Shinichi Fukuda

Oh, this has guilty pleasure written all over it.

Wakana Gojo is a lonely introverted high school boy who is being raised by his grandfather to take over the family doll-making business. Marin Kitagawa, a cosplaying classmate, finds out he can sew doll clothes and wants to recruit him as her personal costume maker. She is of course an extroverted gyaru -- the exact opposite of Gojo -- and goes all manic pixie dream girl to burst him out of his cocooned life.

Fan service galore. But it's all of show more a teenage high school girl, so that automatically makes me a creep just for picking this up. I mean, this library copy literally has a broken spine where someone desperately needed this book to stay open on a very particular page while it is lying flat. (It's page 122, for the curious.)

And yet, the characters are likable and the dialogue literally had me laughing out loud several times. Why couldn't this creator use their powers for good?

Fortunately, this is the only volume my local library has, so I'm spared the embarrassment of actually reading another volume . . . even though the desire is there.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Chapters 1-7 -- Afterword. The Research Trip to the Wig Shop Edition -- Special Thanks -- Translation Notes -- Sneak Peak show less

Unexpectedly very wholesome? I mean it's very much drawn for men who are sexually attracted to women (or if I'm being blunt: boobs and butts).

But the girl isn't afraid of boys and that was very refreshing to read. The boy does think about lewd things but realizes the fact that she isn't.

Both are dorky as hell about their passions and find that attractive in each other.

So even though a YouTuber sucked me in, this time I'm not mad about it.

Let's be honest without Marin this manga would be creepy as hell.

I am impressed with the mangaka though. Their comedic timing is flawless and actually made me laugh out loud. They also seem to break my internal thought proces of: " Ugh, no, this is not ok.". Very skilled indeed...

A warning to young readers and parents of young readers: this is a sexually explicit romantic comedy. At first glance, there may not appear to be much graphic material, but it actually has quite a few.

That being said, for those still interested and perhaps even more so now, this series is quite good! The story follows two main characters, Gojo and Kitagawa, as they develop a love for cosplay and costume making.

During the process of costume-making, quite a few sexually explicit or ‘ecchi’ show more scenes come about. The type of scene that will ‘peak the interest’ of any avid reader seeking such scenes. Side note: I haven’t seen a character’s masculinity depicted in such detail in a non-pornographic context in quite some time.

The unique interest of Gojo has caught my attention. It’s nice to see a traditional art appearing as something someone is so passionate about, like Hina dolls and their construction. My favorite part of the story is that he is the one who is in the handicraft aspect. She is pretty inept at all of this!

The cosplay details and costuming touches were nice. The narrative incorporates them reasonably well (it’s not just an information dump).

It's fun to watch people with different personalities bond over their unique hobbies and get excited about their interests. I find it lovely that he enjoys doing handicrafts. The story includes both humorous moments and character growth.

The negative aspects are about to be discussed.

One of the biggest problems is the sexual overtones. The series warrants parental warning labels. Marin’s first costume is based on a BDSM ero game.

The first image in the book is straight-up fan service. This girl is only 15 years old! She is still extremely young, and the naivete and inexperience and (truthfully) obliviousness you can see shows. She sees nothing wrong with Gojo taking very intimate measurements for her costume. Nipple measurements aren’t necessary for a 15-year-old!

I'd like to see less fan service, the age of the character, and more focus on preventing sexual harassment and respecting bodily autonomy.

For contemporary Japanese rom-coms, Dress Up Darling is a standout. It’s still a noteworthy series, although I wouldn’t give it a high rating. Before buying or going all in, read a few chapters to see if the book is for you. show less