[Marisa Kirisame cosplay] The Magician of Touhou Project, Koiiro Hiyori, Otozureru. Book Returning Travelogue

Of course I have to put on this black and white maid outfit on Koiiro Hiyori, Otozureru., wear that iconic wide-brimmed pointed hat, pick up the weathered ancient scroll and magic staff, and completely transform into that black-and-white magician from the Magic Forest who loves to steal books and loves Marisa returning a book. This time, I specially rushed to take a set of photos themed around "Marisa returning a book" on the exact day of Koiiro Hiyori, Otozureru.. Although Marisa often borrows other people's books and doesn't return them, in the official setting, she actually reads them seriously and returns them periodically, which perfectly fits the feeling of today's anniversary.

To restore the character's temperament, I put a lot of effort into the wig and makeup. The long golden-yellow hair is braided into a side-braid paired with straight bangs, and wearing that oversized black hat decorated with white ruffles and stars instantly brings out that witch-like aura. For the makeup, I selected yellowish-green colored contacts, paired with lightweight base makeup and natural lip colors, making my gaze reveal a look that is both confident and slightly cunning. In terms of clothing, the inner layer is a black short-sleeved high-neck top, and the pleated wood-ear trim details on the neckline and cuffs are very delicate. The outer layer is a cream-white cotton-linen apron-style dress beautifully embellished with lace trim; the overall pattern is loose yet elegant, which is particularly suitable for occasions with frequent walking like anime conventions.

For the props, I chose an old book scroll made of kraft paper, a completely unfoldable yellowed ancient tome, and a simple wooden staff—all of which are vital items that Marisa carries with her. When taking photos, I tried different ways of interaction: holding open the unfolded paper scroll pretending to read some interesting magical spell, cradling the book and staff while making a thoughtful expression, and turning sideways to raise a finger pointing at the sky, mimicking the exact moment she casts magic or discovers new knowledge. The photographer also cooperated perfectly, using a large aperture to blur the noisy convention background into warm bokeh, with the crystal chandelier overhead reflecting a soft glow, allowing the entire frame to possess the lively feel of the event venue while preserving the character's independent atmosphere under convention photography.

In fact, the biggest challenge in releasing this set of photos was maintaining that energetic yet composed magician temperament. Marisa is the type who is careless on the surface but extremely dedicated to magic in her heart. Therefore, in every single photo, I had to control the scale of my expressions—not too sweet, nor too serious, but carrying a touch of slight tsundere and the casualness of being ready to pull out a broom and fly away at any moment. Especially in those few photos holding the book and staff in front of my chest, I deliberately adjusted the angles of my shoulders and hands to form a natural support between the props and body lines, so it wouldn't look stiff when captured. The lace on the apron wrinkles easily, so during the shooting intervals, I had to constantly organize the skirt hem to ensure every moment the shutter pressed was the absolute best state.

Although this outfit seems to be dominated by a black and white color scheme, the white ruffles of the headpiece, the cream-white base of the dress, plus the color contrast of the golden wig actually show up very bright under the warm yellow lights. I particularly like walking on the carpet woven with red and gold, with the skirt hem gently swaying with my steps; that feeling of a vintage magical world colliding with a modern anime convention venue is incredibly wondrous. Since the shoot is themed around "Marisa returning a book," I specially selected several old book props with actual text content, flipping open the pages to reveal the inner text to add a bit of academic aura, which also echoes her setting of being a magician who is nevertheless diligent in studying books.

The scene that day was actually very lively, with many other participants and photographers around, but I tried my best to immerse myself in the character's state, not looking at the lens intentionally, but imagining that there were truly some magical runes or unsolved riddles right before my eyes. Those moments of slightly tilting my head or gesturing with my hands in the photos were all spontaneously improvised rather than intentionally posed, appearing more natural and authentic. For cosplay, the most important thing is to make the person in the photo look like the character themselves rather than a doll wearing character clothes. Therefore, I paid special attention to the placement of fingers and eye contact, giving every picture an independent sense of narrative, so viewers can instantly associate it with her days of flipping through books, searching for mushrooms, and bickering with Reimu in the forest while wearing these black and white clothes.

Lastly, my heartfelt thanks go to the photographer @Wuyan for helping capture so many vivid frames. The mastery from light and shadow to composition was highly stable, allowing me to safely focus on expressing the character. This set of photos can be considered a pretty good answer sheet handed in for Koiiro Hiyori, Otozureru.. I hope to continue using more interesting props and scenes to interpret this charming yet slightly stubborn magician in the future.