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My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 23 – Quick Summary
In My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 23, “I Didn’t Think Anything Good Would Ever Happen to Me,” Miyako Honda and Suzuka Itou came up with a daring plan: they wanted to see Sajuna Inui cosplay as Black Lobella, so they planned to surprise her with the costume. Given how little Sajuna likes surprises, you can guess how that went. Or can you? Meanwhile, Wakana Gojou invited Akira Ogata to make props for the upcoming Coffin cosplay. She shared her unexpected connection to Miyako and Suzuka. Does it have anything to do with her reaction to Marin Kitagawa?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 23
Miyako didn’t seem to expect JuJu to ask anything. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
I expected some character development for Akira this episode. They’ve been hinting at that for weeks! And of course this episode treated us to a lot of that. But it gave us unexpected (at least to me!) developments for Sajuna (JuJu).
Since we first met her, JuJu’s been an introvert. She cosplays for herself (and her sister, Shinju Inui). JuJu doesn’t go to cons. She’s isolated herself, and she’s done quite well. After all, she seems like she’s doing fine in her life.
Except, she’s not. And I missed it. Which means I need remedial training in character mechanics, because in retrospect, the hints are all there. Miyako and Suzuka saw through JuJu’s facade and understood the real reason she didn’t want to cosplay as Black Lobella. In doing so, they founded a friendship with JuJu.
As they worked on JuJu’s makeup and happily chatted about cosplay, there was a brief lull. It was shortly after Miyako showed JuJu that she could actually have cleavage, which was very impressive to JuJu. In that lull, JuJu asked a simple question.
“Miyako-san… when did you start cosplaying?” she asked (09:45).
I don’t recall JuJu ever showing an interest in the people around her. I certainly don’t think she ever reached out to anyone about cosplay, outside of her sister and later, after having the issue almost forced on her, to Wakana and Marin. Yet, there she was, opening up to Miyako and Suzuka.
So much implied by such a simple question!
Favorite Moment from My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 23
Akira’s life had not prepared her for this moment. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Setup: It’s Hard to Take the High Road
I’m an anime-only viewer, so I didn’t know the story of Akira’s parents until I watched this episode. As a parent myself, you can imagine that I had thoughts. When I planned this post, I intended to use phrases like “morally reprehensible” and “special place in hell,” but then I reconsidered. Obviously not to the extent that I’d exorcise those phrases, because there they are! But because none of that is the point of the story.
The point of the story is my favorite moment.
This show understands a fundamental truth about humans. Initially, I was tempted to fall back on my training, which reflects some of my mental habits. I was tempted to say something like all of us are imperfect; all of us are sinners. But that’s wrong. And I know it’s wrong. But the need to remind is this show’s core message.
A real father would look upon Akira’s expression and do something to fix it. Even if it means breaking and re-making the planet. No. I’m not kidding. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Look at Akira’s parents. They said that Akira’s manga was, for lack of a better term, a sin. Or it was socially unacceptable. Or something. So, they punished her. But their position was merely an opinion. They might have said, “We’re saving you from embarrassment later.” But what they were really saying is, “We made rules that if you don’t follow, we’ll punish you.”
Whose fault is that? Hint: it’s ain’t Akira’s fault.
Setup: But It’s Not Impossible
So she did what she needed to do to survive. She hid her passion. Akira lied to her parents so they wouldn’t inflict the punishment they said they were saving her from. The act became so deeply ingrained that even when she got to college, she hid who she was.
That is, until she heard two girls trying their luck at a gacha machine. One of them had luckily won a limited edition figure of a show that Akira deeply, secretly loved. Now, keep in mind that Akira’s in college now. She had moved away so she wouldn’t need to see her parents. Despite that distance, she had suppressed her love of manga, anime, and related products.
Thinking that maybe, just maybe, one figure wouldn’t be bad (she even muttered “Just one time” (13:16), as if she were committing some sin and feared retribution), she stepped up the machine. She carefully checked all around to make sure no one was nearby. Slowly, as if she were both excited and terrified, she dropped the coins in the machine and turned the knob. A sphere containing the figure dropped into the chute.
Separated from the source of cruelty, Akira dared to hope that she might, for a moment, enjoy herself. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Before she could reach out, she heard a voice behind her say (13:09), “Huh? Ogata-san?”
She recognized Miyako’s voice. Akira was in a class with her. In an instant, Akria’s world seemed to collapse. The fear she’d suppressed consumed her. Her parent’s conditioning prepared her for one outcome: ridicule. Akira had hoped she was beyond all that. But now, everything she had tried to escape seemed to envelop her. Slowly, she turned to face them.
She even started to think that it was all over. Her past had caught up with her, and she’d never be happy.
Delivery: Miyako Throws a Life Line
That poor woman! Her parents had left deep wounds in her psyche. A hobby that should have brought her casual happiness, even joy, teetered on the edge of condemning her, through the eyes of her parents.
Then Miyako said a very Miyako thing.
“Ogata-san, you like ‘Blaze!!’ too?” (13:28). Miyako and Suzuka simply could not contain their excitement. And just like that, all the man-made shackles that had crippled Akira vanished. Their effects linger, of course. PTSD is a thing. Psychological wounds take decades to heal, and I wonder if it’s more that we simply learn to live around them. But at that moment, Akira found a home. She found people she could be herself with.
I can’t imagine how bright those two must have seemed to Akira. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
For the first time in years, she faced the possibility of being happy.
I love moments like that, even as I lament their necessity. I’d rather solve the root problem by… by what? How do we teach people that supporting one another is a good thing? That not harming people is laudable? That imposing burdens and not lifting a finger to help carry them is a despicable way to live? I don’t know. I haven’t found the answer yet. But until I do (or someone smarter than me figures it out), then I’ll continue to celebrate moments like this one. Miyako and Suzuka done good.
What did you think of Marin’s reaction to JuJu’s cosplay? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 23: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru Season 2 • My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 – Episode 11 discussion
- Lost in Anime: Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru (My Dress-up Darling) Season 2 – 11
- The Anime Rambler – By Benigmatica: Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi Suru Episode 23
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 13: Wakana Gojo, 15 Years Old, Teenager
- My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 14: You Can Equip Boobs
- My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 15: I Wuuuuv Slice-of-Life Scenes!
- My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 16: Has All My Measurements Memorized
- My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 17: 800 Million
- My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 18: I’ll Make It Happen, No Matter What with These Two Hands
- My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 19: Capture Those Delicious Memories!
- My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 20: The Only Way I Can Think of to Express That Gratitude Is with Money
- My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 21: Because I Don’t Intend to Sleep Tonight
- My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 22: So We’re Gonna Do It All Right Now?!
- My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 23: I Didn’t Think Anything Good Would Ever Happen to Me
- My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 24: Dear My Dress-Up Darling
I felt sad for both JuJu and Akira. I felt sad for JuJu because she felt like she couldn’t cosplay as certain characters. I understand having a high respect for those you cosplay, but she was allowing her insecurities to dictate what she could and could not do. That made me sad. Akira’s whole story made me sad, too. Partly because had I gotten into cosplay/manga as a teenager, I know my dad would have done the same to me.
This show’s genius is how it makes these characters relatable. I was on the lookout for those techniques, and the show still made me feel the same way you did about JuJu and Akira!
I think Akira’s story hit me harder because I’m a dad. I wanted to reach through the screen and smack her dad around. Talk about dereliction of duty! I was so glad to see Akira encounter Miyako and Suzuka.