English Dub Review: My Dress-Up Darling: “We’ve All Got Struggles”

Overview: Sajuna (Risa Mei) connects with Gojo (Paul Dateh) deeper and later he and Kitagawa (Amanda Lee) hang out and go on a shopping spree. 

Our Take: The finishing of the girls’ Flower Princess Blaze!! photoshoot reveals just how much Sajuna is starting to emotionally connect with Wakana. With how much time, love and dedication he gave to Shinju’s inner feelings about cosplay, it is easy to see how she could start to crush on him. It is also adorable in her trying to navigate those new emotions. Gojo himself also shows how relatable he is, understanding how difficult it can be to be forthcoming about one’s passions in fear of the response from others. 

Shinju finally gets her validation and respect from Sajuna in pulling off character outfits she never could. It is an excellent way to highlight the everyday struggles we all go through, despite the strength we try to radiate, with even Sajuna being envious of Shinju and her ability to pull off particular characters’ appearances with her more mature physique. Another great Gojo moment is how much he understands everyone’s hidden insecurities on account of connecting with Marin deeper. Overall, it is a sweet resolution in both Sajuna and Shinju committing to their cosplaying adventures together moving forward. 

Marin and Gojo doing some good ol’ fashioned chillaxing continues to make this series a laid back and enjoyable watch. Marin isn’t exactly facing any competition per se for Gojo, so the thought of Shinju being alone with Gojo at his house is fun to watch in her bubbly jealousy. It is cool to see the diversity in the cosplay throughout the series with this time around that being Veronica, a dark skinned and scantily dressed character from a fighting game. Beyond the various types of characters, it’s neat to see how unique characters are brought to life like Marin using foundation to get a dark tone, or Gojo using fake nails as sharpened teeth. Marin’s dark tone is soon washed off in Gojo’s shower, causing her to wear his clothes, showing a blushing Gojo and a charming way in which the romantic feelings and arousal are very much not one-sided on Marin’s side. 

We also got a fun shopping spree with Marin and Gojo. Gojo out of his comfort zone is always a Gojo that is a comedic joy to watch, which is exactly what Marin trying to up his fashion game gives us. Gojo’s clear disdain of the outfits she picks out for him, along with even the store worker are hilarious. It’s also endearing in how much Kitagawa loves and dotes over Gojo in her unabashed love of every outfit he tries on and how hot he is. 

Suffice to say, Marin’s next cosplay is very much a doozie for Wakana, based on how revealing it is and how aroused he becomes, which helped in his favor in how little there was to craft and how fast he was able to finish the outfit. However, that fact leads him to backing out of helping Kitagawa further with the Veronica cosplay. It makes for an adorable awkwardness for both of them along with Marin’s joyful enthusiasm in realizing his attraction. It ends with an alluring teasing from Marin in her asking to send him photos that highlights how much she likes him and is equally attracted to him as he is to her which causes him to become as red as a tomato as a result. Marin and Gojo’s character and chemistry is the foundation of what makes My Dress-Up Darling extraordinary and this episode spotlights that amazingly.