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Among the many Korean audition programs of recent years, Produce 101 is surely the most influential. Launched by TV channel Mnet in 2016, the K-pop survival show gathers 101 trainees from different agencies to compete for the chance to debut in a specially created idol group. After multiple rounds of performance challenges and viewer voting, a limited-time group is formed with the top contestants. The first season created the girl group I.O.I, and the even bigger second season in 2017 created the boy band Wanna One. Produce 101 has provided a springboard to stardom for new faces and a second chance for idols yet to hit it big. The franchise set off a trend of idol-making shows in Korea and... [read more]
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It's that time of the year again. Since 2007, Asian filmmakers have come together every March for the Asian Film Awards, a ceremony dedicated to celebrating the region's best films. This year, we're already up to the 12th edition, which will be held in Macau on March 17, 2018, at The Venetian Macao. Here's a breakdown of this year's nominated films! Angels Wear White (China) Nominations: Best Film, Best New Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Newcomer, Best Original Music At a seaside hotel, a young staffer (Vicky Chen) witnesses a man forcibly enter the room of two girls, but she keeps silent to the police and tries to make some money with her knowledge. Meanwhile, the victims' parents... [read more]
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The below rankings are based on sales of television releases on YesAsia.com from January 1 to December 31, 2017. TOP 10 TV DRAMAS (OVERALL) 1. Goblin 2. Eternal Love 3 (tie). Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo 3 (tie). Legend of the Blue Sea 5. Provocateur 6. Dead Wrong 7. Two Steps From Heaven 8. A Fist Within Four Walls 9. The K2 10. Inspector Gourmet KOREAN TV BESTSELLERS As one of the most-talked-about K-Drama hits of recent years, Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, starring Gong Yoo as the Goblin, unsurprisingly takes the top spot as the best-selling drama of 2017. It's followed by two of the year's most star-studded and export-ready dramas: the Startling By Each Step remake Moon Lovers:... [read more]
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Without much surprise, EXO was still untouchable at the top of our best-selling C-pop album and artist charts in 2017. Member Lay climbed to third place with his second solo effort Lay 02 Sheep, while his first album Lose Control held firm at seven. Former member Lu Han's 2015 solo debut album Reloaded, which ranked second on the 2016 chart, again broke into top ten albums. Hong Kong diva Sammi Cheng came in fourth with her long-awaited Mandarin album Nude and seized the top spot on the concert bestsellers. Alan Tam and Eason Chan also ranked high with their Mandarin releases. While the album chart was occupied by Mandarin music, the DVD list was dominated by Cantopop singers including Joey... [read more]
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Global sensation BTS reigned over K-pop in 2017 with the album chart-topper Love Yourself 'Her' and You Never Walk Alone. The Bangtan boys effortlessly took our Best-selling Artist title with impressive sales of albums as well as video releases that dominated the top five spots on the DVD/Blu-ray chart. Twice came out on top among female artists and broke into top ten albums for the second straight year. EXO, the second biggest-selling artist of 2017, ranked second on the album chart with their fourth album The War, and has two releases in the top ten DVD/Blu-ray list. Labelmates Girls' Generation and Super Junior re-entered the album chart with the tenth anniversary record Holiday Night... [read more]
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Taking the world by storm in 2017, BTS dethroned Arashi to become our highest-selling artist in Japanese music for the first time. The Korean boy band swept the top two spots for singles, came in second for albums with a greatest hit compilation, and landed two concerts in the top ten. EXO is also all over our J-pop charts with subunit EXO-CBX topping album sales, and their Coming Over, 2016's best-selling single, hanging on at #4. Twice makes a strong debut at #3 for both albums and singles, and GOT7 and SHINee also have multiple releases on the charts. Arashi continues to be the top concert seller for the seventh straight year and the top-selling Japanese artist. The perennially popular... [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, 2017. TOP 10 MOVIES (OVERALL) 1. Your Name 2. Train to Busan 3. Shin Godzilla 4. Sword Master 5. Shock Wave 6. See You Tomorrow 7. Utopians 8. Comrades, Almost a Love Story 9. Operation Mekong 10. Journey To The West: The Demons Strike Back BEST-SELLING JAPANESE MOVIES Besides tearing through the box office to become the second biggest Japanese film of all time, Shinkai Makoto's beloved animated blockbuster Your Name is also our best-selling movie of 2017. Anno Hideaki's critically and commercially lauded Godzilla reboot comes in second. As always, manga adaptations and franchise extensions... [read more]
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Our editors' picks for the ten best Japanese albums of 2017! AMAZARASHI - CHIHO TOSHI NO MEMENTO MORI amazarashi reflects on mortality, society, technology and the emptiness in our hearts in the band's fourth full-length album. As he's apt to do, Akita Hiromu gives voice, shape and sound to the darkness, despair, cruelty, vulnerability and desperate dreams of man – and the destruction we wreak on the world, ourselves and each other. Lyrically abstract yet alarmingly specific, the band's emotionally raw musical poetry is expressed over free-flowing rock melodies, throbbing beats and an overwhelming rush of words. From Word Processor's rapid-fire recitation to Philosophy's dissective... [read more]
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Our editors' picks for the best Chinese albums of 2017! A-MEI CHANG - STORY THIEF When a song touches us, is it because we're listening to the song, or because we're listening to our own story? A-Mei Chang shares our stories of hurt and heartbreak in a deeply felt album of minimally adorned love songs. Written and composed by Eve Ai, the opening title song "Story Thief" sets the tone and theme for the album with a piano-accompanied ballad carried by the diva's strong and emotive voice. While "Story Thief" conveys an abstract sense of loss, other songs tell rawly relatable stories, like the Jay Chou-composed second plug 'Full Name," with Ge Dai Wai's lyrics about not being able get over... [read more]
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Our editors' picks for the ten best Korean albums of 2017! HEIZE - /// (YOU, CLOUDS, RAIN) In Heize's third mini-album /// (You, Clouds, Rain), the rapper focuses more on her vocals to better express the sentiments of sorrow, remorse and yearning. Inspired by gloomy rainy days, the soulful electro-pop jam "Don't Know You," the joyful-sounding yet lonely "Dark Clouds" and the hit heart-wrenching bluesy duet "You, Clouds, Rain" come together to create a consistent silky vibe that beautifully expresses the internal fear of facing one's true self. IU - PALETTE IU developed a quirky fantasy style through a series of fairytale-themed albums, such as Last Fantasy, Modern Times and Chat-Shire. Now... [read more]
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Our editors' picks for the best Korean dramas of 2017! Avengers Social Club Three aggrieved women and a high school boy form an Avengers Social Club to get revenge against the jerks in their lives in the charming tvN comedy-drama based on a webtoon by Sajatokki. The unlikely team is started by Jung Hye (Lee Yo Won), a naively haughty but well-meaning rich woman who feels betrayed when her husband brings home a teenaged love child. She recruits Mi Sook (Myung Se Bin), the timid battered wife of a respected professor, and Do Hee (Ra Mi Ran), a widowed fishmonger with two kids, into the club. Then her clever stepson (U-Kiss member Jun), who wants revenge against his father, unexpectedly... [read more]
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Our editors' picks for the ten best Chinese dramas of 2017! A Boy Named Flora A Based on Yang Fu Min's acclaimed novel, A Boy Named Flora A is a traditional family drama with a very strong rural flavor. Despite the lack of popular idols in the cast, it turned into one of the most talked about Taiwanese dramas of 2017 thanks to the meaningful plot and the actors' convincing performances. The story's protagonist Hwa Jia (singer-songwriter Crowd Lu) is the eldest grandson in his family. Already in his late 20s, Hwa Jia fails to graduate from university year after year and doesn't have a clear goal in life. After receiving news of his grandmother's death, he rushes back to his village home in... [read more]
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Our editors' picks for the ten best Japanese dramas of 2017! Blanket Cats If the title of NHK's comforting drama doesn't already sell it, the cats in question also happen to belong to a grouchy Nishijima Hidetoshi. The actor plays a furniture maker who is seeking new owners for his late wife's seven cats, which delightfully roll around and make messes in his home/workshop. However, he won't give them away to unsuitable owners. He provides each prospective owner with a blanket for the cat and a three-day trial period. The cats often get returned after the trial period, but in their short stays, they help troubled individuals and families heal hearts and come to important realizations about... [read more]
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Our editors' picks for the best Asian movies released on video in 2017! SANWEI'S PICKS Bacchus Lady E J Yong uses the phenomenon of "Bacchus ladies," aged prostitutes who work out of parks in Seoul, as a starting point into the world of marginalized elders. Yoon Yeo Jeong is strong and sassy as ever as a representative of these elderly women who turn to prostitution to support themselves in a society that overlooks their existence and needs. While she struggles financially, the lonely men who seek her services suffer from physical and emotional health issues that drive some to seek death. Despite the grave subject matter, neither the film nor its heroine dwells in sadness and self-pity.... [read more]
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It seems like not a year goes by without a Higashino Keigo mystery making its way onto screen. One of Asia's most popular and followed novelists, the best-selling Japanese suspense writer has published over 80 novels and short story collections, and his books have been translated into a multitude of languages. Besides the prolific production and wide readership that are every publisher's dream come true, the author's works are also highly sought after for film and television. Even if one has never read a single Higashino Keigo novel, anyone with an interest in Japanese television or cinema would likely come across his name. His books are constantly picked up for live-action adaptations, and... [read more]
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The below rankings are based on sales of movie, music and TV releases on YesAsia.com from January 1 to June 30, 2017. 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 Last year's best-selling artist BTS again powers their way to the top of our bestsellers chart with the album Your Never Walk Alone. Monsta X impressively rises to #2, while Girls' Generation leader Tae Yeon breaks into the top ten as a solo artist for the first time. Five years after the Alive albums, Big Bang storms into the top ten again thanks to their tenth anniversary Made album. Twice secures two spots with mini-album... [read more]
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Filmmakers and actors from across Asia gather once again this March for the Asian Film Awards (AFA), a star-studded event that aims to celebrate and promote excellence in Asian cinema. After being held in Macau for the past three years, the AFA returns to its founding city, Hong Kong, for the 11th edition, to be held at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre on March 21, 2017. With the ceremony less than two weeks away, we take a closer look at this year's major nominated titles. The Wailing (South Korea) Nominations: Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Sound Na Hong Jin collected awards and scared audiences with a serial killer in 2008's The Chaser and a brutal assassin in 2010's... [read more]
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The below rankings are based on sales of television releases on YesAsia.com from January 1 to December 31, 2016. TOP 10 TV DRAMAS (OVERALL) 1. Last Healer in Forbidden City 2. Lord of Shanghai 3. She Was Pretty 4 (tie). With or Without You 4 (tie). K9 Cop 6 (tie). Under the Veil 6 (tie). Short End of the Stick 8. Fashion War 9. Nirvana in Fire 10. Captain of Destiny CHINESE TV BESTSELLERS Chinese dramas took nine out of ten spots in 2016's top ten TV bestsellers, and of those, eight were Hong Kong TVB dramas. Period productions were particularly popular with The Last Healer in Forbidden City and Lord of Shanghai leading the way. Wayne Lai alone has three costume dramas in the top ten, and... [read more]
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Emerging once again as the highest-selling C-pop artist, EXO also reclaimed the throne in our Chinese music album bestsellers chart in 2016 with their third album. Former member Lu Han, who ranked seventh in total sales, came in second in the album chart with his solo debut release, while member Lay is in fifth place with his first solo album. Jay Chou, who made a fantasy-themed comeback in 2016, continued his reign in both the album and DVD charts. Other singer-songwriters including Mayday, JJ Lin and Gin Lee also took spots in the top ten. Late superstar Leslie Cheung was the second highest-selling artist, followed by fellow pop legends Sandy Lam, Jacky Cheung, Alan Tam, Priscilla Chan... [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, 2016. TOP 10 MOVIES (OVERALL) 1. Ip Man 3 2. Our Times 3. Mermaid 4. Monkey King 2 5. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny 6. The Assassin 7. Port of Call 8. Crossing 2 9. EXO Next Door 10. Cold War II BEST-SELLING CHINESE MOVIES After yielding to the Rurouni Kenshin trilogy in 2015, Chinese-language cinema reclaimed the movie charts in 2016, taking nine spots in the overall top ten. Donnie Yen's Ip Man 3 handily beat the competition for #1. Buckling the trend, Taiwan youth romance Our Times charmed its way to second place, but otherwise the top sellers are big-budget and genre... [read more]
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