Darling in The Franxx Season 2: Release Date, Trailer, Plot, Cast, and More
Darling in the Franxx (Dārin In Za Furankisu), also known as DarliFra is a 2018 Japanese science fiction romance anime television series. Anime was co-produced by A-1 Pictures and Trigger and animated by Trigger and CloverWorks. The series premiered on January 13, 2018, and it was announced at Trigger’s Anime Expo 2017 panel in July 2017. The production team Code:000, in cooperation with the illustrator Kentaro Yabuki, is credited for a manga adaptation based on this anime series on January 14, 2018.
Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely that the series will be renewed for a second installment.
What do we have to know about Darling in the Franxx?
Darling in the Franxx anime series describes the place where humans abandoned the surface after a world-ending calamity reduced the population. People who are adults and those who are children exist in environments that are dramatically different from each other. Due to their exposure to technology and living in plantations, adults within cities are immortal, but reproduction and interpersonal relationships have become obsolete and unappealing.
These artificially-created children referred to as “parasites”, are considered to be completely independent of the rest of the world and only serve to pilot Franxx in pairs to defend humanity. To help children develop emotional responses required to pilot Franxx, the children are kept in environments resembling “birdcages” that simulate the past.
The groundbreaking discoveries in mining technology helped speed the advance of human civilization in the early 21st century, enabling magma energy extraction for a cheap, all-encompassing energy source. Scientists contributing to the breakthrough design a non-profit organization known as “APE” which, based on the scientists’ findings, will wield significant influence on world politics and the global economy.
Following their discovery of human immortality, many humans chose to be immortal even though it came with the side effect of losing their reproductive capabilities. Papa, the chairman of the APE, is adored by all humans as though he were a god. Now, APE controls the remnants of civilization, guiding humanity to abandon Earth’s surface, now bereft of human life, for Plantations, mobile fortress-cities designed to defend humanity from external threats.
The story follows a squad of ten pilots, particularly focusing on the partnership between Hiro, a former prodigy, who goes through an incredible journey with Zero Two, a hybrid human and elite pilot whose primer aspiration is to become entirely human.
Darling in the Franxx Season 2: release date
Even though there is no official word on the renewal of the show, we have no way of predicting when the second season might come out.
It is rumored that when the series concluded, many fans expected a second season to premiere no later than the fall of 2019 or perhaps a year from now.
However, given the lack of further news surrounding Darling in the Franxx, it is almost impossible to say when the anticipated sequel will be released.
A more positive prediction is that Darling in the Franxx will return for a second season around 2022.
Darling in the Franxx Season 2: plot
Darling in the Franxx is a unique anime in terms of source material as it is an original story. We know that a manga series was produced after the TV series.
The most reasonable assumption, if the series was renewed for a second season would be to follow the aftermath of Zero Two and Hiro’s battle with VIRM (an energy-consuming alien race that relies on absorbing the souls of its victims).
Although a second installment might focus on a spin-off storyline, prequel timeline, or even a fresh start with a brand-new group of heroes and villains, there is always the possibility that it could, instead, be a follow-up to the established story.
Will there be Darling in the Franxx Season 2?
Neither Trigger nor CloverWorks have announced when or if a second season of Darling in the Franxx will be released.
The distribution began at the same time as the domestic release of the film. Aniplus Asia also simulcast the series overseas, as Crunchyroll brought the series to other international regions. On February 1, 2018, Funimation began releasing the series dubbed.
Only a few fans thought that a second season would be more than three years away when the first season of Darling in the Franxx finished in July 2018.
Even though the first season ended, we haven’t heard anything about whether or not the series will continue.
On MyAnimeList the series is scoring 7.3/10, with a popularity ranking of number 66, backed by 1,158,832 members.
On IMDb, Darling in the Franxx has received a score of 7.4/10 by 6,111 users and on Crunchyroll, it received a score of 4.4/5 of 1541 votes.
Even though the anime had good reviews and was viewed by millions of people, the story concluded in the final episode, which was comparatively easy to understand.
There is a chance the series could be renewed by either Studio Trigger or CloverWorks if the other decided against it.
We have also decided to bring you a few excerpts from viewer reviews:
“It creates an atmosphere of deep conflict and in between are some stunning visuals and fight scenes.” (pickles-188935 May 2018)
“Darling in the FranXX excels and drawing out an incredible variety of emotions; it has the thrill of an awesome shounen/action series, characters each with unique (often relatable) personalities and surprisingly interesting backstories, the occasional set of humor, a beautiful combination of music, art, and animation, but most importantly a magnificent ability to tell an incredibly romantic story between the two primary protagonists.” (shubhamm-7968421 April 2018)
“Teach us the meaning of being a human. This could be one of the best original TV Anime ever created!!! A must watch.”
“The animation and graphics are amazing, and the fight scenes draw you in, but the thing I like most is the interpersonal drama and relationships between the characters. There was more than one scene that made me start to tear up and I could feel the emotions of the characters.” (crusaderf 1 July 2018)
“Best Anime I’ve ever taken the time to watch!” (adwoe on May 10, 2020)
As some of the series’ themes were greeted with controversy over sexual innuendos and the lack of plot development surrounding the alien species VIRM, and following episode 15, the storyline moved at a breakneck pace, several reviewers responded with criticism. While fans in Japan liked the series, Western viewers had mixed reactions.
Another season of Darling in the Franxx is clearly in high demand.
Darling in the Franxx: awards and amazing soundtrack
Darling in the FRANXX was first released in Japan, and since then, it has received numerous accolades. The series won Favorite Action or Adventure and Favorite Mecha or Sci-Fi during the 2018 Anime Winter Awards. It won the Best Girl with Zero Two coming in first place. It won Favorite Supporting Female and Male Characters with Ichigo and Goro.
The bond between Zero Two and Hiro has also placed them in the top ten, with Kokoro and Mitsuru coming in fourth. At the 2018 NewType Anime Awards, the Best Mecha Design/Prop Design for this series was chosen as one of the best series in the world and ranked amongst the ten choices for the following awards: the best male and female characters, the best theme song, the best soundtrack, the best director, the best screenplay, and the best character design.
The series’ soundtrack is composed by Asami Tachibana and published by Aniplex. On March 27, 2019, all three soundtracks were made available in digital form on various online music stores.
The opening song, Kiss of Death, received praise, and the ending songs, which were sung by the female cast members, were given positive praise.
If you liked the song Kiss of death, reach for the others (there are 64 in total, divided into 3 volumes), we believe you won’t regret it.
Darling in the Franxx: cast
Finally, to further encourage you to watch this anime series, expecting as well a new update about the sequel, we are going to introduce you to the main characters:
Hiro (Hiro) is the primary protagonist of the series. His codename was “016” and he was called a prodigy in the Children before becoming a Parasite. He wasn’t successful as a pilot, though, because he didn’t coordinate with his partner Naomi. As a result, he was unable to locate his position in the world. However, he began piloting and partnering with Zero Two, and he soon discovered that he had a new reason to live: he had become a Parasite. Newly accepted member of the Plantation 13th, Strelizia was piloted by Hiro and Zero Two.
He was in a long-term relationship with Zero Two, and when their partnership started to fall apart, he reverted to feelings he had experienced during his childhood and in his current relationship with her. Before they died, the two eventually began a relationship with each other. Although somewhat driven by his duty as a parasite, he later uses this as a personal goal and dedicates his life to helping all the parasites who are under APE’s control escape and go free.
Zero Two (Zero Tsū) is the primary heroine and a supporting character in DARLING in the FRANXX. A human Klaxo Sapiens hybrid, part of the APE Special Forces, and primarily deployed in battle, she is a war hero. Her codename, 002, is known as the “Partner Killer” because of her horns and the Klaxosaurs’ blood in her veins. Even though she didn’t care about human life and did it all on her own, she was drawn to Hiro and offered to pilot with him, thus becoming his new partner and “beloved”. Having been able to ride with her more than three times, Hiro and the 13th Plantation’s newest pilots, piloting the FRANXX Strelizia, became part of the Plantation’s new pilot pool.
As the days passed, Zero Two began to have romantic feelings for Hiro which increased her desire to be more human. When their partnership began to crumble, they remembered how they met during childhood. The two elected to put their lives on the line in order to ensure the continued existence of the human race.
Hiro and Zero Two’s souls reincarnate as a pair of children, and these children rekindle their romance as Hiro and Zero Two’s souls.
Futoshi (Futoshi) is one of the primary characters in DARLING in the FRANXX. He is a former Parasite known as “214” who was paired with Ikuno to pilot a FRANXX called Chlorophytum in the Thirteenth Plantation. Previously, he had partnered with Kokoro and the pilot of Genista.
Besides his deep affection for food, Futoshi does his best because he wants to protect Kokoro. She never returned his feelings, but he went on to work for the sake of his friends, as she had previously encouraged him to do.
Ichigo (Ichigo) is a former Parasite “015” of the Thirteenth plantation, partnered with Goro in a boy-girl FRANXX duo named Delphinium. As Squad 13’s commanding officer, she led the team.
She battles between her self-centeredness and her duties as a leader because of her feelings for Hiro. She alienates Zero Two the most in the entire squad, but even she doesn’t go as far as severing Zero Two’s connection to Hiro until she finds out Zero Two is the only one Hiro loves. This leads her to give up on Hiro for his own happiness and finds a new lover in Goro.
Goro (Gorō) is one of the primary characters in DARLING in the FRANXX. While he was partnered with Ichigo to pilot the FRANXX Delphinium, he was previously known as Parasite “056” of Thirteenth Plantation.
When it comes to Goro, who is an optimist, he prefers to be open-minded and respectful of others in order to avoid conflict, even at the expense of suppressing his feelings for Ichigo, his best friend. When pushed to the limit, he will assume control of the team to safeguard the squad’s survival and stability.
Kokoro (Kokoro) is a former Parasite from the Thirteenth Plantation who has the codename “556” (previously partnered with Futoshi) where she piloted a FRANXX Genista with her partner Mitsuru.
They began a relationship that eventually evolved into an intimate one, and had a ceremony, but their memories were altered. Though they fell out, they were able to patch things up when she was revealed to be pregnant with his child. Finally, this family had four children.
One of the main characters in DARLING in the FRANXX is Ikuno (Ikuno). Her codename prior to the Thirteenth Plantation is “196,” where she used to pilot the FRANXX called Chlorophytum with Futoshi as her male partner. Her original partner was Mitsuru.
Not knowing how to express her true feelings for Ichigo caused her to be in a stormy relationship with Mitsuru. It was only after Ichigo prompted her to be more open than she usually kept her thoughts to herself.
Miku (Miku) is one of the primary characters in this anime series. A former Parasite, codenamed “390”, is a member of Squad 13 of the Thirteenth Plantation, where she is partnered with Zorome in FRANXX unit known as Argentea.
Miku is the most aggressive and obstinate of the girls, and she is not afraid to clash with the boys. She has a strong desire to succeed, and she has a good sense of humor almost identical to Zorome, which is very advantageous for them.
Mitsuru (Mitsuru) is one of the central characters in the DARLING in the FRANXX anime. While he was a Parasite “326” of the Thirteenth Plantation, he was partnered with Kokoro to pilot the FRANXX called Genista. Previously, he was Ikuno’s partner and Chlorophytum’s pilot.
While working long hours overtime, Mitsuru had a change in his personality and formed a strong bond with Kokoro. They were married, but their memories were altered as punishment. Despite this, the two decided to remain together after she found out she was pregnant with his child.
Zorome (Zorome) is one of the primary characters in DARLING in the FRANXX. He used to be a Parasite of the Thirteenth Plantation and his codename was “666.” His partner was a girl called Miku, and they piloted the FRANXX Argentea.
APE, except for being the most immature of the squad, also makes him the most loyal to the adults and the adults in general. Despite being well-known as a boisterous and rambunctious individual, he also has a sense of commitment and loyalty, being able to put forth as much effort to assist his teammates as needed.
We hope we’ve interested you enough to watch this anime series if you haven’t already. Maybe some new good news about the sequel to this favorite series will arrive in the meantime.
So watch the series, listen to a great soundtrack and enjoy it! It is definitely worth it.
