EXCLUSIVE: Kim Chi Reveals Her Sailor Moon & Death Note Anime Expo Looks
07/01/2017 03:51 pm EDT
Anime Expo is underway over in Los Angeles, and otakus from around the world have gathered to show off their own cosplays. Hundreds of Son Goku fanboys have descended upon the massive anime convention, but there is one fan out there whose looks are a cut about the rest. A fan-favorite queen from RuPaul's Drag Race is showing off her love for anime with some very fierce looks, and Kim Chi is clearly slaying each of them.
ComicBook is here to share two of Kim Chi's newest anime looks in light of Anime Expo 2017. In the video above, fans can watch as Kim Chi brings a much softer aesthetic to one of Death Note's most gnarly characters.
"Watching anime made me want to create my own fantasy, so I can feel like I'm an anime character," Kim Chi explains. "The look I'm wearing today was inspired by the Shinigami in Death Note. I wanted to do a cuter version of a creepy death god."
As fans can see, Kim Chi is rocking one adorable kitty-cat poncho with a matching hair bow to complete this look. As for her make-up, the drag queen has Ryuk's signature smile recreated with plum-tinted lipstick, and some extreme contouring has been done to make the death god's slender nose.
Of course, Death Note isn't the only anime which Kim Chi is familiar with. The Korean-American drag queen was first introduced to anime during her early childhood in South Korea.
"The very first anime I watched was Dragon Ball Z and after that, it was Sailor Moon," Kim Chi explains. "I've never done a mecha look, but when I was young, I used to buy these figurines. I definitely know a thing about how the structure of Gundams work, so I should do a Gundam look one day."
Laughing, the drag queen admits, "I'm probably like the nerdiest drag queen I know."
Turning Ryuk into a kawaii queen was surely no easy task, but Kim Chi makes the challenge look easy. In the video below, fans can watch as the drag queen takes on a different look which melds together two popular 'Magical Girl' franchises.
"The look I'm wearing today is inspired by Sailor Mercury from Sailor Moon and Sayaka [Miki] from Madoka Magica," Kim Chi says, showing off her watery look. Complete with a pale blue hairpiece, Kim Chi is rocking an umbrella-wired skirt and cropped poncho. The cover-up itself has a cloud printed on it with teary anime eyes. If Hunter x Hunter ever wanted to explore a magical girl of its own, there's no doubt the heroine would wear a hot number like this.
If you are surprised to see a drag queen serving some fierce anime looks, then you should familiarize yourself with Kim Chi. The drag queen began her career back in 2012 but became a TV star following her appearance on RuPaul's Drag Race back in season eight. Kim Chi is the stage name of Sang-Young Shin, and her unapologetic love for all things drag queen has helped her become one of the industry's most popular faces.
You can check out more behind-the-scenes photos of Kim Chi's anime looks in the photo gallery below!
For those of you interested in anime, head on over to Hulu to explore all things otaku. The site has dozens of series streaming now like Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon Crystal, and Death Note! Want to learn more about Kim Chi? You can check out the queen's website here or follow her on Twitter to keep up with her upcoming looks.
Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of Paramount. Sign up for Paramount+ by clicking here.