My Dress-Up Darlingis a romantic comedy animefeaturing a cheerful gyaru named Marin Kitagawa, and Wakana Gojo, a shy boy who wants to be a hina doll maker. Marin wants to cosplay as her favorite game characters, but she doesn’t know anything about dressmaking. On the contrary, Gojo knows how to make dresses, but he doesn’t know anything about Cosplay.
Thus begin their journey into the fascinating world of Cosplay. From choosing what types of fabric to use, sewing the dress, and even going to Cosplay events, they learn how to do all of those on the fly. That’s why the viewers can also gain some valuable insight about Cosplay through both of these characters. The following are some of the things that thisheartwarming anime can teach you about Cosplay.
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Custom-Made Costumes Tends to Look Better Than Premade Ones
There are lots of places, online or otherwise, that sell pre-made costumes for the sole purpose of Cosplay. The more popular the characters are, the higher the chance that you’ll be able to find a wide variety of pre-made costumes.
Store-bought costumes like that are fine if you simply want to use the same costume as the one that your favorite characters are wearing. However, if you’re anything like Marin Kitagawa, thenyou’d want to truly transform into your favorite characters, not just wearing something similar to them. In that case, you’d need a costume that is specifically made for you.
Body measurements are highly different from one person to the next. That’s why if you want to wear a costume that would look perfect on your body, customization is absolutely necessary. You don’t even have to start from scratch.Buying pre-made costumes and then adjusting them to perfectly suit your bodywill yield a way better result than if you simply buy and wear them.
The Right Tools Can Enhance Your Cosplay
If you truly want toembody your favorite character, then some adjustment is usually needed. Maybe your eyes are not as big and round as the character’s, or your shoulders are not as wide as theirs. Whatever it may be, there are usually tools or techniques that can help you achieve that perfect look.
To modify the eyes, there is a special tape that you can use to make the eyes appear sharper, droopier, or even bigger. For more pronounced shoulders, you can always use shoulder pads that suit your size.You can also use the magic of make-upto make your nose look sharper, or your lips appear to be fuller. No matter what types of looks you want to achieve, there are usually tutorials available online to help you become your favorite character.
Different Types of Characters to Cosplay
Cosplay is a form of expression and appreciation, which meansyou can freely cosplay as any of your favorite characters. That being said, if you want to look authentic and as close as possible to the characters that you see on the screen, then some looks might be harder to pull off than others.
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InMy Dress-Up Darling, Juju only cosplays cute and petite characters because that’s what suits her best. She won’t cosplay as taller characters because her body is not suitable for that type of character. The opposite thing applied to Marin. Take for example the character of Yasutora Sado and Toshiro HitsugayafromBleach. A big part of Sado’s intimidating aura comes from his towering height, so if someone shorter were to try and cosplay as the character, they would need to try and accommodate for that with an outstanding costume. The same can be said for someone taller cosplaying as the shorter, younger Hitsugaya.
Mannerism is a Key Component of a Perfect Cosplay
A character can entice audiences not only through their costumes, but also with their attitudes. How they move and how they talk is a big part of their character. So if you are the type of cosplayer who likes to be as similar as possible to the characters that you attempt to portray, then you should pay close attention to their mannerism.
In Naruto,Sakura is a straightforward girlwho never hesitates to speak her mind. That’s why she always stands tall with relaxed shoulders and eyes looking straight ahead. On the contrary,Hinata is a shy girlwho has a hard time talking to other people. She always looks at the ground with a stiff shoulder and slightly hunched back. Their posture and mannerism are an essential part of their character. Paying close attention to these things will elevate your cosplay game to a new height.
Those aresome insights on cosplaythat you can find inMy Dress-Up Darling. So if you are a cosplayer or interested in doing cosplay,My Dress-Up Darlingmight be a great show to pick up new tips and tricks.
Another key piece of advicethat the show tries to convey is to never feel shy to ask for help. Some people can do certain things better than you, so don’t be shy and ask for their help. Marin can’t sew anything, so she asks for help from Gojo, who in turn asks for help from the Inui sisters about make-up and camera. You don’t have to do everything by yourself, there are people out there that will gladly help you out.
