My Dress-Up Darling (Episodes 9-12) - A Whole Lot of Love!

Gojou has a surprise for the group project and it just goes to show how much he cares for those around him. It doesn’t stop there though. Everyone in this series loves something or someone, but will those interests ever align?

My Dress-Up Darling (Episodes 9-12) – A Whole Lot of Love!

Episode 9 – A Lot Happened After I Saw That Photo

After finding the perfect place to shoot the group cosplay, Gojou found himself alone with Shinju. He had some questions to ask her and not about photography. He noticed that she wasn’t being completely honest about whether she wanted to cosplay and he was prepared to help her in any way possible. As she was in middle school, she had no money for supplies so Gojou improvised. Shinju wanted to cosplay as one of the make characters from Flower Princess Blaze. This was going to be his biggest challenge yet!

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My Dress Up Darling Episode 9 Shinju Inui wants Gojous help

Episode 10 – We’ve All Got Struggles

The photoshoot was an outstanding success and produced a lot of stunning photos. It even convinced Juju to think about doing something similar again some time. Of course, she also thanked Gojou for helping her sister and offered to pay him back for whatever he paid for. There was no time to rest though for Gojou as Marin picked her next costume. It was an easy one to make, but a photoshoot may be too much for Gojou to handle!

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My Dress Up Darling Episode 10 Marin Kitagawa offers to send Gojou photos of Veronica cosplay

Episode 11 – I Am Currently at a Love Hotel

Somehow, Gojou found himself suggesting that Marin cosplay as the cute succubus from the manga series SuccIDK. He would make the costume, she just had to find somewhere to shoot the pictures. Marin found the perfect place and it was pretty cheap too. If Gojou was struggling with the Veronica cosplay from before, how was he supposed to handle this one, especially when Marin accidentally booked a room in a love hotel thinking it was a photo studio…

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My Dress Up Darling Episode 11 Marin Kitagawa has her Liz kyun costume on

Episode 12 – My Dress-Up Darling

The summer vacation was almost over and the fireworks had already started. Marin, however, couldn’t go as she hadn’t done her homework. She turned to Gojou for help and decided that she would find another fireworks festival and they would go together… if she finished her homework. Gojou was not about to allow her to skip the important stuff. Would Marin finish her homework in time and what would Gojou think of his first time at a fireworks festival?

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My Dress Up Darling Episode 12 Gojou Wakana and Marin Kitagawa at the fireworks

A Whole Lot of Love!

I mentioned in the last post that I had fallen in love with this show and that has only grown over these last four episodes. Not just the series though, but the characters, too. This is a thoroughly uplifting series that knows how to have fun and still delivers a wholesome message. It shouldn’t make sense, but it does and I think that’s down to what I believe to be the main theme of the series. It’s all about love!

When reading that last line, remember I have a British accent so you can think about Hugh Grant if that helps although I probably sound nothing like him. Anyhow, love is at the heart of everything in this series. It starts with Gojou who is in love with Hina dolls. He can think of nothing else and as the season goes on, you realise just how bad he’s had it. He’d never been to the beach, seen fireworks up close, or even had a friend.

My Dress Up Darling Episode 12 Gojou Wakana staring at Marin Kitagawa

Then, we met Marin. At first, she seemed to be the complete opposite of Gojou, but that was simply because of her confidence. She was just like him and had a passion of her own that she was prepared to put everything into. It was her love of cosplaying that spoke to Gojou. He could relate to her desires and it drove him to put everything into his creations.

We saw how much Marin loved the costume and the experience of cosplaying. Then, Juju fell in love with Gojou’s costume. It was love at first sight and as a result, she stalked him and then effectively blackmailed him into making her a costume. Of course, we weren’t done there. Marin loves Juju as a cosplayer and was over the moon to meet her. She asked if they could cosplay together. Juju wasn’t interested, but Marin proved how much she loved the medium and also offered to split the studio costs.

My Dress Up Darling Episode 11 Marin Kitagawa loves her Liz kyun costume

That’s a lot of love, but we’re not even close to being done yet. The next person to be involved is Shinju, Juju’s younger sister, who loves Juju and will do anything for her. She even held back her own desires to cosplay for fear of upsetting her. Of course, Gojou saw this and realised that she should do it because her older sister loved her too and wouldn’t want to stand in her way.

Ah, but don’t forget that we have Grandpa who absolutely loves Gojou and is delighted to see that he is happy and has a friend. I’m convinced that he would have told Gojou that his work was improving regardless if it meant that he continued to work with Marin. Grandpa is an established artist and he can see how good Gojou is at making costumes. As much as he wants his grandson to follow in his footsteps, he loves him more and wants to see him happy.

My Dress Up Darling Episode 12 Marin Kitagawa notices Gojou watching her

How much more love can this show cram in? I’m glad you asked because there’s more. There was the love hotel and more than one instance of self-loving… I jest, but there was more. Obviously, we learnt that Marin loved Gojou. Ever since his sleepy confession on the train, she’s seen her feelings grow. We know that Gojou loves Marin, although he’s not quite got the confidence to say it out loud. The look he gave her at the fireworks festival was clear for all to see.

Their friendship has been the most wholesome thing I’ve seen in ages and it’s benefited both of them. Gojou undoubtedly loves himself more as a result. His willingness to try new things and go places that he wouldn’t before because he was so focused on Hina dolls are a testament to that. And then, there’s me. I love everything about this show and now that it’s over, I’m a little sad that I won’t get to spend more time with Gojou and Marin. This show is undoubtedly about love!