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TOKYO: On an island 5,300km north-east of our own, this Star Wars fan found himself in a place that might as well have been in a galaxy far, far away.
Streets were silent after dark; smokers whipped out their cigarettes only when standing next to ashtrays (even outdoors!); and while it’s considered impolite to use one’s mobile phone while walking on the streets, it was perfectly fine to dress up as a Wookie and take pictures of random strangers.
The year was 2008AD and Star Wars Celebration: Japan had descended upon Chiba City, Tokyo, from July 19 to 21 - a momentous 30 years after George Lucas’ original "Star Wars" first came to Japan in 1978.
Graced by the upcoming "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" director Dave Filoni, Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Temuera Morrison (Jango Fett), among other celebrities, the fifth Star Wars celebration of its kind was chock-full of life-sized models, funky exhibits, paraphernalia stalls and pimped-out fanatics.
With live on-stage interviews and autograph-sessions with members of the cast who shared their thoughts on the sci-fi epic, talks by model-makers and effects artists, sneak previews of scenes from the upcoming animated movie, costume forums and contests, fans had a fabulous spread of activities to occupy their time, including a Jedi academy, where kids could learn the basics of fighting with a lightsabre.
But all did not seem right.
IMBALANCE IN THE FORCE
With lightsabre misplaced, no Jedi outfit to don, and having recently failed an online Star Wars quiz, I was hoping to borrow some strength in the Force of the many present.
But in Chiba, there seemed to be an imbalance in the Force.
Visiting sports teams present in Chiba City - J-League football outfit Gamba Osaka (J-League winners in 2005 and 2007 Yamazaki Nabisco Cup champions) and Japanese Pacific League Baseball team, the Seibu Lions - hardly turned a head. Their limelight was stolen by folk who appeared to struggle with one of the basics of muscular co-ordination - walking.
Storm Troopers, Clones (Phase 1 and 2), bounty hunters, inhabitants from Shili, Naboo and Tatooine marching down the street to the Makuhari-Messe Convention Centre, had trouble crossing streets, leaving a trail of homemade armour behind them as they made slow progress towards their destination. Not aided by the fact that they were stopped every five steps by other costume-shedding folk to pose for photographs.
The yin-yang balance was also evidently upset.
Women turned up as male characters - facial hair and cod-piece included. Cross-dressing at the event was not frowned upon, but rather well accepted.
Voluptuous Obi-Wans, porcelain-skin Qui-Gon Jinns and curvy Anakins frolicked freely with clones and the Sith, Force-summoning (with powers of telekinesis that the Jedi possess) their shedding facial hair with limited success as they battled and posed.
Fans gathered to pay tribute, catch a glimpse of the animated instalment of the saga, and to mingle with their brethren. The world could have fallen apart and it wouldn’t have mattered. In fact, it did.
GROUNDBREAKING
Some “fans” couldn’t find a good enough Star Wars costume, and came as dressed as the toothy extra-terrestrial from the Alien series instead.
Others just threw on neon-coloured wigs and were pleased as punch that they didn’t come as “boring folk who don’t know how to soak up the atmosphere” - overheard, for real.
Cash didn’t matter too much, either. “I spent 50,000 yen ($635) on my Ahsoka outfit,” quipped one proud orange-skinned Japanese girl as she stopped to pose for the flashbulbs.
Many spent a tonne on airfare, coming from as far off as the Philippines, Belgium, Australia, and Singapore, with costumes - and even fan-assembled sets (Millennium Falcon), vehicles (snowspeeder and speeder bike) and giant reptiles (Dewback) - in tow.
Sets that wowed even Clone Wars director Dave Filoni. He said: “The fan-made Millennium Falcon set is amazing. The snowspeeder is great, and you have to see the Dewback - you can even sit on it.”
Some fans even came masquerading as journalists, gleefully taking pictures, while rushing through “work” so we - erm, I mean, they - could rush off to don their Storm Trooper outfits, purchase their lightsabres, or hunt for celebrity autographs. The mood at Star Wars Celebration: Japan was so fanatical, no one even noticed the earthquake.
Measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale, the quake hit Japan off the East coast of Honshu, 300km from Tokyo, causing a Tsunami alert - and no one batted a Jedi eyelid.
Tremors were felt throughout the convention centre in Chiba. Specifically while this fan was in a digital screening hall, watching a particularly engaging preview of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" with eyes (and mouth) wide open.
The imbalance in the force was clearly evident when several fans (including myself), attributed the moving ground to the “rockin’” sound system, and trembled with excitement at how great the movie would be.
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
As the first day drew to a close, something became clearly evident - the force was present in large quantities.
Watching storm troopers, clones and Ahsoka Tano shedding their headgear to share a moment in the little oven-like room to get their nicotine fix while discussing costume modifications really meant something to me.
So did witnessing a journalist present her country’s 501st Legion Outpost pin to Clone Wars director, Dave Filoni, to add to his existing collection of pins on his hat. The 501st is a world-wide organisation of Star Wars fans across 40 countries.
Temuera Morrison, the man who played Jango Fett, reminded this fan that “the force is not just with you, but also within you”. Then the Kiwi did the Hakka to show just what a tough guy he was, scaring the force right out of me momentarily.
The Japanese displayed this “force within” with their localisation of Darth Vader in Samurai armour, their R2-D2 DVD player-cum projector, and fans who dueled, kendo-style at the celebration.
Star Wars fans, like the Jedi they greatly revere, must go through trials themselves — and this fan soon realised that the imbalance of the force was within and not without.
And the first step to putting that right was to locate the missing lightsabre, re-tie the braid of the padawan, and take that cursed online Star Wars quiz again.
And maybe this time I’ll cheat. - TODAY/sh
Star Wars: The Clone Wars" opens in Singapore on Aug 28.
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