This Onmyoji Kagura · Memories of Childhood styling took a little while to develop, from the initial test makeup to the final photos. When I first saw this skin, I was instantly drawn to its pure yet slightly melancholic atmosphere. Since the character herself is not flamboyant, during the test makeup phase, I mainly focused on finding a quiet, almost expressionless girlish vibe. To restore this effect, I selected Japanese sliding paper doors (shoji) and tatami mats as the background, paired with a classic red umbrella and warm lanterns, hoping to transplant that unique atmosphere of the character from the game into reality.
The accuracy of the costume was the key focus of this shoot. This Kagura · Memories of Childhood outfit features a loose, cross-collar white-base Japanese-style robe with bright red piping at the collar and a slender black hanging rope. The sleeves are extremely wide, and the fabric has a light, elegant drape that easily conceals one's silhouette. Paired with patchwork blocks of warm orange and light green, as well as star patterns dotting the fabric, it looks simple yet never monotonous. To make the overall look more accurate, I specifically paired it with an exquisite set of golden forehead ornaments, with beaded strands draping over my forehead, and a pink, little-fish-shaped hair accessory clipped on the side. This, together with the vibrant blue long tassels, forms a beautiful color echo with the red eye makeup. The weight of the headpiece was slightly challenging, and during the shoot, I had to constantly adjust its angle to prevent the tassels from messing up the hair.
The configuration of props and the scene also took a lot of thought. On the low, dark wooden table, we placed a black porcelain sake bottle, small white porcelain cups, and a plate of deep purple-black fruit, with a calligraphy brush resting diagonally beside them. The combination of these still life elements not only enriches the composition but also hints at the character's leisurely yet lonely state of daily life. During the shoot, I used several different colored oil-paper umbrellas to enrich the depth of the scene. The large red umbrella in the background, serving as a massive visual color block, brightened the entire frame, while the light orange paper umbrella I held in front—decorated with red and gold patterns—cleverly formed a foreground block to make the character pop. I also tried a pose leaning on the desk with one hand supporting my cheek; since the sleeves of the robe are so wide, supporting my weight on the table allowed for a naturally relaxed center of gravity. Combined with the contrast of light and shadow, it captured emotional shifts that are quite different from standard standing poses.
For the makeup, to match Kagura's unique red eyes, I chose highly pigmented red contact lenses and enhanced the shading around the eyes, especially the lower eyelids, giving the gaze a special sense of penetration and clarity. This, combined with the seemingly casual, slightly flipped short hair, further highlighted her youthful, innocent boyish charm.
While shooting these photos, the line mentioned in the post kept echoing in my mind: \"On the day of the Kagura dance, will Father come to watch?\" This sentence actually carries the highly restrained emotions behind this styling. Therefore, instead of making lively and cute expressions, I chose to hold my feelings back. Most of the time, I tried my best to immerse myself in a blank, quiet state of staring into space. Without exaggerated physical expressions or blossoming smiles, I just sat there quietly or spaced out with my cheek resting on my hand, using this to convey the heavy, quiet longing hidden within the character's heart.
The warm indoor lights shining on my face, paired with the red glow from the lanterns and the background umbrella, made the skin look fair and translucent. To add more depth to the frames, I also tried using blurred foreground flowers as a framing element. Although it was a simple indoor studio shoot, by switching between different focal lengths and coordinating props, we still managed to capture a variety of distinct postures for this Japanese-style portrait. This shoot was not only a recreation but also felt like a brief dialogue with the character. The final photos also aligned with my initial understanding of this skin—quiet, gentle, and carrying a faint touch of sorrow from departure.