Hikari Tsutsui is the main protagonist of 3D Kanojo and he is a hardcore otaku. He finds solace within the 2D world of his games and tries his best to ignore the depressing real world to the point of becoming anti-social. Iroha Igarashi is a beautiful girl who always stands out no matter where she is. That is why she always receives attention from the boys, and contempt from the girls.

One fateful morning, Hikari and Iroha are stuck doing some school work together because they were both late that morning. Hikari doesn't show any interest in Iroha and even downright feels annoyed by her. Intrigue, Iroha decided to ask him to be her boyfriend just for the fun of it. And that is the beginning of a relationship that will change both of their lives forever.

Just like My Dress-Up Darling, 3D Kanojo also explores the relationship between an otaku and a regular highschooler. The main difference between them both is the fact that 3D Kanojo put a heavier emphasis on the romance part, while My Dress-Up Darling is way more lighthearted and gives more attention to the otaku aspect of the story.

As the title suggests, My First Girlfriend is a Gal is about a timid highschool boy, Junichi Hashiba, who asks the famous gyaru in their school, Yukana Yame, to be his girlfriend. The problem is he doesn't really have any feelings towards Yukana. Junichi asks her out because of the combination of both desperations and as a prank by his fellow single friends. Much to his surprise, Yukana says yes and they officially go out. So begins their chaotic and often hilarious relationship that is full of lewd innuendos.

Although not as extreme as Yukana Yame, Kitagawa Marin can also be considered a gyaru girl. Both of them have distinct styles and are perfectly comfortable to be who they really are. On the same note, both Gojou Wakana and Junichi Hashiba are also shy boys who don't have any experience interacting with girls.

The main premise of both series may be different, but at its core, My Dress-Up Darling and My First Girlfriend is a Gal focus on the same interaction between a popular and easy-going gyaru girl and an awkward and introverted boy.

Both Marin and Gojou from My Dress-Up Darling have a part of themselves that not many people know about. For Marin, it is cosplay, while for Gojou, it is creating Hina Dolls. Nobody who only sees them from the outside would ever guess that part of their personality. That contrast between what appears on the surface and who a person truly is is also the main focus of Horimiya.

Kyouko Hori is a cheerful girl who is always the life of every room she's ever been in. She is beautiful, smart, and kind to everybody, which is why she is so popular in her school. However, what people don't know is the fact that she acts pretty much like a housekeeper at home with zero regards for her appearance.

Izumi Miyamura, on the other hand, is a gloomy boy with shoulder-length hair who rarely speaks to anybody in his class. What people don't know is that Izumi has numerous tattoos throughout his body, and he even has several piercings on his ears and lips. Hori and Izumi accidentally find out about each other's secrets and begin to have a closer relationship until they finally become an official couple.

The secret life of both Hori and Izumi and the dynamic of their relationship is very similar to Marin and Gojou. However, similar to 3D Kanojo, Horimiya focuses more on the romantic life of the main character and the interaction with their friends, while My Dress-Up Darling has Cosplay and dress-making on top of the usual character interaction.

Wotakoi is the only anime in this list that features relationships between working adults. Similar to My Dress-Up Darling, Wotakoi also focuses on the relationship between a quiet man and a cheerful woman. However, unlike My Dress-Up Darling, the main characters in this anime are all Otakus.

Hirotaka Nifuji is an avid gamer that would spend most of his waking time outside of work glued to his favorite console. He would even play games during the lunch break in his office. Narumi Momose is a cheerful woman who spreads smiles to everybody. She is also a massive otaku who loves to read BL manga and do cosplay with her friends.

Both Hirotaka and Narumi are supportive of each other's otaku tendencies. Narumi will play games with Hirotaka until late at night, while Hirotaka will help out whenever Narumi decides to do some cosplay or attend the Comiket events, which is similar to the relationship between Gojou and Marin. That being said, the fact that Wotakoi is set in a corporate world and features relationships between working adults makes the tone of the story feel much more serious than My Dress-Up Darling.

Genshiken is a story about an obscure college club called Gendai Shikaku Bunka Kenkyūkai (The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture), better known as Genshiken. This club was created in order to bridge various modern visual mediums, such as manga, anime, and even games. However, the members doesn't really know how to execute this broad idea and the club ended up becoming the den of the college's hardcore Otakus.

The members represent every facet of Otaku culture. From hardcore gamers, avid anime watchers and manga readers, doujinshi creators, and of course, cosplayers. When one member wants to cosplay at certain events, there's another member that will create the costume for her, just like Marin and Gojou.

However, unlike My Dress-Up Darling, Cosplay is just one small part of Genshiken. The core idea of Genshiken is to give a broad view of what the culture of Otaku truly looks like: What does it feel like to line up for hours to get to the Comiket, what is the process to sell your own doujinshi in the Comiket, and most importantly, and what the conversation and interactions between hardcore Otaku look like. So in a way, Genshiken also provides some insider information regarding its subject matter, just like My Dress-Up Darling.

Other than an insight into the world of Cosplay, the other interesting topic that is covered by My Dress-Up Darling is dress-making. Therefore, when it comes to everything related to dress-making and designing clothes, there's no better anime for it than Smile Down the Runway.

Smile Down the Runway is about two unlikely people who thread a thorny part in order to chase their dream. One is Chiyuki Fujito, a stubborn and beautiful girl who dreams to be a supermodel who walks down the runway of the Paris Fashion Show despite her small stature. The other one is Ikuto Tsumura, a boy who dreams to be a renowned fashion designer despite coming from a poor family with three younger siblings and a sick mother.

Just like how Gojou would feel happy whenever Marin likes the dress that he makes for her, the only thing that makes Ikuto happy is creating clothes that will make other people feel happy. So when he met Chiyuki and was introduced to the merciless world of the Fashion Industry, both of them end up supporting each other in the pursuit of their respective goals and promise to work together when they finally reach the top of the fashion world.

The story of Smile Down the Runway is much more serious and involves bigger stakes than My Dress-Up Darling, however, the dynamic between Ikuto and Chiyuki is highly similar to Gojou and Marin. The other thing that both stories share is the hard work and determination of the characters to get what they want. Both are truly motivational and inspiring stories in their own rights.