My Dress-Up Darling, Vol. 1

その着せ替え人形は恋をする [Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru] #1

by Shinichi Fukuda, Taylor Engel (Translator)

In ogni gruppo di amici c'è una bellissima ragazza alla moda: in questo caso, il suo nome è Marin Kitagawa. È talmente affascinante che uno dei suoi compagni di classe, Wakana Gojo, è convinto di appartenere a un mondo completamente diverso. Wakana sogna di diventare un kashirashi, un artigiano costruttore di bambole hina. Mentre è intento a cucire dei vestiti per le sue bambole a scuola, dopo la fine delle lezioni, una figura familiare lo sorprende con una domanda... ... Mi aiuteresti con i costumi per i cosplay?! Una frizzante storia d'amore & cosplay tra i banchi di scuola!

Genres: Manga, Romance, Contemporary, Graphic Novels, Slice Of Life, Comics, Fiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published November 24, 2018

Reviews

[Mo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wish I could give this 0 stars.

The main female is a MINOR and is constantly sexualized and lewded. As someone who has cosplayer since I was a minor, this is NOT OKAY. As a minor/barley legal adult, I was preyed upon by those in the cosplay/convention community.

Can we please stop sexualizing underage girls? This manga is rated M so clearly it’s marketed at an adult audience which makes me feel even more disgusted. Manga like this continue to perpetuate the predatory problem in the cosplay community. It puts all the fault onto her because she’s “confident” and “wants to be sexualized”.

I genuinely loved the premise of a girl being into cosplay and a guy being into sewing. But the over sexualization of a minor targeted towards adult readers makes me very uncomfortable and not wish to read this any more.

[Nicolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a nice and sweet story that will make you smile, a lot, while reading it. If you are wary of the mature tag and parental advisory, the content is no more explicit than what you find in other manga or anime. There's some nudity, but it's never gratuitous.

The two main characters are surprisingly complex with developed backstories. Gojo is the talented introvert, whose social anxiety stems from withdrawing into his beloved traditional hina dolls when his parents died and he came to live with his grandfather, a skilled doll artisan. Kitagawa is ostensibly gyaru, but she's also an out and out otaku and cosplayer.

I've read this last year, and reading it again reminded me what a fun story this was. This first volume is especially strong, it is essentially a preamble of what to expect from the rest of the series.

[chloé ✿]

i’m not sure how to rate manga in general… but it’s safe to say i’ve officially entered my manga era. ✨

(i likely won’t be counting these towards my reading goal but don’t mind me binging manga from now on 🤭)

reading dates: 8/31/25 - 9/3/25

[Jillian -always aspiring- · Rating 2 out of 5]

2020 Read #374

I debated about this rating because I did enjoy the premise and the male main character, but the overall vibe of this manga left me feeling uncomfortable. I think it has to do with the fact that the female love interest is just such a Manic Pixie Dream Girl whose favorite thing is a BDSM ero-game and she has absolutely no qualms about a fellow classmate taking her measurements and she just has no self-awareness as a teenage girl character. I don’t know if I’ll read the rest of the series.

[Luxembourg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute and interesting concept but ruined by the unecessary sexualization of the girl.

[Keiko, the manga enthusiast ♒︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is really cute! I adore Wacchan so much! But I'm not really comfortable with fanservice—so, that's the only thing that's keeping me from giving it a five-star. But I get it, totes necessary for seinen (manga for men) readers, right?

But I'll continue to keep reading because I find them so adorable together! I just really like shy guy-confident girl couples! Just like Horimiya, which I really loved! So, overlooking the fanservice, I think the plot of this seinen is really nice. I can't wait to see how Wacchan will deal with the new kind of world opened for him by Marin. I want to see him grow up, and get out of that comfort zone of his.

And yes, the art is so great! I love how the author drew Marin and Wacchan's characters! I felt weird calling Wacchan Gojou-kun though. I can't help but think about Gojo from JJK! Haha!

[Bookishrealm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh...2.5 Stars

This is a tough one. I enjoyed the premise of the story. And I quite liked the budding friendship/relationship between Gojou and Kitagawa; however, I wasn't really comfortable reading this one. I know that culturally there are differences in how things can be perceived in terms of topics discussed in this book, but this just wasn't for me. To be honest, it was the added hobby and mentioning of being a "sex slave" that made me extremely uncomfortable. There were some really great moments; however, I just cant over look the moments that made me cringe. I know that people enjoy this series and that's fair, I just don't think it's for me.

[Victoria (Victoriabooklover) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so fun! I love the dynamic between Gojo and Kitagawa. Also to read something about cosplays is unique and refreshing! I can’t wait to see what else this series has to offer.

[jess.manora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Der ersten Band hat mir wirklich super gut gefallen. Endlich mal ein Romance Manga ohne unnötigen Drama. Die Charaktere wirken echt und handeln total nachvollziehbar. Die Story finde ich bis jetzt auch echt cool! 🤭 Gut, dass ich Band 2&3 mit in den Urlaub genommen habe. Das wird gleich mal gesuchtet. 🥰

Einen Kritikpunkt habe ich tatsächlich noch, der ist mir beim Lesen aber gar nicht so klar geworden. Die Charaktere sind um die 15. Was sehr jung ist. Besonders die Hauptprotagonistin wird sehr sexualisiert. Ich wünschte man hätte die Charaktere einfach volljährig gemacht. 🙈

[Sarah ♡ (let’s interact!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this at the right time because I can totally relate to wanting to cosplay as my favourite characters 😅🥲
Kitigawa is too likeable and cute and I love how Gojou is so talented at sewing and fashion!
I do agree with everyone saying that it doesn’t need to be so sexualised, but parts honestly seem to be in the context of Gojou respecting Kitigawa and just wanting to get on with the task at hand, making her a cosplay outfit! Clearing his head from those sort of distractions.
If it veers too much into any sort of hentai direction out of this context though, I would stop reading.

I really like the My Dress Up Darling art style and yes it is trashy at times, but I will continue on with this series at some point in the near future am sure!

4.6 Stars

[Mizuki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2 stars is me being kind.

If you have problems with the overuse of fan service, male gaze, a highschool girl being constantly sexualized and behaving in an irritating stereotyped 'innocently seductive' way All. The. Damn. Time, you can drop this series without looking back.

If you want to read a manga series about dressmaking and the cosplay subculture being meaningfully addressed, please look somewhere else!

And did I mention said underage girl is also playing a popular harem-themed game about a bunch of fictional highschool girls being sex slaves ( that's the exact word used in the manga) and she is actively cosplaying as one of the characters?

If the sexualization doesn't turn your stomach, then the characters have some bad news in store too.

I really don't want to say that to a female character but the heroine is either (1) brain-dead and with zero common sense or (2) she is using the male lead's horniness and inexperience with the opposite sex to get herself some awesome makeovers and pretty dresses almost for free.

I mean, what kind of self respecting girl with 1% of common sense would go alone to a male classmate's bedroom, undressing down to a bikini swimsuit, with an excuse of letting the poor boy get her measurements!? And she even acts like she has no idea the effects of this naked display to the male lead!?

That's the ultimate example of leading a guy on.

I know I am risking myself to sound like a Victorian here but this kind of ' innocently seductive' personality setup really doesn't work for me.

Aside from the heroine behaving like those unrealistic brainless bimbos from a porno movie, the male lead's character isn't any better. Yes, he is a nice guy and he likes the craft of traditional Japanese doll making and dressmaking, and he is horny as fuck but trying to hide it when he is around the half-naked heroine, but I can't see there is much going for him.

If you don't mind reading the author's disturbing, shallow and unimaginative wet dreams about some stereotyped brain-dead girls with some big tits displayed right in front of you, give this series a try.

To be honest I am fine with boys and girls being horny (e.g. I have no issues with Denji being horny and all the sexual stuff in Chainsawman) and stuff in a fictional series, but Not. Like. This.

There are some talks about the author of this series being female, I roll my eyes and think, hell, women using sexual gimmicks to sell books/putting sex up for sale, nothing is new in this world, right?

Review for vol. 2: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Review for vol. 5: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

PS: the original Japanese title of this series calls the heroine as a "Dress-up Doll", so does it mean the heroine is being viewed (at least by her creator) as a doll to dress up with more than a human being? Sorry, this is getting even more uncomfortable for me.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love how comfortable in her body Marin is.

[Kayla Brunson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was recommended this quite a few times and the concept sounded really cute. However, this was basically fan service. I should have figured that out when I purchased it and it was wrapped in plastic...

I'm thinking of reading the second volume just because the guy is such a cinnamon roll, but to be honest I'm probably not.

[Oksana OM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Значить дочитала я цю мангу і якісь змішані відчуття.
Цей хлопець ну дуже переляканий в у мене вже стрес від його переляку 😅
Дівчина ну дуже розкута. А ще ця сексуалізація підлітків 15 років, ну мене трохи смущає.
Я вже накупила томи, тож продовжу, але поки мені не так подобається як я читала інші манхви по типу Мокрий пісок чи Єдиний фінал лиходіїв - смерть.

[RATA 🐀 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shojo for pedo men ew

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read up to book six.

I enjoyed the characters and the concept, but I really wish they had toned down the level of fanservice and actually cosplayed a range of costumes. It could've been so intriguing to see and learn about cosplaying, finding your place/person, etc without being flashed every page or so. I suppose it was nice that our generic male MC wasn't a creep about it...?

[Dani(elle) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leans a little too much into fanservice for my tastes but the loving details into doll and cosplay craft is beautiful.

[James DeSantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute and fun!

I've seen the first season of the anime and so this is more of a read again even though follows almost the exact same moments. However, luckily, this was one of my favorite romance/slice of life anime in awhile and the manga is just as good.

In comes the adorable but silly Marin. She's the type of girl who is SO pretty but also not stuck up, not mean, always looking on the bright side of things BUT also knows not to take shit from people. She's the star of the manga/anime but also Gojo, our main male protagonist, is solid. Tall, handsome, a heart filled with gold, and humble. These two together make a fun combo.

Basically Marin wants to cosplay. But her designs suck ass. Gojo knows how to make clothes and so Marin asks him to help her make one. This starts their adventure together. From measuring Marin (Boobies!!!) to going shopping for cloth and such, and just hanging out eating some food. Get a lot of cute moments, good world building for cosplay, and great character motivation.

If want a feel good manga, funny moments, mixed with a lot of heart. Check this one out. A 4.5 out of 5.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

To paraphrase the Pet Shop Boys - ‘He’s got the skills, she’s got the looks... let’s make lots of cosplay...’

3.5 stars. I am generally a sucker for any cosplay story that actually did some research and the translation notes at the back are packed full of sewing terms and technical speak. It was pretty surprising because there’s an advisory label slapped on this one and the first image inside the cover is straight fan service.

Then we meet our hero, Wakana, who is learning to make Hina dolls and is a little too taken with them. This was pretty... creepy... and I feared for what I was getting myself into. Enter Marin.

Marin is a popular, perky girl who doesn’t give a damn what people think and her mantra of ‘like what you like’ really helps Wakana get a hold of himself and not be so down on his hobbies and normalizes him juuuust enough. She sees him more for who he is instead of who he sees himself as and that makes a big difference.

She’s also a cosplay fanatic, but a terrible seamstress (so very terrible), so she enlists Wakana to help her cosplay as one of the characters she likes from an erotic visual novel... (sigh) Saint Slippery’s Academy for Girls (I won’t lie, I nearly burst out laughing when I saw that, but still... and it’s not even the full title!).

Despite the aforementioned advisory, this mostly extends to just some fan service and not much else (the author does love his panty shots but they’re infrequent enough to not drive me insane). Wakana is too shy to be a lech around Marin and I’d say We Never Learn is more regularly prurient than this.

Anyhow, the two of them make a good couple and that’s what you really want in a story like this. Add in some cosplay tutorials and some laughs (and yeah, fan service if you’re into it) and you have a really surprisingly fun read. Definitely going on the pull list.

[Rereader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was skeptical going into this because the summary makes this series sound SUPER suspicious and devious, but I was genuinely surprised at how heartwarming and adorable it is!

Marin and Gojo are already a perfect pair and balance each other out; Marin's bubbly, energetic, and honest personality brings Gojo out of his shell and makes him feel safe, while Gojo's kindness, empathy, and respectfulness makes Marin happy and pushes her learn more about him. They're both respectful of each other's hobbies and give each other time to gush about what they love. If only all fans of different hobbies could get along like that...*sigh*...

Now, I understand that people are a little put off by Marin's love for an eroge video game. While I wouldn't say that's necessarily something Marin should be watching considering her age, here's why this doesn't bother me:

1. Marin understands that the game is fictional and does not push Gojo or anyone else to participate in anything that occurs in the game.

2. Teens are going to consume age-restricted material. Thinking that they won't is like thinking gravity doesn't exist. It just depends on how emotionally mature they're gonna be about the material, and Marin is.

That being said, if people are put off by this, I understand. I just can't hate her for doing something that 99.9% of teenagers do.

Overall, this was a great surprise and I'm glad I took the chance to read it. I highly recommend if people are looking for an cute, sweet, yet super ecchi romance.

[Vivian · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was greatly sexualised and the MC is an underage girl... She has no self awareness and is absolutely oblivious to her surrounding environment.

[ahopelessreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this story. I picked it up after watching the anime and it's just as good here as it was there. Can't wait to pick up volume two!

[madameariett ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dopo aver visto l'anime, ho deciso di acquistare il primo volume del manga, più che altro per collezionare la variant. La copertina è ben fatta e, nel complesso, i disegni sono piacevoli e carini, ma purtroppo non continuerò a seguire il manga.

La trama ruota attorno alla relazione tra Gojo, un ragazzo che sogna di diventare un creatore di bambole tradizionali, e Marin, una ragazza che ama i cosplay. L'idea è bella e anche i protagonisti sono interessanti. Un punto che mi ha dato fastidio è come viene sessualizzata la protagonista. In molte scene il suo corpo viene enfatizzato in modo abbastanza evidente, rendendo alcune situazioni incentrate più sul suo aspetto fisico.

Una cosa carina, invece, è stata la prefazione dell'autore/autrice alla fine del volume. Si percepisce un vero entusiasmo nella creazioni dei luoghi e della storia.

In conclusione, se siete fan dell'anime e siete curiosi di scoprire come si sviluppa la storia nel manga, potrebbe valere la pena dargli un'occhiata ma non aspettatevi un'esperienza molto diversa. L'anime è piuttosto fedele al manga. Poi chissà, magari i volumi successivi avranno qualcosa in più da offrire, ma io mi fermo qua.

Il mio voto è il seguente: 3 stelline su 5.

[Elisa Fumis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il protagonista è Wakana Gojo, un aspirante artigiano che costruisce bambole hina. Non ha amici perché ha interessi diversi dai suoi coetanei e teme di essere giudicato.
Marin Kitagawa invece è la più popolare della scuola. Si presenta come una ragazza molto solare e decisa, ma si rivela un po' ingenua e una vera otaku. Infatti gioca ai videogiochi e le piace il cosplay.
My dress-up darling è un manga divertente e frizzante, a tratti profondo.
Trasmette dei messaggi positivi importanti: le persone dovrebbero rispettare gli hobby degli altri invece di prenderli in giro, tutti dovrebbero esprimere ciò che provano, anche quando non vogliono fare qualcosa, e le passioni non dovrebbero mai dipendere dal fatto di essere maschi o femmine.
Invita il lettore a non vergognarsi della propria natura e dei propri interessi, a fregarsene del giudizio altrui perché ciò che si ama fa bene al cuore. Non si vive per accontentare gli altri.
Insomma, fa riflettere su tematiche attuali.
La componente ecchi presente non infastidisce. Non mancano i fraintendimenti, che strappano un sorriso.
Il colpo di scena finale preannuncia un secondo volume molto interessante.
Nota: Avrei voluto leggerlo alle superiori, forse sarei riuscita ad accettarmi e a farmi qualche amico. Mi piace tantissimo il legame che sta nascendo tra i due protagonisti.

[Belén pau · Rating 1 out of 5]

Es una verdadera lástima. La sinopsis prometía y se presentía que la historia entre los dos protagonistas sería bonita. Sin embargo, fue una completa decepción.
Normalmente, dejo pasar que haya alguna que otra escena doble sentido o subida de tono, porque en algunas situaciones puede resultar gracioso, pero, esto es demasiado. La protagonista es sexualizada en todo el volúmen, llegando a dar vergüenza ajena. Entiendo el punto de las medidas y de que tuviese que estar en poca ropa para que luego el cosplay se le adaptara adecuadamente al cuerpo, pero, es demasiado.

[Teresa Sporrer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zu diesem Manga will ich ein paar Worte sagen:
Der Fanservice ist mir zu viel. Viel zu viel. Insbesondere da Marin wie alt ist? 15 oder 16? (ich hab nachgeschaut, sie und Gojo sind 15 ...) Ich habe nun doch zum Manga gegriffen, da mir der Anime gefallen hat und ich herausgefunden habe, dass die Mangaka eine Frau ist.
Aber können wir mal drüber reden, dass age of consent in Japan 13 ist? Oh und in Ö ist es 14. Gott, das ist viel zu jung und meiner Meinung nach ein Grund, warum es solche Mangas gibt ... Ich lese sie, weil Gojo und Marin wirklich ein wunderbares Paar sind und sich so toll ergänzen und awww! Aber der Fanservice ist richtig schlimm.

[Pretty Book Guardian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hesitant to pick up this manga since I don’t usually read ecchi. I started out watching episode one of the anime and I didn’t finish it because I immediately enjoyed it and wanted to purchase the manga. After finishing the volume one, I realized that I find the characters extremely likable. Their interactions felt wholesome and the plot is interesting enough to keep me reading. I also enjoy the illustrations! This volume made me smile and brought back memories of when I tried to cosplay. I can’t wait for volume two!

[B. Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

I...
what.

The premise is so fun, I love that there's a boy making doll clothes because he's learning how to make hina dolls for his family's shop.

But you can totally tell this was drawn by a man, and I say that very rudely, because there's no reason for the treatment of our lead girl. Just, what? This would be better without the fanservice. Gross.

[Raya · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. i like Marin and Gojo as characters and their friendship, but the situations they get into….yeah, it can be weird, that’s the main reason i rated it lower

[Bryan Soto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this because my girlfriend loves it and it was amazing.