[Mercury Lampe cosplay] Rozen Maiden Convention Photos in the Rain at Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Festival

For this rainy session at the Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Festival, I chose to do a Mercury Lampe cosplay. This was only my second time cosplaying in my life, and my very first visit to Ikebukuro Sunshine City.

To ensure my makeup stayed intact throughout the downpour, I went all out with an intense, heavy application. Red contact lenses combined with heavily blended red eyeshadow and long silvery-white hair made the overall palette pop brilliantly in the rain. To make my face shape match the character better, I applied plenty of face-lift tape, especially along the jawline. It was applied so tightly that when I took off my makeup at home, my face felt completely stiff—my phone's facial recognition could barely unlock! Braving the rain all day while enduring that constant pull on my face was truly a test of willpower. During makeup application, I deliberately used concealer to blur the lip line, applied a cool-toned lip color, and swept red shadow beneath the eyes and across the cheekbones for a colder, detached vibe in the rain. I used ultra-waterproof liquid eyeliner and mascara specifically to resist the rain. Since this was my first time cosplaying at Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Festival and the downpour was relentless, running around on wet paving tiles all day left my feet exhausted. Because the dress was so long, the hem kept dragging through puddles, making it feel remarkably heavy. With such dramatic makeup, passersby on the street kept turning their heads—it felt both awkward and hilarious.

Because the heavy rain could soak and damage the massive black wings while adding too much weight, we decided not to wear the wing props on-site and leave them entirely to post-processing. While the downpour was grueling, the wet setting and cool ambient lighting paired unexpectedly well with the dark blue velvet Gothic style dress and the purple gem at the collar. The small purple flowers on the headband swayed in the breeze, and the dangling purple jewel looked crystal clear against the rain, creating far more dramatic tension than on a sunny day. The silver wig knotted slightly from the rain and kept clinging to my face, requiring frequent touch-ups during the shoot. Because it was pouring so heavily, we could only take cover near the edge of the covered corridor, waiting for the wind to drop and grabbing a couple of quick shots whenever a streak of light broke through the slanted rain before retreating beneath the eaves to towel off. The raindrops hitting my face felt ice-cold, yet matched the character's detached melancholy perfectly. Raindrops running down my face and neck alongside the red eye makeup ironically made me look like an exquisitely crafted doll caught in the storm.

The entire shoot was possible thanks to my amazing friends. Special thanks to Hanmo for patiently crouching in the rain to find the best angles and capture these convention photos in the rain. Yoko also came all the way through the chilly wind to support me—to capture that dynamic motion of fluttering feathers, she threw the wig strands and feathers into the air repeatedly, getting soaked to the skin while still focusing on how the shots turned out. Because the rain was so intense, I could barely keep my eyes open and had to rely on sheer composure; they kept bursting into laughter beside me, and I was laughing along while posing. Despite the huge crowds at Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Festival, finding such a quiet corner in the downpour to shoot was truly a blessing. Everyone's hands turned red from the cold while fixing my hemline. After every single pose, they'd rush over to pat dry my hair, blot the water off my dress with tissues, and smooth out the fabric.

As a novice cosplayer, enduring such a hardcore shoot in the rain for my debut at Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Festival was unforgettable, but I absolutely love how the final photos turned out. The texture of the makeup on camera came through far better than expected, and the silver wig paired with the dark wings looks striking. This experience was truly a meaningful trial. The authentic rain added immense atmosphere to the images, and the lighting angles on an overcast rainy day were unexpectedly flattering for a dark Gothic style character. While the deluge was an ordeal, it granted a distinct ambiance impossible to replicate in sunny weather. The storm kept the pacing on edge since no one knew if it would pour harder the next second, forcing us to race against time. That might just be the most memorable part of all.