While Scar from Pili's "Wulin Warrior" adopted a hero's stance with his Lunar Phoenix sword, Obi-Wan Kenobi held aloft his glowing blue lightsaber, waiting to fight the forces of evil. These characters were, of course, played by enthusiastic fans with high disposable incomes and a penchant for dressing up.
Over the past decade, increasing numbers of people in Taiwan have been getting into the fun of dressing up as pop icons and posing for photographers at cosplay and comic-book conventions, and computer gaming shows. To these "cosplayers," it is like a dream come true, while to onlookers it can be an eye-opening experience.
Most societies around the world like to import cultural iconography in addition to material products from foreign countries; in the case of Taiwan, many of these come from Japan and the United States. Cosplay--the name is a contraction of "costume" and "play"--arguably started in Japan in the 1980s, where there are now around 50,000 partakers. It is not yet such a widespread phenomenon in Taiwan--where there are currently an estimated 5,000 cosplayers--and, since most participants are students, it is usually viewed as a teenage subculture. Nevertheless, the hobby is growing and appealing to more people every year. As in Japan, the pastime's increased popularity has spawned a cottage industry for publishing, marketing, costuming and holding conventions.
Three main groups hold regular conventions in Taiwan: Comic World Taiwan, Fantasy Frontier and a group from National Cheng Kung University. Each holds two or three conventions a year, giving Taiwan's avid cosplayers a mere seven or eight chances to strut their stuff.
Unlike conventions in the West, however, which are fan-driven events where aficionados of a particular television show, comic book, anime or genre gather to meet their favorite stars and each other, most conventions in Taiwan are sponsored by videogame publishers or similar companies, which charge an entry fee of up to US$7 and use the event to publicize their products. Taiwanese cosplayers do not seem to mind, however. Without sufficient numbers to substantiate a Western-style convention, they are more than happy to accommodate sponsors' needs if this means they get to market their own self-published comic books, compete in a costume contest and, for a few hours at least, take on the persona of their favorite fictional characters.
Combining cosplay events with promotional activities also suits the colorful reportage style of Taiwan's media. While some cosplayers say they disapprove of such commercial intervention, many accept it as a good way to promote their hobby and attract more participants.
"Commercial activity is OK," said Waung Chuang-wei, whose current character is an Imperial scout trooper from the Star Wars universe, "especially when what we are doing actually derives from the movie industry." As the leader of 501st Legion Formosa Outpost, a branch of the international Fighting 501st Legion, Waung said he received an e-mail from George Lucas asking him to help organize a movie promotion in Asia.
Waung and four other stormtroopers--known in some circles as Vader's Fist--are a minor group of cosplayers in Taiwan. More numerous are the virtuous Jedi knights, who are in a better position to contact like-minded people in other countries with whom they can share pictures, experiences and costume ideas over the Internet.
Talking about Star Wars cosplay, the 38-year-old Waung said "It is not that famous in Taiwan, partly because it requires a bigger financial investment and partly because younger cosplayers are not that familiar with the whole series, as we middle-aged fans are."
Since the market for Star Wars costumes is nowhere near as big in Taiwan as it is in, say, the United States, cosplayers with Jedi or stormtrooper alter-egos have to try harder and pay more money to buy or make their costumes and props. In the end, most are ordered over the Internet or bought from overseas.
The raw material and other parts for assembling a homemade kit of storm trooper armor, for example, can cost up to US$600, while a decent-quality lightsaber alone can run US$100.
"I am working on my 12th version of Jedi costume now, hoping to make it as authentic as possible," said Chang Tung-feng, a Star Wars and Indiana Jones cosplayer who claimed to have been the first in Taiwan to cosplay as a Jedi knight, back in 1999.
To make sure his costume resembled the original in color and texture, he spent nearly US$50 just to buy a hardcover copy of "Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars," not only because it is an excellent reference for the filmmakers' screen-used uniforms, but also because it comes complete with swatches of the types of fabric actually used by the wardrobe department.
"I never really figured out how much he spent on the costumes," said Jane Ko, Chang's wife. "I didn't want to know." Ko has dabbled in cosplay herself, striking a formidable figure as Lara Croft from the "Tomb Raider" series of videogames, and female Jedi knight Barriss Offee.
Chang estimates that there are fewer than 30 Star Wars cosplayers in Taiwan, an indication that the Star Wars universe is not as popular as those of some Japanese manga and anime, or even of a famous Taiwanese television show featuring glove puppets. Decked out in intricately detailed outfits and making rapid, jerky motions as if controlled by invisible rods, the Pili traditional hand-puppet cosplayers mingle with their Jedi brethren.
Unlike the characters from the Star Wars universe, which are the products of George Lucas's boundless imagination of over the past 30 years, the characters in Pili are derived from millennia of Chinese folk tales and myths. These characters have repurposed over the past few centuries into hand puppets used to entertain children in Taiwanese villages before television and movie screens arrived on the island, and finally to puppet characters in their own TV show.
The debut of hand-puppet cosplay goes back only about 10 years, to Taiwan's first Comic World convention. Liphai, who started with puppet characters in 1998, played at least seven characters within her first four years of cosplay before turning her attention to videogame roles. Puppet cosplayers who do not want to make their own costumes can buy full-sized, tailor-made costumes from the same craftsmen who make the miniature costumes for the original puppets.
"Usually, a wig and headgear will cost from US$150 to US$200. If you count the costume and props, the total can come to US$300 to US$600," Liphai said, "But they are worth the price."
Four or five years ago, when the Chinese hand-puppet craze was at its peak, a group of Japanese cosplayers started dressing as puppet characters, not necessarily because they were interested in the story, but for the magnificently elaborate costumes. Most had not seen a Taiwanese puppet show before, but they were no less enthusiastic than their Taiwanese counterparts. With the Pili fad passing, the number of puppet cosplayers has also declined.
According to organizers of a recent Taipei cosplay convention, most popular at present are characters from Japanese comics and video games, who account for around two-thirds of the island's 5,000 cosplayers.
Many participants agreed that the activity was popular primarily because Japanese pop-culture products such as comic books, video games and the peripheral products of singers or idols are fashionable within the teen market.
Ku Chiu-an, 23, loves comics and began cosplaying when she was 16. She has assumed the identities of at least two characters each year and shown up at almost every convention.
"The popularity of characters from comics and video games is growing incredibly fast," said Ku. "Even if I had played my favorite character, I would like to try a new one."
In the early days, when cosplay was not yet well developed in Taiwan and little information was available, most cosplayers had to make their own costumes. These days, say some, why bother? Costumes and props are readily available in specialty shops or on Internet auction sites, especially eBay.
"Costumes are becoming more and more detailed and authentic these days," said Tsai Tsung-lin, a cosplay photographer, or cameko. "This really does us a favor." Some cosplayers themselves have achieved a sort of star status, with the most popular attracting throngs of camekos.
"I don't think those who take cosplay as a shortcut to be famous really know the spirit of cosplay," said Chen Tinh-wu, a young 20-year-old cosplayer who has been doing it for about three years. "You should understand the character thoroughly before you cosplay her," she said.
This attitude was echoed by a number of senior cosplayers. While there are more and more people joining cosplay activities, they hope the original spirit of their pastime--the passion for the characters--will not be lost.
Copyright 2006 Virginia Wu.