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Such an idea is apparent in Ao Omae’s People Who Talk to Stuffed Animals… Full Article VIETNAM: IS THE NEW BARBIE MOVIE PLAYING POLITICAL GAMES? NATHANIEL SCHOSSAU WRITES – A scene in Greta Gerwig’s highly anticipated Barbie” movie, set for release July 21 and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, has caused controversy over—of all things!— a territorial dispute in the South China Sea. The reason: Vietnam and China both claim a particular part of… Full Article SINGAPORE: CAN A SMALL ISLAND COUNTRY RAISE GLOBAL AWARENESS OF SUSTAINABLE FASHION? KAYA RODRIGUES WRITES – In February, I wrote an article about 4Ocean, a Public Benefit Corporation and Certified Corp dedicated to solving the oceanic crisis of global plastic pollution by creating jewelry from recycled plastic. Today, as I gear up to begin my career in retail jewelry with a brand… Full Article SOUTH KOREA: BACKLASH AND PROGRESS FOR THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY ANYA CHINAPPI WRITES – On June 17 police and city officials in Daegu, South Korea, clashed with supporters of LGBTQ rights just hours before the scheduled start of the 15th annual Daegu Queer Culture Festival. Tensions ran high as hundreds of local city officials and workers, backed by Daegu’s mayor… Full Article BOOK REVIEW: VERA WONG’S UNSOLICITED ADVICE FOR MURDERERS (2023) BY JESSE SUTANTO – A WHOLESOME INVESTIGATION OF THE UNCONVENTIONAL SARAH LOHMANN WRITES — Vera Wong’s days are often uneventful. Despite owning her own business, she finds that her once vibrant neighborhood and community have become monotonous—until a dead man turns up in her teahouse. When the police, however, don’t seem to take it as seriously as she expects, Vera… Full Article VIETNAM: IS THE NEW BARBIE MOVIE PLAYING POLITICAL GAMES? NATHANIEL SCHOSSAU WRITES – A scene in Greta Gerwig’s highly anticipated Barbie” movie, set for release July 21 and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, has caused controversy over—of all things!— a territorial dispute in the South China Sea. The reason: Vietnam and China both claim a particular part of… Full Article VIETNAM: IS THE NEW BARBIE MOVIE PLAYING POLITICAL GAMES? SINGAPORE: CAN A SMALL ISLAND COUNTRY RAISE GLOBAL AWARENESS OF SUSTAINABLE FASHION? KAYA RODRIGUES WRITES – In February, I wrote an article about 4Ocean, a Public Benefit Corporation and Certified Corp dedicated to solving the oceanic crisis of global plastic pollution by creating jewelry from recycled plastic. Today, as I gear up to begin my career in retail jewelry with a brand… Full Article SINGAPORE: CAN A SMALL ISLAND COUNTRY RAISE GLOBAL AWARENESS OF SUSTAINABLE FASHION? BOOK REVIEW: VERA WONG’S UNSOLICITED ADVICE FOR MURDERERS (2023) BY JESSE SUTANTO – A WHOLESOME INVESTIGATION OF THE UNCONVENTIONAL SARAH LOHMANN WRITES — Vera Wong’s days are often uneventful. Despite owning her own business, she finds that her once vibrant neighborhood and community have become monotonous—until a dead man turns up in her teahouse. When the police, however, don’t seem to take it as seriously as she expects, Vera… Full Article BOOK REVIEW: VERA WONG’S UNSOLICITED ADVICE FOR MURDERERS (2023) BY JESSE SUTANTO – A WHOLESOME INVESTIGATION OF THE UNCONVENTIONAL JAPAN: RECENT LEGAL REVISIONS ELIMINATE FORCIBLE” FROM THE DEFINITION OF RAPE ALI ZANE WRITES – Long criticized for its sex crime laws, Japan has revised the Penal Code, redefining rape as non-consensual sexual intercourse. Previously, rape was classified as forcible sexual intercourse, meaning that the assailant had to have used physical violence to qualify for prosecution. This century-old law has created… Full Article JAPAN: RECENT LEGAL REVISIONS ELIMINATE FORCIBLE” FROM THE DEFINITION OF RAPE PHILIPPINES: THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY WINS BIG AND RIGHTS THE WRONGS OF DISCRIMINATION SAM BECK WRITES – It was a momentous event, the culmination of a long fight to recognize the rights of those who identify with the LGBTQIA+ community, and a nationwide celebration of Pride Month: On June 24, Manila held the Metro Manila Pride March and Festival, and Quezon City held the LoveLaban:… Full Article PHILIPPINES: THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY WINS BIG AND RIGHTS THE WRONGS OF DISCRIMINATION BOOK REVIEW: BEIJING SPRAWL (2023) BY XU ZECHEN — ONE MUST IMAGINE THEIR PEOPLE HAPPY ANGELINE KEK WRITES — Anyone who has lived to tell the tale can testify: life comes at you fast. The same sun rises daily, marking the start of another predicament to put right and another tight spot to escape. Thrown into the throes of life’s unrelenting torrent, how strange is it… Full Article BOOK REVIEW: BEIJING SPRAWL (2023) BY XU ZECHEN — ONE MUST IMAGINE THEIR PEOPLE HAPPY SAUDI ARABIA: A WIN FOR THE SAUDI-BACKED LIV TOUR, A LOSS FOR ASIAN GOLF RYAN BYRNE WRITES – Last week, after more than a year of trading barbs and lawsuits, the world’s preeminent golf circuit, the PGA Tour, announced that it, along with the European-based DP World Tour, would merge with the Saudi-backed LIV Tour. The LIV Tour, then, managed to leverage the enormous coffers… Full Article SAUDI ARABIA: A WIN FOR THE SAUDI-BACKED LIV TOUR, A LOSS FOR ASIAN GOLF HAS THE INDIVIDUAL FALLEN? ARMAAN JHANGIANI writes – Societies with law and order, power and stability, and virtues of morality and love have always been epitomized as the peak of human community and self-restraint. While the beginnings of America would encapsulate this, the industrial rise following America’s success in World War II would introduce… Full Article HAS THE INDIVIDUAL FALLEN? In Memoriam: Tom Plate, Asia Media International Founder Dear Asia Media International and LMU Community: I am saddened to share that Tom Plate, clinical assistant professor of Asian Pacific American Studies, passed away on May 23, 2023, of natural causes. He was 79 years old. Professor Plate joined LMU in August 2010 teaching part-time as a Distinguished Scholar… Full Article In Memoriam: Tom Plate, Asia Media International Founder MUSIC REVIEW: HOW TRIPLES IS MAKING THEIR MARK ON K-POP SARAH LOHMANN WRITES — K-pop has always been rife with experimentation—throughout music, styling, and choreography. With their debut mini album Assemble, the South Korean girl group TripleS brings a fresh, trendy, Y2K-inspired sound. Making their mark in a saturated and ever-evolving market, they implore listeners to be their authentic selves… Full Article MUSIC REVIEW: HOW TRIPLES IS MAKING THEIR MARK ON K-POP BOOK REVIEW: GREEK LESSONS (2023) BY HAN KANG — A MEDITATION ON SILENCE AND SELFHOOD BOOK REVIEW EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ELLA KELLEHER WRITES — What if talking were like reaching into a vast abyss with no hope of a response? That’s how it is for South Korean author Han Kang’s mute protagonist in her latest English language release, Greek Lessons (2023). Kang’s novel, both riveting and entirely… Full Article BOOK REVIEW: GREEK LESSONS (2023) BY HAN KANG — A MEDITATION ON SILENCE AND SELFHOOD BOOK REVIEW: THE TWO LIFEBLOODS IN ZHANG...