[Anby Cosplay] Anby in Zenless Zone Zero, Small Combat Everyday Behind a Poker Face

The process of shooting Anby this time pushed the limits of the shooting environment. Let's first talk about the transparent incubation pod setup. The structure in the first image isn't a real prop, but an acrylic tube we constructed in the studio paired with deep blue and fluorescent green lighting. Stepping inside, combined with the smoke created by dry ice, easily brought out the character's cold, distant vibe naturally. However, the actual shooting challenge lay in glass reflections, requiring many tricky camera angles to avoid environmental glare.

Next is the combination of the thigh-high stockings and black high-heeled boots. The leg-lifting pose in photo 2 actually demanded a high degree of body balance, especially with high-heeled boots stepping on a small circular pedestal with very minimal support points. To achieve a look that felt both stable and slightly playful, we spent nearly half an hour shooting this single pose.

The scenic atmosphere plays a huge role in capturing the character's combat state. In the photo 4 set on the industrial metal grid, I had to support myself on the ground with one hand while extending the long blade fitted with blue glowing light strips behind me with the other. This katana wasn't just visually accurate; it also housed internal batteries and LED strips, making it quite heavy. Maintaining this pose for an extended period required continuous core, arm, and abdominal engagement. Transitioning from the dynamic pose in photo 4 to the back-facing dual-blade stance in photo 5, you can see how light and shadow render completely differently from various angles. In photo 5, shrouded in smoke, only faint cool white and blue backlights cut through. This angle really tests bodily posture, relying entirely on the lines of the spine and shoulders to convey the character's strength.

In terms of hair and makeup, the star-burst headpiece on the silver-white short wig and the yellow hollowed-out accessory at the collar are highly iconic elements. In the close-up headshot of photo 8, you can clearly see the red-orange contact lenses and dimensional eye makeup, which held up remarkably well under the intense studio lights. As for photos 6 and 7, those were two casual mirror selfies taken with my phone during a break between shots. Shooting high-intensity action poses in the studio was exhausting, so snapping a few casual, everyday-vibe photos during set changes provided a nice balance to the hectic shooting rhythm.

The highlight of this outfit lies in the headpiece, the yellow bow-tie structure on the chest, and the black corset around the waist, which visually elongate proportions nicely. At the same time, pairing knee pads with thigh-high stockings offers combat-gear functionality while adding visual layering. The entire shoot lasted nearly seven hours—from adjusting the dry ice fog density to verifying the brightness and battery life of the fluorescent blue light strips, every shutter press had to coordinate with lighting shifts. Although the process was tiring, seeing Anby's cool, decisive character trait come to life in front of the lens made every effort feel worthwhile.

This photoshoot experimented with a minimalist Cyberpunk industrial setting without cluttered background elements, drawing primary visual focus onto the character and weapons. The blue lighting provided great illumination and contouring in the dim studio. Many friends who look at official illustrations might think this character is easy to photograph, but silver hair actually overexposes very easily under strong light, requiring careful light adjustments for every facial angle. Yet it is precisely through this meticulous fine-tuning that one can truly step into the character's core—matching not just the appearance, but also the gestures and demeanor. By the time I packed up and got home, my legs were covered in red marks from the stockings and knee pads, but looking at the final photos brought immense satisfaction.