From Marin getting best girl hype from the anime community, to Gojo getting the love he deserves, to us learning a bit more about cosplay, My Dress Up Darling has been undeniably a strong contender for the best series that the Winter season had to offer, through its unique and lovable characters, solid storytelling, and unique cosplay outfits. Although it has a few too many fan servicey moments, this series does fan service in a better way than most other shows, and I’ll mention that below in my review.

My grading criteria: Story: /25 Art: /10 Music: /10 Characters: /20 Enjoyment /15 Thematic Execution /20

Story: 18.2/25

Definitely above average for a slice of life rom-com type show. Marin and Gojo meet through wanting to cosplay, and a wanting to create good hina dolls and pursuing his dreams that seemed like something not widely accepted by the people around him. Marin and Gojo embark on their journey to do cosplays, and at the same time, hanging out with one another, and as we might expect, love is in the air. Other than that, the story itself isn’t my favourite thing of the series, but I enjoyed the overall premise of it. The romance is unique, and there are some more genuine reasons why the main couple love each other, not just because they have to for the sake of the plot.

Now for a big question: What did I think of the fan service? I would say, it was good at the start, but it got quite forced as the series went along. A lot of obvious pandering throughout to keep the watcher's attention, and while at the start, it was in my opinion somewhat necessary for the plot, it quickly became just random shots of things that don't contribute much to the story.

ART: 8.3/10

The animation overall isn’t the most stunning in the world, but it also featured a new director in Episode 8, which was in my opinion, the episode that impressed me the most in terms of the animation. A bit up and down in terms of the quality, but I enjoyed it.

MUSIC: 8.9/10

The opening theme is pretty generic, but the OST, if we pay attention to it, is actually very solid. It fits the atmosphere and vibe between Marin and Gojo extremely well.

CHARACTERS: 17.9/20

The characters are easily the best part about this show. The cast of characters all had a decent role to play, though I wished Marin’s friends showed up a bit more.

We’ll start with everyone’s best girl of the season, Marin. She’s indeed a “best girl”, but not because of her appearance or her being attractive, but how she is able to bring the best out in people around her. Her personality is the perfect one for Gojo to mesh with, because she’s kind, down to earth, and encouraging. Not only did she accept Gojo’s love for Hina dolls and crafts, she encourages him to follow his passions and helps him grow as a person just by being around him. She’s not scared of being herself, not scared about how she feels about things, and always stays true to herself. That’s what makes a character like hers shine.

A lot of the times, the main male character in a romance story feels familiar or similar to another series, but Gojo stands out to me as yet another well written character. He starts out as maybe a self-insert protagonist who’s shy and ashamed of what others may think of his passions, but over time, with a little push from Marin, continues to do what he truly loves, which is sewing and making Hina dolls. He goes through the grind that we can all relate to on some level, working to meet a certain deadline, getting burnt out, but when it’s all finished, when you know you’ve made someone else smile because of something you did, it’s one of the best feelings in the world.

Juju and Shinju also compliment the cast well, as they teach Marin and Gojo more about cosplay, and to us, the viewers in the process. Who knew about eye tape, b-holders, and all the measurements Gojo did before watching this? I certainly didn’t. These two characters are fun to watch, and although Juju didn’t have the best introduction to the main narrative, she got better as the show went on, but Shinju was even better.

ENJOYMENT: 13.4/15

Enjoyed this a lot, although the fan service gets a little much at times.

THEMATIC EXECUTION: 18/20

This show does romance in a way that is a bit different, as Marin is quite up front with her feelings, and Gojo eventually realizes it too. It feels less of a one-way street in terms of the development, and it’s such a welcome spin of the genre.

OVERALL: 84.7/100

A very well crafted show, and a show that made Saturdays great. Characters were so lovely to watch, and I can’t wait for more Marin and Gojo greatness!

And also, props to the translators and subtitles for making "wuv" part of my vocabulary!