Every time I see articles about young Asian actors leaving behind their “flower boy” roles for more “manly” characters, I feel some kind of way. Such articles act like attractiveness and masculinity cannot go hand it hand. They might if their authors were watching what I watch.
Continue reading “Men Can Be Flowers Too: Asian Masculinities in Popular Culture”
![Kimi to Boku [You and Me]](https://i0.wp.com/highyellow.me/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/kimitoboku.jpg?w=366&h=548&ssl=1 "kimitoboku")
Anime series can be a frenetic experience with complex relationships, but some low-key anime series represent very sweet relationships between siblings.
Asian historical dramas are replete with queens, empresses and court ladies duking it out behind the scenes while kings rule the country. Some might think they are something akin to Disney princesses with no agency and little power, but the Korean drama Empress Ki and the Chinese drama Virtuous Queen of Han both show that women are running things.
Continue reading “I Run This: Women and The Inner Court in Empress Ki and Virtuous Queen of Han”
If you have been watching the KBS2 show The Return of Superman, you have been hit with the overwhelming cuteness of the toddlers. However, the show also shows another side of Korean masculinity through the interaction between the kids and their dads.
Continue reading “Who’s Your Daddy!: Korean Fatherhood and The Return of Superman”
“평화의 날/Peace Day” is from Epik High’s 2004 album High Society.
The melodrama genre of K-drama has its share of improbable plots, shocking twists and selfish characters. These things take on even greater significance when the person involved are siblings. Sibling rivalry takes on new meaning in Baker King Kim Tak Goo and Five Fingers. Both of these Kdramas explore loyalty and love and question what it means to be “true” brothers.
Come Back to My Life is from Shinhwa’s 2002 album, Perfect Man
직감 (Jikgam)/Intuition is from CN Blue’s 2011 album, First Step.
“Hey Girl” is from TVXQ’s 2006 album O.
사랑의 미학 (Art of Love) is from Dynamic Duo’s 2012 album, Digilog 2/2.
While K-pop remains a subculture in many places, it tends to attract a wide variety of fans. One of the reasons for such appeal is that K-pop provides a sense of nostalgia on several levels, a feat not easily achieved in the pop music world.
Fans of K-pop have dubbed 2014 the year of Kpocalypse in light of a spate of lawsuits by members from EXO. While it’s hard to separate fact from speculation as a global K-pop fan, these lawsuits do say something about the role of nationality and the motives of the members who bring lawsuits.
Continue reading “K-pocalypse 2014?: Contract Disputes, Unanswered Questions and EXO”
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