Dressed to thrill
Participants of the annual "Cosplay, A New Culture" competition in Beijing, which started in 2005, display fantastic costumes based on popular cartoons. |
On the main stage, two sisters dressed in blue and pink traditional Korean long gowns dance as they beat drums. The rain dancing revolves around the adventures of Chun Hyang, a character in a South Korean folk tale. The entire plot is based on Japanese creator CLAMP's Shin Shunkaden, a comic adaptation of the Korean tale.
The 15-minute play, presented by a cosplay society F.C, is among more than 300 entries at the ongoing "Cosplay, A New Culture" competition organized by the Publishing House of Electronics Industry. The annual event that started in 2005 has become a summer carnival for the capital's growing population of cosplayers, mostly teens, to showcase their cosplay productions.
"We have been preparing for the contest for nearly four months," says Fang Fang, head of F.C. The graduate from Capital Medical University plays Chun Hyang's mother in the play.
The pressure of studies while cosplaying is, however, not the only challenge for her society. Members put in almost all their pocket money into the play. The outfits alone cost them more than 1,000 yuan ($130). While they bought the wigs, fake swords and cheap ornaments off the shelves at specialty shops, they had to design and produce their own props.
"I think we will enter the final round," Fang says .
She stands for a generation of mainland Chinese, the "post-1980s", who grew up under an unprecedented influence of imported cartoons and video games, mostly from Japan and the United States. This 15-25 age group is the main force behind the cosplay trend.
The number of entries to the third "Cosplay, A New Culture" competition has greatly exceeded the organizers' expectations. They are considering adding to the planned 30 final spots. Finalists will compete for the Golden Mask, the top prize, and four other trophies at the Haidian Theater on July 21. On the same day, another cosplay carnival week presented by Beijing Television Station (BTV)'s cartoon channel will open at the National Agriculture Exhibition Hall.
"We've chosen a grand theater for the runoff as in previous years. It is an important step to keep upgrading cosplay. We also want people unacquainted with cosplay to know it is a healthy youth culture," says Jiang Rong, of the organizing committee.
Why is cosplaying so much fun? According to Jiang, cosplayers express their enthusiasm for the characters in cartoon, games and anime through their productions. They enjoy the whole process of preparations which includes choosing a story, rehearsing, making costumes and learning to put on make-up.
A lot of cosplay societies are based on campuses or evolve from student organizations. And girls outnumbered boys in the early years of cosplay.
"I think it is because there were more comic cosplays in the beginning, and a majority of the readers of comedy are girls. They love the make-believe, the dressing-up and the feeling of being on stage, while boys do not. They are more interested in games," says Liu Zhao. His cosplay society, Jing Zhi Ting, or Street of Mirrors, also participated in the competition.
"The male characters in comics and animations often look feminine. Girls adept at cross-playing are quite popular among cosplayers," he says, adding that there are only three boys in his society.
However, the boom in computer games has brought an increase of male cosplayers in recent years. "More boys are taking to the stage and some are even doing cross-play," Jiang says, adding that cosplay had also attracted some in their late 20s and 30s.
"It helps them release the pressure of work and life. They explore another self or realize their dream of fantasy role-playing," Liu says.
"Cosplay is like spiritual nourishment. Our zeal for it will barely change as we age, unless we become sick of cartoons or games some day," he adds.
This year's competition is seeing many more diverse adaptations. Liu Zhao says his society distinguishes itself with its funny style that mixes dynamic cultural elements. Its competition entry based on a Japanese cartoon employs many Chinese pop songs, so that people unfamiliar with the plot are kept entertained.
Organizers have also established a special award, "New Martial Art", to encourage cosplaying Chinese martial art-themed cartoons and games. "Ten years ago, there were mostly Japanese comics and animations. The past few years has witnessed a growth in original Chinese productions. They, however, lag behind their foreign counterparts both in quantity and quality," says Jiang Rong.
The organizers are happy to see many societies present cosplays based on Chinese games in the competition, as well as the new three-dimensional animation series The Bright Moon of Qin, which chronicles the rise and fall of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) and has received critical acclaim.
Sun Jinpeng's cosplay society from Cangzhou of Hebei Province is one of few entries from outside Beijing. Its members are high school students who frequent Sun's store stocking cartoon and game accessories. Their silent production based on a computer game, A Westward Travel Fantasy, employs exaggerated body language and features martial-art stunts.
Cosplayers are also extending the frontiers to include historical TV dramas. Fang Fang's society plans to cosplay Chinese female director Li Shaohong's TV series Daming Gong Ci. The screen hit is based on the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907).
Meanwhile, there is growing acceptance of cosplay among Chinese. When it first appeared, many parents dubbed cosplaying meaningless and saw cosplayers as bad kids in weird clothes.
"Now parents are bringing their primary school-aged children to our venues. They see cosplay as good entertainment that enables youths to bring out their best and feel attached to a group," says Jiang Rong.
When Fang Fang named her society F.C in short for fei chai, literally "useless firewood", she meant it as a pun on the public's misunderstanding of cosplay.
"Cosplay will become known to more people in future. But I think it will still remain a youth subculture," says Liu Zhao.
(China Daily 07/19/2007 page20)
