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BTS
BTS connects to HYBE, the company behind BTS, Weverse, albums, merch, memberships, tickets, and concerts.
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· Bryan Ke
Japanese Manga Artist’s Shiba Inu Money Design Sparks Adorable Merchandise
A Japanese illustrator and manga artist has gone viral after posting his illustrations of banknotes featuring the Shiba Inu. Ponkichi first shared his creation of a Shiba Inu banknote back in April 2019 with a 1,000 yen bill showing a Shiba Inu, which is considered Japan’s icon…
· Ryan General
Kelly Marie Tran Snubbed From ‘Star Wars’ Merchandise
Rose Tico, a major character in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”, has been silently removed from Star Wars merchandise for the next film in the franchise. The character, played by actress Kelly Marie Tran, was the first woman of color in the Star Wars universe when she was introduced…
· Carl Samson
Obsessive K-Pop Fangirl Makes Her Dad Cry on TV After Spending Over $10,000 on Merchandise
A Korean student who repeatedly skipped school and splurged thousands of bucks in her obsession with a K-Pop group has her father bawling on national TV. Yuna, a middle schooler, is a fan of SEVENTEEN, a 13-member boy group from Pledis Entertainment.
· Bryan Ke
Woman Faces Possible Hate Crimes After Using Racial Slurs, Spitting on Asians in Mountain View
The Mountain View Police Department (MVPD) arrested a 39-year-old woman connected to a string of anti-Asian hate crimes last month, where she made racially-charged comments and spat on one of the Asian victims. Karen Inman was arrested around 11 a.m. on March 5 for attempting to…
· Bryan Ke
Volunteers Patrol Oakland’s Chinatown Following Violent Attacks Against the Elderly
A group of citizens volunteered to patrol the streets of Oakland’s Chinatown in California to make sure other residents feel more secure following a string of violent anti-Asian attacks in the neighborhood. Two fathers, Jimmy Bounphensy and Kelly Means, and their children went…
· Carl Samson
‘They Took Everything’: LA Koreatown Tattoo Shop Burglarized Before Getting a Chance to Reopen
A tattoo shop owner in Koreatown, Los Angeles is asking the public for help after falling victim to a burglary that left his place of business in shambles. “Bad Hands LA,” located at 329 N. Western Ave., was broken into around 2 a.m. on Jan. 29 — a day after personal care…
· Carl Samson
Vandals Destroy Memorial for SF Hit-and-Run Victim MULTIPLE Times
A memorial for San Francisco hit-and-run victim Hanako “Hana” Abe has reportedly been vandalized multiple times, raising concerns about “larger issues” present in the city. Abe, 27, was one of the two women who died after being struck by a speeding car in the South of Market…
· Bryan Ke
NY Chinatown Looks Magical After Being Lit Up with Hundreds of Lanterns
Hundreds of Chinese lanterns have lit up a street of New York’s Chinatown to encourage more people to visit the area and act as a beacon of hope for the community amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Light Up Chinatown project began as an idea by 46 Mott Street Bakery manager,…
· Bryan Ke
9-Year-Old Texas Boy is the Highest-Paid YouTuber AGAIN After Making $30 Million in 2020
Ryan Kaji, a child influencer from Texas, remains the highest-paid YouTuber for the third consecutive year with nearly $30 million in earnings for 2020. Kaji, who reviews toys on his YouTube channel Ryan’s World, earned $29.5 million from his unboxing videos on YouTube and raked…
· Bryan Ke
SF Skate Club Co-Founder Thuy Nguyen Passes Away at 41
Thuy Anne-Marie Nguyen, the beloved co-founder of SF Skate Club on Divisadero in San Francisco, has passed away at the age of 41. Final goodbye: Nguyen passed away in the early morning of Nov. 27, according to SF Gate.
· Carl Samson
Japan’s Super Nintendo World to Officially Open in February
More than five years after its epic announcement, Super Nintendo World will finally open at Universal Studios Japan on Feb. 4, 2021. The park, which started construction in 2017, was initially scheduled to launch with the Tokyo Summer Olympics but was also pushed back due to the…
· Bryan Ke
Man Breaks Up with Girlfriend for Throwing Away $3,400 ‘Demon Slayer’ Anime Figurines
A Taiwanese man went on a Facebook rant after breaking up with his ex-girlfriend for throwing away his collection of Nezuko “Demon Slayer” figurines, which was reportedly worth 14,000 Malaysian Ringgit ($3,400). The unnamed man shared his experience in a Facebook group where…
· Bryan Ke
Fried Chicken Pillow with Frying Sounds Released by Japan’s Felissimo
Japanese retailer Felissimo, widely known for its eccentrically designed products, has released a culinary experience in the form of fried chicken pillows for all the nugget lovers. The “Mocchiri Juicy Karaage Cushion” (Springy Juicy Fried Chicken Cushion) is a new addition to…
· Editorial Staff
Racist Ex-Realtor Arrested After Telling YouTuber ‘This is a no n****r zone’
Paul Ng, a former realtor who was fired after a video of him using racial slurs to confront a YouTuber went viral, has been arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona. Ng was handcuffed and arrested on Saturday by Scottsdale police for disorderly conduct, according to the Phoenix New Times.
· Carl Samson
6 Chinese Nationals Arrested After Making $30 Million Helping Drug Cartels Move Cocaine
The Department of Justice charged six Chinese nationals for conspiring to distribute cocaine and laundering funds to Mexican drug traffickers, including the notorious Sinaloa cartel. The superseding indictment, filed Sept. 24 and unsealed Thursday, covers nearly four years of…
· Carl Samson
Universal Studios Japan is Opening a Super Nintendo World in 2021
Universal Studios Japan will open its highly-anticipated Nintendo theme park area early next year, bringing notable characters headed by Mario to life. The area, officially “Super Nintendo World,” was initially scheduled for a July 2020 launch before being pushed back due to the…
· Maina Chen
Incredible Volunteers Organize Month-Long Food Crawl to Help NYC Chinatown
The nonprofit Send Chinatown Love (SCL) is rekindling business for New York City’s restaurants in Chinatown for the entire month of September. Its team of over 25 volunteers formed in May and they all share the same sentiment: to provide relief to small, Asian-immigrant owned…
· Carl Samson
Colorado Bubble Tea Shop Accused of ‘Stealing Black Culture’ Over Store Name
An Ethiopian woman accused an Asian-owned boba tea shop of “stealing Black culture” by claiming an African American slang for its name. The incident, which was caught on video, took place at Trap Tea in Aurora, Colorado last Friday.
· Bryan Ke
Tokyo’s First Video Game Bar Offers Free Licensed Games if You Buy Drinks
A video game bar in Tokyo’s Otaku culture epicenter, Akihabara, has become the first arcade to offer free-to-play licensed games in Japan. Tokyo Video Gamers, located under the railroad tracks near Akihabara Station, is a type of “barcade” where paying guests can play for free,…
· Ryan General
Japanese Anime Park Will Let You Zip-Line Into Godzilla’s Mouth
A popular anime park in Japan is adding a special attraction featuring a beloved giant lizard monster. Monster museum: Situated in Hyogo Prefecture on Awaji Island, the Nijigen no Mori amusement park is paying homage to Godzilla by dedicating its very first museum, SoraNews24…
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BTS connects to HYBE, Weverse, memberships, merch, and tickets.
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Culture · platform
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll connects to Sony, the company behind the anime streaming app, plus the music, merch, and licensing around it.
Culture · franchise / licensing
One Piece
One Piece connects to Toei Animation and Bandai Namco through episodes, games, licensing, events, and collector products.
Culture · platform
Weverse
Weverse connects to HYBE, the platform where memberships, merch, content, and fandom access keep moving after the song.
Culture · destination / travel behavior
Tokyo Disney
Tokyo Disney connects to Oriental Land, the company that runs the resort and the spending around it.
Company · Korea · KOSDAQ:035900
JYP Entertainment
JYP is tied to groups that drive albums, tours, subscriptions, merch, and international fan activity.
Company · China · NYSE:MNSO
Miniso
Miniso turned character-IP collabs and blind-box impulse buys into a global store network — Sanrio, Disney, and Chiikawa merch you didn't plan to buy, plus its own TOP TOY chain.
Company · Japan · TYO:7974
Nintendo
Nintendo turns beloved game worlds into hardware, software, parks, merch, and repeat family spending.
Company · Korea · KRX:352820
HYBE
One of the layers behind BTS, SEVENTEEN, TXT.
Sanrio · Consumer · TYO:8136
Sanrio wants Hello Kitty to be more than merch.
If Hello Kitty already shows up in what you wear, gift, or collect, Sanrio now wants the same characters showing up in your next Switch play session too.
HYBE · K-pop · KRX:352820
A BTS comeback is not just songs. It’s albums, merch, tickets, and Weverse.
A BTS comeback can start with one stream on your phone, then turn into a fan-club sign-up, merch order, livestream ticket, and more time spent inside Weverse.
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.