One show that’s generated a lot of buzz this season is Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru, aka My Dress-Up Darling, a fun show about a socially awkward boy who becomes friends with the most gorgeous girl in his class. Let’s see if this show is worth your time!
My Dress-Up Darling is an Anime About Dolls. Sexy Dolls.
Wakana Gojo is a boy who loves to play with dolls…but not just any dolls. Born into a family that makes traditional Hina Ningyo dolls which are displayed by families with daughters on Girl’s Day on March 3, Gojo spends all his free time learning his future trade from his grandfather. One day his stylish classmate Marin Kitagawa crashes into his life, changing him forever. Not only does she think his fascination with dolls and sewing is cool, but she also wants him to help make cosplay outfits for her!
What Shall We Call This Genre?
There are many genres in anime. Idol. Sports. Mecha. Romantic comedy. Slice-of-life. Cute-girls-doing-cute-things. Cute-girls-get-a-new-hobby. Another genre that seems to be on the rise could be called “awkward boy gets adopted by a capable girl who raises him up socially.”
There are quite a few examples of this genre. Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, about a boy who thinks only about a popular game and needs a friend to help him learn that life is not a kusoge (shitty game). My Roommate is a Cat, in which a cat and several humans help a tragic man out of a dark place. Welcome to the NHK!, about a NEET, and a girl who sets out to help save him. Variations with a female lead role include Kimi ni Todoke, about a girl who looks so much like Sadako from The Ring that she feels distant from everyone around her. And of course, series like Komi Can’t Communicate and Watamote, in which we celebrate the slow progress the main characters make, learning to be less socially awkward and make friends.
Part of the genre includes creating a main character with extreme social anxiety who finds himself with a new friend who is uniquely able to help him understand his own situation better, thanks to having different experiences in her life. While Gojo hides his love of dolls, Marin’s praising of his passion and skill makes him realize that there’s nothing to be ashamed of.
What My Dress-Up Darling Can Teach Us About the Japanese Language
Japanese is different from English in a lot of ways. The word order is subject-object-verb instead of subject-verb-object. Subjects are often left off of sentences if everyone knows what is being said. And of course, the language adopts Chinese characters and vocabulary in a way similar to how English made heavy use of French, Latin, and Greek.
Another way Japanese is different from English is that there are two modes of speaking, using formal speech or informal speech, which basically concerns whether you use formal verbs (tabemasu, kimasu) or informal verbs (taberu, kuru). In My Dress-Up Darling, we know how socially inferior Gojo feels to Marin because he speaks using keigo (polite language) to her, even though they’re both the same class (doukyusei). Truth be told, speaking formally to a girl is not the best way to get her to see you as a romantic partner.
We can also learn how the unique speech of gyaru characters like Marin work. A fashion trend that emerged from the 1990s partially based on the popular style of Okinawan singer Amuro Namie, gals (formerly called kogals) are a kind of Japanese “Valley Girl” who have evolved their own dialect to go with their flamboyant fashion sense. Some examples:
- Always using the word maji, which means “really.”
- Ending every sentence with jan, which is short for ja nai (“isn’t it?”).
- Saying sankyuu! (“thank you”) and yabai! (“that’s totally crazy!”) a lot.
- Using the word meccha (pronounced meh-cha) as a catch-all adverb meaning “a lot.”
- Putting shi on the ends of sentences, which normally indicates you’re listing off related items, but in the case of gal-speech it just sort of sits there with no function.
That Time a Tsunami Warning Interrupted Our Escapist Fantasy
Japan is prone to earthquakes, and every once in a while a major quake will result in a tsunami warning that gets broadcast on all television channels. This happened with huge irony when a 2001 anime called Onii-chan no Koto nanka Zenzen Suki Janain Dakara ne!! made a tsunami visual gag that happened to air right in the middle of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake… oops! A similar situation occurred again during the recent Tonga volcanic eruption during the broadcast of episode 2. So if you wondered why there was a flashing map of Japan’s coastal region in your anime, now you know.
Will You Be Watching My Dress-Up Darling?
Thanks for reading my post on the My Dress-Up Darling anime. Are you ready to vote for Marin Kitagawa for World President? Tell us below, or reply to us on Twitter!
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