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aion-rsa · 4 years

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The Weird History of A Chinese Ghost Story Franchise

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When A Chinese Ghost Story premiered in 1987, it was already part of a unique category – the fusion of horror, comedy, and Kung Fu. Asian horror films are known as jiangshi, which is the name of a specific spooky hopping ghost found in Chinese folklore that proliferates these films.

Part zombie, part vampire, jiangshi are corpses that are usually reanimated by demons or Daoist sorcerers. They hop along mindlessly with their arms outstretched like sleepwalkers, and feed on the life essence – or qi – of the living. Often a jiangshi is blind but can smell breath. This makes for great comic hijinks as hapless characters struggle to hold their breath while gruesome jiangshi shove their rotting noses close to their mouths trying to pick up the scent.

Comedy is a common horror film device. It releases tension and leaves the audience unguarded for the next jump scare. The addition of Kung Fu is purely Hong Kong and can be traced to Sammo Hung’s groundbreaking Encounters of the Spooky Kind in 1980. Adding martial arts action comes naturally because in Chinese culture sorcerers and exorcists are Daoist or Buddhist Kung Fu masters. In the wake of that film, Kung Fu Horror Comedies became a thing of its own with plenty of franchises, most notably Mr. Vampire.

If the horror, comedy, and Kung Fu menage a trois wasn’t enough, A Chinese Ghost Story was one of the first films of a then-burgeoning period genre called FantAsia. FantAsia is the Chinese answer to sword and sorcery flicks. It includes superhuman Kung Fu (which means lots of wirework and flying about), magic spells and supernatural beasts. FantAsia is based on a longstanding body of fiction in movies and literature known as Wuxia, which means ‘martial heroes.’

A Chinese Ghost Story was produced by Tsui Hark, who spearheaded FantAsia with his Zu: Warriors From The Magic Mountain four years prior to A Chinese Ghost Story, and followed with many other FantAsia classics like The Swordsman, Once Upon a Time in China and Green Snake. Ching Sui-tung directed all three A Chinese Ghost Story films and continues to deliver FantAsia films like The Sorcerer and the White Snake, but Tsui is the undisputed father of the genre.

The Chinese Twilight Zone from the 1800s

A Chinese Ghost Story retells a beloved Chinese tale of star-crossed romance. All these Chinese Ghost Story films are titled Qian Nu You Hun in Chinese, which translates into “beautiful woman dark spirit.” This is the story of Nie Xiaoqian, drawn from a 1740 short story compilation titled Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio by Pu Songling. These were stories of the supernatural world with covert social commentary, akin to The Twilight Zone today.

Tales from Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio have been depicted in countless Chinese films and TV shows, most recently in last year’s CGI-drenched FantAsia flick The Knight of Shadows: Between Yin and Yang where Jackie Chan played Pu Songling. Nie Xiaoqian’s tale is a favorite having been retold in over a dozen TV shows and the films mentioned here.

In the original tale, Nie is a beautiful ghost, doomed to haunt an abandoned temple and hunt for souls for a demon that has enslaved her. She tries to capture a milquetoast travelling scholar, Ning Caichen, who manages to free her from her curse and takes her home to help his sickly wife. After Ning’s wife dies, he marries Nie and redeems her. In Chinese folktales, supernatural beings often strive to become human. It’s a device to analyze what being human means, akin to the journeys of Data, Seven of Nine, and T’Pol in Star Trek.

There was a notable adaptation of Nie’s tale in 1960. For that film, Qian Nu You Hun was translated as The Enchanting Shadow and was Hong Kong’s submission for Cannes and the Academy Awards. In the lead roles were two of the most popular actors of their generation. Nie was Betty Loh Ti, who died tragically to an overdose at just 31. Betty was a classic beauty, perfect for Nie, and this was her most celebrated role. Ning was Zhao Lei who enjoyed a long career of over a hundred films from the early 50s to the late 80s.

The Enchanting Shadow is a gorgeous film with sumptuous sets and costumes, which is what gave it such international appeal. It plays out almost like a European gothic horror in its gradual pacing and eerie Theremin soundtrack. With its international acclaim, The Enchanting Shadow set the stage for A Chinese Ghost Story 27 years later.

The Chinese Ghost Story Trilogy

A Chinese Ghost Story casts the alluring Joey Wang as Nie and heartthrob Leslie Cheung as Ning. Also in the cast are Wu Ma as the Daoist exorcist Yin and Lau Siu-ming as the androgynous Tree Demoness (Lau is male). The Tree Demoness steals the show like she plucks the hearts of her prey. Shifting between male and female voices, she attacks with entangling roots reminiscent of The Evil Dead (although she penetrates her victims through the mouth not other orifices). Her main weapon is her tongue, which grows so long that it wraps around her prey, cuts down trees and mutates into fangs and tentacles of Lovecraftian proportions.

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Joey is entrancing, a seductive portrait of long flowing locks wrapped in diaphanous silk gowns. Everything is always blowing in the wind like Beyonce’s hair, lending a mysterious grace to Joey in every scene.

And Leslie is adorably naïve. Who can’t but sympathize for him getting smitten by mystical Joey and her luxurious eyebrows, even if she was trying to eat him? A Chinese Ghost Story was pre-CGI so the special effects are dated: stop motion zombies, puppet tongue prosthetics, post-production glowy effects and lots of wire work. But there’s a certain charm to the cleverness of the effects. It’s old school filmmaking and although it looks dated now, it still works.

Three years later, the cast was reunited for A Chinese Ghost Story II. It picks up where the original left off. Leslie is still the innocent Ning, thrust in a horrid world. To show the brutality of his environment, there’s an early homage to Yojimbo, with a stray dog fetching a severed human hand.

Ning is in trouble from the start. He accidently sits down in a restaurant for cannibals, and then gets thrown in jail. After Elder Chu (Ku Feng) helps him escape, Ning gets mistaken for Chu by his gang of rebels. One of the gang members is Windy, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Nie because she’s played by Joey Wang. Ning is smitten again.

New to the cast is another Daoist wizard named Autumn (Jacky Cheung) and his frenetic energy ramps up the comedy and action.

The sequel quickly goes to a lot of fun places with absurd fight choreography, Daoist and Buddhist magic, amorous naked hijinks, crazy flying sword blades and a hysterical giant gloppy demon puppet that’s tenuously held captive by a Daoist freezing spell. And the reveal of the main demon is over-the-top strange and hilarious.

A Chinese Ghost Story III came out the following year, but it’s a break from the narrative. In the first film, the Tree Demoness was banished for a century, so the threequel skips forward to a century later, outliving Ning and the other good characters. Lau Siu-Ming reprises his Tree Demoness role and Joey Wang returns as another beautiful ghost named Lotus. She’s joined by her sister ghost Butterfly (Nina Li, Jet Li’s wife). Jacky Cheung returns but as a different character, the Taoist exorcist Yin. It’s the same name as Wu Ma’s character in the first film because Jacky plays Yin’s rejected student.

Replacing the lovelorn Ning is a bumbling Buddhist disciple, Shifang (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai) and his master Bai Yun (Lau Shun). Their relationship adds its own comic relief. Early on, Shifang is splattered with blood while witnessing a random roadside sword fight, just like what happened to Ning, while Bai Yun meditates obliviously.

Although the weakest of the trilogy, the special effects have improved over the years. The Tree Demoness’ tongue lickings are more vicious, including a tongue’s eye-view as it deep throats its prey and swims down to pluck out its heart. Lotus attacks with her entangling locks and Butterfly uses telescopic fingernails.

Instead of Daoist sorcery, there’s more Buddhist magic: restraining sutra wraps, flying carpet cassocks, magic malas, and blood so pure that it is gold. And who can forget Bai Yun’s enchanted earlobes? The finale demon reveal is the strange bastard child of a Transformer and a Kaiju that doesn’t quite work but by then, things have gotten so outrageous that it doesn’t really matter.

More Haunting Chinese Ghost Stories

Tsui Hark returned to the romance of Nie and Ning in 1997 for A Chinese Ghost Story: The Tsui Hark Animation. That was during a pivotal year for Hong Kong because it was the handover when it ceased being a British colony and was returned to China. Consequently, Hong Kong cinema was on fire. Filmmakers had no idea what would become of their industry under communist China, so they were producing their edgiest political work as many tried to immigrate to other countries in fear of having their artistic vision oppressed.

Hark had been working on the project for years and the animated format allowed him to unleash his vision like never before. This story stands independent of the others, but revisits characters developed for the threequel.

Ning and Nie are the same, although Nie is translated as Shine. Nie Xiaoqian translates to “whispering little lovely” so it’s unclear why Shine was chosen for the English language version. Other characters are translated literally like White Cloud and Ten Miles (translations of Baiyun and Shifang). Also appearing are Butterfly and the Tree Demoness, renamed Madame Trunk, along with her creepy bald minor demoness entourage.

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Replacing Master Yin is a new Daoist exorcist named Red Beard who travels in the bizarre magical giant transformer with temple bells for arms, a drum for a torso and barrels for legs. There’s also Mountain Evil, a giant rock star like demon that holds a concert and is obsessed with his hair. There’s a lot of music in this installment.

And Ning has a dog sidekick, Solid Gold, who serves as a comical canine conscience. For the Chinese versions, Tsui Hark voiced Solid Gold, which is funny because he only makes dog noises like barks and whimpers.

Like the threequel, Ning finds himself in a cannibal restaurant but this time, it’s not in the normal world. This one is filled with demons. A Chinese Ghost Story: The Tsui Hark Animation is a deep dive into the yaoguai world.

Yaoguai means “supernatural and strange.” Fans of Asian cinema know it better from the Japanese term Yokai. It’s the world of magical creatures – fairies, demons, ghosts, immortals, enchanted snakes and foxes – different from the elves and gnomes found in Western folklore.

Hark’s animated film was echoed in Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning Spirited Away four years later. A Chinese Ghost Story: The Tsui Hark Animation transitions between conventional and CGI animation, which was groundbreaking then but comes off awkward today. It has its visionary moments but pales in comparison to the artistry of Spirited Away.

In 2011, a remake came out, appropriately titled A Chinese Ghost Story 2011 and answered the question “What would A Chinese Ghost Story look like with today’s eye-popping CGI special effects?” Sadly, it doesn’t help despite a stellar cast.

Nie is played by Crystal Liu, who just appeared in the titular role in Mulan, but she falls short. Crystal is China doll cute, but she lacks the mystery needed for a haunting ghost. Ning is Yu Shaoqun. Like Leslie Cheung, Yu is a pretty boy singer, but doesn’t add much to the role beyond eye candy.

The Tree Demoness is veteran actress Kara Hui, who usually delivers gripping performances, but here she reduces the character to a cackling maniacal wicked witch that is strangely unsatisfactory.

There’s some redemption in the Daoist exorcists, which have a completely different and complex story arc. There are two, Yan Chixia, played by a brooding Louis Koo, and the one-armed Xia Xuefenglei, played by Louis Fan. The remake doesn’t capture the charm of the originals and the effects are unimaginative. This isn’t to say that this version is totally negligible. It has some moments like the villagers getting infected after rerouting water from the tree demon’s pool which makes them grow leaves. The villagers provide good comic relief. The sword fights are amusing too. The duel between the two Louises is high flying Kung Fu fun. The film is dedicated to the memory of Leslie Cheung, who tragically committed suicide by jumping off a building in 2003.

Despite the title, A Chinese Ghost Story isn’t frightening. There’s nothing in any of the films that might keep one up at night. It’s a haunting tale of undying romance, retold with visionary action and hilarious slapstick moments that, apart from some splattered demon ichor, is family friendly, with about the same level of frights as the Ghostbusters franchise. But be warned. A Chinese Ghost Story opens the portal to the psychotropic genre of FantAsia Kung Fu horror comedies. Once entered, there are hundreds of films in this genre that can possess a viewer for months of binging.

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A Chinese Ghost Story and A Chinese Ghost Story II are available on Amazon Prime.

The post The Weird History of A Chinese Ghost Story Franchise appeared first on Den of Geek.

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adeirwansyah · 5 years

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On Hong Kong Comics (in Indonesian)

SEPTEMBER 2018

Komik Hong Kong di Indonesia: Kian Elit, Kian Sempit

Oleh Ade Irwansyah

Jika bertandang ke Hong Kong, sempatkanlah mampir ke Kowloon Park, sebuah taman dekat kawasan Tsim Sha Tsui yang sibuk. Di salah satu sudut taman terdapat surga kecil buat pecinta komik, terutama komik Hong Kong. Di area sepanjang 100 meter terdapat 30 patung karakter tokoh komik Hong Kong setinggi 1,8 hingga 3 meter berderet rapi.

Patung-patung yang dipamerkan di situ merentang dari karakter komik era 1960-an hingga dekade 2010-an. Di sana, Anda bisa puas berswa-foto dengan karakter Old Master Q, Wang Xiao Hu dari komik Long Hu Men, Dragon Lord, Cloud alias Angin dari komik Awan dan Angin (Wind and Cloud/Storm Riders) sampai yang kurang dikenal di sini seperti Miss 13 Dots, K si James Bond Hong Kong atau Ding Ding Penguin yang imut.

Tempat yang dinamakan Hong Kong Avenue of Comic Stars ini juga memuat sejarah perkembangan komik, pengaruhnya ke negara lain, termasuk Indonesia. Hong Kong Avenue of Comic Stars resmi dibuka September 2012 dengan tujuan merayakan budaya komik negeri bekas koloni Inggris itu.[1] Pembukaannya diresmikan Tony Wong Yuk-long, Presiden Hong Kong Comics and Animation Federation dan Gregory So Kam-leung, Menteri Perdagangan dan Pembangunan Ekonomi Hong Kong.

Tony Wong, tentu saja, legenda hidup komik Hong Kong. Ia layak disejajarkan dengan Osamu Tezuka di Jepang atau Stan Lee di Amerika. Seperti Stan Lee pula, Tony Wong beberapa kali muncul di film layar lebar. Ia pernah main film Project A (sebagai polisi), All’s Well, End’s Well (sebagai diri sendiri), New Police Story bareng Jacky Chan (sebagai kepala penjara) dan film adaptasi komik karyanya Dragon Tiger Gate (sebagai tabib Qi).[2] Membicarakan komik Hong Kong tak sahih tanpa menyebut Tony Wong. Namun, sejatinya pula, nama itu baru muncul sekitar akhir 1960-an di rimba persilatan komik di sana.

Bila ditelusuri muasal komik Hong Kong akan jauh sekali hingga ke masa Tiongkok kuno. Seperti Indonesia, orang China telah mengenal budaya gambar sejak ribuan tahun silam. Jejak lukisan tertua yang terselamatkan menunjuk ke masa abad 11 SM dan gambar-gambar di guci dari masa 5.000 sampai 3.000 SM. Di masa Dinasti Ming (1368-1644) muncul gambar dengan teknis kuas, sedangkan di masa awal Dinasti Qing (1643-1911) lahir gambar satir karya Zhu Da serta Luo Liang-feng sekitar 1771.[3]

Perkembangan gambar modern di China tak bisa dipisahkan dengan teknik cetak murah dari Barat. Teknik cetak ini membuat penerbitan koran dan majalah menjamur. Termasuk juga kartun dan karikatur yang muncul dalam koran dan majalah tersebut. Selain di media cetak, lahir juga apa yang dinamakan lianhuantu, buku cerita bergambar seukuran telapak tangan. Lianhuantu berformat 30 halaman. Setiap halaman berisi gambar dengan kotak keterangan di bawahnya. Komik format lianhuantu banyak diterbitkan di Shanghai awal abad ke-2o, serta diekspor keluar, di antaranya Hong Kong. Lianhuantu biasanya mengisahkan cerita kepahlawanan pahlawan atau legenda Tiongkok kuno.[4]

Di buku Hong Kong Comics (2002), Wendy Siuyi Wong menyebut komik Hong Kong pertama lahir di akhir abad ke-19 dan awal abad 20. Komik Hong Kong awal berjenis kartun satir dan karikatur. Majalah kartun satir pertama The China Punch terbit 1867 oleh seorang wartawan Inggris. Namanya sendiri diambil dari The Punch, terbitan Inggris dan mengadopsi karikatur politik, lustrasi dan kartun satir.

Siuyi Wong menganggap peran The China Punch sangat berarti karena mengenalkan kartun dan humor politik di Hong Kong.[5] Orang China pertama yang melukis kartun politik di Hong Kong adalah Tse Tsan-tai lewat karyanya The Situation in the Far East yang diterbitkan di Jepang. Tse pendukung Sun Yat-sen, Bapak Republik China. Ia menentang ambisi negeri asing di China. Lewat karyanya, ia bermaksud memberi kesadaran politik pada rakyat China.[6]

Dari Komik Humor ke Kungfu

Dalam bahasa China, komik disebut “manhua”. Sejumlah sejarawan meyakini kata itu dipinjam sejak permulaan abad ke-20 dari bahasa Jepang, manga yang berarti komik.[7] Menginjak 1920-an dan 1930-an, komik Hong Kong jarang memuat pesan politik. Topik yang sering diangkat kebanyakan tema sehari-hari. Selepas Perang Dunia II, komik jadi hiburan orang banyak. Komik strip muncul di setiap koran menggambarkan keseharian orang Hong Kong, dengan dialog sehari-hari dalam bahasa Kanton alih-alih Mandarin.[8]

Tahun 1950-an terbit Uncle Choi karya Hui Guan-man. Awalnya, kisah Paman Choi ini bernuansa humor, tapi belakangan jadi serius saat fokus cerita beralih soal kepahlawanan perang lawan Jepang. Di masanya, Uncle Choi jadi manhua terlaris di Hong Kong selama beberapa tahun, terbit selama satu setengah dekade. Komiknya dikatakan membawa pembaruan dengan gaya bertutur modern yang membedakan dengan model lianhuantu. Wendy Siuyi Wong mencatat manhua ini mengikuti tren—misal, ketika film spionase James Bond populer, sang tokoh jadi mata-mata--walau tak selalu disambut baik pembaca. Pada pertengahan 1970-an penerbitannya dihentikan.[9]

Sebelum 1970-an, manhua populer lainnya adalah Old Master Q karya Wong Chak yang terbit pertama tahun 1964. Formatnya komik empat panel yang mengisahkan petualangan kocak Old Master Q, pria tua berkumis tipis dan kostum tradisional China, bersama kawan-kawannya (“Big Dumb”atau “Big Potato” dan Mr. Chun). Manhua ini masih terbit hingga hari ini membuatnya jadi serial komik China paling lama.[10]

Yang kini juga jadi klasik di masa itu adalah Miss Thirteen Dot yang muncul di komik 13-Dot Cartoons karya Theresa Lee Wai-chun. Manhua ini disebut komik mainstream pertama yang menyasar pembaca cewek. Dikatakan, komik ini terinspirasi karakter Richie Rich. Ceritanya sendiri tentang petualangan seorang gadis putri jutawan.[11]

Seiring popularitas film kungfu akhir 1960-an dan tahun 1970-an yang antara lain melahirkan sosok Bruce Lee, imbasnya juga sampai ke manhua. Tahun 1971 terbit manhua kungfu berjudul Lee Siu-lung yang merupakan nama China Bruce Lee karya Seung-gun Siu-bo. Akhir 1960-an, tepatnya 1968, terbit Little Vagabond karya Tony Wong berkisah tentang petualangan dewa mabuk Vagabond.

Namun, tak sah mengulas manhua kungfu tanpa menyebut karya Tony Wong yang lain, Little Rascals (1970). Manhua ini mengisahkan petualangan preman-preman muda yang tinggal di pemukiman rumah susun (public housing) Hong Kong. Penggambaran adegan duel di komik ini begitu brutal dan mengundang kritik. Pemerintah lantas menerbitkan Indecent Publication Law tahun 1975 untuk mengatur gambar kekerasan vulgar di komik. Tony Wong patuh. Mengubah judulnya bernada positif Oriental Heroes (Long Hu-men). Tahun 1980-an, gaya gambar ala kartun di manhua ini berubah jadi lebih realis seiring popularitas The Chinese Hero karya Ma Wong-shing.[12] Pada akhir 2000, Wong me-remake Oriental Heroes dengan judul Xin Long Hu-men (New Oriental Heroes), memakai karakter yang sama seperti Wang Xiaohu, Wang Xiaolong dan Shi Heilong, tetapi dengan cerita yang lebih memikat dan adegan laga yang jauh lebih mantap.[13]

Pengaruh Komik Hong Kong di Indonesia

Di buku Komik Indonesia (pertama terbit edisi Prancis, 1976; edisi Indonesia, 1998) Marcel Bonneff mencatat komik silat kita bermula dari cerita silat (cersil) China. Ia tak menyebut komik melainkan karya sastra. Sebelum Perang Dunia II, surat kabar Melayu-Tionghoa Keng Po dan Sin Po menerbitkan seri silat China, yang kemudian terbit dalam bentuk buku. Setelah perang, Koran Star Weekly sangat diminati karena memuat cersil China.[14]

Dikatakan juga, cersil China di Indonesia dapat digolongkan ke dalam dua kelompok: cersil Tionghoa terjemahan buku yang diterbitkan di Hong Kong dan Taiwan serta gubahan penulis Indonesia keturunan Tionghoa. Yang disebut terakhir pelaku utamanya adalah Kho Ping Hoo alias Asmaraman.[15]

Dalam format komik, salah satu cersil pertama adalah kisah legenda Sie Djin Koei pada 1954. Komiknya tak mengadopsi model lianhuantu ala cergam Shanghai awal 1920-an, namun sudah sepenuhnya mengadopsi format komik modern dengan panel-panel terpisah dan balon kata.[16] Menginjak 1960-an terbit komik Buku Angin Kuning atau Pendekar Piatu yang mengambil ilham dari cersil China. Di pasar Indonesia, kata Bonneff, komik Hong Kong mendapat tempat sejajar dengan buku cerita.[17]

Yang turut pula berpengaruh pada komik silat kita adalah film kungfu Hong Kong, Taiwan dan samurai Jepang yang tayang di Indonesia di masa awal Orde Baru, akhir 1960-an dan awal 1970-an. Ganes TH yang mencipta Si Buta dari Gua Hantu dikatakan meniru komik Hong Kong, atau setidaknya film Jepang. Ganes membantah, mengatakan yang menginspirasinya adalah film Amerika tentang koboi buta yang beraksi dengan tongkat.[18]

Masa keemasan komik Hong Kong alias manhua di Indonesia berlangsung tahun 1990-an. Saat itu industri komik lokal tengah terpuruk oleh serbuan komik impor. Bila dekade sebelumnya orang Indonesia akrab dengan komik Eropa (Tintin, Asterix, Lucky Luke) dan Amerika (Batman, Superman dll), pada 1990-an mulai menjamur komik Jepang dan Hong Kong. Komik Jepang alias manga ditanadi oleh Candy Candy, Kung Fu Boy dan Doraemon yang diterbitkan Elex Media Komputindo milik Kompas-Gramedia; sedangkan manhua ditandai kehadiran dua karya Tony Wong: Tiger Wong dan Tapak Sakti juga oleh Gramedia. Tiger Wong judul aslinya Oriental Heroes versi 1980-an, sedangkan Tapak Sakti adalah Buddha’s Palm terbitan 1982.

Tahun 1990-an pemainnya bukan hanya kelompok usaha Kompas-Gramedia. Generasi ’90-an penggemar komik pasti akrab dengan manhua terbitan Garuda Mas. Penerbit ini menerbitkan banyak komik terjemahan Hong Kong macam Street Fighter, Crazy Guy, 3 Pendekar, Killer Sword dan macam-macam lagi. Di kebanyakan terbitan itu hanya disebut nama penulisnya, Chris Lau (Lau Ding-gin), padahal komik-komik itu dihasilkan macam-macam komikus: Fung Chi-ming, Li Chi-tat, dan lain-lain.

Jelang pertengahan 1990-an, Garuda Mas menghilang digantikan Rajawali Grafiti. Penerbit ini menerbitkan komik Hong Kong bajakan seperti Dragonman (Dragon Lord) hingga Awan dan Angin (Wind and Cloud) dan Pedang Bara (The Chinese Hero) dua karya legendaris Ma Wing-shing. Selain itu penerbit yang sama juga banyak menerbitkan manga terjemahan tak resmi seperti City Hunter, Dragon Ball, Ranma ½ hingga Tinju Bintang Utara (Fist of the North Star karya Burunson). Tidak sampai akhir 1990-an penerbit ini tak terdengar lagi kiprahnya.

Nasib Manhua Kini di Hong Kong dan Indonesia

Masa keemasan komik Hong Kong baik di negeri asalnya maupun Indonesia berlangsung hingga 1990-an. Di Indonesia malah rasanya masa emas itu lebih pendek: hanya setahun, tepatnya 1992 ketika Gramedia menerbitkan Tiger Wong dkk serta Garuda Mas membanjiri pasar dengan judul-judul beragam.

Penyebab kemunduran relatif sama: serbuan manga ke pasar. Di Hong Kong, dari segi format, manga yang terbit bulanan, hitam-putih, dicetak di kertas biasa dengan tebal 200-an halaman dianggap lebih memuaskan. Sedangkan manhua terbit mingguan, dicetak di kertas art-paper warna dengan tebal 30-40 halaman. Pembaca rupanya lebih memilih baca manga.[19]

Penyebab lainnya adalah abad digital yang mengubah kebiasaan orang membaca di kertas ke perangkat digital, baik komputer hingga handphone. Internet jadi biang keladi utama lantaran menyediakan komik hasil pindai (scan) gratis. Seorang pelaku bisnis komik dan animasi Hong Kong dikutip media setempat mengatakan pada 1995 hingga 2000 industri itu menghasilkan 700 juta dollar HK. Pada 2010, tinggal 300 juta dollar HK.[20]

Meski tak segurih era 1990-an bukan berarti industri manhua mati. Dari abad digital ini malah lahir komikus indie yang tak menggantungkan diri pada penjualan buku komik. Karena tak mengandalkan selera pasar pula, ekspresi kesenian mereka lebih personal. Yang lahir dari tangan mereka bukan lagi komik kung fu dengan jurus-jurus spektakuler, namun kisah keseharian dan keresahan hidup.

Yang patut disebut di sini antara lain How Blue was My Valley karya Yeung Hok-tak. Komik ini diterbitkan mandiri pada 2002. Kisahnya semacam memoar pengarangnya tentang kehidupan di rumah susun pemerintah (public housing) pada 1970-an. Gaya gambarnya berlainan sekali dengan manhua umumnya. Di komik ini manusia umumnya digambar seperti bayangan.[21]

Sayang beribu saying perkembangan komik Hong Kong kiwari tak sampai ke Indonesia. Manhua masih dijual di toko buku. Namun kebanyakan komik kung fu gubahan Tony Wong dan Andy Seto. Manhua Long Hu Men dan beberapa judul lain bisa ditemukan di toko buku kita. Kini pun yang tersisa tinggal manhua terbitan Gramedia. Sempat hadir Kumala Komik dengan judul-judul beragam, tapi menghilang juga tanpa kabar.

Manhua yang tersisa untuk dinikmati dalam bahasa Indonesia, selain hanya berjenis komik silat, juga harganya relatif mahal. Satu eksemplar dijual sekitar Rp 100 ribu. Bukunya memang tebal (hampir 200 halaman) dan dicetak di kertas art paper kinclong. Bandingkan dengan komik Jepang yang dijual di kisaran Rp 25 ribu.

Harga mahal itu menandakan yang disasar penerbit mereka yang berkocek tebal. Terutama generasi X dan milenial kelahiran awal 1980-an yang ketika kecil tumbuh membaca komik Tiger Wong dan Tapak Sakti yang dijual Rp 2.000 pada 1990-an. Mereka kini memang telah berada di puncak karier masing-masing, berpenghasilan berlebih. Membaca Long Hu Men kini buat mereka punya nilai nostalgis.

Bahaya dari strategi pasar model begini adalah penerbit tak hendak menyasar pembaca baru: mereka yang tak mampu beli komik seharga Rp 100 ribuan. Ini membuat pasar komik Hong Kong jadi elitis dan sempit. Amatilah toko buku. Manhua menyempil di rak sempit, terdesak puluhan judul manga. Begitulah nasibnya kini.***

[1] "Avenue of Comic Stars opens in Kowloon Park with statues of characters", South China Morning Post, 29 September 2012, dengan URL: https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1049718/avenue-comic-stars-opens-kowloon-park-statues-characters (diakses 29 Agustus 2018).

[2] Lihat Long Hu Men Guidebook, PT Gramedia, Jakarta, 2013, hal. 87.

[3] Lihat Wendy Siuyi Wong, Hong Kong Comics: A History of Manhua, Princeton Architectural Press, New York, 2002, hal. 11.

[4] Ibid, hal.103.

[5] Ibid, hal. 12-13.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid, hal. 11.

[8] Sally Gao, “An Introduction to Hong Kong Comics”, Culture Trip, 29 Oktober 2016, dengan URL: https://theculturetrip.com/asia/hong-kong/articles/an-introduction-to-hong-kong-comics/ (diakses 6 September 2018).

[9] Lihat Wendy Siuyi Wong, Hong Kong Comics…,hal. 107.

[10] Ibid, hal 67 dan lihat Sally Gao,…

[11] Wendy Siuyi Wong, Hong Kong Comics…,hal. 73.

[12] Ibid, hal. 115.

[13] Lihat Long Hu Men Guide Book… hal. 3.

[14] Marcel Bonneff, Komik Indonesia, Cet. 3, Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia, Jakarta, 2008, hal. 115.

[15] Ibid.

[16] Ibid, hal. 118.

[17] Ibid, hal. 120.

[18] Ibid.

[19] Lihat “Japanese Elements in Hong Kong Comics: History, Art, and Industry”, dimuat di URL: http://www.cuhkacs.org/~benng/Bo-Blog/read.php?456 (diakses 6 September 2018)

[20] Lihat Nan-Hie In, "Hong Kong’s comics industry is proverbially in the shreds. The biggest saboteur? The internet", Coconuts Hong Kong, 30 Agustus 2014, dengan URL: https://coconuts.co/hongkong/features/hong-kongs-comics-industry-proverbially-shreds-biggest-saboteur-internet/ (diakses 6 September 2018).

[21] Lihat Jeffrey Mather (2017), “Hong Kong Comics: Reading the Local and Writing the

City”, Wasafiri, 32:3, 79-86, DOI: 10.1080/02690055.2017.1322325, di URL:https://doi.org/10.1080/02690055.2017.1322325 (diakses 6 September 2018).

CATATAN: Esai ini adalah versi belum diedit dari esai yang dimuat Jurnal Ruang dengan URL: https://jurnalruang.com/read/1537275375-komik-hong-kong-kian-elit-kian-sempit.

#hongkong #hongkongcomics #tonywong

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movieonmove-blog · 6 years

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Sun lung moon hak chan (1992) (Votes: 3187, rating: 7.3)

Watch popular movies with BlueBox: http://bit.ly/BlueBoxMovies. This big hit at the Sundance Film Festival had audiences cheering. Set during the Ming Dynasty, this acclaimed production tells the story of a power hungry eunuch who employs an ev Director: Raymond Lee, Siu-Tung Ching, Hark Tsui Stars: Tony Ka Fai Leung, Brigitte Lin, Maggie Cheung, Donnie Yen

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ulkaralakbarova · 2 months

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Ip Man’s peaceful life in Foshan changes after Gong Yutian seeks an heir for his family in Southern China. Ip Man then meets Gong Er who challenges him for the sake of regaining her family’s honor. After the Second Sino-Japanese War, Ip Man moves to Hong Kong and struggles to provide for his family. In the mean time, Gong Er chooses the path of vengeance after her father was killed by Ma San. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Ip Man: Tony Leung Chiu-wai Gong Er: Zhang Ziyi Razor: Chang Chen Ding Lianshan: Zhao Benshan San Jiang Shui: Xiao Shenyang Zhang Yongcheng: Song Hye-kyo Master Gong Yutian: Wang Qingxiang Ma San: Jin Zhang Jiang: Shang Tielong Gong Er Di Zi: Song Tao Uncle Deng: Lo Hoi-pang Iron Shoes: Cung Le Gong Clan Elder: King Shih-Chieh Chan Wah-shun: Yuen Woo-ping Master Yong: Lau Ga-Yung Master Rui: Shun Lau Primo: Julian Cheung Sister San: Zhou Xiaofei Brother Sau: Berg Ng Dark Spirit: Lo Meng Gong Er Stand-in: Fang Chengcheng Women of the Gold Pavilion: Jeana Ho Young Gong Er: Wu Yixuan Gong Clan Elder: George Wang Mr. Hung: Elvis Tsui Kam-Kong Master Ba: Wang Man-Cheng Cho Man: Cho Man-Keung Brother Ping: Siu Ping-lam Foshan Martial Artist: Tony Ling Chi-Wah Peking Opera Singer: Li Jing Brother Shui: Water Hung Funeral Procession Leader: Tong Han Ma San’s Disciple: Ni Haifeng Gold Pavilion Client: Yuen Cheung-Yan Razor’s Disciple: Yin Chunxiong Zhang Yongcheng (voice): Charlie Yeung …: Benz Kong To-Hoi Film Crew: Screenplay: Wong Kar-wai Director of Photography: Philippe Le Sourd Original Music Composer: Shigeru Umebayashi Producer: Jacky Pang Music: Nathaniel Méchaly Compositors: Erik Classen Screenplay: Xu Haofeng Executive Producer: Dai Song Executive Producer: Chan Ye-cheng Martial Arts Choreographer: Yuen Woo-ping Executive Producer: Megan Ellison Co-Producer: Cheung Hong-Tat Co-Producer: Ng See-Yuen Story Consultant: Ip Chun Co-Producer: Ren Yue Music Consultant: Steve Macklam Co-Producer: Michael J. Werner Screenplay: Zou Jingzhi Makeup Artist: Kwan Lee-na Associate Producer: Johnnie Kong Art Direction: William Chang Suk-Ping Art Direction: Alfred Yau Wai-Ming Costume Design: Shandy Lui Fung-Shan Movie Reviews: CinemaSerf: I’m a fan of Wong Kar-Wai’s films but I reckon that I still prefer Wilson Yip’s 2008 version of the Ip Man story. Set amidst the turbulent times in China that saw the end of the rule of Manchu dynasty, the embryonic republic established and then the Japanese invasion, we meet a man (Tony Leung) who lives peacefully in the small town of Foshan until he meets Wing Chun grand master Gong Yutian (Qingxiang Wang) who is looking for a successor. That is the beginning of a journey that will see him become a grand master of the martial art himself, whilst meeting, marrying and surviving! It’s a superb looking film but for me just a little too over-stylised. The combat scenes are creatively choreographed but the use of the slowed-down visual effects didn’t always work. Leung and the director are clearly on the same wavelength, and the story itself is a fascinating look at the rise of one culture through the wreckage of an ancient one. It’s also clear that women too had their place in this society – and it wasn’t always where stereotype might assume. A strong contribution from the adept and nimble Ziyi Zhang (Gong Er) demonstrates that well as battle lines between the old and new, the powerful and the aspirational are drawn and a good old dose of ancient tribal warfare sets up a proud story of heritage, loyalty and skill. Though a little soporifically scored at times, this is an enjoyable mix of history with touch of romance and plenty of action, and is well worth a couple of hours.

#biography #kung fu #kung fu master #martial arts #Top Rated Movies

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