Why My Dress-up Darling is great? - reasons why you should watch My Dress-up Darling - is My Dress up Darling worth watching

Though the show’s title—My Dress-Up Darling (Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru)—might make it sound like a poorly-made Flash dress-up game from the 2000s, this CloverWorks anime has been one of the highlights of the winter anime season. Not everybody has the appetite for attacking titans and slaying demons. My Dress-Up Darling is like the sweet, heart-warming dessert that leaves viewers reaching for another slice of cake.

Great Synopsis 

The show centers on high schoolers Wakana Gojou and Marin Kitagawa. Gojou wants to be a master craftsman making Hina dolls, while Marin has a secret nobody knows: she wants to cosplay her favorite characters. Marin discovers Gojou’s skill with a sewing machine, and due to her lack of skill in creating costumes, enlists his help. The situation itself isn’t all too outlandish, but the duo’s chemistry and interactions are fun to watch. While the show posits itself as a romantic comedy, Gojou’s meekness and lack of confidence, in direct contrast to Marin’s sunny personality, are what drive the fun between the two.

But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. The very first sequence in the anime isn’t about Marin, but Gojou, and how his telling a childhood friend about his love for Hina dolls gets him labeled as “creepy.” Though he holds on to his passion, he keeps his adoration—and the resultant low self-esteem and lack of social life—close to his chest. More importantly, My Dress-Up Darling doesn’t brush off Gojou’s flaws or treat them as laughing matters. One particular scene in episode two, where Gojou meets Marin’s friends, could easily turn into an anime cliche with a “why are you hanging out with this loser” kind of joke. Instead, her friends introduce themselves, offer him candy, and even point out how Marin’s overwhelming personality is bothering the reserved Gojou. It’s a surprisingly mature treatment of the characters—which makes them feel relatable—instead of relying on cheap and cliche gags. Gojou is reticent about his true self to others, but the viewers understand how he feels, and how he tries to fix them to little avail. Well, at least not until a chance meeting with Marin turns his world upside down, allowing him to slowly come out of his shell. The overall message of the show, of living out your passions and having others respect and encourage that, is also prominent. Although Marin enjoys adult video games, Gojo never judges her for that and even plays through the games himself so that he can create the most realistic costume for her. Any fan of obscure interests will have felt reluctant to share them because they might not feel understood, but the show is very good about treating these fans with respect and portraying their enthusiasm.

Very Engaging for the Targeted Audiences

For people who are interested in cosplay culture, My Dress-Up Darling will be a treat. The show dedicates half an episode just to take accurate measurements! And another half to shopping for materials! This is possibly the most in-depth fictitious look into the technical side of making a cosplay costume, all the while celebrating the immense transformations and hard work people are willing to go through to resemble their favorite characters. And even if you aren’t that interested in the practical side of cosplaying, Marin’s enthusiasm and Gojou’s diligence are infections. Passion is great to watch, and this show is an unadulterated shot straight into the veins. f you have a need for a new waifu (one can never have too many), look no further.

Marin is a confident and outgoing Gyaru otaku who is respectful towards others, passionate, and cute as hell. She’s sugar, spice, and everything nice in a complete package, and just her abashed reactions when her poised front breaks make for a fun watch. Look, we humans are visual beings. Simply observe Marin in action.  Be warned, however, that My Dress-Up Darling probably wouldn’t be the best anime to introduce to a friend completely uninterested in anime, nor somebody that would squirm at any mention of lewdness. Though the show has lovable, relatable characters, it does dive into some esoteric hobbies and does not shy away from fanservice. They are, in my honest opinion, pretty tasteful and not blatantly shoved in, serve as a way to reveal the characters’ personalities, and actually make sense and advance the plot, but still.

But while the show ostensibly focuses on Marin’s cosplay passion and Gojo’s pursuit of being a master Hina doll craftsman, it’s also a self-aware and delightful romantic comedy with likable characters that already show promising progression six episodes in. The show doesn’t seem to position itself as a “will they, won’t they” to drag out the plot. It’s very firmly “they will,” and we get to enjoy all the delightful little interactions in the two’s firm pursuit of their passions—and each other.

Refreshment

It surely serves as a refreshing element for Romance anime lovers. And for that reason, many found this anime interesting. My Dress-Up Darling is arguably one of the most anticipated slices of life/romance anime that was recently adapted from the manga. Fans have been giving high praise to the series, even though it doesn't seem like a great show based on plot summary. However, My Dress-Up Darling successfully captured the viewers' attention within the first few episodes, and one can witness a host of elements that differentiate this series from other romance animes. So, what makes this show a delight to watch?

My Dress-Up Darling is a show about Gojo Wakana, a high school student interested in the art of crafting Hina dolls, and Marin, a popular girl who is passionate about cosplay. These are two very different characters as Gojo is extremely shy, introverted, and fights against his insecurities due to an incident that took place in his early childhood.

Meanwhile, Marin is extroverted, surrounded by friends, and is extremely outgoing. However, this isn’t a typical “shy boy meets a popular tsundere” show which makes it quite fun to watch. Marin is quite accepting of Gojo’s interests and befriends him after learning about his passion for Hina dolls. As the plot progresses, we see how Gojo becomes comfortable with himself and with Marin. There are many coming-of-age elements that fans can relate to. The set-up is quite a cliche, which makes it easy for fans to assume and judge the show before they even watch it. However, the way Marin and Gojo’s relationship develops over the course of time has an organic quality to it.

Sub-merged Story plot

Usually, romance anime series introduces support characters as a catalyst to develop the main characters’ relationship. However, the relationship between Gojo and his grandfather is wholesome to say the least. Gojo’s passion all began by observing the work of his grandfather. Kaoru Gojo appreciates Wakana whenever he does a good job which further fuels his passion for Hina dolls. The first question one must ask themselves is their opinions on fan service since this show is replete with it. However, the show has plenty of other elements that make this series enjoyable. If one overlooks the typical “shy boy meets popular girl” set-up, the series gets really interesting and fans will have enough reasons to enjoy it.

Though there is a controversy going on about the anime as it showed a scene with Tanned Marin which turns out to be an award portrayal. But I personally think the multidimensional plot about cosplaying tackled the controversy dynamically. As there are more lovers than haters of this show, this particular controversy actually fuels its popularity of it. 

If not there is a commotion of a trending show then what there is to look forward to?

With more time, I think this one will become a golden entry among the many great romance animes of all time. Then we can be able to understand why the hype of this show is skyrocketing nowadays.