From the day I decided to do this Betty cosplay look, I began a long journey of prep work. It wasn't as simple as just putting on clothes; to fit that blonde tsundere character who carries a slight touch of laziness, I repeatedly studied costume details from the original work. The hardest part was actually the exaggeratedly sized pink-and-white striped bow on top of the head. To make it look three-dimensional without collapsing due to gravity, I sewed an invisible acrylic support inside and secured the golden twin drill curls on both sides with plenty of strong hairspray. It was fine when standing still, but once moving or tilting my head, the weight on my head was quite noticeable, so during shooting I could only try my best to keep my upper body upright and stable.
For makeup, I chose a translucent base combined with cool-toned lips, paired with ice-blue contact lenses to restore the unique, lively spirit from the original work. Eye makeup didn't deliberately elongate eyeliner, but used reddish-brown eyeshadow to deepen eye contours, hoping to present that \"sleepy yet perceptive\" expression before the camera. However, what concerned me most was the overall atmosphere brought by this costume. The red body with white fur trim, paired with deep purple-red vertical striped tights, and those bright pink platform shoes standing a full seven centimeters high, gave the entire look a vivid contrast and a classic doll-like texture.
Prop selection was also carefully considered. For the grey-and-white cat plushie, I specifically selected one with matching eye colors to serve as an important interaction partner, which helped me tremendously during the shoot. The dark brown hardcover book and the folding fan with internal illumination were specially prepared props; the fan in particular truly provided great key lighting for faces in dim environments.
We selected a venue with wooden stairs and vintage bookshelves for the shoot, a scene design that perfectly matched the \"Forbidden Library\" atmosphere in the character's lore. The photographer utilized side-backlighting techniques, allowing the golden hair strands to reflect a soft luster under the light, while employing strong light-and-shadow contrast to cultivate a rich narrative feel. Shooting this photo set actually involved many small behind-the-scenes episodes. For instance, platform shoes easily creaked on solid wood stairs, so to remain quiet and stable, I moved in a half-squatting position much of the time; purple striped stockings presented completely different textures under outdoor light versus indoor warm light, so the photographer adjusted white balance several times to achieve a glossy finish without losing fabric weave texture.
It has actually been ten years since I first saw this character on screen. Back then, I was still filled with naive curiosity about the Anime cosplay world, and her unique image left a deep impression on me. Over the past decade, I've come across many other works and cosplayed characters of various styles, yet I've always felt a small place in my heart was reserved for her. This shoot was not merely a Coser completing a surface restoration of a character, but rather proof of inner self-identity in this Isekai life cosplay. Though the shooting process was exhausting—starting makeup and styling at 8:00 AM until sore waist and back at wrap time at night—the moment I saw the final photos, that magical feeling of having truly stepped into that fantasy world was difficult to describe in simple words.