Old Master Q
Originally a famous and much-adored Hong Kong manhua (Chinese comic book) created by Alfonso Wong in 1962, Old Master Q was transformed into a series of Cantonese and Mandarin cartoon animations as far back as 1965. Centred around humour, the animations follow the quick-witted Old Master Q and his outlandish acquaintances, Big Potato and Mr Chin, as they travel through different social statuses, professions, and time periods. Colour Old Master Q (1980), for instance, sees them become apprentices to a kung fu master, where they unwittingly get entangled in a robber case.
Though infused with whimsical and offbeat humour, Old Master Q touches upon themes ranging from the social transformation of Hong Kong from the 1960s to the 1980s and pop culture to social issues such as poverty and class divisions. The titled protagonist is constantly torn between Chinese and Western cultural influences and is notorious for despising people who often switch between Chinese and English in their speech. Old Master Q is an absolute classic in the local comic and animation scene.