[Iochi Mari cosplay] Blue Archive's Cheongsam Mari, Convention Photos Record

The character I cosplayed is Iochi Mari from Blue Archive, making a brand-new attempt at the convention venue with her cheongsam styling. This time, the focus of the overall coordination was on restoring the character's signature elements, especially the details of the head. I chose a bright orange-blonde wig. To make it easier to manage and style, I smoothed out the hair texture beforehand so that the straight bangs and layers on both sides were more distinct. The two animal ears on top of the head were made of lightweight yet plush material. To blend them naturally with the hair, the roots of the ears and the top of the head underwent gradient and blending treatments. The side of the hair was also embellished with small green leaf decorations, with two light blue long ribbons hanging down; the dynamic movement of the ribbons when walking adds plenty of richness to the static shoot.

In terms of makeup, the focus was on highlighting the eye features. The eye pupils used bright blue contact lenses of a moderate diameter, paired with pink blush slightly blended around the outer and lower corners of the eyes to echo the character's clear yet slightly aloof visual effect. The treatment of the lower eyelashes paid relative attention to a distinct, thick feel, which is key to increasing eye focus. The eyebrows used a light brownish-red color consistent with the wig to avoid any abruptness that black eyebrows might bring. For the lip makeup, I kept the natural color as much as possible, using only transparent lip balm as a base, striving to display a natural and non-greasy texture in front of the camera.

The outfit features a modified white mandarin collar sleeveless top with high-saturation sky-blue piping accents on the collar, shoulder edges, and lapels. The white fabric has excellent stiffness, maintaining its original shape under the strong lights of the exhibition hall without looking too thin. The large white plush piece on the chest is not only an eye-catching decoration but can also be held in hand during actual shooting to serve as a prop for poses, giving my hands somewhere to go and making the overall look more three-dimensional and full. In a complex and highly mobile environment like a anime convention, the sleeveless, cool design is indeed very practical, both restoring the character's traits and keeping me in a good state during long periods of standing and walking.

The shooting location was selected in an area near the main aisle of the convention, utilizing the bright and even lighting of the exhibition hall for direct candid shots. The photographer took a slightly low-angle perspective, focusing the shoot on facial expressions and the animal ears on the head. Although the background is highly blurred, the tall truss structure of the hall and the outline of the distant crowd can still be clearly identified. This kind of convention setting that preserves the real-life atmosphere gives the entire set of photos a real sense of presence. During the shooting, to avoid the incoming visitors, we had to frequently adjust our standing positions and camera angles. When capturing a smiling face, I deliberately controlled my expression, showing a restrained soft smile rather than an exaggerated grin to fit the character's relatively introverted and gentle personality setting.

There wasn't any high-level distorting retouching in post-processing; it mainly focused on fine-tuning the colors, light, and shadow. I increased the contrast between the white outfit and the blue piping to make the blue eyes and golden hair stand out more in the image. The glossiness of the hair was partially enhanced to give the character more spirit. I didn't pursue excessive liquefaction of facial features but tried to preserve natural bone structures, light, and shadow to make the final photos look real. The original intention of this set of cheongsam cosplay was to present another vibrant look of the character after taking off her conventional uniform. From trimming and styling the wig to fixing the position of the animal ears, and then to adjusting the ribbons to prevent curling, every step required repeated checks on-site. Although the ambient temperature at the venue was very high and wearing plush accessories made it easy to sweat, seeing the high completion in the viewfinder indeed gave me a great sense of achievement, which is the core charm of doing cosplay. I hope these convention photos of our animal-eared girl can serve as a nice styling reference.