[Ibaraki Kasen cosplay] Touhou Project Chinese-style girl, partial color splash attempt in a mid-air pose

For this derivative Chinese-style girl design of Ibaraki Kasen from Touhou Project, a lot of thought went into the preliminary preparations. This outfit combines Chinese elements, red-based gold-trimmed embroidery, and extensive lace lolita dress design, aiming to visually create a contrasting feeling that is both gorgeous and carries a bit of combat attribute. The floral hair ornaments on the head and the fluffy pink twin-tails are the soul; to maintain a lightweight feel, the wig was given a relatively complex styling. In terms of makeup, to match the 2D anime atmosphere, the eye makeup was drawn relatively deep, emphasizing the aegyo-sal and eyelash detailing to make the gaze more piercing. The base makeup pursued a fair and clean texture, paired with natural lip tones to ensure the makeup wouldn't look too heavy under strong light.

The shooting location was chosen in an indoor space with a bit of modern industrial style, where the striped lines of the ceiling and neat recessed lights provide a great sense of extension. The biggest difficulty of this shoot lay in the design of the actions. To showcase Kasen's lively yet slightly powerful temperament, the photographer suggested trying a mid-air floating action. There were actually no wire harnesses; it was completely accomplished through jumping and core strength captured instantly at the right moment. The floating feel in the photos, aside from the jumping timing, also benefited from the low-angle perspective of the wide-angle lens, which not only elongated the leg lines but also made the overall posture much more imposing. In terms of clothing details, the wide white lace sleeve covers are actually somewhat restrictive to movements, but they can form a great visual extension when swung. The white stockings on the legs were intentionally chosen in a style with red strap details, paired with black Mary Jane shoes, creating some layered echoes in the display of leg lines. The green long tassel ribbon played a great cutting role in the frame, breaking the monotony of red and white.

The post-processing direction for this set of photos was also a key point of our communication. To highlight the main subject, I had the background iron chains and architectural structures processed into a black, white, and gray monochrome tone by the editor—namely, partial color retention. This way, the color focus was completely concentrated on the character's red, white, and green color scheme. The foreground deliberately retained thick black iron chains with a blur effect; on the one hand, it increases the layering of the frame, and on the other hand, it metaphorically hints at certain traits in the character's setting. The handcuffs on both hands and the traction iron chain props were also the finishing touches, adding a bit of hardcore visual impact to the otherwise sweet dress.

Actually, wearing this outfit to perform such large movements is quite a test of physical strength and balance, especially with high heels and layered skirt hems; every jump and landing required extreme care. However, seeing the tension presented in the final finished photos, I truly feel that all the previous hard work was worth it. Huge thanks to the photographer @蛇蛇子 for perfectly capturing these moments, combining Touhou's fantastical feel with the unique charm of a Chinese-style girl so wonderfully.