My Dress-Up Darling gives us insight into the cosplay culture from what is arguably its biggest proponent in the whole world. From how the cosplayers and the fans interact in real life to what it feels like to be a cosplayer themselves.

We get to see the meet-and-greets between cosplayers with their intricate costumes and the excited fans who lined up to take pictures of their idols. There's also an insight into different occasions and venues where big cosplay events are being held along with all of their complex rules and requirements.

Other than a look into the culture as a whole, My Dress-Up Darling also shares insider information on some of the most interesting and useful techniques on how to be a cosplayer. Because as Gojou learns to apply his make-up skills to different characters that Marin wants to play, we as the viewers also get to see the tips and tricks on how to achieve certain looks, such as sculpting Marin's face to make her look like a handsome man.

Beyond that, there's also some deep discussion in regards to creating the costume itself. Thanks to his experience in creating Hina Dolls, Gojou already has the skills to create a great-looking costume for Marin. That being said, different designs sometimes require different kinds of materials. We get to see Gojou shop in a specialized store for cosplayers, his trial-and-errors in creating certain designs, and also how he solves certain problems that arise during the events, such as helping Marin deal with hot and hard-to-move materials.

Marin is an easy-going girl who won’t hesitate to show some skin whenever the costume requires it. Since the characters that she likes often have revealing costumes, there will inevitably be some fan service scattered around this series.

That being said, unlike other anime that emphasize the fan service over the story even when certain situations don't necessarily require fan service (To-love-Ru is the biggest offender of this, by the way) My Dress-Up Darling presents the ecchi-ness only out of necessity.

A cosplayer will need to wear revealing clothes if they want to be faithful to the source material, so it makes sense for the ecchi situation to happen in that particular moment. Other than that, especially during their everyday life outside of cosplay, there are no ecchi moments to be found. Every fan service here is tastefully and reasonably done.

Gojou rarely talks to girls during his teenage years, so he feels extremely shy when talking to Marin for the first time. On the other hand, Marin is so used to being surrounded by other easy-going people that her interactions with Gojou feel like something new and refreshing. This creates situations where both characters end up feeling awkward and shy around each other.

The best example of moments like this is when Gojou has to measure Marin in order to create her costume for the first time. She can casually undress into her bikini because Marin often does that for both her cosplay and modeling works. But that is the first time Gojou sees a girl showing that much skin right in front of him, so his face ends up looking so red beyond belief.

Seeing Gojou acting so shy and awkward ends up making Marin also feel shy and awkward. This kind of innocent reaction from them both is so sweet and hilarious at the same time. Needless to say, these kinds of moments are the ones that help the romance bloom.

Gojou has always been a shy and introverted boy who finds it hard to talk to other people, especially to girls his age. Marin, on the other hand, is a happy-go-lucky girl who won't hesitate to talk to anyone who she finds interesting. So when these two supposedly polar opposite personalities accidentally meet, it creates a dynamic and interesting relationship that helps develop both characters.

As Gojou talks and spends more time with Marin, he begins to open up about himself and also gains confidence not only in his skill as an artist but also in casually talking to other people. Meanwhile, Marin, who usually does something without thinking of the consequences, finally begins to appreciate the patience and creativity behind Gojou's works and also everything else that she used to take for granted.

Both characters overcome their shortcomings while also improving all of the good things about themselves at the same time. That is what makes them so relatable and inspiring to the viewers.