Interview With Anime Queen Rock M. Sakura (RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 12)

By Ashley Williams

The new season of RuPaul’s Drag Race is on the way. I had to the chance to talk with one of the contestant’s the Anime Queen Rock M. Sakura. Rock M. Sakura’s aesthetic is an amalgamation of anime, manga, and anything pink. With her high-energy death-dropping performance style and dirty sense of humor, this is a queen who defies categorization.

Otakus & Geeks (Ashley): With a new season of Drag Race on the way. What can fans of the show expect from this season?

Rock M. Sakura: Fans can expect a lot of anime silhouettes and whimsy from me! I tend to draw a lot of influence from my favorite series, both design and thematically.

Otakus & Geeks (Ashley): How would you describe your style and fashion?

Rock M. Sakura: I would say that my style is typically over the top anime heroine avante garde fashion woman who is ready for battle. I like to have all of my looks tell a story. I remember reading an article about Kazutaka kodaka, and he said that when he creates his characters for Dangan Ronpa, he writes and designs them as if they would be main characters in their own stories. And, I believe that a person's drag wardrobe should do the same.

Otakus & Geeks (Ashley): What do you think separates you from the competition?

Rock M. Sakura: I can do it all! I'm not just a person who can sew and serve looks, I can also dance like nobody's business! Dips, splits, cartwheels, --you name it!!! But more importantly than that, my strength, not unlike most magical girls comes from my unique heart and compassion.

Otakus & Geeks (Ashley): How does it feel to represent San Francisco after the show not having a contestant from the city in a while? Does it add any pressure or motivation?

Rock M. Sakura: It is a bit nerve-wracking to represent SF. When I got on, I broke the "San Francisco Curse". It's hard not to think that all of the drag queens in the city are counting on me to do well so they can get on in the next few seasons. Also, getting onto the show I really wanted to show off as much of SF as possible, so people can see so much of the city that I love!

Otakus & Geeks (Ashley): How has anime and manga culture influence you?

Rock M. Sakura: Anime has always been a big part of my life since I can remember. I didn't really have the best home life growing up so anime has always been a place for me to feel welcomed and at home. Also, I'm a frequent cosplayer and anime convention go-er, so you better believe that I have lots of otaku tendencies. 

Otakus & Geeks (Ashley): & Sakura from Naruto.

Rock M. Sakura: I've had a lot of people ask if my name was a nod to their OTP (Rock Lee and Haruno Sakura) and to that I say you're absolutely wrong. Sakura is D-tier waifu at best and Rock lee deserves better (fight me Haruno Sakura fans), I don't mean to kink-shame you, but kink-shaming is my kink. My actual namesake comes from Clamp's Cardcaptor Sakura. I grew up with the English dub of the show (truly terrible), but later found the original Japanese dub at the local library and it changed my life. It had everything: magic, friendship, action, adventure, LGBT characters, and a main character who was compassionate and loving. I knew that if I started to do drag, I wanted my drag to represent both aspects of my personality, my ability to empathize and smile when it gets hard (Sakura), and my tenacity and ability to bring life and energy (Rock).

Otakus & Geeks (Ashley): Favorite anime and why? Also how can fans follow you on social media?

Rock M. Sakura: Favorite anime, of course, is Card Captor Sakura, because it's my namesake. But I'm also completely caught up with Detective Conan so I would also say that and the original Indigo League of Pokemon are my favorite anime. Favorite manga though is One Piece! I'm a complete freak when it comes to the One Piece universe!!! You can follow me on all platforms (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, and YouTube) as "rockmsakura".