Editor-in-Chief Chloe Hsu writes a review for the popular movie Barbie, offering insight and analysis on the film.
Top 5 Korean dramas | Kate Huang – Grade 11
Having watched over 70 K-dramas, Associate Editor Kate Huang gives her top five K-drama recommendations and explains why she likes them.
Book review: And the Mountains Echoed | Victor Lu
Senior Writer Victor Lu rates Khaled Hosseini’s epic novel, And the Mountains Echoed, in terms of its plot, settings, and themes.
You should read web novels. Here’s why. | Felix Tsai – Grade 11
Senior Staff Writer Felix explains that we should all read web novels, and that they are a great alternative to physical copies of books.
Pro Gaming is hard | Felix Tsai – Grade 10
Getting paid millions to play video games sounds like the easiest job there is. Now, with professional gaming and esports on the rise, getting paid for playing games all day is no longer a pipe dream. However, is gaming for a living really as good as it sounds? Health...
Review: Euphoria | Stephanie Wang – Grade 11
Leonardo DiCaprio revealed he’s a fan of Euphoria, saying “I just saw Euphoria, which is amazing. That show is amazing.” Euphoria is an HBO teen drama written and created by Sam Levinson. The show has received positive reviews from critics and has won several awards...
Kanye West’s Bipolar Disorder | Ellie Liao – Grade 9
Kanye West is a talented rapper from the US. Many people think he is nuts, has the worst personality, and doesn’t know how to respect others. However, the reason for his “crazy” behavior is due to his Bipolar Disorder. What is Bipolar Disorder? Bipolar Disorder is a...
From bankruptcy to a multibillion dollar company – Marvel | Leo Lin – Grade 8
Imagine facing bankruptcy, and risking everything to even just have a chance to earn some money. Marvel, without a doubt, is arguably the most successful studio on this planet, with Avengers: Endgame being the number one highest grossing film, taking over Avatar with...
Counterstrike: Global Offensive, explained | Brendan Chen – Grade 9
Counterstrike: Global Offensive, also known as CS:GO, is an extremely popular game, having sold over 25 million copies, which makes it the best selling game of all time. This game was officially published in 2012, but it took three years to gain major attention. What...
Why Fortnite Shouldn’t be Banned | Felix Tsai – Grade 8
Fortnite is a battle royale game created by Epic Games, and recently, Epic has decided to release its own transaction method that bypassed the Apple App Store and Google Play, Google’s app vendor, due to large fees being charged by Apple and Google - what some...
Who run the world? Girls | Vera Huang – Grade 10
Times are changing. Back in the day, men had high status in basically everything, whereas the status of women, most of the time, were way below men. However, this is not the case anymore; women are getting more attention and respect from not just other women, but men...
Video games are actually good for kids | Leo Lin – Grade 8
Note: this article is one part of a two part series offering differing perspectives on gaming and its effect on kids. Check out the article "Video games are destroying young minds" here. Remember that one time where you were on the final level of Mario but your mom...
Video games are destroying young minds | Felix Tsai – Grade 8
Note: this article is one part of a two part series offering differing perspectives on gaming and its effect on kids. Check out the article "Video games are actually good for kids" here. Over the past decade or so, online multiplayer games have become increasingly...
How gamers earn so much playing esports | Brenden Chen – Grade 8
There are lots of ways to earn money and one of the most controversial ways is gaming. People play games and earn money, but it is not as easy as it sounds. Usually it will take a long time to make it to the top, either by being good or by entertaining the audience....
Fortnite vs. PUBG – what you need to know | Leo Lin – Grade 7
Fortnite: Battle Royale and PlayerUnknown’s Battleground (PUBG) are two of the most popular games of 2019. Both have more than 200 million registered accounts, and both of these games are online player versus player (PVP) battle royale games. Also, both Fortnite and...
Sacrifice | a short story by Henry Lin – Grade 10
Many years ago, Yu-Guang was born to a small and poor family in Taiwan. During this time, Taiwan was under the Qing Dynasty’s rule. Under such an oppressive environment, Yu-Guang was the only hope of his family. His name, Yu-Guang, means the last beam of light in...
What is music theory and why is it so important? | Henry Lin – Grade 10
Amateur musicians consider music theory to be the most useless and boring thing about music, so much so that it actually harms creativity. However, this is false. On the contrary, it helps composers quickly write pieces and allows musicians to understand what to play...
Percussion instruments that look easy but are actually extremely difficult to play | Henry Lin – Grade 10
Whenever I tell people I play percussion in orchestra, they always ask, “Percussion? Isn’t that just hitting as hard as you can and so everyone hears you?” This sucks, because percussion is actually very difficult, and percussionists, or people who play percussion in...
A history of “light novels” | Phil Wang – Grade 11
Archaic words evolve different meanings as time passes. “Nice” used to mean “silly, foolish, and simple”, but now, it means “attractive, enjoyable, and pleasant”. Literature also works in a similar way, especially light novels which developed largely since the...
4 reasons you should listen to Jazz instead of Pop | Kyle Huang – Grade 9
Pop music is akin to Mcdonald’s, and doesn’t provide real musical nourishment Jazz music makes demands of its audience Pop melodies are repetitive and brainwashes its audience Most people around the world listen to pop songs. Taiwanese people are no exception. They go to KTVs together and sing the same songs over and over; at […]
Life Lessons in Anime | Phil Wang – Grade 12
Love is one of the most common themes in anime Anime often features internal struggle and human dilemma It’s easy to understand and empathize with characters Life lessons often come from either personal experience or advice from adults. However, these lessons also exist in anime, and can sometimes be more profound and real. People ignore […]
5 common types of scenes in Taiwanese dramas | Minnie Chen – Grade 11
Commonly used plots are easy to understand Viewers can comprehend what’s going on within minutes of watching Dramatic plots may be repetitive, but still get high TV ratings Taiwan dramas feature long episodes, ridiculous plots, and actors speaking in Taiwanese. It’s assumed that most viewers are 40 to 80 year old women. These viewers often […]
3 ways Rubik’s Cubes can improve your life | Patrick Ho – Grade 8
Solving a Rubik’s Cube can help improve your memory Rubik’s Cubes are fun and educational Solving a Rubik’s Cube is an impressive skill to learn Rubik’s Cubes are toys that can challenge everyone’s brain. Learning how to solve them can make a great impact in your life. There are a number of benefits from solving […]
Indie artists in Taiwan | Tiger Yang – Grade 10
The are many overlooked Taiwanese music artists Indie bands in Taiwan are usually neglected by the public When looking at Taiwanese music, the first thing that comes to people’s mind are Pop songs. Jay Chou, Mayday, or any other well-known artists are the boundary of most people’s knowledge of Taiwanese music. However, if you look […]
What is EDM? | Irvin Fang – Grade 8
EDM isn’t hard to produce You can make your own unique song by following a few simple steps EDM starts with a simple beat Electronic Dance Music (EDM) is one of the most popular types of music these days. EDM used to be heard exclusively at parties and nightclubs, but recently, people have been listening […]
5 Reasons Why K-pop Is So Popular | Claire Liao – Grade 7
K-pop songs are designed to be catchy Idols are usually trained for years before they produce their own music and albums Korean stars are known for their looks Korean Pop, or K-pop, is popular everywhere in the world, and you can often hear it on the streets and on the radio. For people that aren’t […]
Book Review: Thirteen Reasons Why | Irene Lin – Grade 11
“I hope you’re ready, because I’m about to tell you the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended. And if you’re listening to these tapes you’re one of the reasons why.” Plot Clay Jensen returns home to find a shoebox containing seven tapes with a number painted on each side. Speaking through […]
Game of Thrones: Season 7 Review (**Spoiler Alert**) – Brian Tu – Grade 10
With fire-breathing dragons, ice-cold zombies, and action-packed battles, Game of Thrones is the most popular TV show around. And after suffering one long year without Game of Thrones, fans were rewarded with the most intense and fast-paced season the show has ever offered. Still, plenty of fans were disappointed with the lack of political maneuvering, […]
The world of internet celebs | Tricia Liao – Grade 10
Famous internet celebrities are often paid They also get sponsorships Sitting in front of a camera recording your random life can earn you thousands of dollars every year. Isn’t that a “dream come true?” Well, there is a group of people that live this dream. Being an internet celebrity is a job where people make […]
A Game of Thrones vs. A Song of Ice and Fire: Brian Tu – Grade 9
There are quite some big differences for characters and events between the books and the show. The books have more backstory. The television show doesn’t present the story through the same points of view as the characters in the books. With its outstanding acting, unpredictable plot, and complex characters, Game of Thrones has dominated primetime […]
How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse: Irvin Fang – Grade 7
Have you ever wondered if one day zombies could appear in our cities and start eating and killing people, causing a zombie apocalypse? Want to know how to fight off zombies and be the hero? Or do you just want to hide and be safe until the apocalypse is over? No matter which type of […]
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