My Dress-Up Darling has established itself as one of the Winter 2022 anime season's best new shows, and it's all thanks to a stellar cast of relatable and charming characters like the cosplay enthusiast Kitagawa Marin, the shy doll maker Gojo Wakana and the Inui sisters. But there is more to each of them than first impressions suggest.
Any good anime will depict well-rounded characters and the many facets of their personalities, as opposed to a flat character defined by just one trait. Just like the popular 2021 rom-com Horimiya, My Dress-Up Darling isn't afraid to give each character a few unexpected twists, and the cast might even surprise each other, let alone the viewers.
How My Dress-Up Darling's Marin & Gojo Subverted Expectations
Gojo and Marin have proved to be full of surprises in recent episodes of My Dress-Up Darling. Just like Horimiya's co-protagonists Hori Kyoko and Miyamura Izumi, there's more to both Marin and Gojo than it appears on the surface, and they've been surprising viewers and each other ever since the series began.
He may be timid and soft-spoken, but Gojo is neither indecisive nor a quitter. On the contrary, he has a fierce inner fire that drives him. Gojo pushed himself to the limit to make one of Marin's cosplays, which she didn't expect at all. His gentle and passive exterior belies the shonen-style hero inside, the doll-loving boy who goes above and beyond with an iron will.
Meanwhile, recent developments have shed new light on Marin, who isn't quite the happy-go-lucky deredere she appears to be. Marin is a cheerful and generous girl who loves everything and everyone around her fairly, but now the anime is building its way to a love triangle -- or even a small harem -- centered around Gojo, and Marin's unexpected yandere side has shown itself.
Having learned that Gojo and Shinju spent private time together working on cosplay, Marin suddenly grew jealous at the idea of her crush spending so much time with another girl, even giving a classic yandere-style stare upon hearing about this. Gojo may soon have some serious drama on his hands if he keeps spending quality time with girls other than Marin. He must not be fooled by Marin's deceptive exterior, or he may upset her without meaning to.
How Sajuna & Shinju Subverted Expectations Like Horimiya's Cast
The Inui sisters Sajuna and Shinju have also proved that in My Dress-Up Darling, just like Horimiya, appearances can be deceiving and there is always more to a person than first impressions may suggest. When Sajuna appeared as a confident and no-nonsense cosplayer, Marin and Gojo were impressed, but little did they know she has her own insecurities despite her tough exterior and cosplay success.
In a recent episode, Sajuna reviewed some cosplay shots with her little sister Shinju. To the latter's shock, Sajuna admitted to envying Shinju's appearance, which is more flexible for cosplay purposes. By contrast, Sajuna laments how her petite frame means her cosplay options are limited. Shinju never expected her cool, confident big sister to ever look up to her, but Sajuna did just that. Even family members are learning this classic Horimiya lesson.
In return, Shinju surprised Sajuna with her own crossplay adventure, and Sajuna is pleased that her timid little sister has finally taken the first steps to become a great cosplayer herself. True, Shinju is skilled and successful as a photographer, but Sajuna never expected her to branch out from there and actually don a costume, much less a crossplay that radically altered her appearance. She has now learned to not make presumptions based on Shinju's meek exterior, and she -- and My Dress-Up Darling viewers alike -- should expect many more wonderful cosplays and surprises in the future.
