At this year’s Cosplay Carnival in Manila, Philippines, we had the amazing honor of meeting and speaking with Akase Akari, a Japanese singer and cosplayer best known for the ending theme of the My Dress-up Darling anime series. Ahead of her performance in the Japanese Anime Music concert, we got the chance to sit down and chat about her creative experience working on My Dress-Up Darling and her favorites (and struggles) with cosplay.
Parts of this interview have been lightly edited for clarity.
The Singing Experience for My Dress-Up Darling
Akase Akari began her stardom by sharing her cosplays on TikTok, catapulting her into the entertainment industry and eventually leading to her singing debut in 2022 with the song “Koi no Yukue” in My Dress-Up Darling. It’s endearing to hear this story because, as the ending theme to a cosplay-focused series and as an anime (and manga) fan herself, it’s the perfect match.
I admittedly felt starstruck by Akase Akari’s presence during this interview. A loveliness that my words cannot describe enough – she was the real-life Marin Kitagawa! As such, we began to talk about her experience in My Dress-Up Darling and how it all started.
“When I was doing the song, I was initially told it was a tie-up, but I wasn’t told which tie-up it was. After doing that [song], they told me it was for My Dress-Up Darling anime, so [I was] very excited. I had to read through the manga again because I liked it so much”.
She continued to share her memorable parts of making the music video for “Koi no Yukue.”
“The anime highlights cosplay as its main theme. I like anime, so that’s one of the [memorable] great things about it. I was also asked to make a music video for the song.
Since I had my own highlights of what I wanted specifically for that music video, I asked the team if I could make my own wig and makeup. With their support, we were able to do a music video that we think was originally ours. I am very happy. I was also told that the music video and the song were good, and I received such good feedback. So I was- am, very thankful for that, and that’s the most memorable part of making the ending theme for My Dress Up Darling.”
The music video, which now has over 16 million views, features Akase Akari-san cosplaying the titular character, Marin Kitagawa, who also cosplays as the fictional Shizuku Kuroe and Black Lobelia in the anime.
Akase Akari-san also added her worried experience on her first time singing live and how different it was to making the music video:
“I was, of course, very nervous. I was thinking to myself: how should I perform? What should I say to the audience? Would [they] give feedback?
But when I was doing the live, everyone was having fun. It’s different from video streaming because during the live [performance], you can see the audience’s feedback directly. So that was really great to see. I thought it was really nice to have a live performance.”
Coincidentally, My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 revealed their trailer and release date on the same day as this interview, so it was truly a happy day for the Filipino fans. In case you missed it, Akase Akari-san also shared a heartfelt message on the conclusion of the My Dress-Up Darling manga.
Favorite Anime Characters, Cosplay Challenges, and Aspirations
Akase Akari-san shared that she has been a fan of anime since she was young, and it is the main reason she started cosplaying, singing, and doing other anime-related activities. She shared that she enjoys doing cosplays of shows that she really loves. This is how she usually decides who to cosplay; whether female or male, she picks her favorite characters. Akase Akari-san also mentioned her most likeable past and future cosplays:
“ I’ve done a lot of cosplays, but my favorite is Nino Nakano from Gotoubun No Hanayome (The Quintessential Quintuplets). I’d say I love all of my cosplays, but for Nino Nakano…she is the character that I love the most. Even my own room is filled with posters. So, I’d say that is my number one.
For whom I want to cosplay from now on, the first character that I actually liked was Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail, so I want to do a cosplay of her as well.”
Next, I was curious about her cosplay process (from costume creation to posing for the perfect shot) and how she overcomes the challenges that come along with it. She carefully explained that thinking creatively about how to present the cosplay is one of the trickiest parts of it.
“Cosplay is something that a lot of people would look at differently. They would have different interpretations of a character, so what’s difficult for me is doing that interpretation and translating it into actual 3D—for example, different interpretations for wigs, costumes, and makeup.
Of course, different cosplayers have their own highlights or what they want to pinpoint for their cosplay itself. For example, doing a different type of cloth or colored contacts… it would depend on one’s interpretation of the character. And I think that’s the most difficult for me, especially when I think if my interpretation matches other people’s interpretation of the character.”
Akase Akari-san also shyly shared with us what she’d possibly like to do in the future. When asked if given the chance to be a voice actor, she said that she’d like to do a tsundere character. Meanwhile, if she would be asked to cosplay and perform a song as a certain character, she said that it would be Haruhi Suzumiya. She had liked the show since she was small, so the idea of cosplaying her, or even singing and making a music video of “God Knows,” would be something she would be interested in.
Akase Akari’s Visit to the Philippines
Before the interview ended, we discovered a fun fact about Akase Akari-san. Apparently, she is already familiar with the Philippines from way back in her elementary school days. This is because she had a Filipino friend during that time, and whenever she went to their house, the family would always give her a ton of Filipino food.
“I’m excited to eat Filipino food again!” After saying this, she put on a big smile that told us how happy she was to finally be here.
We’d like to thank Akase Akari-san for coming to the Philippines and for taking the time to speak to us! Follow her on her Instagram, X (Twitter), TikTok, and YouTube.
Thank you as well to Cosplay.ph for having us at Cosplay Carnival 2025. Visit the Cosplay Mania Facebook page and X (Twitter) for more updates on their future anime and cosplay events.
Interview Assistance: Ken Pueyo
Photos via Cosplay.ph
Disclaimer: Anime Corner is a media partner for Cosplay Carnival 2025
