My Dress Up Darling was in the Fall 2022 seasonal lineup and just seemed like an average school slice of life romance anime. When the first episode came out in early January there was some slight buzz about it and I saw a short clip on Instagram showing off how the main character had a decent amount of depth instead of being a blank slate for the watcher to project on.  I was interested and added it to the usual grave yard of Plan To Watch shows thinking I’d get to it eventually but realistically probably never.  Usually things would end there, I’d never watch it and continue to complain about how there’s nothing to watch.  However, when I saw this one clip between Gojo and Kitagawa

I instantly started watching.  Soft romance is defiantly my niche at the moment.  When I started they were on episode 8-9 and I caught up to it in the same day I started, it was then the only other show besides Attack on Titan that I kept up.  I will say this isn’t entirely a wholesome show, there is a good bit of fan service that can very easily put people off.  I’m kind of used to it though and didn’t find it too egregious compared to other series.  In general, the romance was fun and there weren’t any stupid arguments or fights simply for the reason of drama.  Kitagawa wasn’t annoying or set off a generic archetype, she had her own personality and despite being an air head at times she was truly passionate about cosplaying and genuinely believed everyone should be able to enjoy what they want without judgement.

Kitagawa and Gojo excited for their first finished cosplay

Gojo was also his own person, not a blank slate viewers would project themselves onto.  Even though I wasn’t even aware of hina doll craftsman, his passion about them and creating the cosplay got me invested and excited despite having no idea what he was talking about.  Aside from the main focus being the dynamic and romance between Gojo and Kitagawa, I think the main message and reason some people may like this this show is that everyone has a right to be passionate about something and you shouldn’t feel ashamed or embarrassed of things you enjoy.

Young gojo admiring hina dolls his grandfather made

The romance isn’t a bad addition though, they are pretty cute and the dynamic between the introverted Gojo and outgoing Kitagawa is wholesome and funny.  It’s an episodic series so you can pick it up and put it down wherever.  I highly recommend, I wasn’t expecting it but it was a great time and I really enjoyed it.

Sooo yeah,

Grace