Continuous shutter clicks are truly addictive! Over the two days at CPSP Shanghai, I spent almost all my free time shooting Kokona. The two happiest things today were being recognized by Youguo-sensei as the Sunohara Kokona from the Hangzhou comic convention in February, and successfully getting hugs with Miebao.
The crowd and atmosphere at CPSP Shanghai this year were as lively and passionate as ever. To faithfully recreate the character of Sunohara Kokona, I did extensive prep before the event—from smoothing out the wig to adjusting garment details and positioning accessories. When appearing on camera, I wanted not just to wear the costume, but to truly make people feel the character's unique essence.
For this Cosplay outfit, I wore a black-and-gray color-blocked dress featuring large white geometric curve patterns across the skirt, an iconic element of her design. The top features a gray short-sleeved cinched waist design, complemented by a gold-trimmed black choker around the neck and an eye-catching yellow scarf. This contrasting yellow-black-white-gray palette is visually striking. The hair is a translucent silver-white, styled with a yellow flower accessory on one side of the head and fluffy animal ears. The hair strands showed a beautiful sheen under the venue lights, which is crucial for this look. Additionally, the arm sleeves feature layered ruffles, exposing only the wrists and the back of the hands.
Since the original character design does not wear stockings, in the pose for Photo 1, I deliberately raised my hands beside my face to convey a playful, lively vibe. This pose actually tests arm muscle control in front of the lens; raising them too high looks stiff, while keeping them too low lacks energy—it took several practice runs to find the right relaxed balance. Photo 2 was taken while interacting with a microphone near a booth. Because the mic would block the bow tie/scarf, I slightly shifted my center of gravity and turned sideways to achieve the best shot.
Lighting inside the exhibition hall was quite mixed, with numerous photography lights and booth props in the background. To capture clean shots in such a complex environment, the photographers used large softboxes and grids to suppress background glare, allowing the white patterns and black base of the skirt to create sharp contrast on camera. For close-up shots, I emphasized highlights on the cheeks and the bridge of my nose to add dimensional depth to facial features.
Photo 3 was taken in the venue's rest area. Natural light filtering through the glass windows gave the wig a remarkably soft texture. The small orange-and-yellow plushie in my hands was a specially chosen accessory for this shoot; wearing a blue-and-white sailor-collared dress, it matched the overall look wonderfully. Holding such a soft, cuddly plush doll made it easy to relax into a natural state.
During breaks, I peeked at the camera playback with the photographer. The frame frozen on the camera screen in Photo 4 felt intensely immersive. Even on a small screen, seeing myself and the plushie in the viewfinder in real time brought a wonderful sense of crossover reality—a truly unique part of the convention experience.
After the event, I took the high-speed rail back home. Sitting in my seat browsing through the merch collected today—especially the gold-bordered autographed illustration card in Photo 5 featuring an orange-pink-haired character with round glasses biting a popsicle in an oversized beige coat—receiving such autographed and hand-drawn cards from fellow fans or creators makes every bit of careful prep feel like a cross-dimensional dialogue with the original work.
When preparing a character, I sometimes even dream of standing there in the outfit. While cosplay is a 3D expression of 2D characters, what I want to convey most is pure love for the character. Cosplaying Sunohara Kokona made me realize even more that details make all the difference. Spending so much time smoothing skirt pleats and taming flyaway wig strands all felt worthwhile the moment I saw everyone's satisfied smiles.
For me, a comic convention is a platform where I can freely showcase my passions. At this event, whether posing under the lights or walking through the crowd, hearing people call out the character's name and being remembered was an incredible feeling. Though tired on the high-speed rail home, looking through these authentic moments in my Comic convention record filled my heart with fulfillment. Sorting through these photos and reminiscing about everything over the past two days, existing as a character in everyone's lens is inherently meaningful in itself.