[Naruse Jun Cosplay] The Silence and Cold of an Abandoned Station in Chongqing

Standing on the abandoned tracks in this white sailor-collared uniform in Chongqing during December, I truly understood the full weight of the phrase "as freezing as it gets." The location for this shoot was an old, abandoned station in Chongqing. The tracks were overgrown with green weeds, and the surroundings were covered with lush trees and ivy, giving it a desolate feel of being forgotten by time. This slightly bleak and cool environment perfectly resonates with the traits of Jun Naruse in the work—someone who wants to shout out loud but keeps her emotions buried deep in her heart.

For the recreation of this look, we didn't deliberately chase after any exaggerated props; instead, we focused our efforts on costume details and expressions. The white sailor-collar top paired with a black bow tie, along with a white pleated short skirt, black tights, and black uniform leather shoes on the lower body—this basic style of Japanese school style outfit actually highly tests the overall texture. The weather in Chongqing on the day of the shoot was indeed freezing; standing on an unsheltered platform in just a short skirt and single-layer top made me literally shiver from the cold. But to maintain the character's clean and sharp temperament, I still had to keep my posture as upright as possible during the shoot, refraining from curling up due to the cold.

In terms of shooting techniques, the photographer and I reached a tacit understanding to weaken complex background distractions and focus the main subject of the frame on the spatial relationships among the person, the tracks, the platform, and the archway. You can see that the finalized photos utilize the perspective lines of the tracks for composition guidance, creating a sense of extension. The concrete ceiling overhead forms a natural viewfinder, while the softly blurred, lush green woods in the background create a beautiful contrast of warm and cool tones against the grayish-white architecture. For lighting, we chose soft, natural diffuse light, keeping the overall exposure of the frame relatively low, which, combined with the tone of the green plants, presents a cool color palette leaning toward a Japanese film aesthetic.

When shooting this photo set, we didn't actually intend to express highly intense emotional tension; instead, we wanted to capture a sense of serenity and loneliness. The character Naruse Jun has massive waves surging inside her heart, yet her outward expression is closed off and silent. Sitting on the edge of the platform with my legs hanging down naturally, I tilted my head slightly toward the camera. My gaze didn't need much turbulence, just a clean and natural state. The black short hair with straight-cut bangs was a bit messy from the breeze, but it blended perfectly into this naturally growing environment.

As a Chongqing cosplay shoot, we scouted many locations during the early prep stage before finally settling on this abandoned station. Choosing this place wasn't solely because the environment has a vintage feel, but more importantly because it is far from the city's hustle and bustle, allowing us to immerse ourselves in the character's atmosphere without distractions. Whether it was adjusting the model's state or setting up camera positions, everything went very smoothly in this quiet environment. Although the weather was freezing, looking at the final photos makes me feel that all the cold was completely worth it. The white of this sailor uniform stands out beautifully against the grayish-green backdrop, and the final results look clean and restrained without redundant decorations, perfectly matching the emotions Naruse Jun wishes to convey in The Anthem of the Heart.

I hope this recreation of Naruse Jun on the abandoned tracks of Chongqing can pass on that serene yet slightly struggling inner feeling to everyone through the visuals.