My Dress-Up Darling is a popular new rom-com anime series of the Winter 2022 anime season, and so far, the show has a lot going for it. It's a shojo-style seinen series starring high schooler Gojo Wakana and the charming gyaru Kitagawa Marin, who became unlikely friends and cosplay partners.
They get along well, and recent episodes suggest that Marin's relationship with Gojo is about to become deeply romantic. Marin is excited about this, but at the same time, another popular cosplayer enters the picture, and experienced anime fans may see a harem in the making. However, that's not what My Dress-Up Darling really needs to tell a complete tale of cosplay and love.
The Looming Harem In My Dress-Up Darling
At first, it seemed Marin had a platonic view of her new friend Gojo, as her casual undressing in front of him in an early episode suggested. Not long after that, the two friends had a great time at a cosplay event, and most of all, Gojo Wakana called Marin beautiful to express how important she is to him. That made a big impression on Marin, who soon started seeing Gojo in a romantic light for the first time, to the point of getting flustered any time he looked at her. This appears to be the first big step toward their wholesome romance, but at the same time, another major character appeared -- a skilled female cosplayer named Sajuni Inui/Juju.
For the time being, Inui is only interested in Gojo's cosplay skills, and she wants a costume on par with the one Gojo already made for Marin. Gojo now has two girls in his life who are both taking a keen interest in him, and he hardly knows what to do. He got terribly flustered when Jiuju asked if Marin is his girlfriend, and Marin was delighted to hear that Gojo is single, meaning she has a chance with him. Granted, Juju has not yet expressed a personal interest in Gojo, but experienced anime fans will know that romances, and entire harems, have started with far less.
Already, My Dress-Up Darling is laying the foundation for a potential harem, with a stock male lead and compelling girls who enter his life one at a time. A comparable example is the hit rom-com series Nisekoi, which began with a false relationship between the male and female leads until more and more girls started showing up. Nisekoi was set up as a modern Romeo and Juliet at first, but the main relationship between Raku and Chitoge got diluted when girls such as Tsugumi and Marika entered the picture, among others. If Nisekoi can expand the core relationship into a harem so easily, so could My Dress-Up Darling.
Why My Dress-Up Darling Shouldn't Become A Harem
There's no guarantee that My Dress-Up Darling will actually become a harem series, or even form a love triangle. Still, the possibility exists, and there are a few reasons why the show should avoid taking that route. To begin with, the idea of harem anime is starting to feel distinctly old-fashioned among some anime fans, and some might even consider the entire concept problematic or sleazy. Harem shows usually involve a generic male lead juggling many girls at once, and even if that protagonist means well, it can still feel strange for the series to treat girls like prizes in a game show.
Even if that's not an issue, there are other reasons to avoid a harem in My Dress-Up Darling. For example, a harem series must, by nature, stretch itself thin among several characters, and that can dilute the show's central premise. That was the case in Nisekoi, where the tense Romeo & Juliet situation between Raku and Chitoge was weakened as more and more girls joined the fray, including Raku's longtime crush Onodera Kosaki. Even if those characters were compelling, they derailed Nisekoi from what it could have been, making the series feel bloated and tedious. The same might happen to My Dress-Up Darling, and that would ruin the wholesome central romance between Marin and Gojo, muddling a friendship based on a shared love of costumes and tailoring.
My Dress-Up Darling is a seinen, not a run-of-the-mill shonen, and the show's appeal is based on its unconventional approach to high school-age students and their relationships with cosplay and one another. There's no need for an overdone subgenre to muscle in and hijack the narrative by disrupting the show's delicate and compelling central relationship. Gojo Wakana needs a chance to express himself and grow not with a goofy harem, but with his focused and meaningful relationship with Marin and his own hobby of making hina dolls. There's no room for anyone else in this party.
