This is so fucking important to me. Ultimately mdud is a story about finding people that won’t judge you and love you as you are, the importance of connection. And yes Gojo finds that with Kitagawa who helps him open up but!! He finds friends outside of that!!
He builts a support systems who reminds him he doesn’t need to do everything alone and brings him food when he forgets to eat. Its so nice to see Gojo just be a teenage boy and his progression from a recluse to someone who has friends who genuinely enjoy beinh with him is so lovely to see. Its so lovely to see Gojo so happy here he makes me so emotional.
They went bowling!! They took pictures with silly glasses!! The selling point of mdud is the romantic relationship between Kitagawa and Gojo (and the ecchi) but everything else is so delightful and lovely to see. Gojo you will always be famous
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“My Dress Up Darling” is one of the best examples of how perspective is important to character development and the story. Because if you think about it, MDUD is a love story between two protagonists. Both Marin and Gojo fulfill the role of the “average” MC and the person who is out of the MC’s league. It’s like this:
From Gojo’s POV, he’s the social outcast loser who fell hard for the gorgeous, popular, cool girl at school. He can’t fathom why this super cool girl wants to hang out with him, but he’s willing to do whatever it takes to keep their friendship going. Even though he’s crushing hard on her, he thinks he doesn’t have a chance with her, thus his focus is just to maintain their friendship.
From Marin’s POV, she’s the weird, lovable nerd who is a klutz and constantly embarrasses herself. She then falls hard for this sensitive, handsome artist who takes care of her needs (like cooking her delicious, healthy meals). The artist also agrees to make her dreams come true - cosplaying - by designing clothes for her FOR FREE, which makes her fall even harder for the artist.
This is also why I believe the story really gets going after the Shizuka arc. Once you start seeing the story more from Marin’s POV, Marin starts coming off as more of the “average” person while Gojo becomes more of the dreamboat. It’s fascinating because both perspectives work. Marin IS super cool and a klutz. Gojo IS a social outcast and a handsome, sensitive artist. It makes for a fun dynamic, especially when the story switches POVs.
Also, this helps flesh the characters out. I feel like MDUD would not be anywhere near as successful if it didn’t do the switches to Marin’s POV. If the story didn’t, then Marin would just be another manic pixie dream girl there for Gojo’s development, which would be lame. Ironically, Marin’s character becomes more lovable and interesting when the story starts letting her be more flawed, accident-prone and flustered.
Gojo’s character also becomes more lovable because making him the out-of-their-league person from Marin’s perspective feels like a natural progression. I mean…he’s a handsome artist who is an amazing cook, designs 5-star level cosplays for free, and is a subconscious smooth talker (the “beautiful” line). In any other story, he’d be the object of affection.
Amane Himeno (Chitose Amano) from My Dress-Up Darling
I've waited three whole years to finally draw him, and now that Season 2 is out I was so happy to see his story told. He is one of my two favorite side characters of the whole series (the 2nd one will show up in the 2nd half of this season or so), and the anime did him justice and then some.
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Marin doesn’t fall in love suddenly she falls in love like summer, slowly stepping into your life, filling the space with light and noise. First comes laughter. Then the habit of turning to you first whenever she wants to say something. And only after that does the realization arrive without you, her days feel empty, as if the brightest color has been taken out of them.
She loves watching you in secret. Not because she’s shy. Marin rarely is but because she likes catching you in moments when you’re not trying to be anyone. When you’re focused, when you furrow your brow, when you forget about time. In those seconds, she thinks you’re unbelievably beautiful, even if you don’t feel that way yourself.
Marin is very physical in her love. She easily takes your hand, leans her shoulder against you, rests her head on your lap as if it were the most natural place in the world. Sometimes she does it in silence not because there are no words, but because your presence is enough. In those moments, she seems surprisingly calm, almost domestic, as if she’s finally found a place where she doesn’t have to shine at full strength.
She’s in love with the way you accept her passions. You don’t laugh, don’t belittle them, don’t patronize her. You look at her seriously, attentively, and to Marin, that matters more than any confession. Around you, she feels real not just the bright girl people love for her loudness and smile.
Sometimes, late at night, Marin sends you long messages about little things, about characters, about strange thoughts that come before sleep. And sometimes she just texts, “Are you still awake?” and if you reply, she smiles in the dark, face buried in her pillow, as if it were a secret known only to the two of you.
She gets jealous. Not explosively, not aggressively quietly, with a sharp ache under her ribs. She might joke, laugh, pretend everything’s fine, but then suddenly hug you tighter than usual, as if checking: are you still here? are you still with her? And if you answer her with the same warmth, Marin calms down, as if the anxiety melts away in your arms.
When Marin loves, she wants to share a future with you in the simplest forms. Grocery shopping together, spontaneous walks, talking about silly things, warm tea at night. She isn’t afraid to talk about “later,” because in her “later,” you’re already there.
Sometimes she looks at you for a long time, as if memorizing you. And if you ask what’s wrong, she’ll smile and say something lighthearted. But in truth, in those moments, Marin is thinking that love isn’t fireworks or an anime scene.
