MADELINE MICHEL WRITES – Everyone has their favorite Korean drama, Japanese anime, or Chinese martial arts movie, but what about their favorite live-action Boys Love (BL) series? Boys Love, which refers to shows in which the main narrative focuses on a romantic relationship between two male leads, is the newest,…
Full Article THAILAND SOFT POWER: BOYS LOVE PROGRAMMING – THE NEW GOLD MINE
ARMAAN JHANGIANI writes – On March 13th, Loyola Marymount University had the honor of hosting a conversation with S. S. Rajamouli and his Executive Producer/partner Shobu Yarlagadda of Arka Media Works for the Film and Television College. More specifically, the dialogue focused on the Telugu film “RRR,” which just happened…
Full Article INDIA’S RAJAMOULI AT LMU: ‘RRR’ MEANS – ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
HAMAD ALHADBH WRITES – “For many developing countries, climate change is looming large over their existence. We have to take big steps today to save the world. This is the need of the hour.” So said Narendra Modi, India’s Prime Minister, during the COP 26 climate conference in Scotland in…
Full Article INDIA: THE BIG COUGH
SARAH LOHMANN WRITES — We often like to see the world in black-and-white terms: bad people do bad things. It is rarely so simple in reality, however. Japanese director, Hirokazu Koreeda, explores moral complexity in Broker (2022), showing how our best efforts and intentions can be disrupted by systems that…
Full Article MOVIE REVIEW: BROKER (2022) – THE SPIRAL OF HUMAN MORALITY
IREH KIM WRITES — South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol will visit Japan this week March 16-17, for the first time in almost twelve years, in an attempt to resolve a wartime labor compensation dispute. It all began in 1910, with the annexation of South Korea by Japan. During Japanese…
Full Article JAPAN VS. SOUTH KOREA: EXTREME DISCOMFORT CONTINUES
RYAN BYRNE WRITES-In a new bid to change the energy landscape in Asia, ministers from Australia, Japan and all of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) except Myanmar gathered at a meeting of the Asia Zero Emission Community in Japan to discuss the decarbonization of their economies. The consortium,…
Full Article ASEAN ON THE MOVE: MAKING ASIA CLEANER
BOOK REVIEW EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ELLA KELLEHER – The first page welcomes us to the pool, a sanctuary from all on-shore troubles. There are no nagging spouses, bills to pay, arrogant bosses, or spiteful children at the pool. The swimmers mind their business and swim away their worries. There are a few…
Full Article BOOK REVIEW: THE SWIMMERS (2022) BY JULIE OTSUKA – NOSE DIVING INTO THE SECRET WORLD OF A COMMUNITY POOL
YUKANA INOUE WRITES – Boys Love — also known as the Yaoi, or BL — is one of the most popular genres of fictional media in Japan. From manga to live action shows, BL stories that previously had just a niche following have evolved into mainstream fare. “Ossan’s Love,” for…
Full Article JAPAN: IN POLITICS, SAME SEX IS NOT YET THE SAME
KAYA RODRIGUES WRITES – Green buildings, green finance, green economy. Singapore says it is committed to bettering the environment and is moving the small island to the forefront of the fight for a sustainable future. So, on March 1, Singapore announced that it was partnering with the United Kingdom by…
Full Article SINGAPORE AND UK: THE GREENING OF AN ODD COUPLE
COLUMNIST TOM PLATE WRITES – Geopolitical commentary can be invaluable, but not all analyses return good payback for your time and attention. The ‘quick-on-the draw’ stuff can lack perspective and flip and flop in the wind; even those drawn from deeper wells can take too long to surface. Then there’s…
Full Article SINGAPORE: A VERY ‘VIP’ VOICE FROM ASIA
AMANI ALAWWAD WRITES – On Feb 6, Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal ruled against the government’s mandate requiring transgender people to undergo sexual reassignment surgery prior to using their preferred gender on identity cards. The landmark ruling is widely viewed as a victory that may lead to greater recognition…
Full Article HONG KONG: COURT OF FINAL APPEAL MAKES HISTORY
BADER ALBANWAN WRITES – Early last month the Colombian Air Force detected a suspected Chinese spy balloon floating approximately 55,000 feet in its airspace. Unlike the spy balloon in the U.S., which provoked the Biden administration to order an F-22 Raptor from Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, to be shot…
Full Article BALLOON FADE-OUT: LATIN AMERICA KEEPS ITS COOL
Guest Commentary by Moon Chung-in, professor emeritus at Yonsei University – After Republic of Korea President Yoon Suk-yeol broached the possibility of South Korea developing its own nuclear weapons in January, discussion of that possibility has been picking up intensity. According to the results of a poll of 1,000 people…
Full Article KOREAN PENINSULA CONTROVERSY: NO NUKES IN THE SOUTH, PLEASE!
ALI ZANE WRITES – With K-pop now a global presence, more and more luxury fashion brands have been collaborating with its idols. A pivotal moment: Chanel’s 2015 Paris fashion show, where K-pop idol and fashion trailblazer G-Dragon sat front row. He was the first Asian star to be invited. A…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: K-POP TAKES CENTER STAGE IN FASHION
HUNTER MYERS WRITES – With its severe Covid control administration, did Beijing blunder – or show the way toward a viable epidemic control option for the future? China’s experience with Covid Zero policy, and its subsequent, rather sudden lifting, provides valuable insights for other countries. It shows the importance of…
Full Article CHINA: WAS THE “ZERO COVID” POLICY 100% WRONG?
JARED D’AGOSTINO WRITES – For the first time in five years, on February 7, 2023, Japan used the words “illegal occupation” when describing Russia’s presence on the Kurile Islands. This is not surprising; Japanese and Russian relations have deteriorated since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24th last…
Full Article JAPAN: ALL’S (NOT) FAIR IN WAR