Putting on this navy blue police uniform and picking up the blue-and-white prop gun, I feel like I've instantly switched to campus patrol mode. This time I am doing a Minami Kotori cosplay for her police uniform awakened look, doing my best to replicate that sweet yet sharp aura from the original design from the wig to the accessories. The bun on top of my head is fixed with a red-and-blue plaid bow, and together with that peaked cap featuring a golden brim and a starburst badge, the overall silhouette immediately gains the crispness of a uniform style. The red, white, and blue tricolor tie at the collar paired with yellow tassels is particularly eye-catching against the solid background, preventing the upper body from looking too monotonous. The off-shoulder design at the shoulders with golden trim retains Kotori's usual cute elements while integrating the sharp lines of a police uniform.
For this shoot, I specially prepared this prop pistol, which is mainly white with blue accents. Although it is made of plastic, holding it and striking an aiming pose definitely adds a lot of narrative sense to the frame. To showcase the layers of this outfit, I chose multiple angles: holding the gun sideways and tipping my hat, and a perspective composition with the muzzle pointed directly at the lens. My personal favorite is the last pose of lifting my leg while raising the gun, because it not only showcases the multi-layered design of the skirt—navy ruffles, red-and-blue plaid, and white lace hem—but also highlights the black leather strap on the thigh and the patchwork details of the off-white long boots, making the overall leg lines look very slender in camera.
In terms of posture arrangement, I deliberately avoided overly stiff standard standing poses and instead added some slice-of-life interactions, such as holding the hat in my hand, adjusting the tassels at the collar with my hand, or reaching out directly toward the lens to create a playful vibe of "Kotori launching an attack!" The fabric of this costume is actually quite deliberate; the navy blue fabric of the top is on the stiffer side, which can hold up the silhouette of the epaulets and collar, while the plaid section of the skirt is somewhat elastic, making it easy to do large movements. The star rivets and golden buttons on the belt are the finishing touches; the light creates subtle reflections on them during the shoot, making the image less flat.
Regarding the wig, the light flax color combined with the wispy bangs and the long hair on the side replicates Kotori's iconic hairstyle, and the bun on top of the head was made quite firm so it won't easily fall apart with the hair accessories during dynamic shooting. For makeup, I chose a clean base and a natural nude pink lip color. The eye makeup slightly emphasized the eyeliner and aegyosal to make my gaze look more determined when raising the gun, while returning to a gentle expression when putting down the prop. The prop gun is printed with words like 'SMART'. Although it doesn't fully replicate the details of a real firearm, it is quite sufficient as a subculture-style weapon for an anime girl, and the grip feels moderate in hand, preventing any hand stiffness while holding it.
During the shoot, we actually adjusted the lighting many times because a white background easily washes out the dark details of the clothes. Therefore, we used a rim light to outline the silhouette while supplementing with soft light from the front so that the plaid on the skirt and the colors of the tie would pop out. The setting of this police uniform awakened look itself is a perfect example of gap-moe—usually a gentle and quiet school idol from Love Live!, changing into a police uniform gives her a bit more of a protector's aura. This kind of transformation is exactly what attracts me most about police uniform cosplay. In post-processing, I only did basic skin tone unification and slight sharpening without changing too much of the original light and shadow, because I feel that a crisp style in a uniform photoshoot should retain its authentic texture, and too many filters would instead weaken that sharpness.
Wearing this whole gear and playing with various poses in front of the lens with the prop gun is actually a process of continuous trial and adjustment. For example, the angle of raising the gun, the height of lifting the leg, and how much the hat brim is pressed down will all affect the tension of the final frame. The final selected set of photos records my understanding of different facets of the character in each shot, ranging from a cute wave to a high-pressure aiming shot, and that nonchalant little action of adjusting the tie. I hope that through these images, everyone can feel the unique vitality and earnestness of Minami Kotori after putting on the police uniform—it's not just to look good, but to truly convey the positive energy inherent to the character.