My Dress-Up Darling (2019)

[その 着せ替え人形 （ ビスク・ドール ） は恋をする]

Volume 4

Author/Artist: Shinichi Fukuda
Publisher: Young Gangan Comics

Synopsis:
Gojou collects materials for the Black Lily and Black Lobelia costumes.

Story/Characters:
We open with Gojou at the fabric shop and introduce Mr. Usami, who thinks Gojou is planning the costume for himself but steels his resolve to give it his all to help, very much in keeping with the series' theme of tolerance. We then have a fun little exchange between Gojou and Kitagawa about what should and shouldn't be seen, which ends up boomeranging back on Kitagawa. Next we have Kitagawa and Juju trying on their costumes for some final adjustments while going into some details on makeup and eye shaping. When it comes to the day of the shoot itself, rain spoils it a bit, but then we get a surprise. We learn that Shinju wants to cosplay but doesn't think she can do it, prompting Gojou to help her out. She wants to play as male character, so we get to explore budget cosplay (as she's a middle-schooler without much money) and the logistics of crossplay, a significant challenge for ladies as well-endowed as Shinju. The photo shoot goes well and it ends on a rather funny note. Afterward we have a nice little exchange between Juju and Shinju, where they confide in their mutual envy of each other, and I believe that helps them move past some of the baggage they've been carrying. Then we have Kitagawa realizing all the work Gojou and Shinju had to do together to get her costume together. Just a little touch of the ol' green-eyed monster.

We move on to our next project with the fighting game Killing Gigs. Kitagawa chooses the scantily-clad Veronica as her choice. As there's not a lot to the costume itself, it doesn't take Gojou long to make it. However, there are other challenges to deal with, such as the fact that Veronica is significantly darker than Kitagawa, prompting our cliffhanger with a very well-tanned Kitagawa showing up on Gojou's doorstep.

Art:
I really like how the Black Lily and Black Lobelia costumes turned out. When Kitagawa gets into character, we get some really great shots. Shinju's efforts to get into the character of Souma are rather amusing (particularly when she explodes out of the shirt Gojou lends her). As always, the attention paid to the eyes is amazing.

Other:
As the Veronica costume doesn't seem to have any undergarments to it, we get a version that has even more exposure than the default. For the afterword, we see what Shinju would've looked like as Sakuya. (Fukuda decided the change wasn't as dramatic, which is why he didn't go with it.) The comic has the results of Fukuda's cosplay (Roberta from Black Lagoon) and the aftermath. We also have the special thanks for all the folks who helped out and otherwise supported the series.

Conclusion:
Gojou's efforts to make Shinju's cosplay dreams come true is the heart and soul of this volume and it's excellent. I would be game for seeing those two interact more, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards in the immediate future. Not only do the characters of Juju and Shinju have a nice dynamic together but also this whole joint effort provides a nice opportunity for both Gojou and Kitagawa to broaden their horizons in the cosplay world. I enjoyed this quite a bit and am more than happy to recommend you getting it.

Rating:
Own It