[Megumi Kato Cosplay] The Boring Girlfriend Under Spring Sakura—How's the Accuracy?

In this spring sakura-themed shoot, I chose to recreate Megumi Kato's classic campus look from Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend. To match the romantic atmosphere of the blooming March sakura, we chose this blossoming cherry blossom forest for the location shoot. The weather was excellent; the blue sky and pink flowers formed a wonderful contrast, making me highly look forward to the final photos.

For the costume preparation, I intentionally prepared two looks to enrich the layers of this cosplay. The first look is the highly familiar deep navy blue blazer, with the white sailor collar underneath recreating the clean and sharp academic style from the original work, while the red ribbon at the neckline acts as the visual focus of the entire dark color-schemed outfit. To match the spring temperature, I also draped a matching red knit cardigan over my shoulders. This casual draping method both brightens up the overall colors and reflects that subtle sense of laziness and daily life of the character. The lower body features a matching blue pleated skirt paired with black knee-high socks, a combination that elongates the leg proportions while perfectly fitting the everyday image of a high school girl in the original work.

The second look switches into a light blue knit vest layered over a white short-sleeved sailor collar shirt, topped off with a white plush headband and a handheld flower bouquet. Compared to the blazer look, this light-colored outfit feels much lighter and more breathable, aligning better with the fresh, ethereal visual baseline under the cherry blossom trees. The white trim design of the light blue vest matches the details in the original character setting, making the overall look appear crisper and more lively.

In terms of makeup, I kept it as light and clean as possible to recreate that seemingly ordinary yet highly enduring quality of the 'boring girlfriend.' The base makeup is translucent and natural, and the eyeshadow was chosen in a faint peach pink, just echoing the sakura background behind me. The blush also utilized a matching orange-pink tone, swept under the eyes and near the apple of the cheeks to add a touch of slightly tipsy cuteness. For the lips, I used a glossy milk-tea color, which isn't over-the-top but provides a great complexion-boosting effect. As for the hair, it was trimmed into a short, straight bob with full bangs, with the hair ends naturally curling inward, conveying a softer and more approachable everyday feel when wearing the white plush headband.

Regarding the choice of props, I held a bouquet of faux flowers wrapped in light pink and white wrapping paper. The color of the flowers blends ingeniously with the pink sakura without stealing the spotlight, while adding richness to the frame for hand actions. In some close-up shots, I tried lightly holding a pink sakura blossom between my lips, aiming to present a more vivid, playful, and slightly artistic atmosphere through this, which is also a small clever idea I personally quite like in this Sakura Photograph set.

For the shooting methodology, the photographer primarily used natural light; the light filtering through the flower branches fell very softly on the face without harsh shadows. The depth of field in the photos was beautifully controlled; the wide aperture's blur turned the cluttered background branches into soft bokeh, with some obstruction in the foreground creating a dreamlike layer of spring. In terms of composition, besides the half-body close-ups to express facial states, we also shot full-body frames. Through different scales and postures, I wanted to showcase the charm of this JK uniform from all angles. This set of works is poured with our love for the series, hoping to record Megumi Kato's unique daily feel during this spring through the lens of Japanese-style cosplay.