broadcast season: Winter 2022
number of episodes: 12
genders: Romance, Comedy, Slice of Life
Thoughts: In a season plagued with sequels, My dear in disguise stands out from the newly aired anime. Marin Kitagawa appears all over social media with her blonde to pink ombre hair, long pink nails, multiple piercings, and a sly smile. Videos have emerged on YouTube explaining why she is the best girl of the season. Marin has skyrocketed her anime to fame just by her presence.
The protagonist, however, is not Marin. He is Gojo Wakana, a high school boy who lives with his grandfather. Growing up under his grandfather’s tutelage, Gojo loves hina dolls. In particular, he loves designing them: their faces, their poses, and most importantly, their clothes. He hopes one day to become a professional hina doll maker like his grandfather. Unfortunately, Gojo has no one to share his passion with. At a young age, a friend turned against him after discovering his hobby, calling him disgusting for liking dolls when he was a child. Gojo’s lonely life changes when Marin bumps into his desk and discovers his hobby. As a hardcore cosplayer, Marin sees a mutual interest in her passions and begs Gojo to help her make cosplay costumes.
I know everyone is wondering: is My dear in disguise, an anime that dominated Anime Trending polls and anime social media, is it really that good? I think it’s good in a lot of ways, but it’s not the most incredible story to come out of the medium.
Ironically, my biggest complaint with the story is with the girl herself: Marin. I understand why Marin attracts people in general. She is a staunch otaku without shame, she is confident in her body and bubbly without being stupid. She’s the perfect bundle of likability, and she’s the kind of person many of us wish we were: confident, quirky, and kind. However, at the end of the day, she has no flaws. This makes her stand out, narratively, in a bad way, especially when all the other major characters are given time to explore her insecurities and flaws.
Gojo’s growth as a character makes a lot of sense: it’s the protagonist. However, when two support girls get episodes dedicated to airing their issues and overcoming their own inner obstacles, Marin, who has none, sticks out like a sore thumb. I want to clarify that this does not mean that I do not like it. Still, from a story standpoint, I can’t deny that he lacks the complexity that other characters around him have displayed, and I wish he was given a single moment in the series to showcase his own internal or external struggles.
The overall narrative arc follows a typical romantic comedy. Two characters meet, fall in love while exploring new things, mischief occurs on their journey, and in anime style, it ends in a festival with beautiful fireworks. that makes My dear in disguise stand out compared to those that use the same formula is twofold: the thread that unites the two protagonists and the quality of the animation.
Otaku-centric stories are common in anime, but the specific focus on cosplay, and by extension fashion design, is not. Gojo fights loneliness because of her love of designing clothes and dolls, and that’s something that will resonate with people of all cultures: men are still looked down upon for loving things that are considered inherently feminine. Also, cosplay is hardly ever mentioned in anime that feature otaku characters for a reason I just don’t know. Having the two cast together with the characters’ developing relationship is perfect. I really loved the scenes where the two of them discuss the details behind putting together a costume, choosing the right makeup, and styling the wigs. It also builds your relationship in a believable way. I fully understood why Marin fell for Gojo, and laughed at Gojo’s hormonal moments of teenage panic as he spent time with this beautiful girl.
My little gripe is that I wished the anime would explore cosplay and fashion design more. The series featured four different cosplay costumes, but at a certain point, the narrative became less focused on the actual process behind making the cosplay and jumped right into the final design. However, in the grand scheme of things, I think his cosplay and “boy loves fashion design” themes were done very well and do the story and characters a great service.
I also strongly believe that Marin would not have gained as much of a following as a character if it weren’t for the production value that has been given to her and anime in general. Despite some lackluster episodes, most of the anime remained consistent in her dedication to minute body language, expressive faces, and visual framing. One episode features one of the most beautiful beach scenes I’ve seen in anime. The lapping of the waves against the ankles of the characters may seem very mundane, but My dear in disguiseThe animation of felt different. Whether it’s the foam that curls against your skin, the jaggedness of actual waves, or the ripples left behind when the wave sinks against the sand, it achieves something magical that I can’t fully describe. The episode is compounded by the fact that the animation creates this special moment for him as Gojo further develops his character. Drinking in the beauty of the waves, he notes aloud that he can’t hide forever and just focus on his passion: Experiencing life outside of his bubble will drive him to become a better hina doll maker.
In fact, the animation is so good that I didn’t even care about the fanservice. In animating fanservice, the animators actually followed the laws of physics. The boob bounces happened simultaneously instead of one at a time, a small feat of success for me after watching so many years of anime with unlikely boob mechanics. Regardless, the fanservice around Marin really makes sense for her character. Her body confidence is one of her shining characteristics, so she doesn’t feel out of place to show her curves, her chest or her legs: she wants them to show herself.
Finally, despite my criticism of Marin’s character, I love the seiyuu that voices her. Hina Suguta just debuted in 2019, and she embodies the character in a way I didn’t think possible. When I heard Marin, I only saw her as Marin. There was no professional behind colored lenses, and it’s wonderful to see a newcomer like Hina Suguta perform at the level of a veteran. A special shout out also to the localization team who translated Marin’s Japanese casual language into the relevant English casual language, a feat no easy feat.
Like an everything, My dear in disguise is a good anime. There is a complete package of animation, visuals, voice acting, characters, and a believable love story. However, I can’t help but wonder: is it My dear in disguise finally stand the test of time? As I write, I am already seeing the anime community move on to a new anime with another adorable female character sporting a beautiful character design. If Marin is the only thing this anime is remembered for, I don’t think it will last long in people’s hearts. There are many more romantic comedy anime with perfect female love interests to air.
Classification
Plot: 7 (Multiplier 3.5)
Characters: 8 (Multiplier 3.5)
Voice acting: 8
Art/Animation: 8.5
Soundtrack: 7
FINAL SCORE: 76