While searching through my hard drive, I unexpectedly discovered this set of Kamisama Kiss Nanami and Mizuki cosplay photos taken years ago. Because I always felt they weren't edited well, I left them to gather dust in a folder. Since I happen to be free recently, I pulled them out again for a round of detailed editing.
When doing the Nanami cosplay back then, I actually worried about the wig's material and styling for a long time. Her kind of soft, golden-brown long hair with an airy feel would look very un-anime-like if the wig was too heavy, so I repeatedly trimmed the ends and the side strands to frame my face. For the costume, I chose her iconic beige vest and white shirt, with the large yellow bowtie at the chest acting as the visual focus of the entire styling. To match the natural soft-focus tone in shoujo manga, I intentionally darkened the blush under the eyes, trying to capture Nanami's unique temperament of being energetic yet slightly shy.
My partner @玻色子 this time went as Mizuki, who has always stayed by Nanami's side. The silver-white short hair paired with the pale yellow Japanese-style kimono looked cold yet carried a touch of warmth. So many years have passed, and seeing that we can still dig out the old photos to edit together feels truly wonderful. Everyone was still very green when taking photos back then, and we weren't that experienced in arranging the environment, but this set of photos taken in a small Japanese-style courtyard instead preserved a lot of natural, uncarved beauty.
During post-processing, I intentionally created a hazy feeling of looking back. The foreground incorporates a blurred overlay of cherry blossoms, lowering the contrast and adding a touch of warm-yellow main tone, which, coordinated with the soft light cast by the paper lanterns nearby, tries its best to restore that unique, unintentionally flowing warmth and healing sensation of shoujo manga. Looking at it now, the serenity of the Japanese-style photography in the composition truly fits the bond between Mizuki and Nanami perfectly.
I really like the quiet interactive atmosphere in the photos. For example, the hand lightly resting on the shoulder and the tiny physical distance when hugging from behind are all attempts to express the trust and companionship between the characters. Nanami is sometimes a clumsy girl, but her genuine and brave spirit is exceptionally infectious. Meanwhile, Mizuki seems a bit tsundere on the surface, but his guardianship over Nanami is always silent and gentle.
This afternoon spent doing edits, while adjusting the color tones and recalling the plot of the original work, felt as if I were pulled back into those youth years. The light, shadow, and lenses of these old photos might not be perfectly flawless, but the love for the characters and the work contained within them has not diminished at all. And the most precious part is that our group of friends met through a shared hobby; later on, even though we are busy with our own lives, we can still gather at any time to continue producing new works. This is probably the most meaningful extension of cosplay.
I hope this original intention towards anime can always be maintained, and I salute my past self who worked hard in front of the lens to replicate all of Nanami's cute moments in this shoujo manga cosplay.