[Arknights Misumi Uika & Togawa Sakiko Cosplay] The Breakdown Moment of Duo Gaze

The hardest part to control in a duo gaze is probably the eye focus. Especially for our Misumi Uika and Togawa Sakiko looks from the Arknights Ave Mujica collaboration, we had to maintain a deep look while dodging the camera's "stare of death," which was definitely a huge test of eye control.

The scene setup for this shoot took a lot of effort—deep red curtains, vintage gears, a black-and-white checkered floor, paired with golden candlesticks and oil painting frames, instantly pulling us into that gorgeous dark Gothic world. As cosplayers, putting on these outfits was actually much more heavy-duty than imagined. The black velvet dresses paired with intricate lace trim, that pair of iconic black spiral horns, plus that pair of excellently textured platform lace-up Martin boots on our feet—the overall combination was not only visually heavy but also a considerable test of physical stamina during the shoot.

What surprised us the most was actually the coordination between the makeup and the wigs. The light blue and light blonde wigs have a very smooth material, and combined with the gold and purple colored contacts, expressing emotions through our gaze under the warm lights of the set was much more difficult than usual. When shooting duo shots, the photographer was constantly helping with the focus nearby. The two of us took turns adjusting our angles and where our eyes landed. Many times, we had to restart because we almost went cross-eyed or rolled our eyes, causing us to burst into laughter countless times.

Actually, the hardest part isn't not looking at the camera, but rather the "wireless connection" between our eyes during duo interactions. Often, just when I wanted to look at her, she happened to look elsewhere, or the light was too strong causing lens flare; looking at the captured photos, either my gaze was dazed or her eyes were rolled to the heavens. Fortunately, the photographer was amazing, constantly shouting "one more time," and we finally found that perfect click.

The lying-down overhead shot position and the interactions on the checkered floor gave the composition of the entire photo set more depth. That black vintage leather glove and the pose of fingers gently brushing against each other's cheeks were all repeatedly polished by us and the photographer. Because the location environment was quite complex, needing to avoid cluttered backgrounds and redundant light spots to keep the characters centered and whole, this mutual-benefit shooting process was indeed very mentally exhausting, but the final outcome made us feel that everything was worth it. Every time I see myself in the lens perfectly integrated into the scene, it deepens my love for this collaboration character setup. The extremely gorgeous decorations and sense of story make this unique cosplay experience truly rare.