I had been planning to shoot this Hoshimi Miyabi cosplay look for a while, and as luck would have it, I recently found some free time to finally bring this look from Zenless Zone Zero to life.
The studio chosen this time features a Japanese-style photography setting with vintage tatami, combining pink cherry blossom branches with bright red maple leaves. The clash of warm and cool tones forms a wonderful visual contrast with her black, white, and gold outfit.
The design of the costume leans toward a blend of light armor and traditional attire. The top is a white halter shirt, and the off-shoulder cut really tests body posture control. There are many edging details, and the golden lines give the basic white fabric a rich sense of layering. The lower half features a pieced skirt with a side-button wrap design, where alternating black and white blurs the waistline and visually elongates overall proportions. The biggest highlight is the two huge, separate black detachable sleeves—they are heavy-duty, instantly bringing a gorgeous aura when worn, with subtle gold prints shimmering at the cuffs. The texture of the long sword prop in hand is also top-notch; its matte black finish combined with the braided cord on the hilt not only adds weight to the character but also elevates the overall presence.
I also put quite a bit of thought into matching the hair and animal ears. The black hime-cut wig shows a distinct luster under light and shadows, and the two black animal ears on top of my head are securely fixed with clips, preventing them from shifting easily even during big movements. Because the neckline of this costume is quite unique, I specially emphasized sharp brows and crisp eyeliner in my makeup, choosing a cool-toned rose red lip color that complements the overall cool color palette while maintaining the character's heroic, sharp temperament.
To be honest, capturing this character's expression was slightly harder than imagined. Her setting requires a heroic spirit and decisiveness, yet it shouldn't look too stiff in front of the camera. So during the shoot, I deliberately adjusted various sitting poses, wanting to retain the martial feel of the weapon while using a slightly tilted head angle to soften the strong aggressiveness. In the first photo, holding the long sword horizontally across my body while looking straight at the camera, I was actually deeply focused inside; in the second photo, I put down the weapon and picked up a red maple branch above my head, switching my aura to add a relaxed vibe of enjoying the courtyard view. Showing these two completely different states was an attempt to present different facets of the same character.
The photographer's lighting during the shoot was also crucial; the key light and fill light were set up wonderfully, leaving almost no messy shadows on the face and bringing out the facial contours clearly. The bamboo chair in the scene and the Japanese paper sliding screen behind were used skillfully as foreground and background to convey spatial depth. During post-editing, the high contrast between black and white on the outfit was retained to make the golden edges stand out more, while skin texture was polished without losing realism. Although this photo set leans toward a realistic treatment of a 2D style overall, I personally feel the level of restoration is quite high.
What I wanted to convey through this work is simply my love for the character and the game. From choosing the outfit, selecting the location, and researching makeup and hair, to completing the photoshoot, every step was done with full heart and effort. Thanks to the seamless coordination with the photographer, all the textures we envisioned were captured in the frame. Although the shooting process was a bit tiring and the costume was somewhat stuffy when worn, seeing the final photos made every effort feel completely worthwhile.
I sorted out these two photos I'm quite satisfied with first to hand in my formal "assignment," and when I have time later, I'll probably try shooting this character in different scenarios again.