DARLING in the FRANXX Episode 3

I find it rather ironic how the guy who has such an inferiority complex against Hiro finally had his moment to “shine” only to result his death. It certainly didn’t take long for me to dislike Mitsuru with how he spoke about Hiro, smudged it in his face how he is able to pilot Strelizia without losing consciousness, and even insulted his partner in the process. He was so obnoxious and so cocky, Zero Two was more than happy to kill him off- especially since he was insulting her darling.

But had Zero Two not come to save them, all six of them could have been killed. They underestimated how many they were going to have to deal with and were quickly outnumbered. Then when Miku was hit, she was rendered unconscious and that left not only two standing, but one had to carry the unit out. It was a terrible situation for them all around. Although they were able to surviving the ordeal, they still end up losing one because they refused to disregard the rules and give Hiro permission to pilot with Zero Two.

That being said, I am quite pleased with how quickly the writers confirmed the rumours that was surrounding Zero Two. When a Parasite partners up with Zero Two, he will not survive more than three fights. Today however, she proved the moment she decides to go all out, it will result the Stamen’s immediate death. The reason why Hiro is able to come out unscathed has been implied he may be a unique species, something I have been leaning towards since we learned of the rumours.

However this definitely creates an air of fear and hostility towards Zero Two from the Parasite squad. I am sure there will be some who will resent her for killing Mitsuru, some will fear her, and others like Ikuno and Hiro will probably feel guilty for being weak/useless. In particularly Ikuno I suspect will probably have a mix bags of emotions, who besides Hiro has shown us having difficulty finding compatibility with Mitsuru. I hope for her sake she will be able to find a better partner.

Last week I wasn’t sure what to make out of how Ichigo’s feelings for Hiro has changed, but this week proved to us it still remains, and possibly stronger than ever. To make matters worse, her jealousy has increased significantly, like adding fuel to the fire. Ichigo flipped out when she heard Strelizia was coming to save them because the first thing that crossed her mind was Hiro and Zero Two kissing again. Not only that, but her emotional turmoil almost cost the team their lives, since it interfered with her synergy with Goro. And I feel bad for Goro because he has no idea what’s going on with his partner. And with lack of awareness when it comes to intimate feelings towards others, you know we are in for one hell of a mess in the future.

Despite the grim ordeals of this episode, what really caught my attention was when Zero Two took Hiro to the Inner City, a place he nor the others have ever been to before. There she asked him if he wanted to runaway with her. Although she quickly claimed it to have been a joke, I have no doubt in my mind she meant every word. It is something I am eagerly anticipating how not only Hiro will start thinking about this wish of breaking out of the literal birdcage they are in, but also to see whether or not his fellow friends will also start thinking outside of the box they have been contained in.