ESSAYS

Personal stories, analyses, and explorations.

Ponyo: Milk With Honey and the Magic Within
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Ponyo: Milk With Honey and the Magic Within

Andersen’s original tale is tragic, displaying the hefty price of love and selling your soul for immortality, while Disney gives the characters the most fairy tale-like ending. Miyazaki’s more nuanced approach is a profound interpretation that factors in a fresh perspective of youthfulness, nature and its interconnectedness, and a whimsicality that earlier versions don’t have.

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The Mercurial Relationship Between People and Places
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The Mercurial Relationship Between People and Places

“Not just a green flag, but a whole green forest” became a popular phrase throughout the Asian drama fandom space in 2023, alluding to the likeable personality of the characters in the Chinese drama Hidden Love (2023). Of course, my curiosity was piqued and I had to see why everyone was watching this show. During my first watch of Hidden Love, I had no idea that its sequel, The First Frost (2025), was in the making, or that I’d love that sequel so much that I’d rush straight back into a rewatch.

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D-Day in Concert: A Breakdown of the Artist
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D-Day in Concert: A Breakdown of the Artist

One of the most intriguing things about Min Yoongi’s discography has always been his thorough exploration of different concepts of identity. Both his songs as SUGA of BTS and his robust solo career as Agust D are full of reflections that hit with a gut-punching earnestness. And out of all of his forays into the topic, the 2023 Agust D D-Day concert tour was the most revelatory into his views on art and its relation to the self.

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Jimin’s Muse: Perfect, Blue
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Jimin’s Muse: Perfect, Blue

‘Muse’ is not Jimin saying, “I was sad, but now I’m happy and in love.” It is, instead, a refreshingly honest look at how one emerges from a low point—a cautious, curious exploration of how to love and be loved again.

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Love is a Losing Game
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Love is a Losing Game

It’s safe to say we rarely see tennis through a lens like this. While broadcasted tennis matches commonly use overhead shots, capturing most of the game from a safe distance, the points of view in the Art v. Patrick match become more and more diverse over time, gradually diminishing personal space to reveal the secrets and motives of the characters one by one.

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You’re at the Center, and So Am I
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You’re at the Center, and So Am I

BTS’ music video for “Black Swan” is an example of a perfect dance film. It’s a kind of cine-choreo that perfectly utilizes elements of its setting—the theatre. And instead of using it as solely a stage, the theatre almost feels like a character itself as the camera rotates it to keep BTS in place.

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