Reinbach
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Patreon Pin Up 4/4/22
🕑 Added 2022-04-05 00:14:34 +0000 UTCWhenever a new female character starts taking the fan art community by storm, it can be part of my job to take notice. Think I'm above taking advantage of the flavor of the week? Think again! The latest one to make the rounds in my circles is Marin Kitagawa from an anime called My Dress Up Darling.
Wanting to at least check out the show before starting the pin up, I reactivated my old Funimation account over the weekend. (Which if you've kept up on recent news you know that doing so was a bit like starting a tab at a bar scheduled for a bulldozer in the morning.) After an episode or two, I didn't yet understand what the hype was all about. Seemed like a pretty standard "manic pixie dream waifu accosts saintly male nerd" story I have seen a zillion times before. So many times that it's a big part of why I don't watch as much anime as I used to. It's maddening, isn't it? Watching an entire series about romance between two characters, all the while knowing there's like a 98% chance said characters won't even kiss by the end. One might get so sick of the repeated romantic payoff blue-balls of being an anime fan that they would make their own story, a comic where any two characters with even the slightest chemistry are fucking like rabbits within a few pages of any given scene together! But I digress.
So considering my negative stance on the genre, why did I watch ten episodes, only stopping because they ran out of English dubs? (Come at me, my soul is prepared!) Well, it does have a few things going for it to help it stand out. I've read that one easy trick to make a character in fiction more likable is to give them something they're very passionate about, and Marin and the gang have that in spades with their shared cosplay obsession. Marin could have been an overly pandering okatu fantasy character quite easily, but never falls all the way into the cliche. The show also strikes a rare balance of endearingly wholesome and yet extremely horny. Marin is a lot more open with her body than the average anime girl, but largely comes off as charmingly bold rather than trashy for it.
I guess to summarize my opinion, I think My Dress Up Darling works because its successfully walking a lot of tightropes at once, and I find that impressive. But if you guys have any thoughts I'd love to hear them. What show should I take on next? Should I try that Komi Can't Communicate one? Seen a lot of that character around lately too. Let me know, and have a good Monday!
Comments
Reinbach
For sure! I like the main guy's voice especially, he sounds really unique.
Reinbach
Oh for sure, whoever wrote the show really seems to have done their research on the subject matter!
Reinbach
That alone kind of has my interest lol. But noted! XD
Reinbach
Yeah, it's not an exact science for sure. I just personally find I don't laugh at jokes if they're delivered in a language I don't speak. I can still find something funny, or appreciate clever writing, but without inflection to grasp I just don't laugh out loud. Plus I usually have anime on while I work, which means I couldn't be focused on reading subs if I wanted to.
Reinbach
Thank you!
Reinbach
Haven't heard of that one, I'll look into it, thanks! :)
Reinbach
Right on, I'm looking forward to finishing the show
Reinbach
For sure, I'm a big fan of the style here!
Molten Reactor
The dub has been great so far with surprisingly cared for and fleshed out characters. You almost forget it's a rom com cause everyone gets character growth rather than falling into multiple wacky/frustrating situations
Kyman201
There's an air of authenticity to Dress-Up Darling. Also, having lived with someone who cosplayed a lot, I can speak for truth about how much work, blood, sweat, and tears go into cosplay making.
Andrew Sayles
Don't bother with Komi. Its another series with cardboard cutout characters. Komi might be the titular character but she's a prop in her own show. The show tries to sidestep the problem of anime heroines being bland blobs with no agency by explicitly making that exactly, pointing to it and claiming that the show is about fixing that. Yet the show has no interest in showing any kind of meaningful change. Komi will always be a shivering fluffy animal and the show will always try to defend itself by declaring its about social anxiety. The only entertaining character is the cross dresser.
jubs
Btw, to treat your blue romance balls, might I recommend the manga tsuredzure children? You get people starting to date about every other chapter in that. =)
Kudos707
Just got done reading through the Discord thread so I knew I needed to come here. I have enjoyed the anime I like that it hasn't strictly fallen into the classic romance anime tropes. Plus that extra scene at the end of the season ;) I watch sub because I don't trust dubs anymore, that being said some of the translations are dumb because they get "modernized".
ScuzzBucket
Lovely boobs! You always choose the best sizes for the fanart pictures!
jubs
I haven't seen the anime and probably won't, but the manga has been very enjoyable. Like Daniel said it sidesteps a lot of the most annoyingly normal tropes, and it's refreshing to see. As much of a genre piece as it is, the characters remind me much more of people I've actually known than most series.
Daniel
I read the manga a while ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. I found it refreshing compared to other romance manga's. It side-steps a lot of the nonsense tropes, such as when simple misunderstandings cause big drama that could have been resolved with simple communication.
KainRezo072
The story might seem like a typical trope anime, but the art style is another reason why people love the show. I think the author has only made one other manga, but the style really stands out from a lot of other manga of the same genre.
