My Dress-Up Darling Drama Sparks Debate Over Its Controversial Censorship

My Dress-Up Darling has returned to screens with a new live-action series, and one of the episodes has gotten attention from fans online over its censorship of a key moment between Marin Kitagawa and Wakana Gojo. Shinichi Fukuda’s My Dress-Up Darling has been exploding in popularity over the last couple of years following the successful debut of its TV anime adaptation in 2022. While the anime is currently in the works on its own return to screens with a sequel project now in the works, the franchise has already made the jump to live-action with a brand new TV series now airing in Japan.

With My Dress-Up Darling now airing its new live-action series in Japan, the second episode had adapted one of the big scenes from the original series that fans were curious to see how it would make the jump to live action. As the second episode of the series adapts the now infamous/famous scene of Gojo measuring Marin for the first time, fans noted how there’s been a bit of censorship in how it was brought to life. In both the manga and anime releases, she’s seen wearing more of a bikini and the live-action adaptation changes it to a blouse and shorts. Nowhere near as revealing as the original releases.

What Changes in My Dress-Up Darling’s Live-Action Series?

According to fans on social media who have managed to see the newest episode in Japan (as it has yet to get an international release as of the time of this publication), the second episode of the My Dress-Up Darling‘s live-action series showcases the big scene that made a mark with anime fans during its adaptation back in 2022. The second episode of the TV anime essentially spent its entire time in the measurement scenes as its animation of Marin’s certain features took the anime’s popularity to a whole new level on its own.

But in the live-action series, fans noted how the scene goes by much faster and also shakes up the timeline of some of the events from the original series. Riko Nagase’s Marin wears an outfit that’s not as revealing, and it makes a lot of sense for a live-action take on the series. Given the characters’ ages, a revealing scene like the versions seen in the other releases might not be as easy to do in a live-action sense. It’s easier to get away with that stuff in animation because they’re not real people.

Should You Watch My Dress-Up Darling’s Anime Instead?

This might be another reason fans should ultimately read Shinichi Fukuda’s original manga release or TV anime adaptation instead. My Dress-Up Darling‘s live-action series is already sparking a debate for how it’s changing this first Marin outfit, and it’s nowhere near some of the other wilder outfits that Marin proposes she dress in later. The unfortunate effect of this change, however, is that fans don’t get a lot of the sweeter and more awkward moments between Marin and Gojo as a result of speeding through the scene or changing it.

It’s a change that makes sense for the adaptation, but ultimately loses a bit of the impact when in context for the series as a whole. My Dress-Up Darling is currently in the works on a follow up for the anime, but it has yet to announce format (whether it’s going to be an OVA special, movie, or second season), release plans, staff, or returning cast as of the time of this publication. So fans hoping to see more of the franchise in action just might have to keep on waiting for it to come back, or jump into the manga’s newest releases hitting shelves if the changes in the live-action series are too much to deal with.