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Last month, we profiled 20 Asian Actors Born in the 2000s. Now, it's time for the actresses! From fast-rising new-generation starlets to award-winning phenoms who have been acknowledged for their talents since a young age, these post-00s girls are ready to shine. Meet 20 promising young actresses born in the 2000s! 1. Kamishiraishi Moka Kamishiraishi Moka entered the entertainment industry in 2011 at the age of 11 as the youngest ever winner of Toho Entertainment's Toho Cinderella audition. Her older sister, Kamishiraishi Mone, was discovered through the same audition. She made her TV acting debut the following year in the WOWOW drama Bunshin, and also began appearing on stage in 2016 with... [read more]
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While there are many films that are about mothers or dedicated to mothers, those aren't necessarily the ones you actually want to watch with your mother. This Mother's Day, stay in with mom and catch a movie that's fun, funny and moving (but not tragic). Below are ten films that can be enjoyed as an at-home movie date with mother dearest! Bento Harassment A spunky mom (Shinohara Ryoko) "harasses" her moody teenage daughter (Yoshine Kyoko) with awesome lunchboxes filled with messages in this Japanese comedy about the steadfast love and growing pains of being a parent and an adolescent. Now's a good time to thank your mom for all the time and effort she's put into feeding and nagging... [read more]
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It seems like just yesterday we were writing about those young actors born in the 90s, and now we're already in a new decade and welcoming a new class of rising stars! From child actors who hold their own to teen idols growing into new roles, the post-00s generation hits 20 this year and they're coming up fast. Let's find out more about 20 promising young actors born in the 2000s! 1. Suzuka Ouji Debuting less than a year ago, Suzuka Ouji is the oldest yet newest face on this list. In the fall of 2016, the Okayama native was a film extra for My Teacher, which was shot at his high school. He caught the eye of lead actress Hirose Suzu, who recommended him to her manager. In 2018, he moved to... [read more]
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It's probably no surprise that women make up the core audience of Korean TV dramas. But did you know that women are also the main writers of Korean dramas? Name any K-Drama off the top of your head, and chances are high that it was written by a woman. Close to 90% of TV screenwriters in Korea are female, a staggering figure considering the entertainment world tends to be dominated by men behind the scenes. What's more, screenwriters occupy an especially important role for Korean dramas, often having greater name recognition and sway than directors. In honor of Women's History Month, we've spotlighted 12 female screenwriters, among many more, who are the movers, shakers and creative minds... [read more]
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2019 may not have been the best year for K-pop, but it did give us numerous super rookies who surprised in different ways. The top rookies of the first half of 2019 have already been covered in Part 1 of this feature. Now, it's time to introduce YesAsia's top 10 best-selling K-pop rookies in the second half of the year! 1. X1 – "Fly High, X1!" Flash MV From I.O.I to Wanna One to IZ*ONE, the Produce 101 series never failed to lead its debut groups to the top tier despite their short period of promotion time. Last year, X1 was born from Produce X 101 with 11 members of different potential. Though most of the members are rather young, X1 surprisingly showed a pretty mature and powerful group... [read more]
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Hong Kong diva Sammi Cheng became the #1 best-selling female Chinese music artist of 2019, and held three bestseller entries with her compilation album and concerts! Ranking third among male artists, Eason Chan had the #1 album and a spot in the top ten concerts. Jolin Tsai's Ugly Beauty landed in second place, and the Taiwan diva rose to sixth among female artists. Hana Kuk unexpectedly grabbed the #3 spot for her 2018 album. Juno Mak, Kay Tse and G.E.M. also broke into the top ten albums, along with perennial bestsellers Hins Cheung and Leo Ku. Veteran Hong Kong singers continued to secure top spots, with Shirley Kwan, Alan Tam, Vivian Chow and Jacky Cheung charting in the top ten albums... [read more]
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BTS impressively rules our K-pop bestseller charts for the fourth straight year! Besides topping the chart as our #1 best-selling artist, the super group dominated the top spots of the album and video categories with the award-winning record Map of the Soul: Persona and the Love Yourself in Seoul concert DVD. Stray Kids bounced up to the #2 position of both the album and artist charts. Top-tier groups EXO and Twice effortlessly landed on the charts with several popular releases. EXO's Obsession was our third best-selling K-pop album of 2019, and Baek Hyun's first solo album took the sixth spot in the category. In addition, SM Entertainment occupied several positions on the best-selling... [read more]
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After ceding the top-selling artist spot in 2018, Arashi reclaimed the throne in 2019. The group's best-of album 5x20 All the BEST!! 1999-2019, which has sold over 2.1 million copies, was well ahead of the pack as our #1 Japanese album. Arashi's 5x20 All the BEST!! CLIPS 1999-2019 was also the #1 J-pop video release, while Brave was the top single among Japanese artists. Besides Arashi, other Johnny's artists continued to be popular, with KAT-TUN, Hey! Say! JUMP, NEWS, KinKi Kids, Yamashita Tomohisa, Kamenashi Kazuya and Domoto Tsuyoshi all making the list. Divas are also well represented by Utada Hikaru, Hamasaki Ayumi, Sheena Ringo, Perfume and Daoko, while internationally popular bands... [read more]
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The below rankings are based on sales of movie releases on YesAsia.com from January 1 to December 31, 2019. TOP 10 MOVIES (OVERALL) 1. Lost in the Fumes 2. Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy 3. Project Gutenberg 4. Shadow 5. Big Brother 6. Golden Job 7. P Storm 8. White Storm 2 Drug Lords 9. Still Human 10. My Sassy Girl BEST-SELLING CHINESE MOVIES At the half-year mark, Lost in the Fumes was ranked third. By the end of 2019, the documentary about jailed Hong Kong activist Edward Leung had emphatically climbed to the top of the movie bestsellers, garnering over two times the sales of Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy in second place. The rest of the top ten is more predictably occupied by Zhang Yimou's... [read more]
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The below rankings are based on sales of television/drama releases on YesAsia.com from January 1 to December 31, 2019. TOP 10 TV DRAMAS (OVERALL) 1 (tie). HIStory3: Trapped 1 (tie). Goblin 3. Eternal Love 4. What's Wrong with Secretary Kim 5. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo 6. Legend of Fuyao 7 (tie). Rich Man 7 (tie). 100 Days My Prince 7 (tie). While You Were Sleeping 10. HIStory2 KOREAN TV BESTSELLERS The ever popular fantasy drama Goblin comes in first for the second straight year, while Park Seo Joon and Park Min Young's hit workplace romcom What's Wrong with Secretary Kim? settle for second. 2018 bestsellers Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, While You Were Sleeping and The Bride of... [read more]
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The below rankings are based on sales of Chinese books on YesAsia.com from January 1 to December 31, 2019. TOP 10 CHINESE BOOKS Hong Kong author Yi Shu continues to be the steady favorite with her reliable output of romance novels occupying half the Hong Kong bestsellers and comfortably securing her place as the top-selling writer. Actor-turned-celebrity-chef Steve Lee also stays high on the chart with the third edition of his popular Grandpa's Kitchen series. Bolstered by the popularity of the hit TV and anime adaptations, Mo Xiang Tong Chou's BL novel Mo Dao Zu Shi easily rises to the top of the chart. The power of BTS also somehow extends even to Chinese books via the translated version... [read more]
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Our editors' picks for the best Chinese albums of 2019! Angela Hui - My 25 From Produce 101 China to Singer 2019, Angela Hui finally got the chance to shine with her beautiful voice. After gaining the recognition she deserves, Angela releases her first EP in three years to delve into love from a woman's perspective. Her clear, dulcet voice is best suited for romantic ballads and sentimental blues, like "We Are All The Same" about letting go and the cycle of love, her first self-written "Sadness Overflow," "Never-ending" composed by Ronald Ng, rock number "Not As My Wish," and the bluesy English single Improper, which is the theme song of The Improper Lady. Drenched in emotions, Angela's... [read more]
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Our editors' picks for the best Japanese albums of 2019! BAND-MAID - CONQUEROR Band-Maid is out to conquer your eardrums, and they largely succeed with their best album to date. Having passed their five-year benchmark this year, the all-girl band embraces a more mature and melodic sensibility in Conqueror, with a better balance between their hard and soft rock pieces. Though some fans may miss the loud rawness of their earlier days, the band now adds edge through sophisticated instrumentation and production. Packed with 15 tracks, all composed by the band and written by Kobato Miku (with the exception of the English-language The Dragon Cries), Conqueror jams seamlessly from the mellow... [read more]
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Our editors' picks for the ten best Korean albums of 2019! AKMU - Sailing Two years just passed in the blink of an eye. Though it's a pity that Su Hyun didn't release a solo album, fans must be relieved that Chan Hyuk is finally back from the army, and we got a full-length AKMU album! The brother-sister duo unexpectedly returns with the soft melancholic ballad "How Can I Love the Heartbreak, You're the One I Love." Unlike their usual upbeat tunes, the chart-topping title track delves into serious emotions and heartbreak. The melody is beautiful, but it's Su Hyun's clear and melodious voice that elevates the ballad to something beyond ordinary, especially in the last minute of the song.... [read more]
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Our editors' picks for the best Chinese dramas of 2019! All is Well All is most definitely not well in the Su family. When the Su matron suddenly passes away, her children reunite for the first time in years. Estranged daughter Mingyue (Yao Chen) left home years ago due to her mother's biased treatment. Feckless, favored middle son Mingcheng (Guo Jingfei) spent years leeching off their parents. Proud eldest son Mingzhe (Gao Xin) lives in the States, clueless of the family problems. The siblings are forced to communicate over providing care for their timid but demanding father (Ni Dahong). Years of resentment boil over as the siblings deal with relationship and career issues on top of family... [read more]
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Our editors' picks for the ten best Korean dramas of 2019! Beautiful World "Children should not suffer from adults' faults." Last year, Sky Castle explored the intense college entrance exam process for high schoolers; this year, Beautiful World discusses the effects of school violence, bullying, parenting and family. Beautiful World starts with the shocking mystery of student Sun Ho (Nam Da Reum), who becomes comatose after falling from his school's rooftop. After the school and police pass over his case, Sun Ho's parents (Choo Ja Hyun and Park Hee Soon) decide to investigate themselves, and they discover that Joon Seok (Seo Dong Hyun) and his parents (Jo Yeo Jeong and Oh Man Seok) are... [read more]
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Our editors' picks for the ten best Japanese dramas of 2019! And, Live The disarmingly simple title of Soshite, Ikiru encompasses a years-long story about two young people who encounter love, loss and setbacks. After the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, Toko (Arimura Kasumi) and Kiyotaka (Sakaguchi Kentaro) meet while doing volunteer relief work. Both are trying to deal with their inner troubles through helping others, and they find a kindred soul in each other. Their romance is as brief as it is indelible as their paths diverge after experiencing life-changing traumas. Over six episodes, the drama follows Toko and Kiyotaka through the ups and downs of their separate lives that occasionally cross... [read more]
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Before saying goodbye to 2019, let's take a look back at the best of the year! To start off our countdown to the year-end, here are our picks for the best movies released on DVD or Blu-ray in 2019. SANWEI'S PICKS After My Death High school girl Kyung Min is suspected to have jumped off a bridge, and the last person to see her, Young Hee (Jeon Yeo Bin), is rumored to have goaded her into suicide. The troubled and spiteful Young Hee quickly becomes the target of other classmates, authorities and the missing girl's mother (Hong Sang Soo regular Seo Young Hwa), but she refuses to cooperate or accept the likelihood of Kyung Min's death. While she lashes back and tries to prove her innocence,... [read more]
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It's not autumn without some stirring Korean ballads. Have you curated your autumn playlist yet? Here are our picks for 15 K-ballads that best accompany the feeling of reflection and nostalgia when autumn leaves fall. 1. Toy (Yoo Hee Yeol) – Three of Us (with Sung Si Kyung) Toy, better known as Yoo Hee Yeol, wrote a melodious ode to a past love in his seventh album Da Capo. Performed by ballad prince Sung Si Kyung, "Three of Us" tells a sad love story about a person seeing his best friend marry his longtime crush. You might not have experienced such a dilemma before, but once you listen to the song in Sung Si Kyung's dulcet yet heartwrenching voice, melancholy and reminiscence will... [read more]
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Is it too soon to start talking about the Heisei era in the same nostalgic tone that we use for the Showa era? Japan's Heisei era lasted from January 8, 1989, to April 30, 2019. Those 30 years brought Japan from the bubble economy through the lost decade to the new millennium. Meanwhile, Japanese music transitioned from kayokyoku to "J-pop," Matsuda Seiko to AKB48, analog to digital. Now that we're months into the Reiwa era, let's take the time to appreciate ten music icons of the Heisei era who set trends, shaped charts and influenced Japanese music and pop culture at large. B'Z On September 21, 1988, a few months before the start of the Heisei era, B'z made their start with the... [read more]
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