English Dub Review: My Dress-Up Darling: “Are These Your Girlfriend’s?”

Overview: Gojo (Paul Dateh) struggles to keep up with school exams, running the shop, the deadline of when Marin (Amanda Lee) needs her outfit and his grandpa’s recent injury with it all weighing on him heavily.  

Our Take: Still reeling from his grandpa’s injury, we get to see Gojo pushed to the edge. And that is not even what pushes him to his breaking point. It is a combination of unfortunate circumstances running the hina doll shop to studying for school exams all while having the time crunch of having to sew and create Marin’s Shizuku-tan outfit that really begin to show his genuine upstanding character. Gojo wanting to live up to Marin’s expectations and desiring for her to be happy above all else shows makes him the truest kind of honorable, showing just how much his feelings have grown for her. 

When the unfortunate misunderstanding, in that Marin didn’t actually need the cosplay outfit in two weeks, comes to light, it brings with her a tearful emotional recognition of just how hard Gojo worked, understanding his stressful ordeal and showing her compassionate nature. Seeing how much affection they began to have for one another is making their relationship a continuous joy to watch as it develops. It makes Marin trying on the Shizuku-tan outfit even more sweet for the both of them. It not only makes Marin’s dreams come true and for her to be happy in becoming Shizuku-tan but allows Gojo to know that so he can truly be fulfilled with his work, the mark of a sweet cosplayer and great craftsman along with an amazing cultivation of characters.