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My Dress-Up Darling Episode 3 Review – Best In Show

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My Dress-Up Darling Episode 3 Review – Quick Summary

In My Dress-Up Darling Episode 3, “Then Why Don’t We?”, Wakana Gojou had to endure one of the his most difficult challenges yet: He had to meet all three of Marin Kitagawa’s friends — at the same time! In public! Will he be able to get through the experience? And if he does, will he be able to survive the shopping trip that Marin has planned for him – including the completely embarrassing lingerie shop?

Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.

Favorite Quote from My Dress-Up Darling Episode 3

My Dress-Up Darling Episode 3: Marin was not pleased that Wakana seemed to be avoiding her

Not only was she honest about what she wanted to know. She was even up-front about how she felt about the situation! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Once again, My Dress-Up Darling made it challenging to choose a favorite quote, given the high number of candidates. That’s the kind of “problem” I like to have! The show has impressed me with its authentic character moments, so I’ll choose a quote that reflects one of them.

This might be a guy thing. It might even be cliche. But it’s been my experience, and the experience of a lot of my friends over the years, that there are times when we just could not understand what the women in our lives were saying. It can happen with my guy friends, too, but more often than not, it’s a gender gap thing. My friends and I would compare notes, we’d reflect on what we’d heard, and we’d even take long walks gazing at nature hoping for insights. 

But we remained clueless.

Now, maybe I’m just particularly dense. Maybe my friends share my density. But dang it, it’s like women speak a language that’s so nuanced and subtle that my coarse brain just can’t grasp it. 

That’s why I’m choosing this quote as my favorite. Marin was angry that Wakana seemed to be avoiding her. Instead of making him guess why she was feeling that way, she just came out and said, “If you’ve got a problem with me, out with it” (06:57). 

The clarity she brought to the conversation felt like relief!

Best in Show Moment for My Dress-Up Darling Episode 3

My Dress-Up Darling Episode 3: Even Marin can have moments of self doubt

It’s great how this show portrays Marin’s realistic moments of self-doubt – not as something that cripples her strength, but as something that actually enhances it. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Setup: Marin, Not Simply a Pixie

I have lost count of how many Cruel to be Kind tropes I’ve seen. Maybe there’s a trope that better describes what I mean, but Wakana trying to avoid Marin – in other words, being cruel to her – in an attempt to protect Marin’s reputation is something I’ve seen ad nauseam. This episode taught me something: It’s not the trope, it’s how long it usually persists. Because Marin’s up-front, frank way of dealing with the world killed that trope in about sixty seconds of episode runtime.

This episode is doing a great job (as far as I can tell!) portraying Marin as a young woman with very healthy confidence. I mean, she gave Wakana a glimpse of the panties and garters she intended to buy. Talk about having a positive self-image!

What I appreciated is how this show doesn’t just leave Marin’s character at that. She’s not just the hot, self-confident young woman who’s always in control. She has moments of self-doubt that are perfectly in character. Even better, they are moments that don’t detract from her strength. To the contrary, those moments prove her strength. The example in this episode was my favorite moment.

My Dress-Up Darling Episode 3: Wakana's attention to detail impressed Marin

Marin could not hide her astonishment at the level of detail and accuracy in Wakana’s drawings. For him, though, it was just something he did. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Remember her reaction to seeing his initial sketch of her cosplay outfit? “Holy crap,” she said (08:33). “Did you draw all of this, Gojo-kun?” There was both honest admiration and humility in her voice. As we found out in the wig shop, Marin just isn’t good at details. She knows that, and it doesn’t detract from her enjoyment. But it indicates a humility that I find not only very cool and honest, but also impressive. 

My favorite moment builds on this idea. To Wakana, Marin has to look like some kind of social goddess. She’s a model, and she is strong and assertive. And on top of all that, she appears absolutely beautiful to him.

Delivery: Marin’s Honest Gratitude

If that were not enough, her friends must appear to him like even more goddesses, members of the Pantheon of Marin. That said, her admiration for his drawing had to have made an impression on him. So he was ready to hear what she had to say on the way to her catching the train. They were crossing a bridge as Wakana tried to get her to let him pay for his dinner. She stopped in the middle of the bridge and got really serious. He stopped and waited silently, and it looked like he didn’t know what to make of her change in mood.

Saying that she was fine paying for his meal, she went on to say (19:42), “I was just really happy. It’s not often that someone actually plays a game I recommend. Most people would just end the convo with, ‘Yeah, seems fun.’”

My Dress-Up Darling Episode 3: Already, Wakana can accept Marin's honest gratitude

I don’t know where their relationship is heading, but just hours ago (their time), Wakana could barely stand in her presence. Now, he’s able to accept her sharing her gratitude calmly. She’s a really good influence on him! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Wakana had watched Slippery Girls on her recommendation. He had even taken detailed notes on the costume, so it wasn’t like he just went through the motions. Even someone as popular as Marin, even someone with her social standing and strong self-confidence, sometimes just wants someone to take what they say seriously. 

I really like how well these two compliment each others’ strengths and weaknesses! Even this early in the series, they really feel like they’re clicking based on their natural chemistry. I’m really looking forward to seeing where their relationship goes.

What did you think of the reaction of the people waiting in line for the restaurant when they heard Marin and Wakana’s out of context conversation? What were your favorite moments in this episode? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

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