WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episodes 1 and 2 of My Dress-Up Darling, now streaming on Funimation and Crunchyroll.
My Dress-Up Darling is a charming rom-com anime series in the Winter 2022 anime lineup, and is already proving to be another example of how the seinen and shojo genres have recently found some overlap. This may be because the series focuses more on the technical side of the main characters' hobbies than generic high school hijinks.
So far, My Dress-Up Darling remains coy about the two main characters' relationship, with any potential romance taking a firm backseat to their shared passion for tailoring and clothes. It's easy to predict Gojo Wakana and Kitagawa Marin's behaviors, but the show is keeping their relationship firmly platonic, with cosplay the only thing keeping them together. Marin isn't too quick to see Gojo in a romantic light, and vice versa.
Marin's Friendly View On Gojo In My Dress-Up Darling
Episodes 1 and 2 of My Dress-Up Darling make it clear that while Marin is a colorful gyaru type and a friendly person, she is not the type to just hook up with any boy she meets. Marin's first love is cosplay, which is the foundation of her and Gojo's budding friendship. To her, he is a business partner and an advisor, nothing more, and she would ask the exact same thing of a girl.
In Episode 1, she only had Gojo turn away while she undressed for modesty's sake -- then that modesty went out the window in Episode 2. Marin visited Gojo's room without a care in the world, though it was a big deal to him. She hardly commented on the novelty of being in a boy's room before she got right to business and casually undressed, wearing only a bikini for body measurement purposes. Marin didn't feel the least bit self-conscious or awkward about this -- as opposed to the flustered Gojo -- and they got the measurements done with minimal antics to get in the way aside from some light teasing on Marin's part.
It's a gutsy move for a girl to visit a boy she hardly knows and undress like that, rather than asking another girl or her mother to take the measurements. Clearly, Marin trusts Gojo deeply as a friend and business partner, and doesn't expect him to take advantage of her in any form. Her trust is well-placed so far, and it strongly suggests she doesn't view their relationship in a romantic or erotic light. For Marin, this is about the work, not the people involved. Her favorite cosplay is what's at stake.
Marin, Gojo & The Tone Of My Dress-Up Darling
Although My Dress-Up Darling looks like a pure shojo story or a shojo-style shonen, it's actually a seinen, which may reflect in Marin's attitude toward Gojo and the anime's overall tone. The "rules" for what constitutes a seinen aren't ironclad, but this series focuses more on the technical aspects of a hobby than general high school hijinks, which may help set it apart from standard shonen and shojo stories.
That may be why Marin is focusing entirely on the cosplay rather than a possible romance with Gojo, and viewers are evidently expected to have a similar attitude. Older readers, who have already had their fill of high school anime shenanigans like Horimiya or Komi Can't Communicate, may be ready for an anime that dives deeper into niche territory, and Marin's platonic attitude helps lead the way.
Similarly, Marin's carefree and platonic attitude around Gojo makes it clear that this is a feel-good comedy series, not a drama or a steamy romance -- even if the story might take on romantic tones later on. It's all about fun with cosplay and the passion for the craft, and viewers can relax and enjoy themselves as they explore the world of cosplay with Marin and Gojo. Anyone who's had enough of conventional teen anime romances is in for a good time with My Dress-Up Darling.
