[Megumi Kato Cosplay] Self-Assembling Saekano's First-Meeting Outfit with Budget Items

Catching the tail end of the cherry blossom season, I recreated Megumi Kato's outfit from her first meeting. Because the official design of this anime character outfit is quite unique, the ready-made costumes on the market were either missing parts or had the wrong texture, so I chose to find suitable individual items on e-commerce platforms to assemble it myself.

The shopping process was actually quite exhausting. Figures 2 to 4 are partial screenshots of my orders this time. The price of that white dress and the knit cardigan was indeed very budget-friendly; for a budget-conscious coser like me, cost-effectiveness is the primary consideration. When selecting separate items, I didn't just look at whether the color matched but also paid attention to the collar design and the dress's tailoring. Initially, I ordered two different versions of the skirt and sweater to compare, and the set I finally locked in had an unexpectedly great upper-body effect. The white shirt collar paired with the thin pink cardigan, plus the white beret and bow tie, made the elements stack up just right—not too cluttered, yet beautifully restoring the character's setting.

What attracts me most about Megumi Kato might be her seemingly ordinary yet immensely charming aura. This first-meeting outfit, with its slightly casual design that doesn't intentionally emphasize body curves, actually adds a sense of daily reality. Walking under the cherry blossom trees in this outfit made me feel fully integrated into that serene spring vibe. During the shoot, petals drifted down from time to time, maxing out the atmosphere. Although the beret kept sliding off when it was windy outdoors and needed constant adjustment, for the sake of getting good shots, this little trouble was nothing at all.

During the styling process, I also stepped on some landmines—for instance, the length of the bow tie. If it's too long, it easily looks cumbersome; if it's too short, it's not prominent enough. To get closer to the character's proportions, I intentionally adjusted the wearing position of the bow tie. There were also issues with the length of the skirt hem and whether to wear safety shorts underneath. The safety shorts in Figure 4 were my secret weapon because this kind of short skirt can easily blow up during outdoor shoots when the wind blows; adding safety shorts definitely provides peace of mind.

This set of photos was rushed right before the cherry blossoms completely withered. The lighting was very soft and the overall color tone leaned bright, which highly fits the character's elegant and understated style. Although we couldn't achieve a complete 1-to-1 recreation of that specific corner railing from the manga, the pink-and-white outfit blended beautifully with the shades of the cherry blossoms for some stunning spring cherry blossom photography.

In short, with decent tailoring and a cheap price, this self-assembled first-meeting look definitely added a lot of points to this outdoor shoot experience. For friends who want to try this character on a low budget, I think finding the right texture for separate item accessories is the key; there's no need to chase the most expensive factory-made outfits. As long as the cut is right, the resulting effect won't be bad. Although the schedule during the cosplay photography was tight, the moment the shutter clicked, I felt like I truly had a brief resonance with the character. Affordable cosplay costumes have their own joy. This is probably my biggest takeaway from this shoot. I'll record this self-assembly experience here, hoping to provide a small reference for other cosers who want to give it a try.