This time, I'm sharing a nun-version look of Houshou Marine, which is a very different kind of attempt for this adventure-loving character.
The core design of this entire nun outfit lies in the multiple patchwork combinations of black, white, and gold. The white inner collar paired with the gold pendant necklace stands out sharply against the black outer coat, creating a great visual focus. The outer cape-style coat has a voluminous silhouette with gold geometric line trims along the edges, preserving the basic sacred and solemn qualities of a nun outfit while avoiding a dull look. What I'm most satisfied with is the skirt design, which features multi-layered ruffles and frills. Whether I am sitting or making larger movements, the rich layering of the skirt is beautifully showcased.
To match this outfit, I chose a very vibrant wine-red wig this time. It features neat, straight-cut bangs in the front, and the hair on both sides is braided into long pigtails interwoven with crisscrossing white cloth strips. This is a very classic anime character hairstyle with high recognizability. For the makeup, to fit the holy vibe of a nun, I kept it relatively clean with an extremely delicate base. The focus of the eye makeup was on the pupils, using red colored contact lenses to intensify the eyes' focus, which makes the look feel energetic yet slightly mysterious.
The shooting locations for this session were a bit different. We started in a studio with a pure black background, taking several sets of sitting poses. A large, pure white fluffy carpet was spread on the floor, and with soft light shining down from above, the various textures of the outfit's fabrics were beautifully captured. In such a quiet environment, a slightly restrained expression was enough to convey a calm and steady temperament.
Later, we went to a large venue for an on-site shoot, where the environment was much more spacious. There were dense spotlight clusters on the ceiling, casting cold, harsh highlights on the gray floor. This ambient light, full of an industrial feel and convention-like atmosphere, created a very strong contrast with the pure white and black parts of the nun outfit. I tried many dynamic poses there. Personally, I especially love the one with a high leg lift, which required great core strength control to maintain balance. Pressing my center of gravity onto one leg while stretching my upper body was actually quite challenging. The combination of the white thigh-highs outfit and black platform buckle shoes, along with the leather garter straps on the thigh, made the lines of my lower body look exceptionally long and slender in this pose.
In terms of the outfit details, the black gloves fit snugly, and paired with the wide cuffs, they make the arm movements look highly stylized. The gold waist buckle and the gold tassel ribbons hanging from both sides of the skirt hem, though small details, truly elevated the overall completion of the costume. The white thigh-highs outfit used a material with a certain thickness, which made the shadow and shape of the knees look very natural when worn, while also perfectly hiding the seam between the socks and shoes.
When talking about the character Houshou Marine, she is naturally very lively, cheerful, and passionate about adventure. Putting on a nun cosplay, this sense of restraint collides with the character's inherent energy, creating a very prominent gap moe. During the shoot, I kept thinking, \"Even if she wears a nun's habit, her inner playfulness and approachable charm won't change.\" Therefore, I didn't deliberately act cold or aloof in my expressions and movements. Instead, I used small gestures—like gently touching the horns on the headdress with one hand, or simply kicking my leg up in a slightly exaggerated way—to recreate her usual lively style.
Since the skirt of the nun outfit is heavy, I had to repeatedly adjust my standing posture and how I applied force to capture beautiful movements. Fortunately, the photographer cooperated wonderfully and captured many dynamic moments. My red hair looked exceptionally bright under the spotlight beams. In the kicking action, the white socks, black platform shoes, and the black fabric of the clothes created a powerful visual impact. Even I could feel that free-spirited vitality when looking at the final photos.
Preparing for this cosplay actually took a lot of thought. From styling the wig to every seam of the costume, I wanted to stay as close as possible to the character's design. After all, besides physical resemblance, conveying the right expressions and vibe is also crucial. Specially choosing two completely different environments for the shoot was also to show the character's possibilities in different settings. The sacredness of the nun outfit and the character's liveliness achieved a relatively balanced display in this set of photos. The whole process was like a very happy character experience, using the lens to freeze the state I wanted to present in my heart.