Happy Birthday Shinpei! Taking advantage of today's celebratory mood, I'm sharing some behind-the-scenes snaps taken by the beach during our Wakayama travel first. While the official Cosplay photography set is still in post-production, these selfies and casual snapshots already capture all the joy we felt during the shoot. This time, my sister and I did a Summer Time Rendering cosplay duo—I cosplayed as Mio Kofune (Mio Kofune cosplay), and my sister was Ushio Kofune. The short hair styling felt exceptionally refreshing in the sea breeze, and my blue floral Yukata outfit matched the beach backdrop unexpectedly well. My sister's long blonde hair and white Yukata outfit with large red flowers also brought out that vibrant summer energy from the original work.
The weather was phenomenal on the day of the shoot; the sea was a sparkling, translucent turquoise, and sunlight reflected brilliantly off the white sandy beach. We hardly used any complicated lighting setups, relying entirely on natural sunlight. This natural setting made it so much easier to relax and get into character. Since most of these were selfies, I focused on keeping a smiling, cheerful posture to channel Mio's lively and upbeat personality. In the two close-up duo shots, the wind was actually blowing fiercely and our bangs were flying everywhere, but I feel that this authentic state looks even better than heavy retouching.
We put a lot of thought into preparing the costumes and styling. When cutting Mio's short wig, special care was needed for layering so it wouldn't look stiff. Meanwhile, although my sister's long blonde wig looked stunning, it felt quite heavy when caught in the sea breeze; she worked tirelessly through multiple retakes just to capture that flowing dynamic motion. But the final result was absolutely worth it—her side-profile turning shot is full of momentum and narrative depth.
Visiting Wakayama in person during this Wakayama travel trip allowed us to truly immerse ourselves in the summer island atmosphere of Summer Time Rendering. The white buildings across the sea, the soft sand beneath our feet, and the constant sound of breaking waves all served as natural props and emotional seasoning for our Cosplay photography. We shot so many sets and even added several unplanned scenes beyond our initial schedule, which is why there are simply too many photos to post all at once! Through this shoot, we weren't just completing a cosplay project—it truly felt like we experienced the very beach where the characters lived.
Once again, wishing Shinpei a very happy birthday! This work holds so much of our passion and effort, and I hope these behind-the-scenes photos convey the summer warmth and coastal tranquility we wanted to share. The official set is still being polished, and we look forward to presenting a more complete and refined version soon—please stay tuned!