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· Ryan General
Dim sum explained: Why they always come in sets of three
The tradition of serving dim sum in threes aligns perfectly with the essence of this communal meal
· Daniel Anderson
‘Moving’ trailer: Teens discover their superpowers in Korean series adaptation of webtoon
Disney has dropped a new trailer for their Korean original series “Moving,” adapted from the webtoon of the same name by Kang Full. A superpowered mystery: “Moving” tells the tale of a black ops team created by South Korea’s National Security Planning Agency in the 1990s. This…
· Bryan Ke
Sky burials explained: Why Tibetan Buddhists offer their dead to be eaten by vultures
Tibetan Buddhists have a unique funeral custom called sky burials, in which the dead are taken to a high-altitude area for vultures to consume their remains, a practice that is regarded as spiritual and practical. How they are prepared: Sky burials reportedly serve as an…
· Michelle De Pacina
Watch: Filipino bride walks down flooded aisle after Typhoon Doksuri hits Philippines
A Filipino bride went viral for walking down a flooded aisle in her wedding dress after Typhoon Doksuri wreaked havoc in the Philippines. The viral wedding: In a viral video uploaded on Facebook over the weekend, bride Dianne Victoriano can be seen gracefully wading through…
· Carl Samson
Japanese sushi chain drops $480,000 suit against 17-year-old over licking prank
The operator of Japanese sushi restaurant chain Sushiro has reportedly dropped its lawsuit against a high school student who contaminated food on one of its conveyor belts. What happened: The incident occurred at an Akindo Sushiro branch in Gifu prefecture on Jan. 3. In a viral…
· Michelle De Pacina
Watch: Flight attendant treats passengers to ‘Perfect’ karaoke as in-flight entertainment fails
An Air Asia flight attendant has gone viral for singing Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” to passengers after his plane’s in-flight entertainment failed. “Perfect” karaoke: TikTok user Ashleigh Webster (@_ashwebster) was on a flight from Cambodia to Vietnam when she filmed the flight…
· Bryan Ke
Meet the world’s first pro gamer: He played ‘Quake’ against a teenaged Elon Musk and now uses AI to flag toxic players
Meet Dennis “Thresh” Fong, commonly regarded as the world’s first professional gamer. His beginnings: Fong was born in Hong Kong in 1977. At 11 years old, he moved to Los Altos, California, where he soon discovered a love for gaming. He started playing Id Software’s first-person…
· Bryan Ke
Kylie Verzosa becomes the first Asian actress to have an AI model
Filipino beauty queen-turned-actor Kylie Verzosa recently announced that she has partnered with a company in San Francisco to make an artificial intelligence (AI) model of herself, reportedly making her the first female celebrity in Asia to do so. When it happened: Verzosa, 31,…
· Bryan Ke
President of Japanese masturbation aid company once self-tested 48 prototypes in a row
Koichi Matsumoto, president of popular Japanese masturbation aid company Tenga, recently revealed that he takes a hands-on approach when testing new products before their release. Key details: Matsumoto, 56, talked about his approach during an interview with Japanese magazine…
· Carl Samson
World’s first openly gay prince says his parents sought brain surgery to make him straight
Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil, India’s first openly gay prince, has accused his parents of attempting to force him to undergo brain surgery as a form of conversion therapy. Background: Gohil, the heir apparent to the throne of Rajpipla in the state of Gujarat, publicly came out…
· Michelle De Pacina
‘Joker’ suspect who set fire on Tokyo train sentenced to 23 years in prison
The Japanese man accused of attacking passengers and setting a Tokyo train carriage on fire while dressed as the fictional supervillain Joker in 2021 was sentenced to 23 years in prison on Monday. The Joker’s sentence: Kyota Hattori, 26, was found guilty of attempted murder by…
· Carl Samson
Asian MIT grad asks AI to make her photo more ‘professional,’ gets turned into white woman
A recent Asian American Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) graduate made headlines this month after sharing evidence of racial bias in artificial intelligence (AI). What she asked for: Rona Wang, 24, has been experimenting with AI portrait generators. In a recent…
· Ryan General
Asian American workers most likely to be replaced by AI, study reveals
Asian workers face the highest risk of displacement at 24% compared to their white, Black and Hispanic counterparts.
· Isa Peralta
Watch: Michelle Yeoh in trailer for upcoming murder mystery thriller ‘A Haunting in Venice’
The trailer for the Kenneth Branagh-led film “A Haunting in Venice,” which features Michelle Yeoh as a psychic, has arrived. About the film: “A Haunting in Venice” is based on the 1969 novel “Hallowe’en Party” by Agatha Christie. The thriller follows renowned Belgian detective…
· Ryan General
Constance Wu explains why playing characters with Asian accents is ‘friggin’ cool’
“You don’t create art to cater to ignorant people, you create art because it’s out of your soul”
· Carl Samson
Japan’s Nara deer take shelter from rain in adorable viral video
A herd of deer unfazed by humans while taking shelter from heavy rains in Nara, Japan, is the subject of a viral video. Background: Nara, a city in its namesake prefecture in central Japan, is home to a thriving population of wild deer, herds of which roam its famous public…
· Bryan Ke
Man detained for sending video of himself slapping his infant son 30 times to estranged girlfriend
Chinese police have detained a man for filming himself physically abusing his infant son and sending the video to his estranged girlfriend — the baby’s mother — to force her to return. What happened: The man, identified only by his surname Deng, reportedly filmed himself…
· Isa Peralta
Watch: 5-year-old girl ‘lives her dream’ by wearing sarong kebaya on Singapore Airlines flight
A 5-year-old girl recently delighted flight attendants and netizens for wearing a child-sized Singapore Airlines cabin crew uniform. What happened: On Saturday, Mohamad Yazid Bin Johari, 34, posted to TikTok a video of his daughter Zahra interacting with a few Singapore Airlines…
· Ryan General
An ‘ultra-rare’ pair of Apple sneakers is on sale for $50,000
Sotheby’s is selling the shoes on its site as brand new and come in their original box
· Daniel Anderson
Rain, IVE’s Wonyoung and Stray Kids’ Bang Chan unveiled as MCs for KCON LA 2023
The MCs for all three nights of KCON LA this year have been announced. MC duties: Headlining the opening night’s concert on Aug. 18 will be Wonyoung from K-pop girl group IVE. Veteran performer Rain will be hosting Saturday’s performances, and Bang Chan from the boy group Stray…
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.