What We Know So Far About My Dress-Up Darling, Season 2 (2024)

Marin Kitagawa came as a breath of fresh air for the anime community as My Dress-Up Darling quickly garnered unprecedented popularity. There’s no surprise that a rom-com would receive a lot of attention compared to other genres, but the anime was far from being a clichéd high school story. Shows like My Dress-Up Darling give fans hope for expecting better and more realistic love stories about young love. Instead of focusing on toxic relationships, one-dimensional characters, and sloppy stories, anime like My Dress-Up Darling promise the audience something unique, heartwarming, and less conventional. For this reason, the anime has been acclaimed as one of the best shows of its genre, especially in the modern era.

While some of the best anime rom-coms are one-season wonders, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that My Dress-Up Darling got renewed for a second season. It’s a rare phenomenon for the viewers to witness the story that comes after the confession. Even though the anime’s ending was pretty much satisfactory, it seems that the audience just can’t get enough out of this affectionate story. From a possible release date to the potential cast members, here’s everything to know about My Dress-Up Darling Season 2.

Updated by Timothy Blake Donohoo on May 21, 2024: My Dress-Up Darling was a major anime hit in 2022, with several regarding it and its manga source material as one of the best romantic comedy anime of all time. Fittingly, My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 was quickly announced, but it's yet to be released. This is despite the manga still running, meaning that there's more material to adapt. While the follow-up hasn't been canceled, there's been little news about My Dress-Up Darling S2.

Why My Dress-Up Darling Is So Popular

My Dress-Up Darling plays along with the popular girl liking the unpopular guy trope, but its plot is not as shallow as it seems. At its heart, the anime is a high school rom-com, but it does dare to explore the vulnerabilities of different personalities, whether it’s the introverted Gojo or the outgoing Marin Kitagawa. While in normal circ*mstances, a girl like Marin wouldn’t look twice at a guy like Wakana Gojo, this is where the series conjures its appeal. The interaction between Gojo and Marin isn’t a culmination of toxic personal agendas or an act of insecurity. It’s a mutual transaction between two youngsters who eventually learn to like each other for who they are. Marin loves cosplaying, but sewing isn’t her best skill. On the other hand, Gojo has an innate talent for designing the most beautiful costumes through his work with crafting Hina dolls. As fate would have it, Marin discovers Gojo’s talents and recruits him to fuel her ambition.

My Dress-Up Darling gave Marin the spotlight as a passionate cosplayer who is proud of what she does without caring too much about what people think. This is the kind of thinking she wanted to instill in Gojo, especially when it came to his sewing skills. Her appreciation for his talent and innocence opens up Gojo, drawing them close to the point of affection. The series is a fun ride about youth’s playfulness, the complexities of gender roles, and love for one’s passion. As the duo spends more and more time together, they eventually start to experience the chemistry between them, and it is Marin who realizes it first. My Dress-Up Darling was thus able to use familiar tropes while making them seem fresh and new, all while introducing modern romance anime tropes.

What To Expect From My Dress-Up Darling Season 2

In the final episode, Marin pulls one of the sweetest anime confession moments by relaying her feelings to a sleepy Gojo. The illusion of lying side by side via video call makes a perfect setup for a grand gesture, but whether her feelings reached Gojo still remains a mystery. It’s possible that season two would pick up from Marin’s confession, exploring the possibility of whether Gojo heard her. Adapting the rest of the manga so far is the most likely option, and its development gives a glimpse at the anime's future. Even though My Dress-Up Darling Season 2’s premise is still unknown, it’s rumored that the show will focus more on Marin’s cosplaying and introduce other interesting characters like the cross-dressing Amane. It's these aspects of the manga that make My Dress-Up Darling such a beloved franchise, and it will definitely make the second season even bigger.

Fans are also hopeful that the upcoming season will cover the school festival arc from the My Dress-Up Darling manga, which will be a massive shout-out to Gojo and Marin’s cosplaying ideas. Since “sick” episodes are a shojo classic and fans didn’t get one in the first season, the viewers will be over the moon if the sequel adapts the chapters where Gojo takes care of a sick Marin. However, the biggest twist may come in the shape of Gojo’s childhood friend, who traumatized him. They could make a surprise entry in Gojo and Marin’s blossoming romance and cause trouble for better or for worse.

When Will My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Premiere?

There was lots of speculation surrounding My Dress-Up Darling Season 2, considering the show’s producer expressed that there were other more “important” projects. It was announced in September 2022 that a sequel is in the works, and the romantic story will continue. The news was accommodated by an illustration by Mangaka Shinichi f*ckuda. The anime series’ undeniable success and increasing popularity pushed Aniplex to announce a second season, which is luckily in production. The official statement from production confirmed the rumors of a sequel and asked for fans’ support in making it a reality.

Unfortunately, there hasn’t been an official word regarding the release date or window for the upcoming highly-anticipated sequel season to My Dress-Up Darling. Fans expect the anime to make waves later in 2024, but that’s all speculation until the final verdict from the studios. It’s also likely that the second season may adapt the story following Chapter 40. There’s enough material left to cover a second season, especially when the last season ended with a tease for a future Gojo-Marin couple. As for the trailer or a visual, the only thing fans have been treated to was a short teaser trailer that came with the first announcement, which mostly contained sweet moments from the first season.

The biggest thing holding back production on My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 was the manga. The first season adapted the initial 5 volumes of the manga. This source material only reached a length of 10 volumes when the second season of My Dress-Up Darling was announced. Now, the series is up to 12 volumes, giving it more than enough material for a new season. Waiting for this material to be created prevented the series from falling into the trap of other anime that adapted the manga too fast. This resulted in completely new endings for the anime, which My Dress-Up Darling seems to be avoiding. Hopefully, this means that the sequel anime series will finally hit the airwaves soon, with My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 giving fans more of what they want.

The Cast Of My Dress-Up Darling May Return in Season 2

There hasn’t been anything official regarding who will be returning for My Dress-Up Darling sequel. Fans will be able to know more once the producers decide on a release window or share a key visual at least. The talented Hina Suguta voiced the breathtaking Marin Kitagawa in the first season. Shoya Ishige, Atsumi Tanezaki, Atsushi Ono, and Hina Yomiya voiced Gojo Wakana, Sajuna Inui, Kaorou Gojo, and Shinju Inui, respectively, in the first season of My Dress-Up Darling.

The series was produced by animation studio CloverWorks, which has been behind several prominent anime franchises. The most notable of these is the popular Spy X Family and other works, which is a major success around the world. It’s possible that most of the original cast would return for the sequel, but fans would have to wait for an official confirmation. With nothing new on the horizon in terms of information, it's likely that My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 won't air until 2025 at earliest. Until season two comes out, the viewers can catch up to the magic of My Dress-Up Darling, which is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

The Mangaka Behind My Dress-Up Darling Has Other Works for Fans

My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 is still seemingly out of reach, despite being announced years ago. Still, the series' manga is still running, with no signs of stopping in sight. It's created by Shinichi f*ckuda, who's been writing it since 2018. Before finding success with My Dress-Up Darling and its anime adaptation, however, the mangaka had other works. These manga were mainly one-shots and other short-lived books, with My Dress-Up Darling being her biggest success story yet. Thus, it's no wonder that it's the sole work of the creator to be brought over to the West and international consumers.

One of these previous works was an anthology in the Haruhi Suzumiya franchise. This soft science fiction slice of life series was especially popular in the late 2000s and early 2010s, with it and Lucky Star being the source of several internet memes. In some ways, My Dress-Up Darling and similar shows can be seen as the modern equivalents of those titles, making f*ckuda's success with that book rather ironic. Currently, My Dress-Up Darling is the only manga that Shinichi f*ckuda is working on, but she's also involved with both 2022's Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru and the upcoming Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru (Zoku-hen), which are both animated projects.

My Dress-Up Darling

TV-14

Comedy

Romance

Traumatized by a childhood incident with a friend who took exception to his love of traditional dolls, doll-artisan hopeful Wakana Gojo passes his days as a loner, finding solace in a room at his high school.

Release Date

January 8, 2022

Creator

Shinichi f*ckuda

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

1 Season

Characters By

Hina Suguta, Shoya Ishige, AmaLee

Production Company

Aniplex, CloverWorks, Square Enix Company