Today, I'm sharing my shooting experience for this Kochiya Sanae Cosplay. I've been into the Touhou Project for a while now, and Sanae—a character with a fantastical flair and a refreshing temperament—has always given me a great impression and the urge to try cosplaying her. To fit the setting as closely as possible, I first put a lot of thought into choosing the wig. This highly saturated, bright green long straight hair not only replicates her iconic heavy bangs, but its volume is also sufficient to sustain a naturally cascading look. Paired with light green contact lenses of the same color palette, the visual integration upon wearing them is quite good, doing my best to bring out that energetic vibe.
Regarding the costume, this modified-style shrine maiden outfit is rich in design details. The white base paired with large areas of lace ruffles brings a light and ethereal visual effect, while the blue starry sky and floating cloud ribbon is the soul element of the entire outfit. Although layering it up and wearing the accessories piece by piece can be a bit tedious, spending this time adjusting the fit for the final photo quality is absolutely worth it. To match the overall refreshing color tone, I also intentionally softened the facial contours and shadows, keeping my facial features clean and soft, which serves as a little trick from my cosplay insights on mastering such sweet and energetic characters.
The most interesting part of this shoot was naturally the prop snake interaction with this special partner in my hand. When I mentioned in the post that "Shanshan shows resistance to an unfamiliar scent," it was truly no exaggeration. I originally wanted to shoot some cool close-ups holding the snake, but it felt quite stiff and awkward, becoming a bit restless as soon as it was brought out and wrapped around my hand. During the adjustment process, it kept trying to find an angle to slip away. To capture the exact moment it stayed quietly in my hand, I had to keep my posture and facial expression steady while carefully fixing its position with gentle force. After a chaotic period of adaptation, we finally coordinated a relatively natural holding posture.
I was incredibly happy when I finally got this set of photos. The luster of the green hair strands combined with the negative space of the outfit makes the frame look exceptionally clear and translucent. Cosplay is not just a duplication of a character's outer shell, but a heartfelt expression of loving this character. Being able to materialize and record this character from the Touhou Project through my own attempt is a very interesting experience in itself, perfect for my Anime-style photography collection.