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· Ryan General
Thai King Surprises Nation by Turning His Bodyguard into a Queen by Marrying Her
The king of Thailand has turned the deputy head of his personal security detail into a queen by marrying her. According to a recent royal statement, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 66, “has decided to promote General Suthida Vajiralongkorn Na Ayudhya, his royal consort, to become…
· Carl Samson
Malaysian Millionaire Faces Backlash After Caning His Daughter for Removing Her Headscarf
A Malaysian millionaire sparked outrage on Instagram after caning his 9-year-old daughter as punishment for removing her “tudung,” a headscarf worn in accordance with the hijab in Islam. Datuk Aliff Syukri, a cosmetics businessman, posted an Instagram video of his daughter…
· Carl Samson
Chinese Man Fails Breathalyzer Test After Eating Durian
A man driving in eastern China baffled authorities after failing an on-the-spot breathalyzer test for a reason very distant from alcohol. Police in Rudong county, Jiangsu province pulled the man identified as Jiang over on April 17, believing that he had been drunk-driving.
· Ryan General
Japanese Magazine Reveals Traits of an ‘Ideal Man’ and No One is Good Enough
A women’s magazine in Japan recently released a list of traits for the “ideal man” and some readers have found many of its requirements to be far too specific. Japanese Twitter user @Holy_chorus uploaded an image of a page from the magazine with the heading “This is the ultimate…
· Ryan General
This Woman’s Family Allegedly Paid $6.5 Million to Get Her into Stanford
Newport Beach college consultant William “Rick” Singer, the man at the center of the college admissions scandal in the United States, reportedly received $6.5 million from the wealthy family of a Chinese student who he helped get admitted into Stanford. Yusi “Molly” Zhao,…
· Ryan General
Most Shanghai College Students Have Never Been Kissed or Had Sex, Survey Finds
A significant number of college students in Shanghai have claimed to be virgins, with many saying they have never even kissed yet, a recent survey has revealed. In the study conducted by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, nearly 2,000 local teenagers were interviewed about…
· Jin Hyun
Gordon Ramsay Unleashed a ‘White Geisha Cocktail’ at his ‘Authentic’ Chinese Restaurant and Thanks, People Hate It
After drawing intense backlash following the promotion of his new London restaurant, Lucky Cat, Gordon Ramsay clearly still hasn’t learned his lesson seeing as he’s landed himself in yet another controversy just weeks later. Ramsay’s restaurant is going viral for all the wrong…
· Ryan General
Thai Clinic Now Offers Plastic Surgery for 6-Pack Abs
Thailand has finally brought us into the future by making it possible to achieve six-pack abs without the heavy gym workouts and strict diets. Those who do not have the time, energy, or motivation to hit the gym can now get ‘instant’ beach-ready sculpted abs by going under the…
· Ryan General
25 Indian Students Commit Suicide After Glitch Posts Failing Grades After Exam
An alarming number of students in India have taken their lives following the release of exam results deemed questionable due to an alleged IT glitch. According to NDTV, 25 students have committed suicide since the intermediate results were released in India’s Telangana state on…
· Ryan General
Boba Chain Chatime Allegedly Cheated Employees Out of $7 Million
Taiwanese bubble tea chain Chatime is facing controversy following accusations of rampant underpayment to its employees in Australia going as far back as 2009. Corporate-owned stores and the franchise network under the company’s Australian subsidiary, Infinite Plus, allegedly…
· Editorial Staff
Rich Kids With Airpods Can Now Flex Even Harder With a Boba Tea Case
Some say there are only two kinds of people in the world: those who have Airpods, and those who are failing at life. But even still, sometimes having Airpods isn’t enough of a flex by itself. Remember those Airpod earrings? Well, word on the street (a post on Subtle Asian…
· Carl Samson
Artist Warns Foreigners NOT to Move to Japan to Work in Anime Because of Painfully Low Paychecks
A Japanese animator has completely rejected the idea of foreigners moving to Japan to work in anime for one crucial reason. Terumi Nishii, whose major credits include “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable” and “A Town Where You Live,” explained her side on her second…
· Carl Samson
Man Drives a ‘Mario Kart’ Over Tokyo’s Rainbow Bridge, Still on the Run From Police
A real-life “Mario Kart” that sped down a restricted highway and over the Rainbow Bridge in Tokyo is now being chased by local authorities. According to TBS News, the rented go-kart was spotted racing along the Metropolitan Expressway in Odaiba, an artificial island in Tokyo…
· Editorial Staff
Andrew Yang Has Been Serving Alcoholic Boba at His Fundraisers and I Only Just Found Out
Presidential candidate and all around cool guy Andrew Yang has apparently been serving alcoholic boba at his rallies. andrew yang securing the azn vote with alcoholic boba at his fundraiser dinner in L.A. tonight #YangGang pic.twitter.com/WuR5e3Vymt
· Claire Tran
A Disney Princess in Áo Dài: Learning to Love Being Vietnamese in White America
Editor’s Note: The following piece was chosen as a finalist in NextShark’s personal Essay Contest 2019. The views expressed in story are the writer’s own. On a hospital bed lays a tired and drowsy woman with an IV in her forearm and nasal tubes in her nostrils. The nurses…
· Ryan General
Video of Chinese Billionaire Walking With Alleged Rape Victim Earns Him Sympathy From Chinese Netizens
Richard Liu, the Chinese billionaire accused of rape by a University of Minnesota student, has earned the sympathy of many netizens after surveillance clips of him walking with his accuser emerged on social media. Purportedly recorded on the night of Aug. 30, 2018, the footage…
· Carl Samson
Woman Stages Protest Over Faulty Airbags at BMW Dealer, Police Called After She Damages Car
A BMW dealership in eastern China was forced to call the police after a woman protesting faulty airbags damaged a car in its showroom. Baode Automotive Sales Service, located in Danyang, Jiangsu province, claimed that they had taken photographs of the damaged car before calling…
· Jin Hyun
Korean YouTuber Goes Viral for Saying ‘Sorry’ for Her Box Braids — She Definitely Wasn’t
South Korean YouTuber xoxosophia has gone viral after a Twitter user shared screenshots of her recent video claiming that she supposedly chose to remove her box braids and apologize for appropriating Black culture. The original tweet, posted by user @yongtual, has since gained…
· Carl Samson
Obsessive K-Pop Fans Smash Glass Barriers to Meet Idols at Shanghai Airport
A swarm of obsessive fans caused chaos at Shanghai Airport as they tried to catch a glimpse of their idols on Saturday. A list that surfaced on Weibo shows a total of 16 pop stars who either departed or arrived that day, including Deng Chaoyuan, who emerged from the second…
· Carl Samson
Woman Claims She Sneezed Out Cotton Ball 6 Months After Nose Job
A woman in southeastern China allegedly sneezed out some cotton left over from a nose job that she had undergone half a year ago. The woman, surnamed Zhu, is now demanding compensation for what she believes is negligence on the part of her surgeons.
Answer
BTS connects to HYBE, Weverse, memberships, merch, and tickets.
People & Works
Open
Person · Screen
Anna Sawai
Her 'Shogun' win cracked a category that had never gone to an Asian actor in 76 years of the Emmys — a ceiling break that arrived only once the industry let an Asian-led epic play in its own language.
Culture surface · Beauty
Beauty retail
Beauty retail is a culture-first entry point into the listed company behind it.
Person · Music
Dimash Qudaibergen
A Kazakh singer with a freakish multi-octave range conquered China's living rooms overnight and became Central Asia's most improbable soft-power export — a diaspora-of-one proving fandom now flows East before West.
IP · Anime
Haikyu!! films
Haikyu!! is the rare franchise that peaked commercially after its manga ended — the 2024 film cleared $100M worldwide and back-catalog sales grew ~50% post-conclusion, evidence that a well-timed theatrical event can reactivate a completed IP rather than merely close it out.
Platform · Platforms
Kakao Entertainment
Kakao Entertainment connects to Kakao and the broader platforms story around it.
Culture surface · Platforms
Kling AI
Kling AI connects to Kuaishou and the broader platforms story around it.
Culture surface · Platforms
Kuaishou
Kuaishou connects to Kuaishou and the broader platforms story around it.
Culture surface · Platforms
Kwai
Kwai connects to Kuaishou and the broader platforms story around it.
Culture surface · Retail
Lifestyle retail
Lifestyle retail connects to Miniso and the broader retail story around it.
Results
Culture · brand
Uniqlo
Uniqlo connects to Fast Retailing, the company behind the stores, basics, and repeat buying habit.
Culture · routine / beauty brands
K-beauty
K-beauty connects to companies built around skincare routines, hero products, and travel retail.
Culture · platform
Weverse
Weverse connects to HYBE, the platform where memberships, merch, content, and fandom access keep moving after the song.
Company · Japan · TYO:7832
Bandai Namco Holdings
Bandai Namco sits behind toys, anime IP, games, and licensing that turn fandom into everyday consumer products.
Company · China · HKEX:1024
Kuaishou
Kuaishou is China's number-two short-video platform, where livestream selling turned everyday creators into a shopping channel and rewired how goods get sold.
Company · India · NSE:ZEEL
Zee Entertainment
Zee is one of India's largest media networks — the TV channels and ZEE5 streaming that carry Bollywood and regional-language entertainment to a billion viewers and the diaspora.
Company · Japan · TYO:9983
Fast Retailing
Fast Retailing matters because Uniqlo is an everyday consumer habit, not just a stock story.
Company · Korea · KOSDAQ:035900
JYP Entertainment
JYP is tied to groups that drive albums, tours, subscriptions, merch, and international fan activity.
Company · Korea · KOSDAQ:041510
SM Entertainment
SM is tied to idol groups, tours, fan clubs, and the long-running system behind some of K-pop's most recognizable acts.
Company · Korea · KOSDAQ:122870
YG Entertainment
YG connects global K-pop attention to touring, brand deals, fan demand, and artist-centered entertainment revenue.
Company · China · NYSE:BABA
Alibaba
Alibaba is China's commerce-and-entertainment backbone — Taobao and Tmall shopping habits fund Youku streaming and Alibaba Pictures, tying online spending to what China watches.
Alibaba · Platforms · NYSE:BABA
The Grammys created an award for Asian pop. BTS said no.
Alibaba is China's commerce-and-entertainment backbone — Taobao and Tmall shopping habits fund Youku streaming and Alibaba Pictures, tying online spending to what China watches.
Fast Retailing · Fashion · TYO:9983
Your Uniqlo basics keep you coming back.
This shows up when you go back to Uniqlo for another pack of basics instead of treating the brand like a one-time fashion buy.
NetEase · Streaming · HKEX:9999
Your playlist depends on deals you never see.
NetEase helps explain gaming, music streaming, and online entertainment habits in Chinese consumer culture.
CJ ENM · Entertainment · KOSDAQ:035760
Before the first song drops, H//PE Princess already has a global Warner deal.
A debut deal matters less than whether the group turns into repeat listening, touring, merch, and fandom across markets.
Explainer · Sanrio
Hello Kitty is not just something you buy anymore. Sanrio wants you to play inside the world.
Sanrio shows how character fandom becomes retail, licensing, collabs, parks, and global consumer demand.
Explainer · Amorepacific
K-beauty won the Amazon cart. The real prize is your second bottle.
The first sale matters less than the repeat routine. If a product sticks, the brand can keep winning on replenishment, retail placement, and cross-market demand.