[Komeiji Koishi Cosplay] The Forgotten Girl and Flower Vines in Touhou Project

This set of Komeiji Koishi from the game background of Touhou Project was shot last October, completed in collaboration with @Wuyu Ruoye. The color scheme of this costume has a great sense of visual layering, with a large area of a dark green skirt hem paired with loose white sleeves and black lace trim. Coupled with the mint-colored wig, the overall colors lean toward cool tones, yet possess rich details due to variations in fabric textures. The dark green ribbon on the chest is embroidered with white vine patterns, beautifully echoing the blue spherical prop in hand.

The prop itself is highly unique, featuring pupil-like details on the surface of the blue sphere. It is surrounded by handmade blue-purple roses and flower vines, connected to a purple coiled cord and a telephone receiver, giving the entire look an era-transcending sense of fantasy. During the shoot, we deliberately emphasized the existence of this prop in the action design, such as holding the receiver to the ear as if having a conversation with another world. The positioning of the receiver and flower vines had to be just right, without blocking the black lace at the collar or that emerald necklace.

The trimming of the wig was a part we focused heavily on this time. The mint-colored hair strands have a very lightweight texture, but the layers of the bangs and sideburns, combined with the makeup, breathed life into the image that originally only had a hairstyle outline. The green colored contacts directly pointed out the character's traits. The photographer used a relatively soft side-overhead light, a lighting method that heavily tests the clothing materials; fortunately, the velvet of the dress and the cotton-linen of the shirt performed very stably under the light.

In terms of posing, we shot several sets of different states. There are full-body shots standing on one leg, wearing black platform Mary Jane shoes paired with black stockings to elongate the visual effect, which also showcases the ruffled layers of the skirt hem. There are also frames sitting on a black iron high stool, with legs placed one high and one low while holding the prop firmly. The most satisfying one is probably the pose sitting on a white base platform with both legs lifted; combined with the naturally scattered form of the skirt hem, the overall presentation carries a relaxed and playful atmosphere. During shooting breaks, the photographer and I were still discussing the positioning of the cuffs, because this kind of large lantern sleeve can easily make a person look bloated if not straightened out properly.

It actually took quite a lot of time from preparation to final release. The black pleats and lace of the hat, along with the blue and white flower embellishments on it, were especially eye-catching in the off-white solid-color studio. When wearing clothes of this style, keeping the body posture upright is crucial. Although the skirt itself was puffed up with a petticoat, if one isn't careful when sitting down, the white flower embroidery on the skirt hem can easily be creased or folded.

The weather last October was no longer hot, so staying in the studio wearing this outfit was actually very comfortable. Several different shooting angles, from close-up shots revealing the gleam in the eyes to full-body compositions presenting the overall unity of the props and costume. When organizing the raw photos later, I discovered that some expressions and movements captured at that time indeed perfectly fit the character setting. For the overall color tone in this post-production, we didn't apply heavy filters, focusing more on preserving the gloss and texture so that the temperament of this Subterranean Animism girl from Touhou Project could be presented naturally. My shooting experience tells me that for this kind of styling with complex accessories and garments, on-site lighting adjustments and positioning movements need to be communicated well with the photographer in advance to keep the texture of every photo uniform. This set of photos is both an interpretation of the character and an attempt at studio composition for us. To me, the meaning of cosplay probably lies right here—dedicating the heart to restoring every single detail within the settings.