My Dress-Up Darling S2, Episode 24 [END] — Oshi Wuvs Number One Fan!

During the group cosplay, Akira reveals a secret, and Marin promises to tell Gojou how she feels.

Episode 24 — “Dear My Dress-Up Darling”

Hmm.

I knew it! I knew Akira couldn’t hate Marin. Akira’s focused gaze at Marin as she waved to Gojou in My Dress-Up Darling S2, episode 20, revealed adoration and suppressed squealing in her eyes. I had figured Akira had a preoccupation with Marin. But the anime turned it into the most heartwarming and hilarious dramatic letdown. Eventually, Akira melted into a blubbering pool of tears, happiness, and excitement.

Akira’s emotional outbursts contrast starkly and comedically with Marin’s reaction to finding “Juju-sama” in Gojou’s house in My Dress-Up Darling’s first season. She immediately rushed toward the cosplay celebrity. Marin’s personality perfectly fits the confident, loud, effusive gyaru mold. Meanwhile, Akira resembles Gojou’s quiet, introverted solo hobbyist.

He’s accustomed to talking with her as they do cosplay activities together. However, Gojou needs much more experience being alone with Marin as a girl and a boy than as a cosplayer and dresser. He’ll become a blubbering puddle like Akira many times before he can handle his living dress-up doll. That dress-up doll is in love with him, but we’ll need another season of My Dress-Up Darling before they get together.

My Dress-Up Darling Makes Me Go Heh.

Let’s look at Marin’s wall scrolls. I count five characters she has already cosplayed. She promised herself to tell Gojou how she loves him after the group cosplay photo shoot in My Dress-Up Darling, episode 23. Can practicing what she plans to say to the cat plushie that he won for her at a crane game work? No! She’s too nervous. And Gojou’s regular touching of her face to apply makeup sends jolts everywhere! Chin-in-hand for… a kiss! No, for lipstick.

Akira has already changed into her nun costume and is avoiding Marin, while Gojou’s proximity heightens Marin’s nervousness. Hold it together, girl! Someone who’s not nervous? Amane! He’s used to changing into cosplay costumes in front of his sister and mother. But Suzuka isn’t familiar with boys! But she could be. The changing room has delights for Marin, though. She’s about to cry tears of joy from seeing Sajuna’s cosplay two days in a row. Question for My Dress-Up Darling: Will Shinju’s chest wrap break through this time? Marin will watch over her boobs! Uh oh. Sajuna might have trouble with the sight of blood. The nuns are ready. Time to shoot pictures!

First up: recreating the Coffin game’s framed portrait scenes. Suzuka teaches Gojou photography tricks, such as framing, perspective, and focal length, to make the cosplayers look the same height. Shinju notices how her big sister and Akira are much quieter than the others. Are they not having fun?

My Dress-Up Darling Makes Sajuna See Red.

Oof. Here comes the fake blood and gore. Yup. Sajuna hates blood. Oh, Marin. She thinks Sajuna is staring intently at her with appreciation. She’s not flirting with you, Marin-chan! Ooh! Gojou and Akira’s papier-mâché cake turned out well! But we know how this bloody dinner will decorate it. Oh no. Sajuna didn’t know about the cake because she stopped halfway through the game. It was too scary for her! Bucket o’ blood — splash!

Attention. My Dress-Up Darling has an announcement: Juju-sama will take a short break. Hahaha! Gojou looks the creepiest! Shinju is so happy that her favorite horror game has come to life. Gojou didn’t enjoy Shinju reminding him of the horror plot twists in Coffin. Her heart might overflow, but her big sister’s belly is about to empty itself. Sajuna hates everything in the blood-and-guts genre, but she’ll do anything to make her little sister happy. She saw everything to completion from Marin’s one stupid phone call. Sajuna believes she’s a loner, so don’t make her have fun with people outside her comfort zone. And she passed out.

Akira Tries Talking to her Oshi, Marin-Hime

Finally, My Dress-Up Darling. Finally! Tell us why you’ve avoided Marin, Akira! Can Akira really refuse Shinju’s request for Marin and Akira’s characters to have a few group shots together? Marin thinks Akira hates her guts. Well. Those guts are on the dinner table, so it’s too late now! Ah. Ah? Ahahahaha! Akira doesn’t hate Marin! She loves her!

Flashback to Akira telling Gojou and Amane what her deal was with Marin in the smoking box. Akira couldn’t talk to her because she was her biggest fan, called her “princess,” and chose her as her oshi. Everyone kept Akira separate from Marin for Akira’s mental health. My Dress-Up Darling has been building the payoff for this joke for five weeks! Akira built a shrine to her “princess!” Gojou feels conflicted. How does he deal with someone who fangirls over Marin more than he does? Meeting Marin is one more of those good things that came after she pulled a ball out of a gachapon. Hohoho! Amane is such a bro!

And so, it came to pass. What are men supposed to do if a grown woman starts bawling her eyes out after exchanging greetings with her high school-aged oshi? The crying and the squealing from My Dress-Up Darling. ZOMG! Marin has her first number one fan! Gojou doesn’t have a number as the zeroth member of her fan club and as Marin’s oshi. Akira needs a breather. She flew too close to her sun today. Everyone had fun, although Sajuna suggests Suzuka and Miyako refrain from planning any more surprises.

Can My Dress-Up Darling Confess Her Wuv?

Suddenly, Marin and Gojou are alone. For Gojou, no big deal. But for Marin? She must gather up her courage and confess her love! Sadly, she’s more messed up over her oshi than Akira. How much wuv can a heart hold?

Could Marin say she wuvs Gojou-kun?

Marin could not say it inside the train,
She could not say it outside her brain.

Would she say it on the road?
Could she say it at her abode?

I wuv, wuv, wuv you, Gojou-kun!
I love, love, love you, say it soon!

Not inside the train, nor outside her brain,
Nor on the road, nor at her abode.

Not even after she popped a thought balloon could Marin say she wuvs Gojou-kun.

But she’ll take a selfie with him! Remember how the classroom bros snaked her photo booth time? Victory, at last. Save that picture, Marin! The end.

Final Thoughts on My Dress-Up Darling S2.

Did you notice the tone change in My Dress-Up Darling after Marin’s bunny girl assassin cosplay? The anime shifted focus from Marin’s sexy body parts to romantic and character development. Fanservice isn’t always about jiggly boobs and panty shots, and the second season’s story featured the subtle emotional growth between Gojou and Marin. Slice-of-life fanservice can satisfy you, too. While the first season focused on the premise of a sexy gyaru invading a loner’s life, the second season dwelled on sharing a hobby with friends. Two themes emerged from that direction.

Creeps Enjoying Cosplay is Pure Cinema

First, painting dolls’ faces is not creepy. Gojou’s personal acceptance of his interests and the psychological healing that came from it played meaningful roles in My Dress-Up Darling’s plot. The high school beauty pageant arc taught Gojou several lessons about self-expression through creative hobbies. It’s okay to ask for help because others may do things better. Everyone can play a role in accomplishing a common goal, and you can look cool doing so. Plus, everyone has their personal “creepy” phase when they think they’re the only one working through an issue relevant to their identity. Gojou and Marin’s new friends cemented Gojou’s healing as we heard about their journeys of self-acceptance through cosplaying.

Second, the theme of cosplaying as theater and entertainment pervaded My Dress-Up Darling’s season. We saw comparisons to the modeling profession and magazine publishing. And the high school beauty pageant drew a direct connection to theater and stagecraft. Acting, costuming, writing, staging, blocking, and lighting. It’s all the same! Marin’s onstage performance was a set piece for the anime, as was Gojou’s makeup artistry for his classmates. My favorite scene, where Gojou’s class watched him work magic, warmed my heart.

Ecchi Times in My Dress-Up Darling

Still, My Dress-Up Darling S2 had its sexy moments. Marin’s bunny tail and thigh gap, turning Gojou’s mind to mush, stood out. The other was Marin recapping the first season through cosplay as she worried about gaining weight. Sadly, we had no bikini in the bedroom scenes.

The second season was all about the wuv, sharing hobbies with friends, and realizing you’re not creepy. Marin and Gojou’s romance did not progress as much as I’d hoped. But at least Marin’s friends already consider them a couple. That’s not nothing!

My Dress-Up Darling (Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru) streams on Crunchyroll in Japanese with multiple language subtitles.

What an emotional season! Gojou started healing his psychological trauma, and Marin realized she needed to make her feelings clear. But nothing happened externally! Oh well. At least we had Marin in a new bunny girl costume. And the ending theme hinted at another one that didn’t make it in, but I expect to see it in a Blu-ray special. What was your favorite moment? Let us know in the comments below!

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