The Spring 2020 Manga Guide

My Dress-up Darling

What's It About? 

When Wakana Gojo was told that he was a freak for liking “girl stuff” back in elementary school, it convinced him that he was better off keeping both his love of the family business making hina dolls and himself to himself. Now in his first year in high school, nothing has happened to change his mind, until the family sewing machine breaks. Until his grandfather can get a new one, Gojo decides to work in the home econ room at school on his dolls – and much to his horror, his hobby is discovered by Marin Kitagawa, one of the popular girls. But it turns out that far from being horrified, Marin is thrilled, because she has a secret(ish) hobby, too: cosplay! And since she can't sew and he can, she proposes that they work together. Is it really safe for Gojo to come out of his shell?

My Dress-Up Darling is written and illustrated by Shinichi Fukuda. Square Enix released the first volume in April both in print ($12.99) and digitally ($8.99).

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Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

If there's one thing that really makes My Dress-Up Darling's first volume come alive, it's Marin. The heroine of this story is just so confident in herself and comfortable in her own body that it's a delight to read about her, and creator Fukuda never lets that amazing self-confidence eclipse the need for her to still have some vulnerabilities and flaws. She comes on like a hurricane as far as Gojo is concerned, and he's never entirely comfortable with how she acts around him, or what she's asking him to sew, but the simple fact that she doesn't think his hobby or family store is weird and/or creepy goes a long way with him, and that's just very nice to see.

Of course, it's not awesome that she does make him uncomfortable for large swathes of the book. Marin's willingness to strip down to her bikini (and really, how is it that much different from underwear?) or teasing comments to Gojo don't mean that he's okay with everything that's happening, and while I'm fairly certain that it will even out later on, the fact that she disregards his comfort level is no more okay than if he was disregarding hers. It's marginally helped by the fact that Marin honestly doesn't seem to mean anything by her more suggestive comments or even to realize that loaning him an eroge might not be the best plan (I can just imagine what my dad would have said had someone leant me one in high school). It's an odd dynamic that feels fairly true to adolescence, when everyone's still figuring things out. That Marin is no exception even though she comes across as being very with it is nice, even if it doesn't always make for the best situations for the characters.

Fortunately, the creator is very well aware of the pitfalls of the genre and seems to go out of their way to poke fun at it. The games that Marin is obsessed with have the ridiculous name of “Slippery Girls,” which, okay, isn't that far off from some real eroge titles I've seen, but is still funny in an off-color way. That her hobby of cosplaying eroge characters (or maybe I should phrase it as her aspiration, since she hasn't successfully sewn a costume yet) is somehow less “creepy” than Gojo's of crafting expensive Girls' Day dolls is also a little funny, although really it says more about Gojo and Marin as people than anything. From Gojo blandly playing through the games to get a good grasp of the costume (his poor grandpa) to he and Marin discussion an ecchi scene in public, the story is really amusing overall. Fukuda also doesn't go out of his way to work fanservice in that wouldn't be facilitated naturally by what someone is wearing, which is really nice. Marin has a vaguely ludicrous thigh gap, but at least she's not contorted at odd angles so that we can see her breasts, crotch, and butt all at the same time.

Alongside the humor and the art, at its heart My Dress-Up Darling seems to be about not being afraid or ashamed about what you love. Marin's probably not quite as comfortable with Gojo as she seems and he may not be as okay with helping her as he seems, but if they can continue to support each other and enjoy what they love, this could be a story worth following.

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Faye Hopper

Rating:

I didn't know what to expect of My Dress-Up Darling (especially since it has an explicit content warning on the front, which for manga can often be a sour sign). I didn't know the premise, much less the kind of manga it would be. The one thing I can say with certainty is that I didn't expect to have this much fun. This manga is a good time, a good romcom with real heart and insight, and a rare example of fanservice with humanity.

My Dress-Up Darling is about two people with niche, looked-down-upon interests meeting and finding connection in their esoteric hobbies. Wakana is the son of a dollmaker, and wants to grow up to take over the family business. However, in the past, his interest in and passion for dolls has been met with scorn. Marin, a girl his age obsessed with Eroge, however, is impressed by his skills in fashion and craftwork. The fact that he is a guy who likes dolls means nothing to her; in fact, if anything, it's a fun, neat factoid. And this is the core of My Dress Up Darling; a touching, important message that, regardless of social expectations, regardless of what society tells you your assigned gender is obligated to like, regardless of people who mock and look down, you are allowed to be passionate about and enjoy doing whatever you like—even if it's doll-making or smutty VNs. It's as Marin says: 'What does being a guy or a girl have to do with liking something?'.

I like My Dress-Up Darling because it is a fanservice romcom with respect and authenticity. Though I'm not a huge fan of the jokes about the gross, non-consensual elements of the eroge Marin loves, Marin herself is always given a level of autonomy and agency uncommon to female leads of fanservice manga (I love how she teases Wakana for his timidity; her lightly making fun of his blush-y shyness in measuring her bust points is absolutely hilarious). She is the one who instigates the cosplay, after all, and is never uncomfortable with the process of measurements. And I also love how Wakana makes no covert passes at her, doesn't harass her and doesn't drool over her in an invasive way. His reactions, if anything, are more honest embarrassment than traditional lechery. It is incredibly refreshing to see a fanservice manga that affords its character this level of mutual respect, that makes its fanservice fun and funny but never creepy, never violating of consent. I may have expected nothing from My Dress-Up Darling, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. And I am very curious to read more.