[Anby cosplay] Moments of nervousness and anticipation on the Zenless Zone Zero stage

It's almost time to take the stage, and holding my phone in hand, the touchscreen is a bit unresponsive due to sweaty palms. Just now, to record this precious waiting moment, several of us performing for the Zenless Zone Zero show gathered backstage to take some group photos. Right now, the stage effect lights are undergoing final adjustments. The cool blue-violet light sweeps across the instruments and cables on the floor, and paired with the faint prompt sound coming from the in-ear monitors, it gives me, someone about to go on stage, a very real sense of presence.

My current styling has fully recreated Anby's iconic look. The short white wig has been styled in layered sections, with several silver star hairpins fixed across my forehead. The light-colored contacts look fine under the warm dressing room lights, but I am really looking forward to how they will show that unique, cool-toned texture once standing under the spotlights. For today's Zenless Zone Zero Fes stage, all of us gathered backstage early in the morning. Looking over from beside me, Hoshimi Miyabi's long, straight cyan-green hair is exceptionally smooth, with her red headband adjusted perfectly in place; Harumasa's bangs with yellow highlights and the black studded choker on his neck add a touch of sharpness to the look; Astra Yao's red-pupil makeup paired with her long straight black hair makes her gaze particularly deep; and there's Ellen with her dark short hair and flower-shaped ornament on the side. Everyone's final look turned out great, and I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although during the actual rehearsal week we went over the performance flow countless times offstage and on the grounds, truly standing on this Zenless Zone Zero Fes Livehouse stage, facing the installed equipment and lighting fixtures, that familiar adrenaline rush interwoven with nervousness and excitement instantly soared. Many people might think that the core of cosplay is simply putting on pretty clothes, wearing a wig, and taking a few 2D flat photos in front of a nice background. But for a cosplay like ours, which needs to be presented on stage combined with a band's Stage performance, it is truly a physically demanding challenge.

Although this Anby costume features an off-shoulder top and a short skirt that looks relatively light, during large movements and rhythmic choreography to the music, maintaining the wig without it flailing wildly, managing facial expressions, and executing instrument coordination during performance intervals really tests one's understanding of the character's temperament and control of physical limits. The core of Anby's character is not pure aloofness, but a resilience hiding vitality. What I need to do on stage is tone down my usually noisy self and convey that calm, focused performance state to the audience below.

In these final minutes waiting for the countdown backstage, I can see the audience gradually taking their seats through the gap in the curtains and hear the stage crew's brief conversations over walkie-talkies confirming sound effects. The on-site prop master just helped us adjust the pickup position for the bass. The lacquered finish of the guitar body carries a warm luster under the light reflection, but the icy touch of the strings in my hand surprisingly calmed my wildly pounding heart a little. For today's Zenless Zone Zero performance, I deliberately started adjusting my daily routine a week in advance, hoping my skin condition and eye makeup durability could withstand exposure to the intense stage lights.

Just now during the group photo, I noticed that the fishnet stockings (Fishnet stockings cosplay) on my legs also exhibited great detail under the special stage lighting. Pairing fishnet stockings actually requires specific considerations: if worn poorly or ill-fitting, it can easily make the entire outfit look sloppy rather than crisp. But paired with this off-shoulder jacket featuring black straps and metal zippers, along with the high-heeled ankle boots, the whole cool sense of layering was immediately highlighted. I even mentally simulated the stride and posture I should have when walking out later, striving to completely immerse myself in this character.

The lights and shadows in the venue change rapidly: one moment it's a deep, shadowy azure, and the next it turns into an intense warm yellow spotlight. These light sources, interwoven with warmth and coolness, hit our detail-rich costumes, filling the entire frame with cyberpunk aesthetic tension. I noticed my fellow cosplayers helping each other tidy up collars and shoulder straps; this feeling of teamwork is truly wonderful. Cosplay is not merely out of interest in anime culture; it is an action of substantiating passion. Bringing everyone together on the Zenless Zone Zero Fes stage, striving for a common goal, and materializing those characters that once stayed on screens into reality is already an immensely fulfilling achievement in itself.

The closer it gets to the exit prompt sounding, the more the apprehension in my heart transforms into unstoppable confidence. I began checking the fit of the wig, pressing firmly on the star hairpins on my forehead to make sure they were secure, looking down to verify that the edges of my fishnet stockings hadn't rolled up during earlier movements, and using the compact cushion I carried to touch up my slightly oily T-zone caused by nervousness. I am almost certain that the moment I walk onto the stage, fueled by the lightsticks raised by the audience and their expectant gazes, all the tension will turn into the best fuel to ignite the atmosphere. Today, from Anby's perspective, through this Zenless Zone Zero stage, let me fully present our team's stage presence and expressiveness to everyone present. The beat of the music has already begun.