Marin Kitagawa


Marin Kitagawa is a fictional character and the female protagonist of the manga series My Dress-Up Darling, created by. She is a first-year high school student, model, and classmate to the male protagonist Wakana Gojo.

Character description

Marin Kitagawa is a who has an extroverted and kind personality. She is energetic and proactive, but clumsy with details and not particularly skilled at work. She is friendly and respectful of others. She is an enthusiastic with a wide range of preferences, from magical girl anime to erotic video games. Marin works as a model and is knowledgeable about styles, makeup, and expression through appearance and photography.

Development

Manga artist wanted to create a character who would not be the standard "tsundere" or "perfect waifu", but rather someone who was lively, passionate, and supportive. Fukuda has repeatedly mentioned that she was inspired by real girls who were passionate about cosplay and anime, as well as her respect for creative hobbies. Fukuda also wanted to create a heroine who broke the stereotypes about female characters in romantic manga.
Hina Suguta, Marin's Japanese voice actress, found it challenging to play the role, particularly when channeling her emotions. She moved her body around when recording to help convey Marin's energy. As such, she found herself very hungry after recording her lines given the effort needed.

Reception

Marin placed first in Anime Corner's "Best Girl of Winter 2022 Season", garnering 8.99% of the votes. In the 2022 Anime Grand Prix, Marin took fifth place for Best Female Character. She ranked seventh in the same category at the 12th Newtype Anime Awards. In the 2023, Marin received the award in the "Best Leading Actress" category, which is given to manga characters. In the AnimeClick.it Neko Awards 2023, Marin won the Best Waifu award with 52.62% from 261 voters. At the 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards, Marin was nominated for "Best Main Character" and "Must Protect At All Costs" Character. Five of Marin's international voice actors were nominated for the "Best Voice Artist Performance" category, namely AmaLee, Ula Zidan, Gabrielle Pietermann, Deborah Morese, and Erika Langarica ; however, they lost to Zach Aguilar's David Martinez, Amal Hajiwa's Gon Freecss, René Dawn-Claude's Satoru Gojo, Elisa Giorgio's Maki Zen'in, and Alejandro Orozco's Gyutaro, respectively.
Japanese model and influencer Akari Akase cosplaying as Marin was widely featured on television and social media platforms, making Marin famous beyond the traditional anime audience. Marin's image has inspired many cosplayers since the manga's premiere; renowned costume designer Nymphahri shared her vision of the schoolgirl, recreating some of the character's signature poses.
In an interview, director Keisuke Shinohara called Marin "a character we haven't seen before," noting her unique position as a girl who is the first to confess her love, which resonated particularly strongly with female viewers.
The Times of India described the series as "from niche to global phenomenon," where Marin became "a massive favorite among cosplayers and anime fans."