[Ellen Joe cosplay] Zenless Zone Zero: Trying Out the Shark Girl Bunny Outfit

Today's bunny girl look for Ellen Joe required considerable effort from initial pattern drafting all the way to the final studio shoot. Zenless Zone Zero's iconic Shark Girl is naturally imbued with a lethargic yet menacing aura, so under this bunny girl concept, I aimed to preserve her piercing, sharp gaze while injecting a playful touch of contrast.

First, let's talk about the costume. The foundation is crafted from high-gloss black latex—my very first time working with this material. Its advantages are immediately apparent: under crisp studio hard light, its specular luster and body-sculpting lines deliver a visual punch that standard fabrics simply cannot rival. However, its drawbacks are just as formidable: possessing zero elasticity, slipping into it required liberal amounts of baby powder, and once on, it constricted my body tightly, rendering bending or crouching extraordinarily difficult. Throughout the shoot, maintaining streamlined body contours forced me to keep my core perpetually braced; by the end of the day, my abdominal and lower-back muscles were thoroughly sore—practically an undercover core workout.

For the wig, I retained the character's signature short black cut with crimson dip-dyed tips. I intentionally thinned out wispy fringe layers to give the fiber a more natural, fluid movement rather than looking stiff. To make the styling feel lively before the lens, I occasionally tousled stray strands, pairing the hair with bunny ear headbands where the right ear was deliberately folded down for an asymmetrical, kinetic touch.

Cosmetics centered heavily on the eyes. To make the gaze piercing, I wore bright red cosmetic lenses complemented by expansive red blending across the orbital area and deepened outer corners, crafting an aggressive, cool-toned demeanor. The lip was painted in a matte true-red to converse with the overarching red-and-black palette. The white standing collar and red bowtie around the neck not only enriched color layering, but also drew visual focus upward to highlight facial structure.

On the prop front, the crimson lollipop in hand was the defining flourish. While the outfit leans heavily into an icy, guarded, and almost unapproachable visual weight, introducing the lollipop instantly injected a spark of cheeky irreverence, breaking single-note emotional monotony. The legs were styled with sheer black Stockings (fishnets), where the cutout thigh strapping created an engaging textural contrast against the slick latex bodice—reinforcing the unified dark aesthetic while adding intricate detail.

Studio lighting was another critical challenge. Because latex is intensely reflective, conventional studio strobes easily cause harsh, blown-out hotspots across the chest and shoulders, erasing tactile depth. Collaborating with the photographer, we opted for large softboxes as key lights flanked by side reflectors for fill. This softly illuminated facial features while utilizing rim lighting to sculpt bodily silhouettes, completely bypassing distracting specular glare.

Although physically taxing, seeing the final selects on the preview monitor validated every bit of effort. I incorporated numerous subtle hand gestures into the poses—adjusting the bowtie, twirling the lollipop—striving for an organic yet tension-filled performance. I sincerely hope everyone appreciates the dedication poured into every fine detail of this concept.