Sixteen years have passed since K-ON! first aired, and today I'm finally sharing this set of photos stored away. This high school band story was the gateway anime to music for so many people; now, through this set of photos wearing a JK uniform and holding a guitar, I am re-documenting those feelings from back then.
For the costume, I chose a deep navy blue blazer paired with a white shirt and gray pleated skirt, finished on the lower half with a Black tights outfit and black loafers. The blazer boasts a crisp tailored fit, slightly unbuttoned at the collar with ribbon tie details at the neckline, ensuring the overall look stays close to her everyday anime outfit. Her orange-brown short hair was secured at the bangs with hair clips, faithfully recreating the hairstyle and color palette in detail.
As a prop, this sunburst electric guitar was undeniably the centerpiece of the whole shoot. The white pickguard, neck, headstock, tuning pegs, and pickups faithfully recreated the anime design. The guitar has a substantial weight in hand; to balance a natural posing posture with instrument stability during shooting, I had to repeatedly adjust my left hand's angle to prevent the heavy headstock from unbalancing the silhouette. This authentic weight added a touch of genuine relatability to the character image.
The location chosen was a spacious indoor hall where high metal pipes and circular ceiling lights were subtly visible, with massive floor-to-ceiling glass windows introducing cool-toned natural light. Vast concrete flooring and distant red caution tape created an expansive background unique to an exhibition setup period. The photographer used a wide-aperture lens to blur background window frames and pillars, drawing complete visual focus to the portrait and instrument. As light struck the curved lacquer surface of the guitar body, distinct layers of reflection emerged.
The photo set includes various composition experiments. First is a vertical three-panel strip capturing continuous performance states—progressing in mood from focused head-down strumming, to playful one-legged lifting, to the vibrant moment of singing aloud. The second is a horizontal full-body shot using a wide-legged standing pose, left hand gripping the neck and right hand resting lightly on the body, paired with a bright smile showcasing confident, cheerful energy suitable for a Girls Band. The final image adopted a tilted composition, capturing a side profile with eyes closed and head tilted back; cool overhead lighting cascaded down, creating a warm-and-cool color contrast against the dark uniform and reddish-brown guitar, rendering an atmosphere both tranquil and filled with artistic tension.
From preparing outfits and props to adjusting poses and collaborating with the photographer, every step of this shoot strove to recreate the relaxing and healing vibe of that anime from sixteen years ago. As a pioneer of music anime, those melodies long ago became a part of daily life. Putting on this outfit felt like revisiting those emotions visually. In this set of Hirasawa Yui cosplay photos, what I wished to convey was precisely this sense of free, pure, and energetic passion. The electric guitar prop combined with the classic JK uniform and Black tights outfit achieved an ideal balance in both color and composition. Special thanks to the photographer for finding the light and tracking every shot—the light and shadow processing in this set is truly exceptional.