My Dress-Up Darling (Volume 8) – Won’t You Make Me Number One?
Marin and Gojo are focused on creating the ultimate Rei-sama cosplay for the school cultural festival contest. However, Gojo is starting to feel the pressure. For the first time in his life, everyone is dependent on him!
My Dress-Up Darling (Volume 8) – Won’t You Make Me Number One?
What happened?
The first problem Gojo comes up against is the hairline of the wig. Every cosplay they’ve done so far had the forehead hidden beneath the hair. This one requires the hair to be styled up which makes the seem of the wig visible. That just won’t do. Gojo does some research and discovers you can get tape to transform the hairline. Even better, they can use some of the hair that they cut from the wig while styling it. It’s starting to come together, however, Gojo still can’t quite work out what is missing. It’s Marin’s mannerisms. Gojo asks Morita to show Marin how to stand and hold her body to pass as a guy.
It’s a stunning transformation. Of course, once Gojo had brought in the suit in line with Marin’s measurements now that she has the shapewear on, it’ll look incredible. The cultural festival arrives and that sees their class start well with the Russian Roulette Takoyaki, but then lunch kicks in and the class with the curry restaurant is killing it. They’ve not given up yet, though. Marin is even more determined to win the beauty pageant, and given she’s wearing one of Gojo’s costumes, she’s certain she can’t lose. They are simply amazing.
The final piece of the costume is Marin’s makeup. Gojo decided to do it in the sewing room since it would be nice and quiet. However, the room soon fills up as everyone comes to see the transformation unfold. That’s a lot of extra pressure on Gojo, however, after seeing everyone else so determined to do their best, he’s not about to fold. He completes Marin’s makeup to the shock and awe of his classmates. Finally, it’s time for the beauty pageant. How will Marin do? There are a lot of shocked faces, to say the least when Rei-sama steps onto the stage.
What did you think?
This volume felt hyper-focused on the beauty pageant and that made it a lot of fun. I loved how the class all came together to help put the pieces into place. The rainbow rose was a great example where one classmate knew how to make one. Then, there was the other classmate who came to see the costume in disguise so that it wouldn’t impact his perceived image. It felt like a real group effort and I loved how that made Gojo feel included. He was part of the class for the first time since he was six when his friend told him Hina dolls were for girls. The message of inclusiveness continues, however, I also love how it’s not just saying that everyone is inclusive, but that we put up barriers that don’t need to be there. Sure, everyone isn’t going to love everything, but most won’t turn on you for something like this. Better to embrace your quirks and find out who is worth your time.
Finally, the beauty pageant was hilarious. I loved everyone’s reaction when Marin stepped onto the stage as Rei-sama. The student president almost lost her nerve there and then. It was a great choice of costume and it was made that much better by the fact that Gojo is such a perfectionist and Marin lives the characters. Of course, they were going to win, but to make it so that they took the overall first place was a nice touch, especially with the after-party and how they made sure that Gojo was coming. I laughed so hard when Marin wanted to do a photo booth with Gojo because she never had any pictures of them together, just for it to get hijacked by the guys from the class who all wanted to be in the picture with Gojo. This series has a lot of heart.
Also, I don’t think I’ve mentioned them before but the afterwords with Shinichi Fukuda are amazing. I love how honest they feel and how Shinichi isn’t afraid to make fun of their experiences. I loved the moment when she had been speaking with someone who had read the manga and she worried if there was anything inappropriate… Then she remembered the Slippery Girls! That was too funny.
Volume highlights
Other posts in the series
Series Information
| English Title | My Dress-Up Darling |
| Japanese Title | Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru |
| Genres | Cosplay, Ecchi, Romance |
| Demographic | Seinen |
Manga
| Author | Shinichi Fukuda | |
| Artist | Shinichi Fukuda | |
| Volumes | Ongoing | Chapters |
| 1 | I Don’t Suppose You’d Make My Cosplay?! | 1-7 |
| 2 | Do I Make a Proper Sex Slave? | 8-15 |
| 3 | Would You Do a Group Cosplay With Me? | 16-23 |
| 4 | A “B-holder”… | 24-31 |
| 5 | Turns Out… It’s a Love Hotel! | 32-39 |
| 6 | Once You Form Assumptions… | 40-47 |
| 7 | Is This Your First Time at a Host Club, Princess? | 48-55 |
| 8 | Won’t You Make Me Number One? | 56-63 |
| 9 | I’ll Eat It When I Get Home! | 64-71 |
| 10 | Because I Don’t Intend to Sleep Tonight | 72-79 |
| 11 | We Fail at Adulting, Okay?! | 80-87 |
| 12 | I Have Nothing! | 88-95 |
| 13 | Princess!! | 96-102 |
Anime
Season One
Bonus Posts
| Episode 1-4 | Self-Confidence is Infectious! |
| Episode 5-8 | Knowing When to Pivot! |
| Episode 9-12 | A Whole Lot of Love! |
