Its first publication in Japan dates back to the beginning of 2018, the year from which it was serialized in the magazine Young Gangan. Here in Italy he arrived with his first volume only on January 26th thanks to J-POP, but in a very short time he obtained a high number of fans, also considering the considerable success of the animated adaptation that aired in simulcast with Japan on Crunchyroll (here you can find our review of the animated adaptation): of course I’m referring to My Dress-up Darling: Bisque Dollwritten and illustrated by Shinichi Fukudathat after Shibaraku And Momoiro Meloik is in his third work.
Let’s see the plot below to better understand what kind of story we have before us: Wakana Gojo he’s a friendless high school student. His favorite pastime, in fact, is sewing clothes for dolls hina and his dream is to someday become a kashirashi, that is, a real craftsman who builds these dolls. For this reason, the boy devotes all his energies to the study and practice of this highly refined art, thus neglecting any relationship with his schoolmates. One day, thinking he can stay alone for a long time in the class of the craft workshop that no one attends now, he is surprised by Marin Kitagawaone of the most beautiful and popular girls of the institute, who given her skills in sewing clothes, will ask him to help her make a costume for cosplay complete with accessories. But what can happen when two apparently so different personalities end up getting closer and closer, discovering that they actually have a lot in common?
- Original title: I am bisuku doru wa koi or suru
- English title: My Dress-up Darling: Bisque Doll
- Japanese release: 2018
- Italian release: January 26, 2022
- Number of volumes: 2 (in progress)
- Publishing house: J-POP Manga
- Kind: slice of life, comedy, romantic
- Drawings: Shinichi Fukuda
- History: Shinichi Fukuda
- Format: 12.4 × 18, b / w, dust jacket
- Number of pages: 192
We reviewed My Dress-up Darling: Bisque Doll via press volume provided to us by J-POP Manga.
There is someone who lives in a reality diametrically opposite to mine
The two protagonists, as can also be seen from the plot, are Gojo and Kitagawa, one the opposite character of the other: if on the one hand, in fact Gojo he appears to us as a simple, reserved, shy and solitary boy, who prefers the tranquility of home life to going out with friends, on the other hand Kitagawa she is a charming, sunny, dynamic girl, always in step with the fashion of the moment, who loves having fun being in company. For this reason Gojo is completely convinced that his classmate lives in a world diametrically opposite to his, not yet knowing that in reality the two have something in common: an inordinate passion that pushes both to believe in their dream.. Gojo would like to become a craftsman one day kashirashispecialist in the construction of the dolls hina, and to be able to carry on the family tradition by taking over the grandfather’s business; Kitagawa aspires to become a famous and skilled one cosplayerimpersonating all the protagonists of his video games and souls favorites. To do this, however, the girl will need the knowledge and manual skills possessed by the classmate, who obviously will agree to help the beautiful Marin seeing in this the double opportunity to get to know the girl better and develop and improve her at the same time. tailor’s technique.
In the story there are also some secondary characters, to whom however a marginal space is reserved and, at least within the first volume now examined, we only witness some sporadic appearance of some classmates of the two protagonists, as well as those of the Gojo’s grandfather (mostly at the beginning of the story).
In every group of friends there is a beautiful fashionable girl: in this case her name is Marin Kitagawa. She is so charming that one of her classmates, Wakana Gojo, believes he belongs to a completely different world. Wakana dreams of becoming a kashirashi, a craftsman who builds hina dolls. While he is busy sewing clothes for his dolls at school, after class is over, a familiar figure surprises him with a question …… Could you help me with the cosplay costumes ?! A sparkling love story & cosplay at school!
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Nobody should make fun of you for the things you love!
We must not think, however, that this slice of life with sentimental tones and the school setting is focused only on the love story that blossoms and gradually consolidates between the two protagonists. It is true that we are presented with scenes in which fun is guaranteed, where embarrassing episodes born of misunderstandings and heart-pounding seem to show themselves as winning ingredients, but it must be recognized that My Dress-up Darling it also addresses several important issues: first of all it underlines the importance of cultivating a passion, whatever it is, and the fact that what we like is seen as the engine of our existence, which pushes us to believe in our dreams, to work with commitment and perseverance to make them come true.
In short, an incitement to always set goals, doing what you love most, without ever being discouraged by events or by those who judge ours. hobby with superficiality and without any respect. This is inevitably linked to one of the adolescent and social problems most experienced in recent years by young people, but not only: the feeling of not being accepted for what one is, typical of those who are laughed at and often almost condemned for their choices. of life, whether they are in the sentimental, political, food fields, or concerning certain preferences in matters of clothing, music, films, books, and so on. As Marin Kitagawa teaches us, “Nobody should make fun of you for the things you love!”, therefore I find that the author wanted to convey an incredibly current message with his story. Although the reader is often faced with scenarios with connotations ecchiwhich can be more or less appreciated depending on what you are looking for in a reading and which in any case never fall into vulgarity, this manga therefore also has a more serious side than what one might believe otherwise.
A breathtaking love story
The events take on a rather fast pace, able to intrigue and entertain the public, making them reflect at the same time. One of the strengths of the story also lies in being able to bring us closer, albeit gradually and, for the moment, without great insights, to the fascinating world of cosplaywhich teases the intellect of enthusiasts and of those who perhaps would like to know a little more about it. As far as the technical aspect is concerned, we cannot fail to notice the cleanliness of the lines, which create soft shapes and lines of considerable visual impact. The final result is therefore a set of tables in which harmony and details reign, even in the backgrounds, neglected only in rare cases.. The paper weight appears to be of a noteworthy quality, as well as the colors, mostly tending to pastel tones, but used only in the first four pages.
The dialogues are rather dense, alternating amusing and ironic contents with more technical and important reflections and observations. The glossy dust jacket shows us a Marin Kitagawa in all her glory, already presenting her as a truly fashion-conscious girl, complete with streaks colored on the tips of the hair, very long and enameled nails, piercing, earrings and a contoured look of eyeliner definitely mischievous, as well as his sly smile. But the beauty of this dust jacket is being double-sided: in fact, if we take a peek under the flaps or, even better, subtract its covering from the paper volume, we can admire the protagonist dressed (or it would be better to say undressed) for the cosplay in which she plays the heroine of her favorite video game, the same subject that also appears in the illustration on the shikishi as a gift with the first edition. At the end of the seventh and last chapter of the first volume, then, we find a short afterword in which the author tells us, through short and funny tables, that he personally went to a wig shop, a doll shop and an agricultural institute of Tokyo in order to accurately describe and draw all the scenes of its history.
Recommended for those who love love story born in school, this romantic comedy is for you if the world of cosplay it fascinates you to such an extent that you would want to learn absolutely more about fabrics, needle and thread and even if you are determined to make all your dreams come true!
An original romantic comedy
If at first glance My Dress-up Darling: Bisque Doll it may seem like a manga characterized by the usual clichés already seen and reviewed, reading it you will realize that you have something truly original in your hands, both in terms of the plot itself, with all the themes that unfold from it, and for what it concerns the style of the illustrations, very often full of pathos. Of course, the work also has a good component of fanservice, which was however wisely dosed by the mangaka, with a balanced and coherent final result, definitely in line with what you want to tell: a love story that is born among the banks of school, between hobbies and (almost) common passions, and develops gradually, imbued with romanticism, but also based on physical attraction and sensuality.
A new manga not to be missed
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