[Moriya Suwako cosplay] Touhou Project: The cute little frog at Chengdu Worldline Animation and Comic Exhibition

Cosplayed Moriya Suwako from Touhou Project at the Chengdu Worldline Animation and Comic Exhibition, and the shoot was absolutely exhilarating—I burned out all my energy! On the 12th, I shot over a dozen sets back-to-back, and thinking back now, my feet are still trembling. The heaviest parts of this costume were the lotus leaf hat and the solid golden iron rings in my hands. The hat brim was huge with layered lace trims, requiring sturdy bobby pins to keep in place; otherwise, the wind would blow it around and force me to hold it down constantly. Holding the solid golden rings for so long made my arms incredibly sore, but to capture great angles, I had to keep them steady despite the shaking. The voluminous skirt was made of purple and white sheer tulle adorned with numerous tassels and pearl accessories, looking wonderfully translucent and richly colored under direct sunlight. However, the downside was that it easily tripped me up, so walking and turning required extra caution.

For hair and makeup, to capture the character's essence, I specifically chose a blonde wig, which added weight to my head and created a very substantial look paired with the large hat. For the makeup, I wore light-colored contact lenses and reddish-pink eyeshadow, making my skin look fair and radiant in the sun. Blush was emphasized to deliver that cute yet slightly elusive, enigmatic aura in front of the lens.

Shooting process: Photo 1 and Photo 2 are two convention photos taken by photographers 'ice' and 'Chenghua Canon 760D' respectively. Their angles were truly captivating; Photo 2 used the golden ring as foreground framing, naturally centering my face while the lighting perfectly sculpted my facial features and captured the expression precisely. The blazing sun caused considerable glare in the viewfinder, so the photographers constantly adjusted angles to avoid harsh lighting. At times, to enhance the atmospheric vibe, we deliberately shot from low upward angles or oblique profiles.

Such intricate dresses depend heavily on good lighting and posture, especially when maneuvering a massive straw hat and a long-handled lotus leaf umbrella through dense convention crowds—it truly demanded agile maneuvering to avoid bumping into others or poles. After shooting so many sets, my stamina was completely depleted, which is why I said I was burned out. But seeing the final finished photos made all the exhaustion completely worthwhile. My key takeaway this time is that summer conventions are scorching hot, so sun protection is essential to prevent makeup from melting off. Also, prepare props thoroughly and pack plenty of spare hairpin clips, as the lace and floral accessories on the hat can easily come loose.

Overall, cosplaying characters from the Touhou Project series is exceptionally challenging due to the intricate clothing details and demanding posing. I hope to have the chance to shoot at more conventions in the future—not just for the stunning photos, but also to cherish that magical feeling of being fully immersed in character.