[Mitsuri Kanroji Cosplay] Holding a Pink Paper Umbrella in a Traditional Garden, Restoring That Gentleness and Vitality

When doing this set of Mitsuri Kanroji cosplay, my heart was actually quite apprehensive. Although I really like this character, her styling has many details—from the gradient of the hair color to the beauty mark under the eyes, and then to that layered attire carrying a sense of lightness. To achieve a faithful recreation, the early preparation took a lot of effort. This time, I specially chose a Chinese traditional style garden complex as the location; the white walls, grey-blue tiles, wooden pavilions with flying eaves, along with the stone-paved paths and neatly trimmed lawns in the courtyard, created a wonderful collision between this serene environment and the character's own bright, vivid colors, embodying the unique aesthetic of Chinese-style ACG.

The weather on the day of the photoshoot was nice, with clouds in the sky and relatively soft light. During the shoot, I was constantly pondering how to express the character's trait of being "sweet but not cloying." For the wide shots in the first and sixth photos, I tried to use the paper umbrella and the flowing skirt hem to echo the solid stability of the architecture, letting the character blend into the scene instead of standing rigidly in front of it. The middle two photos used a window frame for composition, utilizing the geometric hollow-out wall as a foreground to focus the line of sight on the movements of the face and hands, which could better convey that agile state of mind. Because the character's eye makeup is quite distinctive, with green colored contacts, pink eyeshadow, and those two beauty marks by the cheeks, the makeup look had to be kept clean under close-up shots. This was essential for a high-quality Anime Character Recreation, so I was constantly touching up my makeup and organizing my bangs during intervals.

The wig was a focus of this styling; the transition from pink to yellow-green needs to be natural, and the floral decorations on top of the head along with the ribbons on both sides of the braids had to be secured to ensure they wouldn't displace or get tangled up when walking and turning. The pink round fan and paper umbrella held in hand were specialized props; especially that round fan with flowers and tassels, holding it to half-hide the face adds a lot of playful feelings. But to be honest, wearing this multi-layered gauze clothing for a photoshoot outdoors was still a bit challenging. When the wind blows, the clothes indeed look very ethereal, but they can easily block the line of sight or get caught in the umbrella ribs, requiring constant adjustment of positioning and angles.

Attempting to do a cosplay of a 2D character in an ancient style setting this time can be counted as a highly unique experience. The lines and colors of Chinese traditional gardens are very elegant and simple, while Mitsuri's styling is full of bright colors and details; placing the two together enriched the image's texture instead. The gauze texture of the costume reflects a luster under backlighting, making the final photos look better than imagined, preserving a lot of natural dynamic feel. Actually, cosplay is not just about a disguise, but more of a pondering and expression of the character's temperament—strolling in the courtyard, looking back at the window, striving to make every single moment close to my own understanding of that character deep inside. Although there might still be deviations in some places, the process of this shoot was highly joyful, and I accumulated plenty of experience.

Finally, I still need to thank the friends who helped with the cosplay photography, constantly squatting in the bushes to find angles and helping me hold the reflector. Regarding this photo set, every single image has a different feeling. I hope those who see it can feel that bright yet gentle atmosphere.