i hate, but it usually doesnt sour my experience of consuming media so much. But god this is where its one of the main reasons why an ending is ruined for me. I hate hate HATED some of the epilogue scenes, esp with Nentomi and Shuuyuki bc of the straight people "my wife sucks but i love her" humour it radiates. ugh.

I would've loved a much more... bleak? more bittersweet?? outlook on the situation? after realisng everything is not real and you are basically the 15 adam and eves left to recreate human civilzation... that would be a pretty fucking huge thing to grapple with. I just wished that they had more complexity with this ending. Or! just stick with the fact that they're forever trapped in space colonies left to deal with the horrors of their situations and the mistakes of those in the past. Sorry for bring a tragic yuri enjoyer, but the overbearing dread and loom from the simulation story was what really made me intrested in 13SAR. To see it just solve itself with little drawback was so lame.

I read the George Kamitani aimed for 13SAR to have a mecha and shoujo hybrid story. While that's honestly an awesome concept, im sad it means that he can miss out on more complexity when intepretting the narrative when it comes to certain relationships (shoujos can be complex too!) I also heard that the game was meant to be at least 3 times longer that it is curently which is. wow. Its a shame that so much content got cut out 😭 bc i feel like a bit more time with these characters is all i need to make my verdict more positive.

As a bonus, i'll include a crackship tierlist too! Alot has changed

I miiight need another few days or even weeks to compile another thoughts post bc theres definitely more things i wanna talk about (the narrative structure, Tamao, 2188 theories, themes of japanese imperialism-). But so far, im gonna let it ruminate for a bit before picking it back up to analyse

[realwomenofgaming]

Romance, gender, intimacy, and mechas: How Xiran Jay Zhao transformed anime narratives using a critical lens

Psychogonically discusses the anime Darling in the Franxx and #1 New York Times Best Seller Iron Widow, comparing how the themes of romance, gender, and sex are handled, for better or worse.

This article compares and contrasts how themes of romance, gender, and sex are represented in the hit anime “Darling in the Franxx” and the YA novel “Iron Widow”. It includes both major and minor spoilers. As I was growing up I wasn’t exposed to a lot of media that openly discussed gender diversity. As far as direct representation, the only media that got me to think of gender from a critical…

[puddlereads]

Iron Widow, by Xiran Jay Zhao

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ _

As an American Born Chinese girl aching for sci-fi fantasy media with representation for me I LOVED this! The only reason I’m not giving it 5/5 stars is because the writing was often more telling instead of showing, which I think could’ve immersed me as a reader more.

The plot was really interesting, with a mix of aliens, futuristic technology, and still with some traditional Chinese aspects. The ending I did not see coming at all, though my boyfriend guessed it when we were reading the climactic battle toward the end. If you’re like him (critiquing books as you go, analyzing character motives and off-hand mentions of something specific that may or may not come back later, etc) you may not enjoy this book much as it’s very cheesy and full of stereotypical YA tropes. But if you’re like me (read stories just to experience the story, a super obvious plot twist won’t hit me until it happens, just vibing and not analyzing much) I think you’d love it.

The main character is super stereotyped for YA genres, and you can tell the author pulls a lot of inspiration from some popular anime’s (neon genesis evangelion, darling in the Franxx, attack on titan) but I can’t fault her there at all, good art comes from good inspiration!

I will say, there was a lot more… bloodshed, than I expected, but I was still on board for the story. The ending completely took me by surprise (save for the literal spoiler my boyfriend somehow guessed) and I’m so eager to read the next book.

All in all, my boyfriend and our other book club friend had a lot of critiques for this book, while I came to every meeting pretty much hyped and excited to keep reading.

[cosmic-aquamarine]

finished reading iron widow yesterday

super entertaining for the most part and absolutely silly in the violent, batshit way. very weeb, and though some of the tropes thrown in there i'm not the biggest fan of (you know, the edgy, kinda juvenile ones), it was still incredibly fun reading them in this context.

i went in not expecting the greatest feminist story of all time which i think was a good thing—lots of people seemed pissed off for the message the books sends but i was mostly curious about the spin on darling in the franxx. the feminist stuff was blunt as a hammer and also equally subtle, ehh whatever, sometimes what you need is a good power fantasy. though i do agree not all the finer points in the book were the greatest, like how all the female characters treated each other terribly, without exception, and we never got to see that getting turned around, really.

wu zetian, absolutely not the most multifaceted character, but honestly i liked the fact that the character is just kinda evil lol i just hope the sequel won't try and frame her actions as redeemable. it's and Everyone Sucks Here situation, sometimes violence is the only answer but that doesn't mean everything she did was justifiable and that's fine.

(spoilers under the cut)

the polycule was cute, the dynamics were promising, and i would have loved to see more of it but it was so underdeveloped and hurried that when li shimin died it was just a huge disappointment and a waste of potential instead of something truly impactful and sad. like they all BARELY got together before that. if there's some polycule version of bury your gays then this is it. just make the book like 200 pages longer and give me a nothing happens, gays live in peace montage in the middle

[arcimoniousaltheon]

Zero-Two is a nightmare

(It's super long and ranty btw) So I recently watched Darling in the Franxx since I saw the memes a while back and overall, good anime. Definitely a recommendation if you haven't watched it and like mecha animes and romance. However the main character dynamic is just so disturbed. If you haven't seen it and plan to, full spoilers below the breakpoint. If you want the romance 'ruined' though try to keep this question in mind (Yes I'm drawing it out so you can stop reading): "Does she actually know Hiro's name?"

I'll be honest, I didn't think I got off on the right foot with the show. The kiss she forced on him without Hiro knowing what it was already rubbed me the wrong way and somehow that managed to be the least of her problems. In the first half of the show the 'relationship' is one-sided, with Hiro moving heaven and earth for her while she's clearly just using him. At no point does she actually show care for him as a person, for his well-being or for his relation with other people. Even the feeding him at the table, which is the most relation-y thing I can remember her doing, is just for her benefit. He doesn't seem into it, he doesn't seem to like steak with honey and she doesn't wait for him to eat, she forces him to.

Zero-Two acts cold, dismissive with no concern for other people and her relationship with Hiro is nothing but 'greed'. She 'loves' him like a dragon loves gold. Not for any intrinsic value, both want to have it so no-one else can. She doesn't care whether he lives or dies to such a degree that when she has to pick between 'an itch for battle' and his last few minutes on this planet, she picks the former. Other people's lives just don't count to her. She's caused the deaths of multiple people and she can't even be bothered to remember for 24 hours with a living reminder in eyesight.

Another thing is that at no point in the entire show does she take any responsibility for what she's done. The narrative keeps forgiving her but she never actually bothers to learn her lesson. The only even possible exception I can think of is at the start of the second half after the Hand comes down. That off-screen conversation is the only spot where it could feasilbly be slotted into. And it's not once or twice, it just continues. She kills Hiro, he survived so it's fine. Insubordination endangering the team, eh. She puts the rest of the team in the hospital, reconciliation is on the table once the scabs are fully formed. And another thing about that hospital scene: Her thought is 'This is my punishment' which just shows you how much she thinks the world revolves around her. It's a logical consequence of how bad she's acting and her mind frames it like it's divine punishment.

But the main thing thing that just didn't leave me after I thought about it is the constant use of 'Darling'. It was super cute in the memes but once I noticed she literally never calls Hiro by his name it became much less sweet. It struck me like a rockstar calling their side-piece-of-the-week 'babe' because they can't be bothered to learn the actual name. With Zero-Two it mostly strikes me as the actual object of her affection. This vague memory of her 'darling'. Every corpse she's squeezed of energy like a capri-sun was just a temporary substitute which was enjoyed as long as they could last. Hiro is no different to her.

You might argue that that's just until their shared memory is unlocked and I firmly argue against. I don't think Zero-Two actually loves Hiro, the person, even after that. Nothing much changes about Hiro after that so what is this part she oh-so-suddenly loves now? Is it his sweet personality which he'd been displaying since day 1? Is it his leading position among people she didn't even bother to see as alive before? Why does she 'love' him once she knows that he was the boy who gave her freedom? To me the answer became 'she doesn't, he just changed roles from being a substitute to being the embodiment of her Darling'. She acts better because she's supposed to act lovey-dovey with her Darling. She plays ball with his friends so they don't force the wedge between parasite and host again. Maybe this is a bit too assenine, in fact it almost certainly is. But a healthy relationship tends to provide some actual counter-arguments to this line of thinking.

Some miscellaneous things: She fully intended to rape Hiro on that beach. The interruptions between Hiro and Ichigo were most likely intentionally since her senses are suggested to be excellent. Even in those scenes after the Princess kidnapped Hiro I didn't see concern, just focus on her-her-her.

Overall she can feel like a psychopath who instead of reading the Wolf of Wallstreet, read a sappy romance novel. (And thought that analogy up before the picturebook came to light) The show overall is great, the side-characters more than making up for the more messed up parts of the dynamic. Even the main couple themselves aren't unwatchable since the scenes themselves are sweet enough to be enjoyable. It's just the more I think about it the less sympathetic Zero-Two becomes. It just makes Hiro feel mind-controlled honestly.

The weirdest thought I had was that overall the show feels like a fanfic of another show in which Zero-Two doesn't exist. One where Hiro and Ichigo end up together which the writer of the fanfic really hated for whatever reason. The "I feel nothing" line just felt really egregious to me thought it lines up nicely with this. It'd probably have two seasons with the second being VIRM focused with them under command of the Princess and Hiro under some effect similar to that pulsing tumor-thingy he has during his third ride with Zero-Two. Since Zero-Two takes a decent chunk of the role of the Princess, the VIRM plotline is squished into just a few episodes and of course the central OC solves the issue by blowing up the VIRM homeworld. As opposed to something like Hiro and Ichigo undergoing full Saurification and slumbering underneath the earth for the next wave. I don't know, just some deranged idea to explain why the show feels so centralized on someone with surface level humanity.

Sorry for the rant, I'm probably wrong and/or stupid for it but thanks for reading. (if you did.)

[everydayconman]

Tumblr only let me put in half the memes I could.

Please watch the full video.

[bruxa-do-pica-pau]

The possible leaked image of the final episode

source

[torytheotaku]

Thoughts of episode 22:

1. I hate that heartless bitch. And yeah, I know she doesn’t know anything about feelings and all.

2. Watching how everyone is working so damn hard to survive and save their planet makes me so happy. Ichigo takes care of everyone forgeting about her and that makes her so sweet and selfless. Idk, I just love every character’s development.

3. I want her to give birth to that child no matter what. I already know that Mitsuru will stay with her and will take care of Kokoro. Eventually, the pregnancy will bring their memories back and remind them what an amazing love they had for each other.

4. I really missed her. She developed feelings for the children and basically became their mother.

5. Their story may be sad but how they fight for each other and their love is simply amazing.

6. All of Goro’s feelings burst finally revealing his struggles. He told Hiro some real shit, even tho his love for 02 was something that Goro may not understand.

7. They have been through a lot together and they want to support Hiro in his mission to save 02 even tho they know they could die. There are some invisible strings that tie them. Oh, and the nines want to help them. That’s some character development even from them.

[minibunbon]

HONESTLY darlifra is about what it means to be human (aka the bildingsroman classic, what it means to live, who am i, etc). it’s a coming of age story but framed as even more. the ‘plot’ w/ the mechs is slow and kinda janky but only b/c that’s really not the point. the point is that these kids live in a society were humans have lost there humanity in order to preserve there lives. (i mean this is super reinforced by the klaxsour princes who calls the papa council people fake humans). 

what it means to be human is framed from many perspectives. from a monster that was touched by a human spirit and wanted to be become so. from children growing up and wanting to thrive. 

these kids r some experiment a doctor made most likely to try and somehow harness the old human spirit and hope but little did they know that an unbroken spirit is entirely different. 

that’s the whole point of darlifra. the mechs r there b/c it’s trigger and the long ass confusing plot is b/c it’s A-1. But REALLY it’s a story exploring humanity and IT’S AMAZING it gets to the nitty gritty. i’m sorry, i love it. it be like that

[miyaeto]