[Shimoe Koharu cosplay] Koharu from Blue Archive: Trying out pose references this time!

Wore this Shimoe Koharu cosplay on the day of the convention—just wanted to record my thoughts on this appearance. This time, my primary goal was to take photos that could serve as pose references, so I communicated with the photographer in advance about wanting squatting, sitting, and standing poses from various angles. We even adjusted the halo position several times just to restore that iconic side of the character as faithfully as possible.

A lot of thought went into the costume details. The black cardigan paired with the sailor collar and pink bow tie offers a very accurate color scheme. The white lace off-the-shoulder inner shirt makes the overall look feel refreshed rather than overly heavy. The pleated skirt combined with white slouch socks serves as the finishing touch to the outfit, strongly highlighting the classic school uniform vibe.

The wing props were actually quite heavy. To maintain balance while posing, I really had to lower my center of gravity a bit. The illuminated halo was another key element; during shooting, we intentionally left room for post-production glowing effects to give the photos a quiet, mysterious aura.

Working with photographer Yezipi was wonderful. The lighting at the venue was complex—with a large convention hall in the background, several overhead lights were needed to highlight the subject. To achieve a soft cool white tone, the lighting technician adjusted the softbox angle multiple times. Shooting in such a busy environment meant people constantly walked by; sometimes right as I struck a pose, a passerby would block the lens. Luckily, the final shots turned out great.

In the game, Koharu is the kind of character who shouts "Ecchi wa dame!" ("No perverted stuff!") while seriously performing her patrol duties. So while posing, I tried to keep my expression somewhere between stern and helpless, with a slight vacant gaze, capturing her awkwardly earnest personality along with a hint of tsundere attitude in her eyes.

I think this was my sixth cosplay set, and I've been cosplaying for quite a while now. There were many photographers with heavy equipment at the event, as well as cosplayers dressed as other characters. Some even asked on the spot if they could borrow the little halo for a quick shot! The convention lighting created a special mood—a subtle blend of blue and pink ambient light that paired wonderfully with the pink hair and black outfit. I also loved the texture of the wing feathers; although they got squished easily in my backpack, wearing them instantly transformed my presence.

Since pose references rely heavily on candid snapshot skills, some photos this time were captured naturally in between poses. For instance, the sitting shot and the dynamic movement of opening my arms felt completely different from deliberately staged photos, carrying a much more natural flow. The white thigh-highs outfit and black leather shoes in the photos also suited this cute character style perfectly, and combined with the pleated skirt, the anime-style photography aesthetic was fully brought out.

This attempt at pose references went quite smoothly, and the costume and props held up well in the convention environment. The venue atmosphere was great, and the photographer was perfectly in sync with me. Throughout the entire shoot, I got to appreciate the original character's charm while capturing her dynamic essence from different angles.