#budaixi

As someone who grew up in Taiwan and visited family there semi-regularly, I noticed that budaixi is so…normal. Compared to the reverence and respectability similar traditions like bunraku enjoys in Japan, budaixi holds a more mundane existence in Taiwan. To my knowledge it doesn’t hold any special position like intangible cultural heritage nor does it receive any form of government or NPO support. This might be because Taiwanese people themselves don’t consider budaixi art or anything of value at all. It is just another form of entertainment one finds while flipping channels on TV. Some people think it’s just for kids, some think the puppets are creepy and keep scrolling, and some people casually enjoy it as a nice action show. Most of Taiwanese budaixi are essentially low-budget wuxia fantasy filled with epic battles, sacred weapons and cultivation manuals, and romance (yes, puppet sex is a thing). Shows like Pili could have easily competed with the sad live action scene of 1980s Taiwan but in the modern era, most people prefer the much more big-budget C-dramas for their wuxia fix. At its worst, Pili or a sister series gave budaixi a bad name in the popular zeitgeist after a couple of unsupervised kids submitted puppet story summaries for their history homework and exams instead of studying. One such scandal nearly ended budaixi in Taiwan. At its best, it is a niche interest. And honestly, budaixi probably haven’t enjoyed so much positive popularity until now when Gen Urobuchi’s Thunderbolt Fantasy spin-off put the artform on the global map. But overall, Taiwanese puppetry is viewed more commercially. It is entertainment, product, pop culture.

But simultaneously, one can argue since budaixi is not recognized as an invaluable artform or traditional culture, it is allowed to be free. Once an artform is labelled cultural heritage, it is frozen in time. No one dares to experiment or change it; there are rules and regulations that define its protection status. But Taiwanese budaixi was allowed to grow and be creative. They film it for TV and one can see the anime and C-drama inspirations with just a glance. CGI and practical effects are allowed. The puppets have also gotten bigger and more technologically advanced in just a couple decades. They can flutter their pretty, long lashes and articulate cool stunts compared to their predecessors. Now some studios, like Pili Multimedia, even employ 3D printing and have upgraded other techniques to make the famous puppets. (can you make them cheaper please? When is the next BOGO for the collectables?) Thunderbolt Fantasy, by nature a collaboration, has even broken the tradition of single voice actor serving as narrator and voice of the entire cast. So not only is Thunderbolt Fantasy the first and only budaixi series in a different language, but it is also unique in using multiple voice talents. Though a traditional artform, it is clear budaixi in Taiwan survives through modernity and innovation compared to her sister puppet theatre traditions.

完圖《東離NOIR🎥》 Let the Sky Fall --------------------

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台北偶戲館 (Puppetry Art Center of Taipei) 凜雪鴉 x 殺無生

I realized I hadn't posted anything about it here, so I figured I might as well compile all the tidbits of news I've seen about what Pili is planning to do next now that Thunderbolt Fantasy is over. This is stuff I've posted in other places so it's mostly copy-pasta'd almost verbatim with slight edits for flow and clarity.

From 2/28 through 3/2 Urobuchi was in Taiwan for a series of brief pre- and post-screening Q&A sessions, plus a longer talk event, as part of the promo for the final movie, and several people at different sessions asked him about the possibility of a follow-up to Thunderbolt Fantasy. A summary/aggregation of his answers that I found through various Taiwanese fans' reports on what he talked about at the events: The final movie is the end of Thunderbolt Fantasy as a series, with no further sequels planned. However, there will still be side stories penned by other writers (specifically, he named Bunkaikei, who handled almost all of the TBF audio drama CD scripts, as well as the 2-volume novelization of Season 1 that came out last year and the 2 bonus short stories about Shang and Lin that were given out at theaters during the first two weeks of the movie screenings in Japan; and Enami Mitsunori, who wrote the Sha Wu Sheng portion of the side story novel that was adapted into The Sword of Life and Death). Meanwhile, Urobuchi revealed that he was in the process of discussing with Pili the plans for a follow-up to Thunderbolt Fantasy that isn't a direct sequel but rather a new project. The details are/were still being ironed out, so he hasn't shared much concrete information, but he said it would take some time and to look forward to it.

Earlier in March, there was a Taiwanese news article covering a press event featuring Pili and the county head of Yunlin County, where Pili is based in Taiwan, that discussed government-funded strategic plans to further develop and promote budaixi as an art to an even wider audience. In this article, it was mentioned that Pili is conducting collaborations with both Japan and the U.S. to make a cyberpunk themed puppet production.

On March 30 in Taiwan, Pili hosted a special “cheer session” screening of the final Thunderbolt Fantasy movie. At the event, Pili CEO Huang Liang-hsun confirmed that a new collaborative project with Japan is currently in production. He also said that the TBF universe is not going away. (Note: Since he did not elaborate, I'm not sure whether this refers to the side stories in other media that Urobuchi mentioned, or new puppet shows set in the same world but featuring new characters, possibly in a different country, etc., or what). (Source: Fancam by MilkMother Shimo on YouTube)

霹靂 Pili · 白衣劍少 White Prince / White Clad Swordsman

Featuring: Shouichi Tsugami from Kamen Rider Agito, Su Huan-Jen from Pili, a nude Virgil from Thunderbirds, Colonel White from Captain Scarlet, two of my Kamen Rider OCs, an eye and a deformed rabbit.😁