Misato Katsuragi Cosplay — Casual Riverside Town, Photo 4

Standing on a brick sidewalk beside a quiet road in a Japanese mountain town, Misato Katsuragi holds one thin curl of hair between her fingers at chest level and lets the other arm hang loose. Her chin is lifted slightly, and she meets the camera with a soft, contented half-smile. Behind her are low buildings, power lines and a wooded mountain thick with conifers.

The camera stays level at chest height and frames her from head to upper thigh. Partly cloudy daylight keeps the face soft while the greenery holds more contrast. The long purple waves fall evenly down both sides of the mustard-yellow top, so the single curl between her fingers is the one small break in the symmetry.

The forested slope suits the character: Neon Genesis Evangelion builds Tokyo-3, the city Misato defends, in the mountains of the Hakone area.