Ella Kelleher is a current senior at Loyola Marymount University, where she majors in English and specializes in multi-ethnic literature. During her college experience, she studied abroad in Japan and contributed to the exchanging of cultures. She has also volunteered at the Honorary Consulate of Kazakhstan in Los Angeles, where…
Full Article JAPAN: HISTORICAL PERCEPTION OF CHINA AND THE WAR
SOPHIA JARAMILLO WRITES — As the curtains closed on Paris Fashion Week 2020, so did the life of one of Paris’ own: 56-year-long fashion designer Kenzo Takada passed away on October 4th due to complications of coronavirus. Even at the age of 81, the Japanese-born Parisian expatriate Takada’s vividly bright…
Full Article JAPAN: KENZO TAKADA’S FASHIONS WILL LIVE ON AFTER HIS DEATH
LILLY WEBBER WRITES — Virtual YouTubers, or VTubers, are on the rise throughout the international gaming and streaming industry. Originating in Japan, VTubers are typically Japanese entrepreneurs who primarily stream games online for an audience of viewers. However, unlike some streamers, all VTubers are represented by a 2D or 3D…
Full Article CHINESE CENSORSHIP: HAVE FUN, BUT DON’T EVER MENTION TAIWAN
MATEO FERNANDEZ WRITES — Anime is deeply rooted in Japanese culture and has been around for quite some time now. That’s why characters often display traditional Japanese kimonos. Yes, there are Chinese and Korean anime-like shows, but typically anime is Japanese. Anime fans come from all corners of the globe,…
Full Article JAPAN: IS ANTI-ANIME SENTIMENT RACIST?
TAYLOR BOSVELD WRITES — It is no secret that China is continuing to grow its influence on the world stage, yet who would think that one of the most culturally impactful institutions in the United States is the National Basketball Association? And what’s the relationship between China and the NBA?…
Full Article CHINA: MAKING THE NBA JUMP THROUGH POLITICAL HOOPS
LIAM ROGERS WRITES — On September 29th, Nikkei Asian Review announced its rebranding to Nikkei Asia. Despite a few changes, the integrity of its journalistic reporting remains intact. The rebranding, founded upon The Nikkei’s acquisition of the Financial Times (FT) in 2015, will incorporate several aspects of business that were used in the business model of…
Full Article JAPAN: ‘THE VOICE OF THE ASIAN CENTURY’ GETS A TUNE-UP
SIANY GUNAWAN WRITES – In Indonesia, the debate on women’s rights has accelerated in response to political and social challenges. More and more women are being sexually abused and, according to women’s legal counselors, the alleged violence had continued for years. The National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) recorded…
Full Article INDONESIA: WOMEN’S RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS…AREN’T THEY?
ANDREA PLATE WRITES — This year, the best-selling North Korean novel Friend was translated into English and approved for publication in the US by the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea – a first in that nation’s history. Immanuel Kim, 42, professor of Korean Literature and Culture Studies at George…
Full Article KOREA: ARE WOMEN’S RIGHTS, NORTH AND SOUTH, AN OPEN BOOK ON THE LITERARY LANDSCAPE?
CADY-BREE ABE WRITES — At first, Mulan was a girl worth fighting for, but the new live action movie released in 2020, starring Yifei Liu, leaves audiences disappointed and devastated. The live action Mulan transforms a beloved Disney princess movie into something nearly unrecognizable to many who held this film…
Full Article MOVIE REVIEW: ‘ORIENTAL’ MULAN IS OUTDATED
MALCOLM KAM WRITES – Standing at 18 meters tall, Japan’s 1:1 scale animatronic Gundam is now fully assembled. The animatronic is modeled after the Gundam RX-78-2, a giant bipedal mech that made its debut in the 1979 anime Mobile Suit Gundam. Since then, Gundam has remained wildly popular, both in…
Full Article JAPAN: THE GUNDAM GLOBAL CHALLENGE HEATS UP POP CULTURE AND ‘COUNTRY COOL’
TIA CARR WRITES — Just last week, the popular app TikTok was flooded with frantic posts from prominent figures saying goodbye to their beloved online forum and urging followers to keep up with them on other online platforms. This came in response to President Trump’s executive order, demanding that Apple…
Full Article CHINA: BYTEDANCE SAVES TIKTOK FROM CLOCKING OUT OF THE US
ANDREA PLATE WRITES — Lizzie Buehler, 25, raised in Texas, is the translator of The Disaster Tourist, South Korean author Yun Ko-eun’s first novel to be translated into English and published in the US recently. This truly original book is about international tourists who thrive on visiting world-famous tragic sites…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: THE ACCIDENTAL TRANSLATOR
LIAM ROGERS WRITES – On August 24, TikTok Inc. and ByteDance Ltd., TikTok Inc.’s parent company, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. This lawsuit, filed with the United States District Court for the Central District of California, accuses the Trump Administration of depriving Tiktok Inc. of due process, which…
Full Article CULTURE: TIK TOK, TIME IS RUNNING OUT?
LILLY WEBBER WRITES — In a tweet posted recently on his official Twitter, Floridan politician KW Miller asked the following question: “Why was AOC conspiring with Koreans such as Junkook and BTS (Big Time Socialists) to undermine our President?”. Miller’s tweet was in response to the low audience turnout at President Donald…
Full Article K-POP CULTURE V. US IGNORANCE: THE BTS ‘CONSPIRACY’
JOSEPH LITTAUA WRITES – Quarantine has given me the opportunity to analyze how internet culture has changed this year. From the Zoomers’ (Gen Z’s unofficial nickname) rapid and constantly changing sense of humor and memes to new trends from the most seemingly random of songs, some social media trends come…
Full Article CORONAVIRUS CHRONICLES: I’LL HAVE A PLATE OF NOSTALGIA WITH A DASH OF DIALOGUE WITH THE MOON