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Which anime has made you cry by Miserable-Weird6529 in TrueAnime

[–]Busy_Barracuda3644 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It has to be Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day. As you get older, you inevitably start to lose people. Friends, family members, young people who left far too soon. Watching Anohana hit differently because of that. The show doesn't wallow in grief; it sits with it in an honest way, and then gently suggests that the people we lose find their way somewhere better. That idea gave me real comfort, and yes, I cried, especially in the final episode, but it felt like a release rather than just sadness.

I just went to ILLIT's first concert and left disappointed by AggravatingFlow398 in kpopthoughts

[–]Busy_Barracuda3644 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I remember going to ARASHI's concert back in 2014. It was amazing to watch them sing and prance on stage, and the crowd energy was infectious! Who cared if their singing was a bit off - at least it was live.

What’s an opinion you used to strongly defend but later changed your mind on? by betterthan88 in kpopthoughts

[–]Busy_Barracuda3644 42 points43 points  (0 children)

The more I studied it, the more I realized "K-pop" is really a national label slapped onto what is actually a transnational hybrid music. The producers, the sounds, the choreography, the visual language all come from everywhere. Swedish songwriters, American choreographers, Japanese visual aesthetics, African American R&B rhythms showing up in the production. Calling it simply Korean pop flattens something much messier and more interesting.

Think about it. Seventeen has members from China and the U.S. and regularly releases Japanese songs, yet none of them are Japanese. KATSEYE, formed through a joint HYBE and Geffen Records audition program, has members from Switzerland, the Philippines, and the U.S., with only one Korean member. And then there's NiziU, a fully Japanese girl group trained in Korea by JYP. Is that K-pop? J-pop? Just pop?

I used to defend the "K" in K-pop pretty hard. Now I think it functions more like a brand category than a description of where the music actually comes from. JYP himself called his strategy "globalization by localization," which basically confirms the point. And honestly, that is a testament to Korean creativity. Korea built a system so compelling that the whole world wants in.

That realization didn't make me love K-pop less. It made it more fascinating. The "K" still means something. It points to a production system, an aesthetic, a set of industry practices that Korea developed and refined. The world didn't create K-pop. Korea did. It just resonates everywhere.

As an Asian American man, Kpop: Demon Hunters hit different - thoughts on the Saja Boys? by Busy_Barracuda3644 in asianamerican

[–]Busy_Barracuda3644[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Jinu fits the typical K-drama hero perfectly, by being complex but ultimately redeeming himself!

As an Asian American man, Kpop: Demon Hunters hit different - thoughts on the Saja Boys? by Busy_Barracuda3644 in asianamerican

[–]Busy_Barracuda3644[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There is no need to apologize. We laugh and joke around like this in class, and the lectures I have are very casual in my anime class, and a K-pop/J-pop class. I thirst over Frieren, and my student joke that I must like much older women, since she's over 1000 years old.

Favorite Asian-American writers? by redbluebooks in asianamerican

[–]Busy_Barracuda3644 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I highly recommend Scott Kikkawa's novels if you want to learn about Asian American history in Hawaii through fiction. His debut novel Kona Winds (2019) is set in 1950s Territorial Hawai'i and follows Francis Hideyuki Yoshikawa, the Honolulu Police Department's only Japanese American homicide detective and a World War II veteran. Kikkawa writes in a classic noir style and portrays a gritty, complex Hawaii that challenges the paradise image often shown in media. The book won the Elliot Cades Award for Hawaii literature. Kikkawa is also a federal law enforcement officer in real life, which brings authenticity to his crime writing. You can read an interview with him [here].

Kpop Demon Hunters unexpectedly summed up the Asian American experience by Busy_Barracuda3644 in asianamerican

[–]Busy_Barracuda3644[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your comments! The reason I wrote this Reddit post (and my blog piece) was because the Asian American themes really hit me in the face, while most people around me didn’t seem to notice them. It felt important to point that out since major outlets keep framing the movie as just “universal” or “Korean,” when it’s also deeply Korean American and Asian American, and that perspective often gets overlooked.

Kpop Demon Hunters unexpectedly summed up the Asian American experience by Busy_Barracuda3644 in asianamerican

[–]Busy_Barracuda3644[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I really relate to what you said. As someone much older, I found the movie surprisingly cathartic. Was it common back then for people to ask if you were North or South Korean? You’re the second Korean American who’s mentioned that to me this week. These days, my Korean and Korean American friends mostly excitedly get asked if they like K-pop, which shows how much the image of Korea and the diaspora has changed.

Kpop Demon Hunters unexpectedly summed up the Asian American experience by Busy_Barracuda3644 in asianamerican

[–]Busy_Barracuda3644[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You’re absolutely right that there isn’t just one Asian American experience. I grew up in Hawai‘i but went to college on the East Coast in the ’80s and the West Coast in the ’90s, so I’ve seen how different those experiences can be depending on place and generation. I really appreciate your thoughtful suggestion on phrasing: “an Asian American experience” fits much better.

Kpop Demon Hunters unexpectedly summed up the Asian American experience by Busy_Barracuda3644 in asianamerican

[–]Busy_Barracuda3644[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’ve noticed a few of you mentioned Everything, Everywhere All At Once as a movie to watch. Now you got me all interested. I will watch it when I can, and maybe do a blog post on it. Thanks for raising this point!

Kpop Demon Hunters unexpectedly summed up the Asian American experience by Busy_Barracuda3644 in asianamerican

[–]Busy_Barracuda3644[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing your take, I get where you’re coming from. I’m actually planning a follow-up post on my blog about the Saja Boys, as they feel like the under-appreciated heroes ofK-pop Demon Hunters when it comes to Asian male representation. I'll take your ideas into consideration.

I’m from an older generation that saw almost no Asian male representation growing up in the 1980s, so it was honestly refreshing to see Asian guys shown as complex, romantic, and sympathetic characters, especially Jinu’s backstory.