As cries of “oppa saranghae!” ring out, South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun seems pleasantly overwhelmed by the huge crowd gathered in front of the stage at KCON 2024 L.A.

This year, L.A.’s biggest Korean culture event was spread across three venues: the Convention Center, Crypto.com Arena and Gilbert Lindsay Plaza downtown.

While journalist Regina Kim interviewed him in front of an audience of hundreds, the star seemed agreeably distracted, sending smiles, waves and finger hearts to his adoring audience.

Kim Soo-hyun, now 36, made his television debut at 19, and his popularity has only grown since.

His latest drama, “Queen of Tears,” was a success. The Netflix series was one of the highest-rated non-English-language shows of 2024.

In the 12 years since the first KCON at Irvine’s Verizon Amphitheater, Korean music, dramas, films and television have become a booming micro-economy. The event has expanded alongside that growth, now reaching attendees across the globe — KCON Germany is set for this September.

Organizer CJ ENM, one of South Korea’s largest entertainment groups, says this year’s event, held from July 26 to 28, drew 5.9 million fans from 170 countries, including many TV viewers who tuned in Sunday night to watch headlining acts like rapper Zico and bands NCT 127 and Enhyphen perform live from the Crypto.com arena. The show aired on American television for the first time, with actor Awkwafina as the special host.

KCON’s increased scale reflects a deliberate effort by its organizers. Harry H.K. Shin, head of music entertainment at CJ ENM, said the overall strategy for KCON’s future is to grow in every aspect, including emphasizing massive K-drama stars like Kim, actor Park Min-young (“Marry My Husband”) and actor and singer Rowoon, who hosted and met fans at this year’s event.

Actor Park Min-young at KCON 2024.

(Konuk Ryu)

Panels, which used to be a more prominent feature, were thinner, allowing attendees more time between speaking events to catch their favorite celebrity fan meeting or audition for the signature “Dream Stage,” where fans vie for a chance to dance on the big stage with their favorite stars.

Shin said audience feedback is essential to creating a KCON experience tailored to what most fans want. Survey information CJ ENM collects is used when planning the next experience.

“We expanded the survey to get more needs and opinions,” he said, adding, “We used to have M Countdown stage [as the main performance stage], but this year we can have increased attendance because we have the KCON stage performances with all-day programming, we have different venues.”

K-pop band Enhyphen on the Dream Stage at KCON 2024.

(Konuk Ryu)

Some KCON veterans believe that bigger isn’t necessarily better. Christian Oh of the Washington, D.C., area did not attend this year, but has attended and even acted as a host, panelist and emcee at past KCONs from 2015 until the pandemic.

“I think it is still a viable exposure and awareness event, but I miss the days when things were much more accessible,” he said. “Like I could buy a KCON pass which was separate from the concert, and I could go look at the vendors, talk to people, see the smaller acts, just the YouTube or Instagram stars that didn’t have a million followers but they were there promoting themselves.”

That doesn’t matter much to attendees like Ling Lin who are drawn in by big names.

Lin and her sisters, Lily and Dewi, flew in from Georgia at the last minute to see Kim Soo-hyun. “I’ve always admired him as a person. He came from a humble beginning, and he’s still staying humble,” Lin said.

Lin represents an overlooked demographic: K-culture fans in their 30s, 40s and 50s who have money to spend following their favorite actors across the globe, booking trips to South Korea and attending multiple concerts and events in a year.

Two fans check out artists’ stage outfits at a K-pop museum installation at KCON 2024.

(Konuk Ryu)

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Of course, the younger demographic remains represented. A group of young women, waiting to see Enhypen the next night, occupied a line of tents on the sidewalk outside Crypto.com Arena.

And people of all ages were excited to cheer on girl group Bini, the first all-Filipino act to hit the KCON stage.

For Kyra Godoy, a 20-something K-pop fan of eight years, one of the biggest draws to the event wasn’t the major stars, but the fan culture itself. A longtime fan of K-culture, the L.A.-area resident said she always wanted to come to KCON and finally got the chance when she and her sister won VIP tickets through sponsor Samsung.

“Everyone has been so nice,” Godoy said during a break inside the arena. “I think it’s cute to be around a lot of people who all like the same thing.”

Kensuke’s Kingdom takes full advantage of its simple story with vivid animation and detail that evoke heartfelt childlike wonder.

Thankfully, this film adaptation brought out that reaction of childlike wonder in a distinctly simple, heartfelt way that very few animated films – hell, very few films, period – manage to do.

In Kensuke’s Kingdom, Michael (Aaron MacGregor) is a boy who’s traveling at sea with his family. But when a storm throws him and his dog overboard, they’re washed up on a remote island. They eventually come across a former Japanese World War II soldier named Kensuke (Ken Watanabe, of Godzilla), who’s turned the island into his own haven. Michael soon assimilates into his … well, kingdom, and the two of them fill in missing pieces of each other as they survive together … along with Stella the dog. Stella the dog is very important.

I know this premise may not sound too extraordinary, and at its core, it’s really not. You’ve seen some variation of this type of story before. But in the case of Kensuke’s Kingdom, it’s all about the execution that takes full advantage of its simplicity. The film doesn’t try to throw a bunch of zany jokes at you, it doesn’t fall back on hand-holding or excessive verbal exposition for the kids, and it absolutely doesn’t suffer from the rushed pacing that I’ve criticized other family-oriented animated films ad nauseum for doing (which is shocking, considering the movie’s length of just 84 minutes).

I really need to stick to that last point, because it contributes to what a graceful film Kensuke’s Kingdom is. It wants you to relish in the beauty of its landscapes, sharply naturalistic sound work, and smaller details that a lot of animated films wouldn’t necessarily think to include, like the unspoken hesitation of a character to go somewhere while another moves unwaveringly, or the proper seconds needed for a delayed reaction to a certain revelation, or every lifelike movement of Stella. Much more time than I was expecting is spent on Michael stranded on the island before he meets Kensuke, making you feel not just every sight, sound, and touch of such a remote environment, but the passage of days he spends stuck there all alone and the almost jarring contrast when he finds another person to talk with and receive help from.

The animation has an almost sketchy quality to it that, for the most part, really complements that rugged, simple story. That doesn’t even include the couple of scenes where the form is switched up. The first instance is cute and fitting of a good old family bonding scene, but the second one is downright chilling as it delivers backstory in a remarkable paint-like style that’s married to brilliant, multilayered visuals. I just don’t like the facial animations on Michael and his family. They’re a little stiff and occasionally lifeless, especially when compared to Kensuke’s expressions that I get a lot more emotion out of (despite him being the most reserved character of the film).

At the core of Kensuke’s Kingdom is the relationship between Michael, Kensuke, and Stella. Yes, I’m including her because dogs are better than people and deserve equal billing. Especially this one. Both human characters are missing something crucial, with Michael’s being obvious – a sense of responsibility and maturity – and Kensuke’s being revealed later. On the surface, this is your typical young-boy-befriends-old-wise-man storyline, but the pacing and visual storytelling are so good and bolstered by the fact that Kensuke himself speaks no English. This was apparently changed from the book, and it’s a really smart decision that makes their bond stick out in a unique way and feel all the more impactful that it happens at all. It even adds a cultural undercurrent to their connection that a lot of kids – and let’s be honest, many adults – could really learn from.

I was even starting to dread the possibility of Michael reuniting with his family because he’d grown so close to Kensuke and his home, and Kensuke clearly came to see him as a son. But obviously, Michael could never forget about the loved ones he would leave behind forever by staying. The more I thought about it – and the film quietly lets you think about it a lot – the more my heart broke at the thought of either scenario. Without revealing the outcome, the ending genuinely got me emotional for all of these reasons.

Going into Kensuke’s Kingdom, however, I had one major fear, because I saw one of the major developments of the film in its trailer: a group of poachers arrives to terrorize the island and the main cast’s animal friends. I was dreading this as potential film-ruining because it would turn this warm, minimalist story of friendship with no forced conflict into another evil-white-man-versus-nature story that we’ve seen a billion times. The Wild Robot’s already gonna make that mistake later this year, so I was ready to have this film tainted as a whole for the same reason.

But despite what the marketing may tell you, this is not the film’s focus or even one of the main driving forces of the plot. It happens for around ten minutes, the characters reel in response and grow closer … and then the story moves on. There’s no big climax where our heroes join forces to save their home or anything like that. We just get to see more of the proper progression and endgame of their journey together. Words can’t describe how relieved I am to say that. Sure, the character growth yielded from this could have been done more organically, but screw it. I’ll take it.

As a story, Kensuke’s Kingdom isn’t spectacular, but it’s told in such an engaging way that puts razor-sharp focus on all of its strengths. I can see a lot of people coming out of it thinking it was simply “cute” and not much more, and I would understand that. But as someone who’s had an admittedly complicated relationship with more eccentric animated films and shows, I think I just appreciate this one for not falling into most of tropes and stylistic choices that others do. That, and Kensuke’s Kingdom brought me back to childhood memories of reading similar survival tales like The Hatchet or The Cay, so that chord was struck with enough intensity to penetrate my rusty, cynical heart. There was clearly a lot of love put into this film, and I’m happy to give my own love back to it.

Kensuke’s Kingdom will be released in UK and Irish cinemas on August 2, 2024.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Film Review – Loud And Clear Reviews

Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind has an engaging narrative, strong leads, spectacular visuals, and an environmental theme.

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Meryl Streep in handcuffs is a spicy image you don’t often see, but the actor embraced such a sordid scene as Loretta Durkin in the third season of the delightful whodunit “Only Murders in the Building.” The bombshell plot point in the series starring the magnetic trio of Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez takes place during a rehearsal of Oliver’s (Short) Broadway musical when Loretta confesses mid-song to a murder she didn’t actually commit — all in the name of protecting her son. Add in Oliver collapsing to the floor from the stress, and the drama of the “Sitzprobe” episode ends on a wild cliffhanger. For cinematographer Kyle Wullschleger, creating a realistic theatrical atmosphere was crucial to the visual storytelling. “The theater was such a central character of the entire season,” he says. “We worked with a Broadway lighting director to pre-light the stage to make it feel authentic and look naturalistic.” Using theater fixtures, the location was drenched in a cool blue hue hinting at a “backstage feel.” For Streep’s heart-stirring performance, Wullschleger notes, “It’s not something we prerecorded. Her dialogue becomes part of the song and so do her emotions in that moment. She did that all for real.”