Season 2 of My Dress-Up Darling wasn’t just one of the most anticipated releases of Summer 2025, but of 2025 as a whole. Fans of CloverWorks’ phenomenal adaptation of Shinichi Fukuda’s manga instantly fell in love with Kitagawa Marin and Wakana Gojo when Season 1 dropped in 2022, myself included. Season 2 was on my release radar from the moment it was announced. When the new series finally dropped in the Summer of this year, I’ll admit, I was impressed. But, as the second season has gone on, the once fan-favorite show has lost its spark.
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Season 2 follows the same plot trappings and continues the character arcs from Season 1. Marin Kitagawa is still head-over-heels for cosplay, while Wakana Gojo adores learning about and making the costumes, and they both hide their growing feelings for one another. In some regards, the new season improves on its predecessor. The early episodes introduce plenty of new characters, like Marin’s friend group, her hairdresser, and some other cosplay enthusiasts. But something is still missing from the new season, and it’s killed a lot of the show’s momentum for me.
My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Has Been a Slog
I hate to admit it, but most of My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 has felt like a chore to watch, rather than an entertaining experience. Admittedly, part of me watches the show because of my job. But I was still a massive fan of Season 1 and couldn’t wait for the second season. Again, the first episodes started strong, but it’s almost as if the series has lost sight of why fans loved it in the first place.
Cosplay was always a strong component of the series, but it was never the dominating force. Season 1 taught us about the basics and some intricacies of cosplay and the cosplay community. But it did so while also furthering the overall plot and character arcs. However, the pacing of Season 2 has lost that momentum. Season 2 is arguably more focused on the cosplay than the first season. But it doesn’t handle that adoration in the same way.
The episodes in Season 2 can be clearly defined into two segments. There are the character-focused episodes, and then there are the cosplay-focused episodes. While Season 1 blended them together, Season 2 has created a clear divide. As a result, when a character-focused episode is on, the show almost forgets about cosplay entirely. In contrast, when a cosplay-focused episode is released, the show’s plot and pacing halt to a grinding standstill. It’s the latter episodes that have made Season 2 of My Dress-Up Darling feel like such a slog to get through.
Tonally and in terms of pacing, the cosplay episodes and the character episodes feel like they’re from two different shows. Season 2 hasn’t been able to bridge the gap between the two subjects in the same way that Season 1 seamlessly blended them together.
My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Has One Redeeming Factor
My rant above might make it seem like I hate Season 2 of My Dress-Up Darling, but that would be going too far. I just think it is less effective at telling the story it is trying to tell than it was in Season 1. However, two episodes from Season 2 have been a glimmer of hope in an otherwise underwhelming season. Episodes 2 and 3 of Season 2 introduced Chitose Amano, a crossplayer whom Gojo and Marin met at a convention.
The two episodes focus on Chitose, who crossplays under the name Amane. The episodes perfectly blended the passion and love for cosplay (crossplay, in this instance) with the show’s overarching plot and character progression. The two episodes felt like a perfected version of the emotional storytelling from Season 1. It might not have progressed Marin and Gojo’s romance, but it furthered their individual character arcs, while also giving fans a new character to cry over.
At the time of publication, 10 episodes of My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 have been released so far. Hopefully, the series can find its steady footing in the final two episodes and return to its past form. But unless something drastic happens, My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 is, unfortunately, a let-down.
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