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The below rankings are based on sales of movie, music, TV and book releases on YesAsia.com from January 1 to June 30, 2025. Sales of all editions and versions of the same title are summed up to determine the total sales and ranking of each title. BEST-SELLING K-POP RELEASES Officially returning after eight years, G-Dragon proves that he is still the K-pop king with his long-awaited third album Übermensch, our #1 best-selling Korean album of the year so far. tripleS impressively grabs three spots in the top ten with their group albums, while IVE climbs to third place for the first time. SMTOWN artists – SHINee, Kai and Red Velvet - IRENE & SEULGI – each claim a spot in the chart, alongside... [read more]
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As the second half of the year unfolds, there are even more Asian dramas to bingewatch. Here are 15 Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai TV dramas to anticipate and enjoy on the couch! Law and the City (South Korea) Release Date: July 5 (tvN/Disney+) Three years after Big Mouth, Lee Jong Suk reunites with W: Two Worlds director Park Seung Woo to make his small-screen return in the tvN legal drama Law and the City. The popular actor pairs up with My Dearest Nemesis's Moon Ga Young, as well as Kang You Seok (Resident Playbook), Ryu Hye Young (Law School) and Im Seong Jae (When the Stars Gossip), to form the "Associate Lawyers Avengers" of the Seocho-dong Judicial Town, where they share the joys... [read more]
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Since we introduced Asian BL Dramas for Beginners back in 2022, the boys love genre has only gotten bigger and more mainstream. Now it's time to get underway with GL! From Thailand's 23.5 to Korea's recent hit Friendly Rivalry, we've highlighted 15 swoony Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Thai girls love drama series that are perfect gateways for entering the GL era. 1. 23.5 GMMTV took Thai BL dramas to a new level of popularity and commercial success, and they're aiming to do the same with GL, starting with 23.5 in 2024. Milk Pansa Vosbein and Love Pattranite Limpatiyakorn, who were a side couple in Bad Buddy, bring their refreshing chemistry and heart-fluttering height difference to GMMTV's... [read more]
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Festival season is in full swing! For this year's Coachella over two weekends from April 11 to 20, 2025, four K-pop acts – Lisa, Jennie, ENHYPEN and XG – are invited to perform at the music fest. Let's get up to date on the artists' background and discography before vibing to their sets in the desert! LISA BLACKPINK's Lisa first dropped the hip-hop EDM LALISA in September 2021, resoundingly showing her name and identity in a powerful solo debut. After parting ways with YG Entertainment, the sought-after rapper launched her own label LLOUD, which allows her to go global in her solo projects – like her exciting collaborations with Doja Cat and RAYE in Born Again, and Future in FXCK UP THE... [read more]
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The 18th Asian Film Awards (AFA) ceremony will be held on March 16 at the Xiqu Centre of the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong. Hong Kong actor and martial arts icon Sammo Hung will serve as the Jury President for this year's award. Thirty films from 25 countries and regions were selected to compete for 16 awards. Korean occult thriller Exhuma leads with 11 nominations, including major awards like Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Newcomer and Best Screenplay. Hong Kong action blockbuster Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In follows with nine nods, including Best Film, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects. Read on for a quick... [read more]
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K-pop super rookie ZEROBASEONE tops Japanese music sales in 2024 on the strength of just their Japan debut single. Stray Kids follow closely behind as the #2 artist with two top-selling albums and two concerts on the J-pop bestsellers charts. They're joined by other boy bands including ATEEZ, ENHYPEN, TXT, Seventeen and NCT Wish whose first two singles both make the cut. NCT member Yuta's Japan debut album ranks second among Japanese artists. RIIZE, WayV and aespa's Japan debut releases are also on the chart, while SHINee's SHINee World VI is the top-selling concert. K-pop girl groups are well represented as well by Twice, tripleS, IVE and more. J-pop legend Utada Hikaru is our... [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, 2024. TOP 10 TV DRAMAS (OVERALL) 1. A Shoulder to Cry On 2 (tie). We Best Love 2 (tie). Love is Better the Second Time Around 4. HIStory3: Trapped 5 (tie). Goblin 5 (tie). Semantic Error 5 (tie). Nirvana in Fire 8 (tie). Kimi to Nara Koi wo Shite Mite mo 8 (tie). Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo 8 (tie). The K2 KOREAN TV BESTSELLERS Coming-of-age BL series A Shoulder to Cry On, which was already our top-selling Korean drama of 2023, rises to #1 overall in 2024. Semantic Error keeps its #2 position for its third consecutive year on the chart. The rest of the top ten K-Dramas are... [read more]
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Similar to previous years, Cantopop ruled over YesAsia C-pop bestseller charts in 2024! Makerville artists dominate all top spots of the lists – MIRROR's Keung To, Anson Lo, Edan Lui and Jer Lau are crowned our top four highest-selling Chinese artists thanks to their MIRROR "IN MY SIGHT" Solo Concert Blu-ray sets. Ian Chan also makes it to #2 in the album chart with his award-winning EP Interlude, while girl group COLLAR tops our album and female artist charts with their first EP Unit 1201. Ranking seventh among male acts, Terence Lam again contributes multiple releases to the bestsellers chart. Leslie Cheung's Final Encounter of The Legend takes #4 in album bestsellers. Joey Yung and Twins... [read more]
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IU and Stray Kids reign as YesAsia's top-selling K-pop female and male artists of 2024, with the latter grabbing two spots for their concert videos as well! SHINee, along with members Tae Min, Key and Jong Hyun, all made it to top ten male artists. Ranked third among female artists, Twice shines in the concert video chart with their top-selling READY TO BE in Seoul set. aespa rises to the second highest-selling female artist. Red Velvet stays strong at #4, followed by (G)I-DLE, Dreamcatcher and IVE, and they all have a bestselling album or concert in the top ten. NCT, NCT 127 and NCT DREAM each secure a spot in our bestseller lists. Moon Byul, NewJeans, ITZY, Seventeen, ATEEZ and ENHYPEN... [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, 2024. TOP 10 MOVIES (OVERALL) 1. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In 2. Deadpool & Wolverine 3. The Goldfinger 4. One and Only 5. Movie Emperor 6. I Did It My Way 7 (tie). The Marvels 7 (tie). One More Chance 9. Godzilla Minus One 10. Night Owl BESTSELLING CHINESE MOVIES Throwback action thriller Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In brought in audiences all around with blockbuster box office in Hong Kong and chart-topping video sales. For more Hong Kong nostalgia, Andy Lau and Tony Leung's golden reteaming for the period crime drama The Goldfinger came in second for Chinese films. Andy Lau... [read more]
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The below rankings are based on sales of Chinese-language books (excluding horoscope books) on YesAsia.com from January 1 to December 31, 2024. TOP 10 CHINESE BOOKS Yi Shu retains the crown of bestselling Chinese author with three new books in the top ten. Books on supernatural experiences and divination are popular. The latest books by celebrities Jet Li, Kevin Tsai and Remus Choy also made the list. Sara Cheung Yi Shu Yi Shu Remus Choy Yi Yang Feng Shui 1. 飄飄言 (貳) 2. 植秀 3. 永不永不 4. Remus Kitchen 5. 悟道德 Yi Shu Andrew Wong Kevin Tsai Jet Li WATP 6 (tie). 賞心樂事 6 (tie). 60 Chinese Poems in English Verse 6 (tie). 蔡康永的情商課3：你願意，人生就會值得 9 (tie). Jet Li Looking for Jet Li 9 (tie). 香港鬼怪百物語〈二〉 TOP 10... [read more]
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Our editors' picks for the best physical Japanese albums of 2024! &TEAM - Yukiakari &TEAM provides fresh and sentimental youth anthems for the whole year round with their four seasons concept series in 2024. In the spring, restless hearts and cherry blossoms dance amid the gentle May rain of Samidare. Life is all or nothing in the blue, bright and fearless summer days of Aoarashi. Dreams are shared under the moonlight on that unforgettable fall night in Jyuugoya. Finally, the winter cold can't extinguish the warm flame of hope in the uplifting Yukiakari. Well-conceived and well-executed, &TEAM's new songs this year come together to tell an enchanting story of seasons changing and boys... [read more]
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Our editors' picks for the best Korean dramas of 2024! A Virtuous Business Kim So Yeon, Kim Sung Ryung, Kim Sun Young and Lee Se Hee start A Virtuous Business selling adult products in the Korean remake of the 2016 British series Brief Encounters! The JTBC comedy-drama transplants the retro backdrop to a rural village in 1992 Korea without losing its core theme of celebrating women's growth and independence. The four heroines – who either can't or don't want to rely on their partners – join forces as the Bangpan Sisters and boldly break taboos doing door-to-door sales of lingerie and sex toys. Facing discrimination for both their gender and job nature, the women unleash dream-team efforts... [read more]
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Here are our editors' picks for the best Asian films released on DVD or Blu-ray in 2024! SANWEI'S PICKS 12:12: The Day After the assassination of President Park Chung Hee on October 26, 1979, South Korea welcomed a brief period of "Seoul Spring" when reforms and democracy seemed within reach. Such hopes would be dashed on December 12, 1979, when general Chun Doo Hwan and his Hanahoe faction engineered a military coup against martial law commander Jeung Seung Hwa, a precursor to Chun eventually seizing complete control of the government. With names changed but the references clear, 12:12: The Day lays out the key players and context on the eve of the violent coup, and then outlines the... [read more]
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Our editors' picks for the best Japanese dramas of 2024! ANTI HERO TBS's legal thriller ANTI HERO follows a lawyer who specializes in getting acquittals for clients even if the evidence is stacked against them, defying the odds of Japan's high conviction rate for criminal cases. This might sound similar to 99.9 Criminal Lawyer, but ANTI HERO is a different beast from the moment Hasegawa Hiroki opens the series with a dramatic monologue about the terrible fate of convicted killers in Japanese society. In a testament to Hasegawa's ability to charismatically chew scenery, enigmatic protagonist Akizumi Masaki is smug yet magnetic while glowering in his trench coat, delivering legal put-downs... [read more]
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Our editors' picks for the best Korean albums of 2024! aespa - Armageddon aespa had another big year with three consecutive viral hits that brought them major awards at year-end ceremonies. In their first full-length album since debut, the girls continue to dig into their worldview about the parallel worlds of the real and the digital through ten stylish tracks that fit perfectly with their group aesthetic and voices. Armageddon takes off with the powerful and metallic dance beats of chart-topper Supernova and the hip-hop dance bop Armageddon. The ambitious album exhibits aespa's versatile music "aenergy" by exploring different music genres, like the old-school trap dance mix Licorice,... [read more]
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Our editors' picks for the best Chinese albums of 2024! Amazing Show - Self-Titled Album If "tai ke" is a musical attitude, then Amazing Show has got it down pat. The Taiwan indie band goes unabashedly old school with a grassroots rock sound in their self-titled album. Amazing Show offers the whole package of catchy, campy, spirited and heartfelt for an infectiously entertaining listen that would add some vigor to any morning playlist. The band is at their finest when they're going all out, like the rousing Hokkien rock numbers "Apocalypse" and "Birthmark," the throwback techno pop "Ragnarok" and the self-lambasting breakup song "Bastards of Love" that's perfect for belting at karaoke. Also... [read more]
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We kick off the year-end lists with our editors' picks for the best Chinese dramas of 2024! Blossoms Shanghai With Wong Kar Wai's name attached as the showrunner, Blossoms Shanghai has been high on the radar since it was announced back in 2020. Though the iconic auteur's first television drama is not as magical as his films, there's plenty reason to tune in for fans of his signature style. Based on Jin Yucheng's novel Fan Hua, Blossoms Shanghai follows the ups and downs of protagonist Abao on his journey to becoming a business mogul in 1990s Shanghai as the Chinese market grows and transforms. Shanghai native Hu Ge embodies Abao with dapper ease, and Ma Yili, Tiffany Tang and Xin Zhilei... [read more]
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In the month of Thanksgiving, let's celebrate the breakout stars, viral songs, intriguing shows and adorable characters that brought us countless joys this year! APT. APT. APT. APT. "Chae Young's favorite random game, game start! APT. APT. APT. APT." This year's "dance challenge of the year" goes to… APT. by Rosé and Bruno Mars! The unexpected music collaboration brings together infectious pop notes, addictive lines, Mickey beats and Korean drinking game energy into one viral megahit. Arriving ahead of the release of Rosé's first solo full-length album rosie in December, APT. is a total banger that's been dancing in our heads nonstop since release. Black Myth: Wukong The most talked about... [read more]
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Hollywood has manifested numerous nightmarish characters over the years that have become familiar names and franchises like Freddy Krueger, Pennywise, Annabelle and Ghostface. Asian cinema also has its own share of horror film figures and archetypes that often reflect the unique cultures and legends of the region. From contemporary J-horror icons and urban legends, to the many spirits and monsters of Asian folklore that creep into cinema, how well do you know your Asian horror movie characters? Hopping Vampires While Western cinema visualizes vampires as gaunt, blood-sucking immortal creatures like Dracula, Asian cinema has "jiangshi," or the Chinese hopping vampire. Rooted in folklore of... [read more]
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