Horny but Wholesome? My Dress-Up Darling First Impressions
This article is a part of AniTAY’s Winter 2022 Early Impressions series, where our authors offer their initial thoughts on the new, prominent, and exciting anime from this season!
We were treated to a bunch of great anime in 2021. And I say that because we might be able to match or even top them with this year’s offerings. Okay, I might be jumping the gun seeing as we’re only in the first season of the year, but what a start it is.
My Dress-Up Darling is a romantic comedy that follows Wakana Gojo, an aspiring kashirashi (a traditional Japanese doll maker), who can only create the costumes for hina dolls, and Marin Kitagawa, a cosplay enthusiast looking to embody her favorite characters. With Wakana’s help, she aims to become one of her favorite characters, Shizuku-tan, from a not-quite-family-friendly video game.
Marin is the center of attention, a social butterfly, while Wakana tends to stick to himself. As the show reveals, this introversion stems from a childhood friend who shunned him for his fervent passion for hina dolls. There’s nothing really groundbreaking happening with this unlikely pairing, but I’d be lying if I said they weren’t an interesting duo.
On one hand, we see Marin, experiencing the freedom and joy that comes from someone “living their truth,” but on the flip side of that, there’s Wakana, going through life with the emotional scars of one who’s been scorned for his passions. I admit that that might be laying it on thick, but his emotional scars are clearly still fresh and largely dictate his interactions with his peers.
In Wakana’s eyes, everything else pales in comparison to the beauty of a hina doll.. His past trauma causes him to only make time for his grandfather and beloved hina dolls, even going so far as to believe that maybe things would go better if he wasn’t around. All he feels he can contribute is awkwardness and forced small talk with his peers. That is, until Marin Kitagawa comes crashing, quite literally, into his life.
This couldn’t have come at a better time, because nearly every time they’re together, Marin seems to ease Wakana out of his shell. Her outgoing and unapologetically transparent personality is a breath of fresh air in his life, and her unabashed excitement is so contagious you can’t help but break out in a smile every time she does. When she finds out what Wakana is into, she doesn’t shun him; instead, she shows genuine excitement. She inadvertently teaches him that no one should be made to feel ashamed to love what they love, just through her earnest devotion to her favorite characters.
There’s something special about someone living the life they want to, unyielding in their passions, even if they’re frowned on by others. It can result in those around them following suit, and I have a feeling that by the end of this journey, Wakana will be able to proudly proclaim his love — both for hina dolls and Marin — to everyone.
And speaking of the comedy, I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t laugh-out-loud funny at times. I without a doubt laugh at least a few times every episode, and they aren’t just little chuckles. At one point, I laughed so loud, my wife came in to see what I was watching; I rewound it and she laughed just as hard as I did. There was a scene in the second episode where Marin is searching for Wakana around the school and it caught me by surprise how funny it was. Now, my wife isn’t invested in the characters like I am, and doesn’t really know anything about the show, but she found it just as hilarious as I did. That’s good comedy.
This show has a bunch going for it: comedy, slice of life, a keen eye for the specifics of cosplay, and even a barely there (or should I say budding) romance. Seriously, the depth in which they go into cosplay is awesome. You get to learn about fabrics, why certain colors work better than others, tips and tricks for makeup, all so you can transform yourself into whatever character you’re looking to become. It’s fascinating without being overbearing.
Wakana is so studious and goes all in on his quest to make sure Marin can become Shizuku-tan. His earnest desire to help results in him learning more about Shizuku-tan than even Marin, much to her surprise, but this just goes to show how dedicated he is to help make her dream come true. You begin to lose count of how many times Marin expresses how grateful she is that he’s helping her.
Marin is definitely putting up a strong effort to be crowned this season’s best girl. Her adventurous and spirited nature invites you to enjoy life to the fullest alongside her, no matter your gender or what you love. She won’t shun or make fun of you; she’d probably expect you to geek out like she does. Why? Because to Marin, there’s nothing better than being able to lose yourself in what you love. And to me, you won’t find a more genuinely funny and heart-warming show this season.
My Dress-Up Darling
Based on: My Dress-Up Darling manga series by Shinichi Fukuda
Produced by: Cloverworks (Tokyo 24th Ward, Akebi’s Sailor Uniform)
Streaming on: Crunchyroll & Funimation
Episodes watched: 3
