"I Wanted to Dedicate My First Cosplay to Her!" What Was the "Kawaii!" Element Loka Poured Into Her NIKKE Soda Cosplay?

——What inspired you to cosplay as Soda from Goddess of Victory: NIKKE this time?

Loka: I really wanted to cosplay a character from one of the companies exhibiting at TGS, and the NIKKE booth was one I knew about. Soda was the character who first introduced me to NIKKE, so I felt, "I have to dedicate my first NIKKE cosplay to her!" That’s why I chose Soda for this event!

——What points did you focus on and try to express with this cosplay?

Loka: This was my first time cosplaying a maid character, so I focused primarily on capturing the "kawaii!" factor, using poses where I brought my hands up near my face. Another key focus was the wig. I absolutely wanted the hair by her face to look like it was split into two distinct layers. So, I not only cut the hair that naturally falls to the sides but also pulled some of the back hair forward and cut it to achieve that layered look!

——What drew you to NIKKE, and what do you find appealing about the game?

Loka: My mutual followers on social media had been cosplaying from it, which made me curious, and I started playing this past April. I was initially drawn in by the cute characters, but the story is so incredibly despairing that it just blows that cuteness away—I got hooked on the gap between the exterior and the interior! The BGM is fantastic, and I love the Rapture designs because I’m a big fan of mecha/mechanical aesthetics.