This shoot featured the younger form of Sunohara Shun from Blue Archive, widely known as Shun (Small). To start with the actual wearing experience: it's a modified navy blue qipao cut from fabric with substantial weight, featuring a mandarin stand-up collar fastened with green frog buttons and short sleeves finished with crisp white piped edges. The black underbust corset at the waist defines the waistline nicely, though it slightly restricts mobility and requires periodic straightening to keep its shape. The bottom is styled as shorts with subtle side slits, making it very comfortable to wear, though I still had to keep a close eye on movement range throughout the shoot.
For makeup, to achieve that youthful, adorable innocence, I wore bright teal-green colored contacts and blended a generous wash of pink eyeshadow and blush around the eyes and cheeks, finished with a soft pink lip glaze. I also painted my nails in matching pastel pink so hand gestures before the lens would carry richer nuance. The twintails paired with cat-ear buns are quintessential Anime girl moe tropes. To secure the purple-blue butterfly halo prop overhead, the stylist used numerous bobby pins and clear monofilament wire. Sudden head movements were out of the question to keep the prop from tilting askew, making this a true endurance test for my neck. White four-leaf clover pins were clipped onto the twintails to add delicate visual layers.
The location was set in a traditional Chinese garden framed by bamboo groves, rockeries, and koi ponds. Walking along stone pavers in White stockings and black chunky block-heeled Mary Janes proved tiring, but to stay faithful to the character, I maintained an airy, light-footed posture. Holding the prop rifle felt surprisingly heavy in hand, creating an endearing gap-moe contrast against the sweet outfit. The photographer had a great eye for candid timing, directing me through poses like double-fist cheer gestures, cheek peace signs, glancing back over the shoulder, and perching atop stone balustrades with crossed legs. The lush garden greenery against the deep navy attire offered crisp color contrast, and bright sunlight gave the White stockings a sheer, luminous texture. Running outdoors in over-the-knee socks got a bit warm, but seeing the final images made every effort worthwhile. The nuances of this Shun (Small) look truly resonated with me—especially that touch of tsundere pride combined with an earnest effort to act cute—and I couldn't be happier with the results.