3

In the name of the moon, these hardcore lady-types will definitely punish any enemies of the Moon Kingdom!

The following photos were originally shared online back in September 2013, but they’ve recently been experiencing a revival on the Japanese internet–so of course we had to bring them to your attention again!

American designer/cosplayer/consultant Michelle Nguyen was inspired to assemble a real-life team of bad-ass, no-nonsense Sailor Soldiers (“Scouts” isn’t the word for these fighters!) by freelance illustrator Babs Tarr’s Sailor Moon Bosozoku [biker gang] fan illustration:

1

No stranger to the world of cosplay, Nguyen, who also goes by her nickname of “Chubby Bunny,” writes that she’s been cosplaying since the early 1990s and is an ardent Sailor Moon fan, even going so far as to plan her own Sailor Moon-themed wedding, which had our jaws dropping when we heard about it last December.

For one of her birthday parties, Nguyen and four other cosplayers assembled their own costumes stylized after Tarr’s original illustration, focusing on the central theme of “MOON BITCHES.” They enlisted photographer Greg De Stefano to take their official portraits in sweltering downtown Los Angeles, and the resulting photos are undoubtedly some of the most hardcore, bad-ass shots ever taken of a group of Sailor Moon cosplayers.

3

2

4

5

Let’s take a closer look at each of the Biker Gang Sailor Soldiers, shall we?

▼ Sailor Moon (Michelle “Chubby Bunny” Nguyen)

6

▼ Sailor Mercury (Mandie Bettencourt)

9

▼ Sailor Mars (Ruby Rocket)

8

▼ Sailor Jupiter (Yume Ninja)

7

▼ Sailor Venus (Jennifer Newman)

10

The edgy outfits! The eye shadow! The retro hair! What’s not to love about Nguyen and the others’ creative labors of love??

Also impressive: the custom patches they designed for their biker gang outfits.

11

 

The only problem we have with these photos is that they don’t feature the full cast of Sailor Soldiers! We’ll keep our fingers crossed that Tarr will be inspired to draw a second picture featuring the Outer Sailor Soldiers, which will then inspire Nguyen and the gang to cosplay again.

Source: i09
Top image: I am Chubby Bunny!
Insert images: I am Chubby Bunny!, Babsbabsbabs