Wee wasn’t this episode of my Dress-Up Darling just so… precious. I feel like that’s the perfect word for it. The show has started piling on the sweetness and I’m all for it. It’s cute and the characters manage to carry it off without making it cloying. Well at least to me. I hope you are all also having a good experience.
I would like to point out that all the photographs looked awesome. I don’t know how to explain it. I realize that it’s pictures of pictures but I really saw the depth of field Shinju was talking about and I was impressed. Unfortunately, I don’t think you can really see it in the screencaps. Weird. The images that don’t translate are the ones that are still, to begin with. Oh well…
I have to admit, I never really thought much about the location of cosplay images. I’m not sure how many people pay attention to that. But now that the show pointed it out, I think it’s really great to have a cosplayer carefully choose a location to go with their character. Most of the cosplay pictures I have seen were either at conventions or in random forests. People like to cosplay in forests. I figure f they were set some place that looks like the anime setting, it would be extra impressive.
I’m probably the only person that noticed. In fact, I’m not even sure I saw it properly myself. I thought there was a slight art change in the thunder scene and I enjoyed it tremendously. Like I said, maybe I imagined it. But hey, I enjoyed my imagination so that’s cool.
The rest of my notes are just about how cute things were:
I thought that the way the sisters actually really care for each other was rather heartwarming. It would have been easy to make Juju ungrateful and annoyed b her sister’s attention but she’s actually really happy that her sister likes her cosplay. And since Juju doesn’t cosplay for anyone else, in a way, she only cares about what Shinju thinks. Awwww.
I thought that Juju’s dream of becoming a magical girl was rather adorable while her character design as a young girl would have probably made Marin melt for the sheer cuteness of it.
I thought Marin’s embarrassed but happy moment was sweet as she usually is and Gojo falling into the ocean was the perfect way to end the episode. It broke the tension but also just made him even more likeable. Gojo being moved to tears because someone liked his work was also a pretty good character moment for him.
All in all, the episode just basically made me like everyone more. And it made me like them together. Not only Marin and Gojo. Obviously, I’m rooting for them and they are the adorbs. But also Juju and Shinju finally having some friends they can share their hobby with. I’m pretty sure Shinju does want to cosplay but doesn’t know where to start. I hope she gets a chance to before the end of the season.
Finally, I’ve been seeing quite a few Marin cosplays and I’m loving the meta of it all!
I must admit I’m not that into this arc. I think it’s the fanservice framing working differently for Juju and sister than it did for Marin. This episode for example: Juju not being good with scary stuff would have come across a lot differently to me had it not followd on the heels of how she’s been introduced. It’s the same with her sister; last episode she was introduced as the little sister who’s really tall and has a big chest (and I knew that was what we were going to get when Marin imagined how she would look). Framing matters: stuff that works as characterisation even though it’s not particularly original can seem more like stereotype wish-fulfillment than anything else.
Marin was strong enough a character to shatter the early framing; but she’s the main character and thus gets lots of screen time. The new characters can’t get the same screen time, and they also, to some extent, need to work as foil for Marin. I’m not sure how that’ll work out for me. I don’t dislike them as charactes, but the show as a whole takes a hit for it. Honestly, I half-wish they’d introduced a boy cosplayer.
With all that said, it’s still better than what most other new shows are offering up this season. I’m still having fun.
That’s good to hear! I guess I,m getting a bit of a different impression since the fanservice in the manga was more pronounced so I’m seeing this as the more innocent version which I find sweeter…
Oh thank goodness a new episode ! I’ve really been liking this show so far .
I’m happy t hear it