This time, I joined fellow Cunning Hares members portraying Nico cosplay, Anby cosplay, and Nekomiya Mana cosplay at the offline event for the McDonald's × Zenless Zone Zero BFF collaboration to capture a set of cosplay photos that perfectly fit the themed campaign.
The venue decor highlighted the classic McDonald's red and yellow color palette, with stacks of retro TV sets and speakers oozing arcade nostalgia and the urban trendy flair of the game. I took on the role of Nico cosplay, wearing an off-the-shoulder red-and-yellow color-blocked top paired with a white skirt, iconic yellow Over-the-knee socks cosplay and sneakers, accented with a thigh ring, making the entire look fresh and dynamic. Since the collab props featured plenty of red-and-yellow elements, standing in front of the prop stack in this outfit delivered immense visual impact. Anby wore a classic white shirt and black suspenders with a red-pleated skirt, where the yellow tie and round-frame glasses faithfully captured her quiet demeanor while blending seamlessly into the fast-food theme colors. Nekomiya Mana's suspender shorts and plush beast ears added an extra layer of playful liveliness to the whole scene.
To achieve the best results, our photographer and we dedicated considerable effort to adjusting angles and lighting on site. For example, in the pose where I stood next to the TV stack with one leg raised, I had to maintain balance while keeping my arm posture natural as I held the exclusive collab French fries box prop. Under the overlapping interplay of outdoor light and indoor mall lighting, red and yellow colors could easily overexpose. Therefore, post-processing involved meticulous color and highlight balancing to preserve both shadow details and bright highlights, giving the overall image a bright, positive, and energetic texture. The set design was elaborate; the "S" logo on the TV screens echoed the McDonald's golden arches, making shooting here feel like crossing the threshold between gaming and reality.
The urban streetwear style of Zenless Zone Zero and McDonald's fast-food culture are both highly energetic elements, and this BFF collaboration fused them using red, yellow, and black as the primary visual scheme. Whether it was the exclusive snack box prop for Nico, the burger pattern on Anby's tie, or the co-branded sneakers on our feet, extensive homework was done on every detail. As cosplayers, we would repeatedly execute the same movement to capture a faithful and tension-filled shot, but seeing the final result made every bit of effort worthwhile.
Being able to shoot alongside talented cosplayers like @Riko呆呆, @田富珍, and @蕾诺诺Rina_, everyone demonstrated utmost professionalism. From helping each other adjust wigs and smooth out garment wrinkles to holding reflectors for one another in such a vibrant red-and-yellow environment, this set of photos was truly a collaborative effort. Cross-dimensional collaborations often spark greater creative inspiration; it requires not only precision in costumes and props, but more importantly, conveying the character's lively spirit to the audience.
Although temperatures were quite warm on the event day, wearing these relatively thick costumes indoors while continuously adjusting poses and navigating between prop stacks and stairwells was physically demanding. Yet as cosplay enthusiasts, participating in an offline themed event when our favorite game collaborates with an iconic brand is an experience well worth documenting. Furthermore, meeting many Zenless Zone Zero players and visitors eager to learn about cosplay created a shared sense of resonance that was deeply rewarding.
Finally, a brief takeaway from this photoshoot: because the red and yellow color clash easily leans warm on camera, we slightly cooled the color temperature in post-processing to ensure natural skin tones. Meanwhile, the large area of bright yellow from the TV props was very intense, so relying solely on on-camera flash would have left the subjects underexposed; using softboxes ensured even facial illumination. Prop-rich scenes like this are genuinely fantastic for creative shoots. I hope this photo set conveys the enthusiastic atmosphere of the offline collaboration, and I look forward to bringing you more exciting cosplay works in the future.