Dripping in gold and with a deadly stare, Filipina model and make-up artist Nikki Esmilla recreated the look of the siren in Netflix's "Jibaro" and went viral for her spot-on cosplay that cost just a few thousand pesos.
"Jibaro" is one of the most popular episodes of "Love Death + Robots" where a river siren who kills with her voice finds her match in a deaf knight.
The 23-year-old set the "Jibaro" shoot by the river in Floridablanca, Pampanga, not expecting she would go viral for her second time at cosplaying.
"Overwhelmed po ako nung una kasi 'di namin in-expect na mag-boom po 'yung set namin... sobrang saya lang po kasi 'di namin in-expect na maraming makaka-appreciate ng set namin," she told reportr.
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Esmilla said she initially planned to do a low-cost cosplay of the siren when she first saw it on Netflix, using Christmas decor, beads, and other items she can find at home.
When friends took notice and her photographer friend Johan Andrew Ocampo (JAO) encouraged her to do a photoshoot, she spent some P8,000 to P10,000 to improve her mostly DIY outfit with the help of her mother, Maricar Obias.
Her portrayal of the siren led some people to think she was scary in real life, she said. She's far from being a deadly siren, said Esmilla.
"Marami po kasi talagang naiilang sa akin, akala kasi nila mataray ako pero in real life naman po, si Nikki talaga sobrang approachable talaga n'ya, komedyante talaga ako, 'di ako seryosong tao," she said.
For Esmilla, it's an affirmation that even amateurs like her can nail the art of cosplaying. Her next project: transforming into the Witness, also from "Love Death + Robots", and into Power from the manga "Chainsaw Man."
"Tulad sa mga beginner sa cosplaying, naging masaya din po ako kasi naging inspiration ako sa mga balak mag-cosplay na ituloy talaga 'yung dream."
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