[Ellen Joe cosplay] Zenless Zone Zero: Night Breeze and Lollipops

This outfit of Ellen Joe carries an exceptionally potent streetwise flair. To bring her signature temperament to life, I broke down the wardrobe styling with precision. The upper body features a black halter crop top adorned with a vibrant red-and-white flame motif across the chest—this striking black-and-red contrast forms a foundational core of her visual identity. Layered over it is a loose black bomber jacket lined in vivid red; this contrasting interior pops with dynamic dimension under night shooting lights. The lower half is styled with raw-hemmed dark blue denim shorts, accessorized with a utility belt hanging a plush shark charm and an orange tag, serving as an iconic accent. The red arm sleeves and delicate silver chain necklace around my neck are equally essential accessories, giving the full ensemble a polished finish.

For the wig, I styled a sharply layered black short bob, integrating vivid bright pink-red highlights (Black and red highlights) through the tips and sideburns. The fringe was cut blunt and level, with the side strands hugging the jawline to flatter facial contours. Resting atop my head was a pair of yellow semi-translucent goggles flanked by metal clips, which, together with red eyeshadow and matching crimson contact lenses, faithfully pinned down her face card. For makeup, I deepened the eye contours with blended washes of red pigment and subtle accent detailing around the corners to give my gaze a razor-sharp edge.

Regarding props, I prepared a yellow round lollipop alongside her signature grey shark charm. Posing with the lollipop not only eased natural hand placement during shooting, but also added an effortless dash of playful nonchalance. For the night exterior scenes, we picked a street environment framed by yellow guardrails and glowing city lights. To capture her kinetic flair, the photographer snapped wide, dynamic postures—such as kicking one leg back or leaning forward aggressively. These gestures demanded intense core stability to balance while maintaining a calm, unbothered expression. The highlights bouncing off the Black and red highlights and jacket fabric yielded a sleek, tactile sheen that I was thoroughly thrilled with.

We subsequently relocated before a graphic backdrop wall patterned with black-and-white diagonal warning stripes. Against this set, I explored more wall-leaning stances, such as crossing both arms over my chest or resting one hand against the goggles on my head. This series leveraged the wall's geometric lines and bodily silhouettes to build a sense of linear visual extension across the flat plane. To preserve tension throughout the frame, I continuously micro-adjusted the angles of my legs and waist, ensuring the best silhouette before the camera. The frayed hem of the denim shorts paired with the thigh strap visually elongated leg proportions.

From early costume reassembly to real-time lighting synergy on set, every phase of this shoot involved continuous communication and refinement. Even though executing high-difficulty action stances was physically exhausting, seeing the raw frames inside the camera made every effort worthwhile. I will continue honing these nuances, striving to bring a more dimensional, living presence to every Anime cosplay journey.