My dear in disguise has quickly established itself as one of the hottest new anime series of Winter 2022. Anime’s focus on the world of cosplay and its chaotic romantic comedy elements have captured the imagination of the anime community. However, her sister seinen, complex Age, presents a different but equally fantastic look at the world of cosplay.
Written and illustrated by Yui Sakuma, complex age started life as a one-shot manga. It was published in Kodansha’s weekly morning website in 2013. The one-shot proved popular and won the Tetsuya Chiba Award. Yui Sakuma would relaunch the series with a new, longer, semi-linked story in 2014. This second version was brought to the United States by Kodansha USA.
complex age follows Nagisa Kataura, a 26-year-old temp worker who still lives with her parents. However, Nagisa has a secret, as she is actually a well-known and devoted cosplayer, famous for her ability to recreate any character to near perfection. However, Nagisa’s favorite cosplay is Ururu, a character from Nagisa’s favorite show, Magical Hood Ururu.
However, life is not easy for Nagisa. She is ashamed of her hobby and she is afraid that people will put her down or judge her. Because of this, she is terrified that her co-workers will find out about her hobby, so she works to keep her second life a secret. In addition to this, Nagisa herself has low self-esteem, which makes her very susceptible to criticism. This low self-esteem worsens when she Nagisa meets Aya Kurihara, another cosplayer from Ururu. However, in Nagisa’s eyes, Aya Kurihara looks more screen-accurate, sending Nagisa into a downward spiral.
This does complex age a fascinating contrast to My darling in disguise. While the cosplayer in My dear in disguise, Marin Kitagawa is outgoing and proud of her body, Nagisa is shy and doesn’t like hers. Both characters use cosplay to express themselves and show their passions. But, Marin Kitagawa is much more comfortable in her skin than Nagisa. In fact, Nagisa shares many similarities with My Dress-Up Darling’s another protagonist Wakana Gojo. Both characters are ashamed of their hobbies due to previous rejection, forcing them to hide their passions under a socially acceptable facade.
However, both series do a great job of showing just how challenging and complex cosplay is. We see both sets of characters spending hours sifting through the media, trying to absorb every detail of the character’s look and personality. We are also shown how difficult and time-consuming it can be to create cosplay costumes and how much money these costumes can end up costing, especially for creators who pay attention to detail.
In addition to this, both series show how the community surrounding cosplay can both empower and hurt its members. You can help people find friends with similar interests and help them express their passions. But it can also exacerbate bodily issues and make people feel isolated or unworthy, especially those who feel they can’t pull off the costumes they want to wear.
Both My dear in disguise Y complex age They are love letters to cosplay. Both series also show the power of embracing your hobbies and passions. But at the same time, neither shy away from the harsh realities of the community. This does My dear in disguise Y complex age the perfect double bill as they use two different genres to shed light on the ups and downs of the cosplay hobby.
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