English Dub Review: My Dress-Up Darling: “Backlighting Is the Best”

Overview: Marin (Amanda Lee) and Gojo (Paul Dateh) discuss camera techniques with Sajuna’s (Risa Mei) younger sister, Shinju (Jad Saxton), and then later take a fun beach trip. 

Our Take: Marin and Gojo get down to the nitty gritty of more expensive camera equipment, shooting techniques and how that benefits the cosplay photos. Shinju is shown to be a reserved sweetie pie with how much she loves her sister. She is shown to have a potential interest in cosplay that she may repress, setting up a story beat later on that will nicely transition into her reluctance perhaps geared towards competing with her sister down the line. 

When Wakana and Marin decide to join the sisters on scouting an area for Sajuna’s Princess Flower Blaze!! cosplay photoshoot, it happens to take place in an abandoned hospital. This allows for an Inui’s indifferent and confident persona to come down a bit and put one of her adorable fears on display in her fear of it. Her apprehension and bashfulness adorably humanizes her, mirroring that of a little girl that she takes after. It also, however, brings out more of how Inui feels when she witnessed Gojo’s Shizuku-tan outfit he made for Marin in how much she adored it deeply due to her jealousy and how she thought of it nonstop, describing it as an innate feeling. It’s gratifying to see how Gojo’s experiences with others are changing him for the better with him realizing how his Grandpa felt when he praised his hina doll work. It’s a sweet and funny moment for the two, especially when Sajuna passes out after Gojo holds her hand as she never had physical  contact with a boy, showing yet another one of her charming insecurities. 

Gojo and Marin take a beach trip where the two get to just be teenagers and hang out with each other. It makes for adorkable Gojo moment when he throws food at an aggressive seagull taking food from them. There are vivid, subtle character movements with simple motions like walking and turning of the body that demands to be appreciated with it beautifully synchronized with the atmospheric art direction in an overcast beach day acting as the backdrop. 

Wakana’s beach getaway also acts as his first experience at the ocean in general. His breath being taken away by the ocean’s pure beauty shows how isolated his childhood was in him working on hina dolls in solitude. Marin being the passionate ray of sunshine she wants to go everywhere with him over the summer, causing her to turn red as tomato due to her overwhelming feelings for him. 

With Gojo’s glee at the prospect, it makes me want even more day date exploits and cute moments between the two. Gojo and Marin’s relationship is simply beautiful in its lovable awkwardness and her energetic nature, respectively. Amanda Lee, who plays Marin, brings so much warmth and charisma as Marin, nailing every aspect of her, making her more lovable as she interacts with Gojo in her own text slang. This episode also highlights Paul Dateh’s exceptional work. Dateh has perfected Wakana’s awkward personality with each stutter and jumbled word, but also his heartbreaking isolation in how much he longs for the experiences he never had, with him appreciating the ones he does, expanding him as a character. I can’t wait to see what new experiences are on the horizon for these two.