HEIDI SCHUBERT WRITES — A new Netflix series called “Squid Game” is a popular, ultraviolent drama in which people take part in a fatal game derived from traditional children’s activities. In doing so, it provides a window into how South Korean people might behave towards one another and what they’ll…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: NETFLIX’S ‘SQUID GAME’ WILL MAKE YOU SQUIRM
ANDREA PLATE WRITES — Forget about Naomi Osaka, for a moment. For all the whining-and-dining out by the press on the tennis superstar’s mental health struggles, and her difficulty facing their not-so-friendly post-game fire, she is, after all, just one international superstar. One. Forget, too, about Britney Spears, if you…
Full Article JAPAN, KOREA, AMERICA: CAN YOUNG SUPERSTARS THE WORLD OVER EVER BE HAPPY?
SOPHIA JARAMILLO WRITES — Recently, three women of Dallas, Texas took it upon themselves to launch a ‘refreshed’ version of the traditional Chinese tile-layering game, Mahjong. This event definitely sparked controversy, as none of the women involved in the project of The Mahjong Line are of Chinese descent, but rather,…
Full Article CHINA: THE NEW, LUXURY LINE OF MAHJONG: NO DICE FOR CULTURAL DECIMATION
ALEXANDRA RADILALEH WRITES– Since my return to Los Angeles from my study abroad in South Korea last summer, I’ve been eager to taste delicious and healthy foods like gaya milmyeon, chimaek and ganjang gejang once more. On my own, I did find some locations that almost replicated those intricate flavors,…
Full Article Los Angeles: ASIAN RESTAURANTS GET LITTLE HELP FROM YELP
ALBUS WANG WRITES– East West Players, the oldest theatre group representing racial minorities, has a new play: “Man of God.” Inspired by the “Me Too” movement in 2017 and the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the show emboldens sexual assault survivors and supports the vow of the…
Full Article PLAY REVIEW: “Man of God”
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – Anthony Bourdain, the American celebrity chef and documentarian perhaps best known as tour guide/TV host of the CNN series “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown,” died June 8, but his taste for international cuisine, culture and adventure lives on. Some of the best “Parts Unknown” episodes took place…
Full Article TV: Anthony Bourdain on Asia
KATE BARKLEY WRITES – Pens, apples, and pineapples were ordinary items until they came to comprise a PPAP or Pen Pineapple Apple Pen in DJ Kosaka Daimaou’s viral video. Posted almost over a month ago on August 25th, Japanese comedian/DJ Kosaka Daimaou sings about combining fruits with pens in a…
Full Article JAPAN: FUNNY ASIAN MEN TAKE OVER THE INTERNET
YVONNE EPPS WRITES- Summer is the season of sun, fun, and numerous nerd conventions throughout Southern California. These are notorious for attendees that cosplay, and I’m no exception. But as I prepare for Anime Expo 2015, the largest anime convention in North America, I can’t help but lament certain aspects.…
Full Article COSPLAY: Spectrum of Colors
ANNIE LUNDGREN WRITES – ABC’s newest primetime show, Fresh Off the Boat, reminds us that America’s complicated race relations can be funny, too. Set in 1995, the sitcom follows a Taiwanese-American family’s move from D.C.’s Chinatown to a white middle-class suburb in Orlando, Florida, where they learn how to fit in…
Full Article TELEVISION: Fresh Off the Boat is a Fresh Look at the Asian-American Experience
Ever wanted to meet a VIP from Japan and exchange views? Here’s a chance you don’t want to miss out on! On March 11, 2015, Loyola Marymount University will be hosting a panel in the McIntosh Conference Room located in University Hall from 3:00PM to 4:15PM, where you will have…
Full Article LOS ANGELES: Understanding Japan Through Japanese Eyes
ANNIE LUNDGREN WRITES – Forty never looked so cute. Last month, 25,000 people celebrated Hello Kitty’s birthday at the first-ever “Hello Kitty Con” held in downtown Los Angeles. The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Little Tokyo was transformed into a wonderland of cartoon structures, giant tea-cups, and rainbows. Pink-dressed attendees…
Full Article Move Over Comic Con, Make Room for Hello Kitty ConYVONNE EPPS WRITES – What do police patrols, food, and WiFi have in common? No, it’s not cops eating donuts while browsing Tumblr on their smartphones, but rather Vietnam’s obsession with tourism. From promoting the country as the “kitchen of the world” to protecting tourists from robbers, Vietnam is concerned…
Full Article VIETNAM: An Extreme Obsession with TourismRecently, the national Hakka cultural and economic summit was held at Taipei’s Hakka Cultural Park, by the Cross-Strait Hakka Cultural and Economic Association. Among those who attended were former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Wu Poh-hsiung, Hakka Affairs Council Deputy Minister Lee Chao-ming, and China Review News Editor in Chief,…
Full Article TAIWAN: Keeping the Hakka Tradition Alive