I just read through most of Dress up Darling/Bisque Doll, and I gotta say the series went from good to great, especially in the latest arc.
But one aspect that grabbed me the most was the dehumanization (if you can call it that) when Marin cosplays Haniel.
Might be a weird thing to say at first, but Marin's Haniel is already different from her other cosplays in several key ways:
It's the most effort and dedication Gojo has ever poured into it, so
Making it his most ambitious work to date
The two (or Gojo himself) competing with the ceeator of the character, the mangaka Shiba, to capture the terrifying brilliance of Haniel. This is especially important because Shiba is hard to impress and will actively condemn those who try to tarnish his work if it doesn't meet his high expectations.
Marin and Gojo not being on the same page from the beginning. Marin went into this with the mindset she's had with every cosplay before: to enjoy herself, but Gojo geew obsessed with proving himself.
All these differences makes for the most layered and interesting conflict we've had in the series, but what sells it are the chapters at Comiket.
Before now, Marin's cosplays had a small, lowkey vibe to them, either being Gojo or Marin themselves or collaborating with a few others. The school festival had Marin's cosplay of Rin gather attention and praise, but that was expected and intended.
With Comiket, she blows up within a few hours and practically becomes the main attraction of one of the largest fan conventions globally.
This was entirely unintended (Marin didn't even know how to stop it before her friends stepped in), but what struck me the most is the otherworldly presence she carries. Marin, more than ever, embodies Haniel. She is Haniel.
And that enchanting effect Haniel has carries over here, where the audience gets so enamored into her that their admiration turns into obsession.
This is essential as Marin is no longer a person in these people's (primarily men) eyes but a goddess of frightening beauty and endless mystery that has to be captured on camera.
The composition and layout of Fukuda's artwork also contributes to this otherworldly but distant air Marin carried throughout it all. It's just masterful.
It's also interesting that a character draws parallel to Haniel's arrival on Earth to Marin's and Gojo's arrival to Comiket, which you could also stretch as Gojo embodying God and vanquishing Marin/Haniel to the moral realm where she'll be revered and idolized for the angel she is.
Lots of good stuff in this arc and lots more to talk about with Marin's and Gojo's conflict, but I hit the image limitš
