[Sunna cosplay] Zenless Zone Zero: Seaside School Swimsuit Girl

Today, I shot this School swimsuit look for Sunna from Zenless Zone Zero down by the coast. The centerpiece of this ensemble is the massive pink retro telephone backpack worn behind my back. To recreate this prop faithfully, I cross-referenced the 3D model with precision, carving out the rotary dial bit by bit from lightweight clay and EVA foam—even matching the exact 3/4 markings. The texture of the swimsuit looks pristine beneath bright sunlight, forming a sharp, vivid color contrast alongside the light green wig. To accentuate Sunna's persona, the pink-and-white striped arm sleeve and pink leg straps were fine-tuned with careful nuance.

Crafting the prop alone took nearly half a month of prep. For the rotary dial of that vintage telephone, I initially experimented with 3D printing, but the surface texture felt too rigid and synthetic; in the end, I hand-cut acrylic sheeting and painted it with acrylics. Finding the right pink webbing for the backpack straps required scouring fabric markets to ensure the shade matched the original illustration perfectly. The School swimsuit itself is a classic cut, but I added subtle stitching along the chest and back to lend it three-dimensional definition.

We shot during the afternoon under piercing sunlight. To prevent harsh facial shadows, we continually shifted camera setups across the sand. The surf had far more power than expected, making barefoot balance on the sand tricky—especially during jumps or running takes where feet sank into the wet tide. The very first frame caught me turned away from the camera, lifting my right foot just as water splashed up. It demanded serious core engagement; I tried over a dozen times before catching the split second where waves broke right at my ankles. Hair and props lifted in tandem with the motion, giving the captured shot incredible vitality.

The coastal breeze was ferocious, repeatedly tangling the light green wig. To preserve styling integrity during back-turned shots, I often had to anchor the wig lightly with one hand to stop it from blowing across my face. The water was icy, and running barefoot through the shallows meant feeling coarse grains grating underfoot. To freeze the splashing water, the photographer lay flat against the sand, resting the lens barely above the water's surface. The hit rate was low because the rhythm of incoming waves shifted with every leap.

Furthermore, while school swimsuits look sleek, their form-fitting fabric attracts wet sand easily by the coast, requiring meticulous cleanups between takes. Posing while burdened by the hefty pink telephone backpack tested stamina; the straps had to be cinched tight to prevent swinging, leaving faint red marks on my skin. Yet seeing the striking contrast between azure waters and the bright pink prop in the final frames made every bit of exhaustion feel justified.

From an overall styling standpoint, the pink backpack and white swimsuit create extreme chromatic contrast. I intentionally coordinated a pink-and-white striped sleeve on my right arm and a black leather wristband on my left, adding layered asymmetry to the visual. The leg straps were another deliberate touch: a pink garter band around the right thigh paired with black bindings around the left calf broke up visual monotony. Shooting outdoors along the Seaside beach provided ample natural light, so I set the white balance slightly cool to enhance the clarity of the blue sky and sea. In post-production, I performed only foundational color grading to retain genuine light-and-shadow textures. Choosing the seaside was all about capturing the character's breezy, carefree charm—relying on pure sunlight and sea waves rather than cluttering props to highlight crisp, refreshing energy. The wig was textured with soft waves that flowed dynamically in the breeze. Flashing a peace sign in the final frame brought a joyful closure to the shoot. While thoroughly exhausting, the final images delivered everything we hoped for.