Thankfully, shonen romances from this year weren't all as bad as Rent-A-Girlfriend. Square Enix made their debut this year as a manga publisher and among their first titles was a really charming, underrated example of just such a thing.
MY DRESS-UP DARLING (Sono Kisekae Ningyou wa Koi wo Suru), by Shinichi Fukuda. First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2020.
PLOT:
Wakana Gojo grew up obsessed with the hina dolls his grandfather makes, but he prefers to keep it secret. After all, he has no friends as-is. The last thing he needs to do is open himself up for mockery as a guy who likes old-fashioned dolls. You can imagine his surprise when his popular, fashionable classmate Marin Kitagawa discovers him working on doll clothes and asks for his help. It turns out she's got a secret interest in cosplay and she needs someone with sewing skills to make her dream happen. Thus, Wakana finds himself getting close to Marin in more ways than one.
STORY:
I wouldn't blame anyone for looking at the premise of My Dress-Up Darling and writing it off. After all, manga about quiet dudes who fall in love with pretty girls who are out of their league are a dime a dozen. Lately, the same goes for manga about gyaru. Sadly, for every series like Galko-Chan that goes against the stereotype, there are half-a-dozen more who use them as an easy excuse for fanservice.
That's why I was pleasantly surprised to learn how sincere My Dress-Up Darling could be. Right from the start, there's a level of trust between these two that's just really heartwarming (and lays down a fertile emotional bed from which their inevitable love can properly blossom). Marin is just so exuberant and candid in her appreciation for Wakana's talents and attention to detail that she can't help but bring Wakana out of his shell. In turn, Wakana doesn't judge Marin for taking such an interest in an eroge game and tries as hard as possible to be respectful to her while doing things like measurements (something that's complicated by Marin's playful teasing and the usual whirlwind of hormones). Their dynamic is not just pleasant to read but there's just enough give and take to provide fertile ground for the inevitable romance between these two and it made reading this book an absolute delight.
ART:
Fukuda's art is often just as playful and pretty as Marin herself. The characters are charming with plenty of wild takes. There is a bit of fanservice, but it emerges pretty organically from the story and lacks the creepy, voyeuristic quality it too often carries. The only thing I don't like is Fukuda's tendency to give Marin those weird blush points on her joints that only end up making her look weirdly glossy.
PRESENTATION:
I also have to give accolades to Taylor Engel's translation and Ken Kamura's lettering. The translation incorporates the right amount of teen girl giddiness to Marin's dialogue while the use of unusual, fun fonts helps to emphasize the swiftly changing moods and speed of her speech.
RATING:
My Dress-Up Darling is a fun romance manga whose focus on cosplay and saucy edge helps it to stand out from other shonen romances. Despite its Mature rating, it's a series that I could easily recommend to anyone (provided they're old enough to handle talk about eroges).
This series is published by Square Enix Manga. This series is ongoing in Japan with 5 volumes available. 2 volumes have been published and are currently in print.
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