One Night in Bangkok

Kurt stands in the blue limelight of a bar in Pattaya. Loud Western music plays from the speakers as he walks into the bar. He carries a briefcase and moves to the bar. Donning a thin running suit and a briefcase, Kurt is the odd one out. Not for his caucasian appearance. The dancefloor in front of the bar is filled with fat, pale gingers, older men with sunburned necks, and depressed bureaucrats. In the back of the bar sit a bunch of Chinese-looking figures, puffing on cigars and drinking expansive liquor.

“You look for good time?” hails a timid voice with a Thai accent from behind the bar. Kurt looks over at Thahan Praphasirirat, the bartender. Kurt Linklater pulls a pen from his inside pocket and writes something on a napkin. He scoots it over for Thahan to see.

“Mi mi out back”, says Thahan as he walks away to the right.

Kurt smokes a cigarette in the back alley of the bar. It’s dark and reeks of garbage. “You got money?” says Thahan in Thai. “Chai,” replies Kurt, who speaks some basic Thai. “We need it for bribes. Nothing comes free.”

Super Wok Explosion is a unique animated web-series about Chinese organized crime. The project is funded entirely by its audience. On this website, animator Tony Cheuk likes to share information about Asian organized crime—and world-building of the universe of the series, Chinese tongs and triads. If you're interested in learning more about the project, you can click here.