Costume Drama

For growing numbers of Hong Kong manga and anime fans, simply reading or watching their favorite characters is not enough. Truly dedicated fans are taking their obsession a step further by dressing up and acting the part. They are cosplayers (costume players), people who gather at big events such as this week's Comic Festival and masquerade as living, breathing incarnations of cartoon characters.

Computer technician Wong Tiu-lun and her friends gather months before the big event to discuss their next performance. After weeks of meticulous research, they decide which figures they want to enact, their personalities, mannerisms, costumes, hair, makeup and props. They search for fabrics, scouring Sham Shui Po for matt-look cotton, airy organza for a transparent Japanese robe and PVC for a metallic shine. Next come the props. Wong borrows a mannequin from a friend, and buys Easy-A-Plastic to mold into armor. And then comes the hard part, turning these basic materials into picture-perfect replicas of manga costumes. The cosplayers get to work on their sewing machines.

On the big day they meet again for the final preparations. Wong begins by dyeing her hair blonde and applying hair extensions. A beautician friend does her makeup, then Wong dons her outfit for appraisal by her friends. The transformation complete, they no longer call her by her name - to do so would be taboo. Wong Tiu-kun is gone. The face that greets her friends is that of army alchemist Edward Elric, a character in the Japanese anime cartoon "Fullmetal Alchemist," who has two metal limbs (right arm and left leg) and the ability to manipulate and transform objects.

Wong and her friends are among the 600 people expected to participate in the Cosplay Contest, part of the Hong Kong Comics Festival. But there is more to it than catching the eye. When asked their chief consideration in choosing whom to portray, cosplayers typically reply, "character." Costumes aside, they strive to give their 2-D idols as much depth as they can muster.

Wong will have her work cut out if she is to make a convincing Edward Elric. In "Fullmetal Alchemist," Elric is a prodigy, the youngest State Alchemist in history, on a quest for the legendary Philosopher's Stone, rumored to increase the power of anyone who uses it. He needs the stone to rescue his brother's soul, which is trapped inside a suit of armor. But what is the character like? "Cheeky," says Wong, who watches the series religiously. "He was born small, so he has a chip on his shoulder about being short, and he is always trying to cover it up with jokes and pranks." To capture his personality, Wong has been practicing her moves, the way Elric smiles, holds his body, walks and talks. She has drilled her voice to sound like Elric - or at least Elric in Cantonese - with an arsenal of memorized quips to fire at her disposal.

The attractions to cosplay are as varied as the costumes. Friends introduced Wong to the hobby eight years ago. "I used to draw comic-book characters, but when I heard about cosplay, I realized it would be much more fun to act them out," she says. "We're all friends and everyone knows everyone, it's just a group of like-minded individuals with the same interests having a bit of fun. It's for people who are young at heart."