Latest news with #Hai
Metropolis Japan
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metropolis Japan
Ruby-chan! Hai! Nani ga suki? Trend Explained
Photo from 'Ruby-chan!' 'Hai!' (Yes!)'Nani ga suki?' (What do you like?) 'Choco-minto yorimo anata.' (More than chocolate mint, I like you!) If you've been anywhere near TikTok or Instagram lately, this probably lives rent-free in your brain. It's usually paired with a high-pitched voice, a too-cute wink or perky dance moves—all perfectly timed to the last sugary syllable of anata . At first glance, it's just another cutesy anime-style trend. But the clip comes from an actual song by a real idol group, and the way it's gone global says a lot about how Japanese pop culture, especially idol and kawaii aesthetics, are evolving online. The sound comes from AiScReam, a relatively new Japanese idol unit whose entire concept is built around sweetness. Their name is a wordplay on 'ai,' meaning love, 'scream' and 'ice cream.' Their visual branding leans heavily into pastel color palettes, anime and bubblegum energy. The group had its live debut at the Love Live! Series Asia Tour in February 2025. The part that's gone viral comes from a call-and-response section in one of the songs they performed, 'AI SCREAM!.' After Love Live! 's official TikTok account dropped a clip of that moment, the algorithm took it from there—over 10 million views in just a few days. It didn't take long before parodies started flooding in: anime cosplayers, thirst-traps, car headlights mouthing the words, even Donald Trump and Elon Musk calling to each other: 'Trump-chan! Musk-chan!.' You name it, someone's made a version. There's something universal about the format. You don't need to speak Japanese to get the joke. The setup is familiar—a question and an exaggeratedly sweet answer. The rhythm and tone do most of the work, and the final anata ('you') lands like a mic drop. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 랜덤박스 (@randomboxai) This trend isn't just about being cute—it's about playing cute. And that's a huge part of kawaii culture in Japan. Idol interactions are often scripted to feel spontaneous. They're structured around emotional intimacy and fan service, designed to make fans feel special—like they're the 'you' in the lyric. TikTok, in many ways, runs on that same kind of performance. You're not just showing yourself—you're performing a version of yourself for an audience. That's likely why this particular trend has spread so easily. It's not just a clip of an idol—it invites you to become one. Japanese idol culture has always had a dedicated international fan base, but short-form video apps have changed the game. A sound doesn't need to be translated. It just needs to hit right. It also taps into global ideas of 'cute' that aren't necessarily tied to language. Think Sanrio characters, gacha-pon miniatures and food-themed aesthetics. 'Chocolate-mint' as a flavor isn't just a sweet—it's practically a personality in Japan. By saying 'I like you more than choco-mint,' the speaker is making the highest of compliments, wrapped in a pastel pink bow. And people get that, even outside Japan—or at least they feel it. So they lip-sync it, mimic it and remix it with their own versions of what kawaii means to them. Every few months, TikTok latches onto a sound that transcends borders, and AiScReam's 'Ruby-chan' clip is one of those. It's playful, easy to copy and weirdly intimate. It also reinforces a trend we've been seeing: the rise of niche Japanese subcultures going mainstream through meme-ification. Like previous audio clips from anime or pop songs, this one bridges a language gap with tone, context and sheer charm. It also opens the door for more Japanese artists to get noticed, not because they're targeting the West, but because the internet decided they're fun. And in a sea of ironic, self-aware content, sometimes what people want is just 5 seconds of pure, unfiltered sweetness. Photo from Love Live Official Website: AiScReam Page Ruby-chan!Hai! (Yes?)Nani ga suki? (What do you like?) Choco-minto yorimo anata . (More than chocolate mint, I like you!) Ayumi-chan!Hai! (Yes?)Nani ga suki? (What do you like?) Sutoroberi fureiba yorimo anata . (More than strawberry flavor, I like you! ) Shiki chan!Hai! (Yes?)Nani ga suki? (What do you like?) Kukki endo kurimo yorimo anata . (More than cookies and cream, I like you! ) Minna! (Everyone!)Hai! (Yes?)Nani ga suki? (What do you like?) Mochiron dai suki AiScReam! (Of course, I love AiScReam!) AiScReam does not yet have an official Instagram account but information about the trio can be found through Love Live. Love Live Official Website: AiScReam Page Love Live Official Twitter Account
Washington Post
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Book Review: Ocean Vuong takes existentialism to deeply intimate level in 'The Emperor of Gladness'
Hai is 19 and suicidal. Grazina is 81 and living alone with dementia. So when she strikes a deal to house him so they can keep each other company in exchange for his help as a kind of unofficial live-in nurse, this could spell their mutual salvation or destruction. Ocean Vuong's new novel follows Hai as he takes care of Grazina and works in a fast-casual restaurant to help support them. Told in moments, 'The Emperor of Gladness' takes existentialism to a deeply intimate level, leaving the reader to contemplate what it is to live in a messy, complicated world of wars, addiction, class struggles and good people looking for second chances. The novel was immediately named Oprah Winfrey's latest book club pick .
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Book Review: Ocean Vuong takes existentialism to deeply intimate level in 'The Emperor of Gladness'
Hai is 19 and suicidal. Grazina is 81 and living alone with dementia. So when she strikes a deal to house him so they can keep each other company in exchange for his help as a kind of unofficial live-in nurse, this could spell their mutual salvation or destruction. Ocean Vuong's new novel follows Hai as he takes care of Grazina and works in a fast-casual restaurant to help support them. Told in moments, 'The Emperor of Gladness' takes existentialism to a deeply intimate level, leaving the reader to contemplate what it is to live in a messy, complicated world of wars, addiction, class struggles and good people looking for second chances. The novel was immediately named Oprah Winfrey's latest book club pick. The author draws heavily on his own life — from Hai's family fleeing the Vietnam War to their jobs in the service industry that allow them to scrape by — so 'The Emperor of Gladness' is only a few degrees away from a memoir. And while it's told in prose, Vuong's penchant for poetry shows in patches of colorful, visceral language strewn with metaphors that run through the whole book, all the way back to its title. The novel opens with a movie-like sweep through East Gladness, a tiny town outside of Hartford, Connecticut. The omniscient narrator zooms in on various scenes of decay and neglect until we land on Hai, at possibly his lowest point. There's not so much a plot as a gathering of people and experiences. We piece together the characters' stories the way you would with real people in real life; through snippets that build atop each other until you can patch together a narrative of the relationships that left the biggest scars and the events that had profound impacts. Vuong achieves more by writing beside his characters than one would by writing a straightforward story about them. True and gritty, 'The Emperor of Gladness' is almost voyeuristic in how it looks into the most intimate and human moments of people's lives, reflecting back on the reader and leaving plenty to ponder. ___ AP book reviews:
San Francisco Chronicle
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Book Review: Ocean Vuong takes existentialism to deeply intimate level in 'The Emperor of Gladness'
Hai is 19 and suicidal. Grazina is 81 and living alone with dementia. So when she strikes a deal to house him so they can keep each other company in exchange for his help as a kind of unofficial live-in nurse, this could spell their mutual salvation or destruction. Ocean Vuong's new novel follows Hai as he takes care of Grazina and works in a fast-casual restaurant to help support them. Told in moments, 'The Emperor of Gladness' takes existentialism to a deeply intimate level, leaving the reader to contemplate what it is to live in a messy, complicated world of wars, addiction, class struggles and good people looking for second chances. The novel was immediately named Oprah Winfrey's latest book club pick. The author draws heavily on his own life — from Hai's family fleeing the Vietnam War to their jobs in the service industry that allow them to scrape by — so 'The Emperor of Gladness' is only a few degrees away from a memoir. And while it's told in prose, Vuong's penchant for poetry shows in patches of colorful, visceral language strewn with metaphors that run through the whole book, all the way back to its title. The novel opens with a movie-like sweep through East Gladness, a tiny town outside of Hartford, Connecticut. The omniscient narrator zooms in on various scenes of decay and neglect until we land on Hai, at possibly his lowest point. There's not so much a plot as a gathering of people and experiences. We piece together the characters' stories the way you would with real people in real life; through snippets that build atop each other until you can patch together a narrative of the relationships that left the biggest scars and the events that had profound impacts. Vuong achieves more by writing beside his characters than one would by writing a straightforward story about them. True and gritty, 'The Emperor of Gladness' is almost voyeuristic in how it looks into the most intimate and human moments of people's lives, reflecting back on the reader and leaving plenty to ponder.
Hamilton Spectator
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Book Review: Ocean Vuong takes existentialism to deeply intimate level in ‘The Emperor of Gladness'
Hai is 19 and suicidal. Grazina is 81 and living alone with dementia. So when she strikes a deal to house him so they can keep each other company in exchange for his help as a kind of unofficial live-in nurse, this could spell their mutual salvation or destruction. Ocean Vuong's new novel follows Hai as he takes care of Grazina and works in a fast-casual restaurant to help support them. Told in moments, 'The Emperor of Gladness' takes existentialism to a deeply intimate level, leaving the reader to contemplate what it is to live in a messy, complicated world of wars, addiction, class struggles and good people looking for second chances. The novel was immediately named Oprah Winfrey's latest book club pick . The author draws heavily on his own life — from Hai's family fleeing the Vietnam War to their jobs in the service industry that allow them to scrape by — so 'The Emperor of Gladness' is only a few degrees away from a memoir. And while it's told in prose, Vuong's penchant for poetry shows in patches of colorful, visceral language strewn with metaphors that run through the whole book, all the way back to its title. The novel opens with a movie-like sweep through East Gladness, a tiny town outside of Hartford, Connecticut. The omniscient narrator zooms in on various scenes of decay and neglect until we land on Hai, at possibly his lowest point. There's not so much a plot as a gathering of people and experiences. We piece together the characters' stories the way you would with real people in real life; through snippets that build atop each other until you can patch together a narrative of the relationships that left the biggest scars and the events that had profound impacts. Vuong achieves more by writing beside his characters than one would by writing a straightforward story about them. True and gritty, 'The Emperor of Gladness' is almost voyeuristic in how it looks into the most intimate and human moments of people's lives, reflecting back on the reader and leaving plenty to ponder. ___ AP book reviews:
