[Nico cosplay] Zenless Zone Zero Nico's ChinaJoy Exhibition Log

ChinaJoy was packed with an overwhelming sea of people today; chugging an iced Americano in the morning was the only way I managed to power through the opening rush. For this event, I cosplayed Nico from Zenless Zone Zero. From styling and trimming the wig to tailoring the outfit, as well as crafting the choker around the neck and the arm sleeves, preparing ahead of time to capture the character's signature look took quite a while. The pink wig required layered styling, and the position of the black bow hair accessory on top and the hairclips on the bangs had to be adjusted bit by bit against reference sheets. To match her design, I wore green contact lenses and applied deeper eye makeup, aiming to present the best possible look in front of the camera.

Nico has a distinct personality—she appears casual and carefree on the surface, yet she is remarkably sharp and shrewd underneath. Walking around the show floor, I tried my best to maintain the character's posture and expressions while holding props and posing for various shots. Because the hall got quite warm, wearing the full set felt rather stuffy. While the fabrics were optimized for visual appeal, wearing multiple layers still proved to be an endurance test. Midday hit hard, so I grabbed some lemonade to refresh myself and downed some cola for a quick sugar rush, which finally helped me bounce back. For lunch, my friends and I had bullfrog to recharge our batteries, and in the afternoon, we snacked on crispy potato sticks and picked up cosmetic samples that came in handy for touching up my makeup.

While roaming around the halls, many photographers came over asking for photos. Everyone showed immense respect for the character, making communication smooth and pleasant. Several photographers took the initiative to guide poses, suggesting peace signs or side angles, and I adjusted with the camera lenses, making the entire flow effortless. Whenever fellow fans recognized the character, we stopped to snap commemorative group selfies; that shared resonance born from a mutual passion is truly the most charming part of an anime convention. Staying camera-ready throughout any cosplay outing requires constant focus—especially for the eyes, which dry out after hours of wearing colored contacts, though luckily I brought eye drops. The 2D pop culture atmosphere was extraordinarily lively. Even though walking from morning until the afternoon pushed my step counter past 20,000 steps and left the soles of my feet numb, seeing so many passionate anime enthusiasts and hearing them call out the character's name instantly melted away the exhaustion.

Wrapping up and returning to the hotel room, the moment of taking off the wig and costume felt like shedding a ton of weight. After washing off the makeup and taking a shower, collapsing on the bed to browse through today's pictures felt completely different from shooting in a standard photo studio. The spontaneity and dynamic lighting conditions of an event floor inject a lively vitality into the raw shots. Even with sore legs and aching feet, looking at those vibrant captures made every bit of hard work worthwhile. Now it's time to rest up for a few days, recharge, and prepare for the next shoot.