[Otakemaru cosplay] Onmyoji The Maritime Kingdoms Arc: The Starry Sky and the Sea

This Otakemaru cosplay photoshoot was actually taken quite a long time ago. It's astonishing that six years have passed since the release of The Maritime Kingdoms Arc storyline. Finding some free time recently, I retrieved the raw files that had been sitting on my hard drive and retouched a batch of them, deciding to publish them as a closing chapter to that memory.

Preparing for this Otakemaru look took considerable thought back then. For the white horns at the crown of my head, we revised the materials and paint multiple times to achieve a natural reflective sheen under sunlight. The prop team also crafted this white conch shell and black bo staff, which, paired with the pale-blue jacquard-patterned coat and navy bottoms, yielded a remarkably impressive presence on camera. Because the design includes pointed elf-like ears, I elongated my eye makeup and wore amber contact lenses, striving to embody Otakemaru's blend of youthful boyishness and sharp, fierce determination.

The shoot was situated along a rocky coastal reef. The sunlight was blindingly bright, and both the waves and sky showed rich, high saturation. To harmonize with the location, I sat barefoot on the sun-baked rocks or leaned against a wooden platform gripping the staff. In one shot, I held the conch close to my ear, listening; that moment wasn't calculated—the ocean wind was blowing relentlessly, stray strands fell across my eyes, and my hand naturally rose up. There were also shots looking up to adjust the horns and gazing into the distance along the coastline.

Speaking of Otakemaru, his narrative arc is profoundly layered. As a youth, he would sleep directly on the mountain soil, opening his eyes to the starry sky above Mount Suzuka. Later, returning from the abyss, he woke in the same manner—surrounded by crumbling mountain rubble, yet beneath the exact same starry sky of his childhood. Throughout this shoot, I constantly tried to capture that timeless solitude and unwavering obstinacy through my expressions. Though the photos were taken six years ago, re-grading the colors and seeing that direct gaze into the lens instantly brought back the headspace of immersing myself in his narrative.

As an outdoor cosplay shoot, the seaside environment was quite a trial. High winds tangled the wig easily, and the ground was littered with jagged rocks. Yet that is precisely the magic of outdoor photography: natural sunlight and genuine sea breezes cannot be manufactured in a studio. The overall color palette turned out cool-toned with a high-key, airy Japanese photographic feel, beautifully matching the poignant, melancholic atmosphere of The Maritime Kingdoms Arc. Reviewing these old files felt like a conversation with my past self—the obsession with costume nuances and the dedication to props back then still feel fiercely inspiring today. Consider this edit an assignment handed in to the me of six years ago; moving forward, I will continue honing character roleplay details and diving into the stories of many more characters.