My Dress-Up Darling - Reviews

My Dress-Up Darling

It was impossible to escape this hype anyway. The whole internet is full of "Marin best girl" - "MDUD is so wholesome" this was the only thing I read and heard about this anime. Of course, I already knew what I was in for since I had already seen some scenes from this anime on Youtube. Anyway, the subject matter appealed to me, as this is a relatively new topic, with a somewhat cliché approach. Therefore, I was at least hoping that I had only seen the worst scenes and that the anime could at least surprise me in a positive way. It had exactly 3 funny scenes and not a single one that I would call actually likable, romantic, or interesting. And here I am going by the average yardstick. One scene where I could say "Ah, that wasn't bad - good dialogue/idea/scene" might have been enough for me. No, all that was left was pain and despair. The only exception was the final scene in episode 12, which was actually worth mentioning. I thought the scene was good and very relatable and that's all I was waiting for 12 episodes in.

Let me put it this way, I counted on paper how many times you saw focused boobs and asses in the anime (by that I mean only the ones that are pushed directly into the screen). There were exactly 40 hardcore boobshots and 28 assshots. I didn't count feet and Thigs as well as the genital area. In addition, the anime had an almost non-existent romance that only consisted of the girl running monologues about how cute she thinks the protagonist is. That was it, apart from that it was all about fan service and erections. By the way, can they get down to breast sizes? Marin and the Shinju have breast sizes A-F through and play with human proportions at will.

[Story 3]

If the anime can't even get the first scenes right, as the 2 protagonists got closer in the classroom, then I don't know what to do. For some reason Marin is thrown 2 meters into the air, almost flying out the window and over his desk, landing with his head right in front of it. Either the wind from the open window blew her back or the animators were drinking. Watched it later, the scene was different in the manga, so I'll say they were drunk.

The basic idea behind the protagonist was interesting and I wish they had done something with it. Until the end, he remained just a reclusive doll maker who could do nothing but idolize dolls and get a boner every time he sees Marin. The character arc of the Inui siblings was far better than that of the protagonists and it wasn't even good enough for being average.

The flow to the conclusion was about the typical. New cosplay, new asses, boobs (and even a middle school girl wow) honestly the author was just acting out his fetishes nothing more. And then came the presentation of the dress (on the way EVERYTHING that has to do with dressmaking was done off-screen) and Tadaa!

What was that miserably boring beach episode all about? Love Hotel? Why? Are we going to go through all the settings for soft porn now?

[Characters 3]

6 characters the anime had had in total, only 6 of them and still it failed everywhere. And 2 of them were only blessed with c.a 2 minutes screentime because they were supporting characters.

Gojo is an introverted guy who has never seen women. I have nothing against his personality, but he was empty as a shell. Other than nervousness, enthusiasm, and sexual excitement, he had no personality traits.

Marin has no manners whatsoever and is the typical fan service chick who changes her clothes anywhere because she doesn't know what manners actually are. Of course, this is a big plus for the sales figures when the protagonist consists only of ass and breasts.

Sajuna, the loli with the bath scene. Tsundere and actually only the balance so that there should also be a loli. Incidentally, she is the older sister stereotype, although she looks like 11.

Shinju, the smaller sister is twice the size of the older one and consists only of breasts. The protagonist should have gone to jail after this episode.

[Animation 8 / Music 6]

The studio made an effort, there's no doubting that. Colors are very well done, contrast is excellent and so are the movements.

Music-wise, I found the intro relatively mediocre. The outro, on the other hand, would have ALMOST convinced me that I was watching a decent slice of life romance.

[Conclusion 3]

What more can I say about this. The author has chosen a difficult yet interesting topic. What he has made of it because nothing more than a usual ecchi title, which I would not even call substandard. Bad dialogue, bad characters, and no signs of life in this work.

It's a typical case of "I have an idea and no idea how to implement it" and that's exactly where it starts. Either it will be an accidental success, mediocrity, or a disaster, in this case, it is the latter.

[Enjoyment 2]

This is my first review so bear with me. No spoilers in here. At the time of this review, the most recent episode out is 11.

Story/Characters: I find the story very compelling and interesting to me personally. It has some unique elements as well as some characteristics we're already used to when watching romance animes. An introverted reserved boy meets an extroverted outgoing girl. They're two polar opposites yet both of their "weird and uncommon interests (in the anime)" become the foundation of their friendship. The main characters and secondary characters can be relatable as their internal conflicts are things any viewer might have experienced as well. Intentionally creating an easy way to immerse the audience into the anime. I've never really found any of the characters annoying or a nuisance, to be honest. There are genuine wholesome moments the anime isn't completely fan service, I think there's a healthy balance between the two (Denoting an ecchi anime for that sounds dumb as hell. Simply don't watch it if you want to complain about that).
Further analysis: I thought Wakana was going to be a creepy degenerate knowing that this would be an ecchi, but his reactions are humanized. He gets flustered when he's near a girl, he gets in awkward situations, and is very apologetic. He's a good character and develops well throughout the anime. I would say his development starts to show around episodes 4-7. Maybe earlier, if it was, I didn't catch it. Marin is an exciting character, not in that way. Her outgoing personality is attention-grabbing and it keeps the anime from becoming "boring" or from going stale from time to time. Her reactions to everything are so pure and it just makes you feel happy when you're watching. The interactions between the main characters and the secondary characters are endearing and genuine. The supporting cast is "healthy", what I mean is rather them having characters be in the way of the progression of the main characters, they're troubled with their conflicts. This provides a chance to develop the secondary character as well as build on the main characters.

Animation: The colors are very vibrant it's very refreshing to the eyes. The facial expressions are very cute, very exaggerated to make it corny and funny in a good way. Anytime they smile I couldn't help myself from not feeling moved or smiling.

Sound: I'm guessing this is just the soundtrack. The op is a banger, the song choice is perfect. The songs that play in the background never detract from the anime, rather it compliments what's happening in the scene. Personally haven't listened to or watched the ending theme in its entirety.

Anyways, I genuinely liked this anime a lot. I initially wasn't planning on watching it due to an ecchi not being my cup of tea, but I'm glad I chose to watch.

A few points for animation and the fresher idea of having cosplay, crafting and photography be the "focus" of this show, but the high level of fan service and loli pervert vibes ruin it. A story that could be fleshed out and really developed into something great is drowning in troped out sexual nonsense. The characters severly lack any kind of depth, and the story outside of info and feelings relating to cosplay is bland.

I see a lot of discourse about this anime... you either like it or hate it.. really it all comes down to personal preference.

If you enjoy ecchi (either fully or to an extent) you'd automatically like this show, but if not then *why are you still watching it?* or better yet, why'd you watch it in the first place? the tag is there for a reason.

That being said, I'm not particularly fond of ecchi myself but I can make exceptions if I find the story interesting or enjoyable at least.

Apart from the questionable ecchi shots, I find the show to be quite nice. The story itself is nothing unique but I do like the premise of the show. The main characters are polar opposites of each other but their dynamic is very wholesome. Gojo isn't a creepy perv. some people are making him out to be.. he feels very much human... he's introverted and shy and he gets anxious when placed in unexpected situations. His reactions aren't creepy... given he's not accustomed to having friends or being out of his comfort zone, it's easy for him to get flustered and nervous especially since Marin is so energetic and outgoing (and she teases him a lot). Also, Marin is such a gem of a character, she feels like a breath of fresh air.

Personally, I dislike seeing the sexualization of minors in anime, it makes me uncomfortable, and yes some scenes felt rather uncomfortable (or unnecessary) in this show, but some scenes also made me laugh because it felt so awkward. So, if you can only handle subtle fanservice or dislike it in general, just skip over the scenes. I wouldn't hate this show simply for this reason. Like I said before, there are multiple wholesome moments, especially the ones with Marin being a complete simp for Gojo lmao.

I never thought I'd like this show, to be honest, but I'm glad I gave it a chance. The animation details and art was great and overall it was an enjoyable watch.

Easily one of my all time favourites 💕

The tone throughout was so sweet and comforting! I can't even put it down to one element of the show, because they all compliment each other so well to create an overwhelmingly funny and cute final product! 

I do have to give a special shout-out to the animation and voice acting though! Both worked so seemlessly to bring all the characters to life, especially Marin! 

Couldn't recommend more! I was initially put off by the press photo/poster (the mirror one), but after seeing the show grow in popularity I gave it a shot, and I'm so glad I did! 

I'll be rewatching this one in a heartbeat!