Asian SF/F (not Japan)

[oyceter]

Hi! I am lazy and depending on the goodwill of the internet to help with research!

So: tell me about Asian SF/F!

It must be:

• Created in Asia by Asians


• NOT from Japan


• Any medium


• Bonus points if I can get my hands on it (I am in the US and read/understand Mandarin Chinese)


• Extra bonus points for SF/F from and/or about Southeast Asia or South Asia

I have a slightly better sense of SF/F created in Asia and popular in the US, though if you have notes for your specific country, that would also be good! Please note: NOT from Japan.

For self: rachelmanija's notes on Indian SF/F

ETA:
Korea:
- Pahanjip (Korean folklore + Tang China ghost hunters, manhwa)
- Bride of the Water God (Korean folklore (?) + alternate world + beast bridegroom, manhwa)

China:
- Swordsman II

Comments

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

It's very sad that the only remotely SF/F item I can think of from the Philippines is Dyesebel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyesebel), and that's not exactly easily accessible. I fail in this regard. (Though I will say that there is a current discussion within Filipino literary circles about what SF/F is to them and defining it, so perhaps there is a reason I suffer from epic fail.)

This is more along the lines of horror but there is Island, a manhwa by Kyung-Il Yang and In-wan Youn. It has demons, ghosts, exorcists, and an undead serial killer who used to be a Buddhist monk (Esoteric Buddhism, specifically). It also explores the legacy of cultural hatred between Korea and Japan. It used to be licensed by TOKYOPOP but unfortunately, it's since gone out of print.

The creators also have another series called Shin Angyo Onshi which, despite being published in Japan (though I think this is a case of simultaneous publication in Japan & Korea), draws upon all sorts of Korean folklore, myth, legend, and history that I don't even know where to begin.

[oyceter]

Though I will say that there is a current discussion within Filipino literary circles about what SF/F is to them and defining it

Really? That is awesome! Are there links or anything? I have zero idea of the state of SF/F in Asia in general, so people there talking about the genre and how they fit in would be MADE OF WIN!

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

Let me see if I can track it down. Because when I say "discussion", I really mean "flame war" so some of the posts might have been locked. The bulk took place a few months ago.

One of my good friends wrote this story (http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/mandigma_10_07.html) and let me just say that it's meta-commentary on the whole situation/discussion/argument.

[littlebutfierce]

There's also from the Philippines the graphic novel The Mythology Class, by Arnold Arre. Although it's got some problematic gender & race stuff going on. But it also features a lot of Filipino mythological creatures attempting to wreak havoc in Manila, hey!