韩流来袭 引爆多元文化抬头

过去一个周末在纽约陪着八岁的丫头,走遍了城里最大的会展中心,见识到“韩流”在全球的快速蔓延,别误以为这个以韩国流行音乐为主题的大型活动,只与面孔及生活形态相近的亚洲人相关,会展开幕当天在门口排队进场的年轻人当中,可充分体现了纽约多元化的特质,除了见到七彩绚烂的头发颜色外,他们的肤色也涵括了你能想像到的各种族裔。

会展第二天晚上的韩星表演,主办单位CJ是南韩最大的影视娱乐公司,同时也是全球排名第二的电商。这个在1993年自三星集团分支而出,从食品制造开始,将韩国饮食、韩国文化及生活方式逐步引进全球市场的跨国企业,通过美国国庆周在纽约麦迪逊广场的现场演唱会,向全世界昭告“韩风”正式迈进西方社会。而从一张一千元美金的粉丝席,到所有盛装而来(打扮入时且发型、化妆及饰物皆追赶韩流标准)的多族裔观众看来,这场文化运动的确成功跨越了语言障碍,连我一句韩文不懂的孩子,都随着台上的热歌劲舞起身参与,且坚持看完完整演唱会才肯离去。

这让我不禁反思,这些以商业目的包装而成的音乐团体,为何能跨越语言及文化差异,赢得全球年轻粉丝的追捧,并成为最新热潮,其实正是个人主义崛起和从众文化结合后的完美发展。

在亚洲家庭成长的孩子,多半必须面对升学压力,而在生活上,从上学穿着的制服到课后满满的各式学习班,家长们一方面鼓励孩子出类拔萃,却又不希望他们鹤立鸡群,成为与其它孩子“不一样”的异类。而这些经过精心甄选组成的音乐团体,正好满足了这矛盾心态,个别成员或有其特色专长,但仍符合团体的整体形象及市场诉求,从全球年轻族群看来,音乐只是联系沟通的方式之一,更关键的是他们在这追风过程中能够与同侪分享的经验及感受。

正如30多年前,马当娜以其独树一帜的风格席卷全球音乐市场,许多连英文都说不了二句的年轻人,却能朗朗唱出马当娜的每一首招牌歌曲一般,如今的韩流,不过是文化超越地域界限的另一实例,唯一不同的是,随通讯技术的发达及亚洲 (尤其是中国)经济的崛起,预期我们将会见到更多亚洲品牌走上世界舞台,并成为文化主流。资深广告行销人,同时也是全美最大亚裔广告公司负责人Zan Ng就大胆预测,从行销角度看来,我们未来针对的将不再是亚裔市场、拉丁裔市场、或非裔美人市场,我们所见到的肤色将不足以定义市场区隔,因为多元化才将是主流市场。

特约撰稿人
PeiWen Shih
alanguagebank 联合创始人

From Spider-man to Cosplay: How the Superhero Industry is Learning from Spider-Man’s Filipino-American Sidekick

(Admerasia prides itself on giving its youngest team members a chance to be heard. Today, we’re featuring an original article by our summer intern, Sarina Santiago, 21, Boston University, Major Business Administration, Minor Communications.)

How the Superhero Industry is Learning from Spider-Man’s Filipino-American Sidekick

Batalon as Ned Leeds in Spider-Man: Homecoming Photo credit: Spider-Man: Homecoming

Just when you think you’ve mentally recovered from the epic Avengers: Endgame, it’s time to watch the anticipated Spider-Man: Far from Home. While we’re all familiar with the star of the film, Tom Holland, let’s draw our attention to his dorky, loveable sidekick, Ned Leeds, played by Jacob Batalon. Though he is known as a tech genius and “the guy in the chair”, Leeds is sparking conversation and rapidly gaining exposure for being the first Filipino-American in the Marvel Universe franchise.

Batalon, raised by Filipino parents in Hawaii, landed his first major acting role as Peter Parker’s best friend just before he graduated college. The original character, Ned Leeds, was inspired by the early comic book version who is described as a Caucasian reporter from the Daily Bugle. However, the film’s director, Jon Watts, didn’t want to replicate the character’s physical qualities and instead opted for a more diversified lineup. Replacing the white Ned Leeds with a Filipino-American, as well as casting actors and actresses like Zendaya and Tony Revolori, the new Spider-Man school setting reflects a more realistic version of a diverse high school student body found in Queens, New York.

Ned Leeds has quickly become a fan-favorite. His genuine, gleeful reaction to Peter Parker revealing his identity captures the moment perfectly because, let’s be honest, that’s how we would react if our best friend was Spider-Man. More importantly, the charming character appeals to the Asian-American audiences as Ned is a crucial asset to Spider-Man’s missions. Playing the sidekick as a Filipino-American actor paves the way to a more inclusive casting in the superhero industry.

Jacob Batalon (left) and Tom Holland (right), playing Peter Parker, in Spider-Man: Homecoming Photo credit: Spider-Man: Homecoming

In the superhero industry, Pan-Asian diversity has always been lacking. However, with recent castings of Jon Cho (Star Trek), Gemma Chan (Captain Marvel), and Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange) other Asian characters are joining the fray. In fact, Marvel is set to release a five-part comic book this summer featuring Asian and Asian-American superheroes called “Agents of Atlas”. The lineup of powerful heroes includes characters from Korean, Filipino, and Chinese backgrounds who, besides from saving the world, enjoy everyday activities like karaoke and eating dim sum.

The front cover of the first issue of “Agents of Atlas”. Photo credit: Marvel Comics

Moreover, production has been approved for the first Marvel superhero film featuring an Asian protagonist called Shang-Chi. The movie will follow a similar framework to Black Panther’s, with an emphasis on cultural cohesiveness in order to promote a proper image of Asian characters. Currently, the production process of Shang-Chi is moving slowly, with the main news that they have hired both Dave Callaham of The Expendables as the script writer and Destin Daniel Cretton of Captain Marvel as the director. Though it’s too early in the production process for casting, the internet has casted five Chinese actors that can potentially play the leading role.

Shang-Chi is a Chinese martial arts master who channels his abilities through his chi. Photo credit: Marvel Comics

It’s highly important for the superhero industry to evolve and adopt an inclusive cast. Superheroes become icons and are idolized by children growing up. How can a child relate to a character that doesn’t share the same culture as them?

But superheroes don’t just end in the comic book universe. Online gaming and cosplay is a major part of Asian-American culture yet is still lacking in a diverse representation. The new State Farm “Peaceful Resolutions” features cosplayers as Phoenix and Battlefire – two strong Asian-American warriors who face-off in a battle. Admerasia selected cosplayers to appeal to the Asian-American audience because cosplaying and cosplay conventions are major parts of the culture. It was also important to highlight strong, powerful characters that are able to put aside their differences to achieve their mission – in this case, the two cosplayers split a cab to drive to the convention center. This commercial is making a dual-debut on Spider-Man: Far from Home and Cartoon Network’s series, Adult Swim. Though there are major efforts in promoting diversity in the superhero industry, there is still a long way to go as Asian-Americans prove that they are more than “the guy in the chair”.

Written by:
Sarina Santiago
Creative Intern