My Dress-Up Darling (2018)

[その 着せ替え人形 （ ビスク・ドール ） は恋をする]

Volume 1

Author/Artist: Shinichi Fukuda
Publisher: Young Gangan Comics

Synopsis:
An aspiring dollmaker is approached by a popular classmate who wants him to make cosplay outfits for her.

Story/Characters:
I've seen this series and the bookstores and I've been curious about it, but I wasn't ready to start collecting a new series at the time. Then the animated adaptation started airing and I fell for it right away. I snapped up all the volumes that were currently available and quickly read through them. Our leads are about as close to polar opposites as you can get. The male lead Gojou is shy, withdrawn and highly traditional while the female lead Kitagawa is hip, carefree, and bubbly. They're brought together because Gojou knows how to sew and Kitagawa wants to cosplay. What moves Gojou to agree is her passion for her hobby and her acceptance of his own passion for hina dolls. Somewhat at odds to her popular girl image, Kitagawa has a lot of nerdy interests like anime, games and manga. Gojou has almost no knowledge of these, but he applies himself with great diligence. I like how he uses Kitagawa's pet names for the characters, likely because that's his primary frame of reference.

Once the initial deal is made, the first misadventure comes with taking Kitagawa's measurements. Poor Gojou has had no significant social interaction since elementary school and all the sudden he has this gorgeous girl in his room in a bikini wanting him to take her measurements. I like how Kitagawa seems utterly clueless as to why he would be embarrassed about the whole thing.

Unlike a lot of series where the relationship would be covert, Kitagawa is so straightforward that she doesn't treat Gojou any differently at school. He tries to avoid her because he's afraid of how being around someone like him would affect her reputation, but of course she doesn't care about that sort of thing in the slightest and sets him straight before they go out shopping for stuff for the Shizuku-tan costume. We get to see the legwork the author has put into depicting what goes into cosplaying, to include real-world stores like Swallowtail. It all goes well until Kitagawa brings up the cosplay event is in two weeks.

Art:
The art is quite beautiful, especially with the attention given to Kitagawa's eyes. Now, with a character like Kitagawa, there's a strong emphasis on fanservice with a fair number of pervy closeups. These are mostly in service of the situational comedy as these views are what are making Gojou embarrassed. Speaking of his embarrassment, Gojou gets a fair number of good comedic takes.

Other:
We open the volume with a color illustration of Kitagawa in lingerie. This is a trend in the series. In subsequent volumes, besides the fanservice factor, it serves to show what's going on under the costumes. We get a bonus illustration of Kitagawa leading into the afterword comic where Fukuda gives an account of his research trip to Swallowtail in Ikebukuro. There's also a thanks page for all the people who helped with Fukuda's research and such.

Conclusion:
This is a charming series with a lot of heart. Gojou and Kitagawa have a good dynamic and if you have even a little interest in cosplaying, the care the author puts into depicting the craft is greatly appreciated. Some people might find the ecchi factor a bit excessive, but I don't think it's going to be an issue for anyone who likes Japanese romcoms. I recommend adding this one to your collection.

Rating:
Own It