REVIEW: ‘My Dress-Up Darling’ Season 2 Episode 4 — “Has All My Measurements Memorized”

My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 4, “Has All My Measurements Memorized,” sees an unexpected cosplay opportunity arrive, and Marin (Hina Suguta, To Be Hero X) is more than happy to rise to the occasion. However, along with another outfit comes an opportunity for Gojo (Shoya Ishige, Godzilla: Singular Point) to learn more about his self-worth. 

My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 4 opening hits the ground running as it sets up the newest story. Marin and Gojo’s school is having a festival. Along with the usual class-hosted activities, there is also a beauty pageant. One representative from each class participates, and surprising no one, Marin is unanimously nominated for their class. But there is a catch: participants must dress in clothes traditionally worn by the opposite gender. 

This wrinkle does little to dull Marin’s enthusiasm. Since cosplay is allowed, she quickly decides on a character to dress as from a popular series titled “The Student Council President is the No. 1 Host.” While most of the class thinks this is a great idea, Gojo is left in the dark as the series is unfamiliar to him. 

“The Student Council President is the No. 1 Host” takes some of the spotlight with mixed results.

Gojo’s research into the suit Marin plans to wear leads to My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 4‘s big misstep. Roughly five minutes of this entry explore the fictional series that Gojo is watching. It’s only five minutes, but it feels like fifteen. It leans so heavily into tired tropes and heavy-handed romance clichés that the emotional impact it supposedly has on the characters is hard to believe. 

It’s too bad that this sequence fumbles the ball so badly. The season opened with a similar concept, but far better executed. Where that one brought a different setting with the upbeat vibes that My Dress-Up Darling typically exudes, this sequence clashes with all the energy surrounding it, making it a conflicting interlude that can’t end soon enough. 

The one thing that this sequence does pull off excellently is the visual style.  CloverWorks does a fantastic job of shifting gears and delivering a presentation that is instantly relatable to the romance genre presented in the fictional series. 

The excellent animation style masks some of the drag in My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 4.

Once My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 4 gets past this stumbling block, things get going once again. Since the guys have all been asked to help with working on their classroom’s design for the festival, Gojo is stressed about how he will aid with that endeavor while still making Marin’s outfit. Seeing her man distressed, Marin volunteers to gather the supplies and make the outfit herself, much to Gojo’s shock and concern.

Despite being largely played for humor, this moment contains a great deal of emotion. Marin is terrified of what she has volunteered to do. And anyone who can remember her fraught attempts at costuming in season one will understand why. Yet despite that, she puts herself out there, knowing that failure won’t just make her look bad, but also likely bring down the ire of her whole class.

While Marin is prepared to face her fears, Gojo has one of his challenged. As he tries to figure out how he’s going to help with the class prep, write instructions for Marin, and help around the shop, Gojo returns to his class to discover a shock: no one expects him there. 

Gojo’s fear of being seen as an inconvenience and how it is handled makes it all too relatable.

His classmates explain that they know how much work it is to make a costume, and that Marin cannot be trusted with it, so he doesn’t need to worry about the classroom decorations. He should go, save Marin from a horrible fate, while they handle the rest. 

This scene hits close to home. As his classmates attempt to convey their understanding of his situation, Gojo is struggling with a fear. He’s afraid that he will be viewed as a hindrance. If he isn’t capable of doing everything, people won’t want him around or blame him for being lazy. Having my own struggles with such concerns allowed me to appreciate just how well it delivers Gojo’s mental state, and how lovely his classmates’ reassurances are. 

As the episode ends, Marin and Gojo meet up at the craft store, gathering the materials needed for their next project. Ending with the pair together, doing what they both love, ends the narrative on another upbet, while also establishing a firm place for the next entry to take off from. 

My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 4 continues to deliver big emotional beats alongside its fun playfulness. Despite the elongated rough patch in the middle of the episode, there is still plenty to love here, as the season continues to dive deep into the feelings and motivations of its cast. 

My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 4 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.

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