Darling in the FranXX

Fuck the PV, let's settle this once and for all: does 002 reciprocate Hiro's feelings or is she just toying with him?

002 is best girl.

That she is, but that doesn't answer the question.

"with our wings"

If you are still having doubts, you must be truly autistic.

>I swear they'll explain the asspull they did on ep6 next episode!
>Turns out to be a beach episode

Allow me to offer a counterpoint: the Jian bird symbolism is merely about their relationship as pilots. Pilot pairs need not necessarily involve themselves romantically. As proof of that fact, consider that Ichigo has been piloting just fine with Goro even though she is infatuated with Hiro; or that Mitsuru can ride with Ikuno even though he seems to actively despise her at times. The other pilot pairs we see in the anime don't seem to be all that lovey-dovey. Besides the main pair, one exception seems to be found in Kokoro and Futoshi, who also happen to be the worst performing FXX pair. A metaphor can only carry you so far.

>does 002 reciprocate Hiro's feelings or is she just toying with him?
What feelings? The ones he just got last episode?

>She doesn't want to be seen as a monster or a weapon
>he's the only person that's seen her as a person

Yeah probably.

We just don't know.

Hiro seems to have had a crush on 002 since she first met her, although having the 'upbringing' that he had, he's not exactly aware of that fact himself. Until now he was also apt to confuse his feelings for 002 with his sense of purpose and desire to fulfil it by riding a FXX. However, by the end of episode 6, it is pretty obvious that he is in love with 002, and he uses piloting Strelizia for her as an expression of that fact about him, because he does not know how else to communicate it.

the only reason 02 and hiro aren't going at it like rabbits is they don't know what sex is. an accidental touch to a sensitive spot is all that would need to happen to set them off.

Pretty sure it's too early to tell, all you have to go on is her saying darling and kissing him.

I agree. But other anons seem to have a sense of certitude about it.

Let's ask this differently: what meaning does "Darling" have for 002 anyway?

Or how about this reformulation: does 002 pilot Strelizia for Hiro, just like he pilots Strelizia for her?

Yes. Listen to the OP

That's an easy no.

This is the official character listing.
Every other answer is a meme by idiots.

The beach is where it's perfect for that.

Connected to this -- let's assume that the Jian bird metaphor goes beyond their relationship as pistil and stamen. Are Hiro and 002 actually a healthy Jian bird pair, or are they a dysfunctional one?

"Easy" means different things for different people? How do you mean? And how do you know? If you're right, that means that 002 does not reciprocate Hiro's feelings. At least not yet.

Supplementary material is not canon, even though it can be used as a hint.

She does geniunely care for him; she's just inexperienced with relationships that aren't purely exploitative, ie her being exploited by the adults and exploiting her partners in turn.

Both

She loves him

After episode 6 we can say for sure that yeah she does. It was fairly certain before that too, considering she had real reason to like him but now there's no doubt. Funnily enough, people keep asking about 02 but it was Hiro in the end who needed to think things through before they could become proper partners.

>the Jian bird symbolism is merely about their relationship as pilots. Pilot pairs need not necessarily involve themselves romantically
I have to disagree, if it were merely about that then all the FranXX would have flapping wings, not just Strelizia. Even Strelizia when piloting with Hiro in ep1, ep4 and all of ep6 beside the ending sequence did not have any wings. The wings only come once the feelings are entirely mutual and dedication is certain - this is why Strelizia only got wings at the very end of ep6 and never before, since Hiro had not dedicated his life to 02 prior to that.

>consider that Ichigo has been piloting just fine with Goro even though she is infatuated with Hiro; or that Mitsuru can ride with Ikuno even though he seems to actively despise her at times
This is exactly my point. They pilot but there are no wings. Piloting just by itself isn't representative of a Jian partnership. The Jian partnership is a cut above even mere romantic interest, which 02 and Hiro arguably had from the beginning or at the very least in ep4. It's romance but in addition to that it's also lifelong dedication (the male and female Jian join together). It represents marriage basically, as in a willing lifelong dedication to support and be supported by the other in addition to love. Piloting does not seem to require 'marriage' as a baseline, the minimum requirement is somewhere much below that (see: 02 piloting with people she doesn't like, Ikuno & Mitsuru).

Whatever the thing is, she knows and she likes him enough to entertain thoughts of getting him away from it.

>After episode 6 we can say for sure that yeah she does.
Why?
>It was fairly certain before that too
How come?

> if it were merely about that then all the FranXX would have flapping wings, not just Strelizia
Why? Think about this in-universe: all evidence so far points to Strelizia being a very special (maybe a one-off) FXX unit. She is a special unit among a whole set of special units. There is nothing in the story to suggest that just about any FXX can project wings like that.

What if where she intends to take him is the pits of Hell?

She doesn't want to get attached and have it pulled it away. Did you not watch the show? You saw what happens to her when she pilots alone and if you can't connect the dots from there on you're retarded.

>does 002 reciprocate Hiro's feelings

Maybe she will need a similar scene like Hiro had where she says "I want to be your wings too" and then people feel that it's settled?

The thing is, you can also read her suggestion as an entirely selfish one, even if Hiro eventually acquiesces to it.

>She doesn't want to get attached and have it pulled it away.
That doesn't answer the question.

This is the most pointless debate about the show since every evidence one could provide too that 02 likes Hiro can just be countered with
>but what if she lied

Don't conflate positions please. No one is asking whether 002 is manipulating Hiro here. That point is moot anyway, since Hiro does what he does voluntarily. You cannot manipulate the willing.

No fuck you, PV when

>How come?
Did you stop reading mid-way through the phrase or something?
>considering she had real reason to like him

>Why? Think about this in-universe
I am, I'm not sure you are. You're ignoring the fact that we have multiple examples of Strelizia fighting already. You can compare Strelizia after Hiro's dedication to Strelizia before Hiro's dedication, you do not need to compare her to any other (potentially) inferior FranXX at all.
No wings:
>ep1 with random mook (not even maiden mode)
>ep1 with Hiro (no dedication)
>ep3 with Mitsuru
>ep4 with Hiro (no dedication)
>ep6 with Hiro (no dedication), Conrad fight
>ep6 with Hiro (no dedication), first hit on Beta
Wings:
>ep6 with Hiro (dedicated to 02), killing hit on Beta
It does not matter whether other FranXX can get wings or not - Strelizia can and does so only once Hiro understands that 02 needs him and decides to be her wings.

She likes him for accepting her horns and everything. Also for the things he said in episode 4, I think that touched her. But deeper than that I think she is in love with the idea of Hiro more than Hiro himself, meaning someone who can be her partner, her only possible partner, her Darling. The wish doctor FRANXX referred to. There will need to be more development before she loves Hiro for Hiro. But I don't think she's playing with him at all, she wants him to make her wish come true.

>As proof of that fact, consider that Ichigo has been piloting just fine with Goro
Except for the fact that, you know, she has an emotional breakdown that effectively paralyzes her in the middle of combat, twice.

Now.

I know I would. Episodes 1 to 6 made up Hiro's arc. Just compare the main duo: other than the fact that she has Klaxosaur genes, we know almost nothing about 002's backstory or her true persona. She is obviously more open with Hiro than just about any other character so far, but just how open is she? She doesn't seem to have fully opened up to him yet.

Naturally, episode 6 closes a chapter in Hiro's life. But did it also close one in 002's life?

Why do you even watch this overrated trash? Not even 10 episodes they are doing a shitty fanservice beach episode.

Pure trash.

I said it before and I will say it again.

02 and Hiro will be married with a dozen children and you'll go to Sup Forums and see
>She's only using him to create new and better klaxosaur killing weapons, you are all fools for believing in her she lied when they were getting married she just thinks of him as a means to an end

>But where's the internal monologue where she explains exactly how she feels about Hiro?

She literally snapped when she thought she had killed him.

What happens when they become adults?

>what is the jian
Take a guess OP

>Did you stop reading mid-way through the phrase or something?
No, I did not. You merely reiterated that "it was fairly certain before that too" in so many other words. That's why I'm asking. In what way does she like him? What does her "real reason" consist in?

>You're ignoring the fact that we have multiple examples of Strelizia fighting already
I'm not ignoring that at all. You're just changing the argument now. You said that, were the Jian merely a symbol for their relationship as pilots, then "all the FranXX would have flapping wings, not just Strelizia":

Yes she does. How can you say not to him?

No she didn't. She snapped when the giant punched them and she went stampede mode. They show the cockpit after Hiro's collapsed and before Strel gets punted into the wall and transforms, and she's not raving.

That's some cute art. Mind sharing the artist?

That means little when you realise she's only been a pistil for something like a week. Beginner mistakes are normal.

Because as we all know, all it takes to make a girl immediately fall for you is to not be a complete dickhead right off the bat. Good thing Hiro wasn't wearing a fedora, or she might have lost control and jumped him right there.

I used to believe that as well.

>That's why I'm asking
The list of reasons 02 might like Hiro has been posted in these threads at least tens of times over, do you really need me to repeat it? Have you actually never seen it? If you really claim you haven't I can greentext them for you, though it's a waste of effort since you'd easily find them repeated over and over in an archive.

>You're just changing the argument now
You seem to be confused. The argument about Strelizia herself stands on its own, as I have just explained. I also believe that the others could have wings, but even if I'm wrong about that and it turns out impossible because they are inferior, it has no effect on the behavior Strelizia has already shown in the aired episodes. Even if I'm wrong about the others, Strelizia still didn't have wings until Hiro dedicated himself to 02.

If the Jian merely represented piloting together, why did Strelizia not have wings until the end of ep6? We know for a fact Strelizia herself can manifest wings, yet there were none while 02 piloted with ANY stamen who was not dedicated - Hiro himself included.

Here's some limitations for the Strelitzia flower language stuff also: none of it seems to have been relevant in 002's case. The mass production units complicate matters, but I think it's still pretty certain to say that only 002 can be Strelizia's pistil (just like the only the other girl characters in the ensemble themselves can be their respective FXX's pistil). So 002 has obviously piloted Stelizia through situations that would not have inspired love or faithfulness in her.

That is, Strelizia seems to 'mean' something only to the stamens who ride her, for whom she is something like a test of character. 002 is stuck with Strelizia regardless of the outcome.

>Almost always sweet and kind to him outside battle, doting on him and chasing after him
>Whenever she's not with him she's complaining she wants to be with him
>Clearly heavily affected when he was avoiding her, angry/hurt that he might have thought she was a monster
>Practically in tears when they were being separated. Clearly overjoyed when he finally spoke up.
>Calls herself "nothing but a monster" when she thinks she's killed him
>Calms down immediately when he comes back for her

Oh geez, user, wow, that's a tough one.

>We know for a fact Strelizia herself can manifest wings, yet there were none while 02 piloted with ANY stamen who was not dedicated
We don't know that at all. What we know is that there's been one time where Strelizia had a fully functional stamen and needed to go all out or close to it, and on that occasion it showed off wings.

I'm pretty sure the symbolism of the names is intended as a hint to the audience out-of-universe and isn't supposed to be applied directly to in-universe action.

It isn't a normal world. It's a world where kids are bred to fight and die and call some fuck in a palace Papa. If you bothered to see how she reacts to anyone else calling her a monster or not human and how she reacted to when they first met it'd be pretty clear.

Also its a japanese show, being nice to a girl is all thats needed for her to fall on your dick in them

I'm not confused. You're implicitly admitting that the argument was wrong when you're changing it that blatantly while trying to bluff your way through it.

The argument about Strelizia has no weight on its own, for the reason I pointed out here -- it could be that the Jian bird is nothing more than an allusion to the relationship between 002 and Hiro as pistil and stamen.

>If the Jian merely represented piloting together, why did Strelizia not have wings until the end of ep6?
Because Hiro was not yet assuredly 002's stamen. You could say that he had not yet completely adapted to riding Stelizia, so he wasn't yet attuned enough to riding her for the feature that caused those wings to project to be active.

>do you really need me to repeat it?
Try to bluff less and argue more.
>I can greentext them for you
Please do.

I didn't mean it any other way. The same is true of the Jian, although that one is more grounded within the story since the characters themselves mention it.

>blowing their beach episode load on Ep. 7
Can we expect penis/boob measuring day for Ep. 10?

They've already blown their "power of love" and "NTR" load.
I think this whole show is just going to be 24 episodes of them blowing their load.

>If you bothered to see how she reacts to anyone else calling her a monster or not human and how she reacted to when they first met it'd be pretty clear.
What's pretty clear is that she thinks "huh, this guy's interesting. Not interesting enough to go look for him, but interesting enough to comment on and mess with" There's no indication that she thinks "I've found my soulmate and I've got to be with him forever."

>Also its a japanese show, being nice to a girl is all thats needed for her to fall on your dick in them
Fair point, but then it's all on the level of a shitty harem, and I think we all want to believe the writing's a bit better than that.

This can be easily dismissed by using the relationship between Kokoro and Futoshi as a parallel for the relationship between 002 and Hiro. None of that shows that 002 is interested in Hiro beyond his status and ability as a stamen.

02 actually has more feelings for Hiro than he for her. Hiro has been inching towards mutuality. 02 has a deep need for true companionship, which only Hiro has offered her. Hiro needed a means to realize his purpose. This is reflected in how they perceive each other and their relationship. Hiro admires 02 for her strength, and considers her special because she offers that to him. She's the only one both strong enough and willing to carry him. Rather than seeing her as his other jian half, he believes that she's whole on her own, and that she allows him to stand on her shoulders so that he can achieve his purpose and prove his worth. He gives little regard the possibility of her killing him because a meaningful death accomplishes more than a meaningless life. He's even quite humble and attributes his success to her.

On the other hand 02 wants Hiro to treat her on equal terms. She's appreciative when he expresses concern for her, she always considers his opinions, and shows empathy towards him. She sees someone who can potentially understand her, and through that understanding, offer her emotional support. She wants to open up to Hiro, but she can't do that unless she's certain that he's willing to accept her. That's why she's openly affectionate, but reserved when it comes to exposing her deeper self, why she tries to get Hiro to assert himself and take initiative. She wants to know that he's both strong enough and willing to support her.

>02 actually has more feelings for Hiro than he for her

This is how I see it as well.

This is the biggest evidence she loves him I think.

You are wrong. She went stampade mode the moment she thought she had killed him, the moment when Nana and the commanding guy say that they've lost connection and Ichigo thinks that he has died too.

Nice pasta, but I'm asking about 002, not Hiro.

>On the other hand 02 wants Hiro to treat her on equal terms... etc
This is all highly speculative. You're only providing your interpretation of 002 without giving reasons for why you think that. I admit you may be entirely correct, but it would be nice to see a bottom-up track to reach that interpretation of her character; an argument that argues [to] that image of 002, not [from] it.

For all we know, that always happens when 002 has to pilot Strelizia alone.

It means a lot when she's the most skilled out of P13's parasites (besides Hiro) and she has the most catastrophic failures, especially when the causal factor of those failures is her emotional attachment to Hiro. Mitsuru's treatment of Ikuno is what causes Delphinium to fail to activate. Only after he gets humbled and his attitude is straightened (at least slightly) can they pilot effectively. Another important thing is that Ikuno doesn't begrudge him at all-- she offers him her shoulder to help him walk. Even if it's a "just business" attitude, that they're on a closer wavelength is a factor in operational effectiveness.

>"Easy" means different things for different people? How do you mean? And how do you know? If you're right, that means that 002 does not reciprocate Hiro's feelings. At least not yet.
I think that user was referring to 02 saying that she pilots because she's a monster/to kill more Klaxos. But anyway, 02 not piloting Strelizia for Hiro doesn't mean she doesn't love him.

Ichigo's failures are no worse than, for example, Zorome's in episode 3. They're still very much rookie mistakes. With practice she is sure to stop making such mistakes, even though her love for Hiro might still linger (or even be stronger than ever).

>that they're on a closer wavelength is a factor in operational effectiveness.
But that still does not mean that a romantic relationship between the pistil and the stamen is either a must, or a given.

168871724 mmmmm... is not real...

Manipulation is influencing someone's thoughts to voluntarily do what you want them to.
I dont think 02 is manipulating hiro, but its not an impossible idea

In ep1 she gets out of the stampade mecha calm and composed. She went berserk when she lost the connection to Hiro. She thought she had killed him.

Nope, sequence is wrong. Watch it again. It goes: Hiro collapses -> dino throws them away -> shot of human-form Strel standing in front of dino -> shot of cockpit with apparently dead Hiro and non-raving 002 -> rocket punch -> screaming Ichigo -> Strel hits wall, transforms -> shot of that screen in the command center

To be with him as a lover or as a pistil? The lines in the anime are often innuendos, but the characters who say them aren't always aware (if ever) that what they're saying is a double-entendre.

>The origins of "darling" can be found in the very heart of the English language; its earliest known uses can be traced back to Old English writings from the 9th century. Old English "deorling" was formed by attaching the Old English suffix -ling ("one associated with or marked by a specified quality") with the adjective "dēore," the ancestor of our adjective "dear" ("regarded very affectionately or fondly," "highly valued or esteemed," "beloved"

Yes. That's why she liked his taste back in episode 1. He is a source of adventure, an embodiment of potential to eschew her current societal shackles

She is shown to be able to calm down very rapidly (even if it was Hiro being there that caused her to calm down in episode 6, the point still stands) so it's not unreasonable to think that she calmed down before getting out of Strelizia in episode 1.

She is Lum, Lum is pure.

The English language etymology of the word is irrelevant. 002 may have her own idiosyncratic meaning in mind when she says it.

You must be autistic if you haven't picked up on the fact Hiro is 02's tool for dino slaying.

Reminder: Charlemagne reigned in the 9th century.

Man you guys will make up the dumbest shit just to prove 02 doesn't care about Hiro

Done it, many times, trust me. I'm arguing that she snapped after feeling that she had killed Hiro. You aren't even wrong:

Hiro collapses -> dino throws them away -> shot of human-form Strel standing in front of dino -> shot of cockpit with apparently dead Hiro and non-raving 002 -> *she hasn't lost connection with hiro yet* -> rocket punch -> Strelizia shuts down -> connection lost -> she feels there's no connection anymore -> stampade -> snaps out of guilt, everyone was right, she is a monster

This image speaks clearly...
She she returns hiro's handshake...
Everyone look good this anime ... and look good the opening....

I'm not making anything up, and I'm not out to prove that 02 doesn't care about Hiro.

This guy won't have his autism satisfied until they're standing at the altar and saying their vows to eachother.

>We don't know that at all
Yes we literally do. Strelizia manifests wings on-screen, therefore Strelizia has that capability.

>had a fully functional stamen
What's your definition here? Mitsuru isn't fully functional? He's as functional as can be. Hiro isn't fully functional before the growth? Is he not fully functional in ep4? Why not?

>needed to go all out or close to it
How do you determine this? What is your criterion here? Running through a klaxosaur worm so large it literally stretches beyond the horizon in 4-5s in ep4 does not qualify? If not, why not?

>I'm not confused
Yes you are, because Strelizia's displayed behavior is not tied to the behavior of the other FranXX.
>for the reason I pointed out here
The reason is not plausible, as Hiro and 02 already have a relationship as pilots prior to the ending of ep6 but do not manifest wings. The wings are manifested once their relationship further progresses. I *believe* that the lack of wings on other FranXX is also evidence towards this, but even if I am wrong the evidence about Strelizia alone still stands.

>Please do.
>she likes his taste
>she is impressed he tried to save her from drowning
>she likes that he is not afraid of or repulsed by her inhuman nature
>he makes her heart race
>he is willing to risk his life in order to help her when she was losing the fight (ep1)
>he wants to pilot with her
>he wants to give her a name
>he directly tells her he cares more about piloting with her than piloting in general
>he resolves to pilot with her even though she might kill him
>he actually still wants to pilot with her when he has a potentially fatal growth due to it
>he is willing to try to make it rain for her in the future, even if he doesn't have the power
>he always treats her nicely in general and shows that he values her as a person (like the willingness to risk his life for her own)
There, as many reasons as I can fit in the 2000 char limit without even re-watching any scenes.

Her only becoming aware of a problem when the connection failed would require her to not feel him letting go of the handles, or hear him slumping forward. That's not plausible, especially since she'd been perfectly aware that he was struggling earlier in the fight, and even the guys in the other robots noticed that something was seriously wrong with him.

How about the fact that at the end of episode 6 all 02 thinks in her monologue is wanting to kill more dinos. We get it, underage autists fantasize about a chick suddenly throwing herself at them out of the blue. I can't wait until 02 shows her true self, Hiro and Ichigo pair up again and you guys lose it.

Splitting hairs imo user, we both know what the core theme of the show is, she thought she had killed the only person that never treated her as a monster, he saw she was losing it and literally came back from the dead for her, we got the kino hug scene, the Jian with both wings was able to fly and pierce the heav..... save the day. And no one died.

>I can't wait until 02 shows her true self, Hiro and Ichigo pair up again and you guys lose it.
Keep dreaming

Dumb strawberry fag

We know it has the capability. We don't know the conditions under which that capability can be activated.

>Mitsuru isn't fully functional?

Not when Strel is running at anything close to max capacity. We see him unconscious and fucked up.

>Running through a klaxosaur worm so large it literally stretches beyond the horizon in 4-5s in ep4 does not qualify? If not, why not?

Because if Strel's topped out at the worm then they have absolutely no chance against the high-tier dinos. If you have to push the super-mech to its technical limit to beat a tutorial boss, you're screwed. And more concretely, because two episodes later we see that the same "I'll finish it in one shot" move doesn't kill the big guy; they need to pull out more power to do that.

You can let go of the handles to eat doritos user, the pistil and the stamen share a mental link that makes them feel like one entity, she snapped when she felt him die.

She admires the Jian myth. When they first meet, and she hears Hiro expressing concern for her, she drops her cold and apathetic demeanor she shows to others, expressing both humor and gratitude. She empathizes when Hiro says that he has no sense of belonging. She starts acting affectionate and offers, not demands, partnership. She explicitly draws attention to her insecurity regarding her horns, and that Hiro didn't judge her based on them.

Before their first ride, she once again brings up her loneliness and reaffirms her empathy with Hiro. Hiro takes the initiative, and she again becomes affectionate.

All in the first episode, the framework for all her actions are laid out: jian, insecurity, loneliness, empathy, admiration, and affection. Her desire for companionship comes from solitude. Hiro demonstrates his aptitude to fulfill that desire based on his similarity to 02, his acceptance of her, 02 and his strength of conviction. Thus, 02 opens up to him because he's uniquely capable of establishing a mutual relationship.