I have not read the manga nor seen the anime, and so I cannot speak to the faithfulness of this adaptation. Nevertheless, this live action series is better than I expected. It is a very typical high school romance given a bit more life than usual through by focusing on the two leads entering the world of cosplay, and by the performances of its two young leads, Nagase Riko and Nomura Kota.

Nomura's Wakana is shy and introverted, and so I'm sure you'll be shocked to learn that Nagase's Marin is outgoing and and extroverted. The roots of Wakana's social isolation is absolutely absurd - he was teased as a youngster for liking dolls which, you know, gender stereotypes, but the thing is that his family's business is handcrafting ... dolls and so you'd think at some point before his second year of high school he'd have mentioned that fact to, I don't know, ANYONE AROUND HIM, and accepted and owned the fact that he likes making them. Instead, we have Marin breaking into his bubble of isolation to avail herself of his sewing skills as she begins to explore her new interest in cosplay.

An uncharitable reading of this series might be that Marin is just yet another MPDG dragging a socially delayed Wakana out into something like a wider range of interests and social interactions. And as always YMMV as Marin perpetually grins and invades everyone's personal space in what I assume is genkiness straight from the pages of the manga. But I do think these tired tropes are redeemed a bit by what's happening romantically within the characters, and the fact that the resolution (at least in this season) is not exactly what you might expect given the set up.

Both Wakana and Marin have very small families for reasons that are never touched upon let alone explained: Wakana is being raised by one of his grandfathers, and Marin is largely living alone occasionally visited by her father who is frequently away on business. The series thus focusses entirely on the joint creative adventures that the two share as Wakana makes costumes for Marin. And I do think the series shines as Wakana discovers that his skills are valued in that community and as Marin receives well-deserved attention for her presentation and performances of the characters she loves and brings to life. And I do think both Nagase and Nomura portray their enjoyment of this shared interest quite well.

I also must shout out Ikeda Akana in the small secondary role of Sajuna, a more experienced cosplayer. She plays the role with a very deft deadpan that brings an unexpected and much-needed touch of humor to the series.

My one slight, genuine negative note about the series is purely cinematographic. The production clearly intentionally went for a wide-aperture, utterly washed out look throughout the series. Were they trying to hide acne on the young actors? Neither Nagase nor Nomura seem to need that. Were they avoiding having to clean up exteriors for the MANY shots of the characters backlit by bright windows? Who knows, but at times the feel of the series is that all of this is taking place on the surface of the sun.

But that niggle aside, I do recommend this series as a light high school romedy that does not have much to say, but is a cheerful diversion nonetheless.