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Moving to Film.Shortcomings
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A film adaptation with Creator/RandallPark at the helm debuted at Sundance in January 2023. It stars Creator/JustinHMin as Ben, Creator/AllyMaki as Miko, and Creator/SherryCola as Alice.
to:
A [[Film/{{Shortcomings}} film adaptation adaptation]] with Creator/RandallPark at the helm debuted at Sundance in January 2023. It stars Creator/JustinHMin as Ben, Creator/AllyMaki as Miko, and Creator/SherryCola as Alice.
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!!Tropes for the Film:
* BigApplesauce: Miko and Alice both idolize New York City, to the annoyance of Ben. In the second half of the film, "Big Applesauce" is seemingly done in earnest, with plenty of shots of New York skylines.
* CastingGag
** Along with FakeNationality: Korean-American Justin H. Min plays Japanese-American Ben Tanaka, while Chinese-American Sherry Cola plays Korean-American Alice. Ben claims he is often confused for Korean, which Alice laughs off. Lampshaded and handwaved in-universe with RacialFaceBlindness and InterchangeableAsianCultures.
** Creator/RonnyChieng appearing in a ''Film/CrazyRichAsians''-like film-within-the-film.
** Creator/JacobBatalon as a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man films.
* ChekhovsGun: Ben's pillowcase gets a lot of focus in the first act. [[spoiler:Ben later finds photographs taken by Leon of Miko with the pillowcase, [[InternalReveal revealing to him]] that they were having an affair before Miko went to New York.]]
* ChekhovsGunman: A subtle example: Ben sees an Asian-American man staring at him and Sasha in the flea market. At first believing the man [[ItsAllAboutMe to be judging him for dating a white woman, then to be jealous of him for dating a white woman]], [[spoiler:it's later revealed the man was a friend of Miko who was simply focused on the fact that his friend's boyfriend was seemingly cheating on her]].
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Ben[[note]]who is Japanese-American and does not speak Japanese[[/note]] sarcastically says, "Sayonara" to Leon[[note]]who is white/non-Japanese but speaks Japanese[[/note]]. Leon does not realize he's been insulted and commends Ben's Japanese speaking ability.
* DistinctionWithoutADifference: Miko asserts that [[Creator/TimothySimons Leon]] is not white but "Jewish and indigenous American". Ben is not persuaded.
* FriendsRentControl:
** At first seemingly played uncritically: Ben and Miko live in an absurdly large apartment in the Bay Area[[note]]the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most expensive places to live in the United States[[/note]] despite Miko being an intern and Ben working a low-paying job as a manager at an independent movie theater. Later lampshaded and averted when it's revealed Miko's wealthy father gave them the apartment.
** Arguably presented unironically with Meredith, who lives in a similarly large apartment in New York City[[note]]New York City is one of the most expensive places to live in the United States[[/note]] on a university instructor's salary.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Ben considers white men who date Asian women to be fetishists, despite the fact that he himself is accused of being a fetishist for liking white women. The hypocrisy is not lost on Alice and Meredith.
* PoliticalOvercorrectness: Played for laughs: Alice corrects Ben for using terms like "internment camps" rather than "incarceration camps" while herself making derogatory statements about bisexuals and Japanese people.
* ProductionPosse: A variation: Creator/SherryCola, Creator/StephanieHsu, Creator/RonnyChieng, and Creator/TimothySimons appeared in another summer 2023 film, ''[[Film/JoyRide2023 Joy Ride]]''.
* RunningGag: Ben and Alice using the [[InsistentTerminology phrase]] "[[MakesSenseinContext Kick her in the pussy]]." Meredith, who is not in on the joke, finds the phrasing offensive.
* TakeThat:
** to ''Film/CrazyRichAsians'': Ben and Miko watch a cheesy romcom about a billionaire Asian couple at an Asian-American film festival. Ben is offended to see other attendees praise an unoriginal, flawed film simply because it has an Asian cast. Eventually, [[spoiler:when he sees an older Asian woman weeping while watching the film, Ben seems to recognize that even a film like that can still be valuable.]]
** to the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse: Lamont criticizes Gene's taste in film since Gene enjoys the MCU. Doubles as CastingGag and BitingTheHandHumor since Creator/JacobBatalon (Gene) and also director Creator/RandallPark are best known for their roles in the MCU.
* WholePlotReference: ''Shortcomings'' borrows a lot from 1990s indie movies with slacker protagonists, especially ''Film/HighFidelity''. ''High Fidelity'' gets an onscreen shoutout in the form of a [[StonersAreFunny pun-based cannabis shop name]].
!!Tropes for the Film:
* BigApplesauce: Miko and Alice both idolize New York City, to the annoyance of Ben. In the second half of the film, "Big Applesauce" is seemingly done in earnest, with plenty of shots of New York skylines.
* CastingGag
** Along with FakeNationality: Korean-American Justin H. Min plays Japanese-American Ben Tanaka, while Chinese-American Sherry Cola plays Korean-American Alice. Ben claims he is often confused for Korean, which Alice laughs off. Lampshaded and handwaved in-universe with RacialFaceBlindness and InterchangeableAsianCultures.
** Creator/RonnyChieng appearing in a ''Film/CrazyRichAsians''-like film-within-the-film.
** Creator/JacobBatalon as a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man films.
* ChekhovsGun: Ben's pillowcase gets a lot of focus in the first act. [[spoiler:Ben later finds photographs taken by Leon of Miko with the pillowcase, [[InternalReveal revealing to him]] that they were having an affair before Miko went to New York.]]
* ChekhovsGunman: A subtle example: Ben sees an Asian-American man staring at him and Sasha in the flea market. At first believing the man [[ItsAllAboutMe to be judging him for dating a white woman, then to be jealous of him for dating a white woman]], [[spoiler:it's later revealed the man was a friend of Miko who was simply focused on the fact that his friend's boyfriend was seemingly cheating on her]].
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Ben[[note]]who is Japanese-American and does not speak Japanese[[/note]] sarcastically says, "Sayonara" to Leon[[note]]who is white/non-Japanese but speaks Japanese[[/note]]. Leon does not realize he's been insulted and commends Ben's Japanese speaking ability.
* DistinctionWithoutADifference: Miko asserts that [[Creator/TimothySimons Leon]] is not white but "Jewish and indigenous American". Ben is not persuaded.
* FriendsRentControl:
** At first seemingly played uncritically: Ben and Miko live in an absurdly large apartment in the Bay Area[[note]]the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most expensive places to live in the United States[[/note]] despite Miko being an intern and Ben working a low-paying job as a manager at an independent movie theater. Later lampshaded and averted when it's revealed Miko's wealthy father gave them the apartment.
** Arguably presented unironically with Meredith, who lives in a similarly large apartment in New York City[[note]]New York City is one of the most expensive places to live in the United States[[/note]] on a university instructor's salary.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Ben considers white men who date Asian women to be fetishists, despite the fact that he himself is accused of being a fetishist for liking white women. The hypocrisy is not lost on Alice and Meredith.
* PoliticalOvercorrectness: Played for laughs: Alice corrects Ben for using terms like "internment camps" rather than "incarceration camps" while herself making derogatory statements about bisexuals and Japanese people.
* ProductionPosse: A variation: Creator/SherryCola, Creator/StephanieHsu, Creator/RonnyChieng, and Creator/TimothySimons appeared in another summer 2023 film, ''[[Film/JoyRide2023 Joy Ride]]''.
* RunningGag: Ben and Alice using the [[InsistentTerminology phrase]] "[[MakesSenseinContext Kick her in the pussy]]." Meredith, who is not in on the joke, finds the phrasing offensive.
* TakeThat:
** to ''Film/CrazyRichAsians'': Ben and Miko watch a cheesy romcom about a billionaire Asian couple at an Asian-American film festival. Ben is offended to see other attendees praise an unoriginal, flawed film simply because it has an Asian cast. Eventually, [[spoiler:when he sees an older Asian woman weeping while watching the film, Ben seems to recognize that even a film like that can still be valuable.]]
** to the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse: Lamont criticizes Gene's taste in film since Gene enjoys the MCU. Doubles as CastingGag and BitingTheHandHumor since Creator/JacobBatalon (Gene) and also director Creator/RandallPark are best known for their roles in the MCU.
* WholePlotReference: ''Shortcomings'' borrows a lot from 1990s indie movies with slacker protagonists, especially ''Film/HighFidelity''. ''High Fidelity'' gets an onscreen shoutout in the form of a [[StonersAreFunny pun-based cannabis shop name]].
to:
!!Tropes for the Film:
* BigApplesauce: Miko and Alice both idolize New York City, to the annoyance of Ben. In the second half of the film, "Big Applesauce" is seemingly done in earnest, with plenty of shots of New York skylines.
* CastingGag
** Along with FakeNationality: Korean-American Justin H. Min plays Japanese-American Ben Tanaka, while Chinese-American Sherry Cola plays Korean-American Alice. Ben claims he is often confused for Korean, which Alice laughs off. Lampshaded and handwaved in-universe with RacialFaceBlindness and InterchangeableAsianCultures.
** Creator/RonnyChieng appearing in a ''Film/CrazyRichAsians''-like film-within-the-film.
** Creator/JacobBatalon as a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man films.
* ChekhovsGun: Ben's pillowcase gets a lot of focus in the first act. [[spoiler:Ben later finds photographs taken by Leon of Miko with the pillowcase, [[InternalReveal revealing to him]] that they were having an affair before Miko went to New York.]]
* ChekhovsGunman: A subtle example: Ben sees an Asian-American man staring at him and Sasha in the flea market. At first believing the man [[ItsAllAboutMe to be judging him for dating a white woman, then to be jealous of him for dating a white woman]], [[spoiler:it's later revealed the man was a friend of Miko who was simply focused on the fact that his friend's boyfriend was seemingly cheating on her]].
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Ben[[note]]who is Japanese-American and does not speak Japanese[[/note]] sarcastically says, "Sayonara" to Leon[[note]]who is white/non-Japanese but speaks Japanese[[/note]]. Leon does not realize he's been insulted and commends Ben's Japanese speaking ability.
* DistinctionWithoutADifference: Miko asserts that [[Creator/TimothySimons Leon]] is not white but "Jewish and indigenous American". Ben is not persuaded.
* FriendsRentControl:
** At first seemingly played uncritically: Ben and Miko live in an absurdly large apartment in the Bay Area[[note]]the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most expensive places to live in the United States[[/note]] despite Miko being an intern and Ben working a low-paying job as a manager at an independent movie theater. Later lampshaded and averted when it's revealed Miko's wealthy father gave them the apartment.
** Arguably presented unironically with Meredith, who lives in a similarly large apartment in New York City[[note]]New York City is one of the most expensive places to live in the United States[[/note]] on a university instructor's salary.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Ben considers white men who date Asian women to be fetishists, despite the fact that he himself is accused of being a fetishist for liking white women. The hypocrisy is not lost on Alice and Meredith.
* PoliticalOvercorrectness: Played for laughs: Alice corrects Ben for using terms like "internment camps" rather than "incarceration camps" while herself making derogatory statements about bisexuals and Japanese people.
* ProductionPosse: A variation: Creator/SherryCola, Creator/StephanieHsu, Creator/RonnyChieng, and Creator/TimothySimons appeared in another summer 2023 film, ''[[Film/JoyRide2023 Joy Ride]]''.
* RunningGag: Ben and Alice using the [[InsistentTerminology phrase]] "[[MakesSenseinContext Kick her in the pussy]]." Meredith, who is not in on the joke, finds the phrasing offensive.
* TakeThat:
** to ''Film/CrazyRichAsians'': Ben and Miko watch a cheesy romcom about a billionaire Asian couple at an Asian-American film festival. Ben is offended to see other attendees praise an unoriginal, flawed film simply because it has an Asian cast. Eventually, [[spoiler:when he sees an older Asian woman weeping while watching the film, Ben seems to recognize that even a film like that can still be valuable.]]
** to the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse: Lamont criticizes Gene's taste in film since Gene enjoys the MCU. Doubles as CastingGag and BitingTheHandHumor since Creator/JacobBatalon (Gene) and also director Creator/RandallPark are best known for their roles in the MCU.
* WholePlotReference: ''Shortcomings'' borrows a lot from 1990s indie movies with slacker protagonists, especially ''Film/HighFidelity''. ''High Fidelity'' gets an onscreen shoutout in the form of a [[StonersAreFunny pun-based cannabis shop name]].
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None
Changed line(s) 38 (click to see context) from:
* Hypocrite: Ben considers white men who date Asian women to be fetishists, despite the fact that he himself is accused of being a fetishist for liking white women. The hypocrisy is not lost on Alice and Meredith.
to:
* Hypocrite: {{Hypocrite}}: Ben considers white men who date Asian women to be fetishists, despite the fact that he himself is accused of being a fetishist for liking white women. The hypocrisy is not lost on Alice and Meredith.
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None
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* ChekhovsGun: Ben's pillowcase gets a lot of focus in the first act. [[Spoiler:Ben later finds photographs taken by Leon of Miko with the pillowcase, revealing to him that they were having an affair before Miko went to New York.]]
to:
* ChekhovsGun: Ben's pillowcase gets a lot of focus in the first act. [[Spoiler:Ben [[spoiler:Ben later finds photographs taken by Leon of Miko with the pillowcase, [[InternalReveal revealing to him him]] that they were having an affair before Miko went to New York.]]
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* ProductionPosse: A variation: Creator/SherryCola, Creator/StephanieHsu, and Creator/RonnyChieng shared scenes in another summer 2023 film, ''[[Film/JoyRide2023 Joy Ride]]''.
to:
* ProductionPosse: A variation: Creator/SherryCola, Creator/StephanieHsu, Creator/RonnyChieng, and Creator/RonnyChieng shared scenes Creator/TimothySimons appeared in another summer 2023 film, ''[[Film/JoyRide2023 Joy Ride]]''.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 31 (click to see context) from:
* ChekhovsGun: Ben's pillowcase gets a lot of focus in the first act. [[Spoiler:Ben later finds photographs taken by Leon of Miko with the pillowcase, [[InternalReveal revealing to him]] that they were having an affair before Miko went to New York.]]
to:
* ChekhovsGun: Ben's pillowcase gets a lot of focus in the first act. [[Spoiler:Ben later finds photographs taken by Leon of Miko with the pillowcase, [[InternalReveal revealing to him]] him that they were having an affair before Miko went to New York.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* ChekhovsGun: Ben's pillowcase gets a lot of focus in the first act. [[Spoiler:Ben later finds photographs taken by Leon of Miko with the pillowcase, [[InternalReveal revealing to him]] that they were having an affair before Miko went to New York.]]
* ChekhovsGunman: A subtle example: Ben sees an Asian-American man staring at him and Sasha in the flea market. At first believing the man [[ItsAllAboutMe to be judging him for dating a white woman, then to be jealous of him for dating a white woman]], [[spoiler:it's later revealed the man was a friend of Miko who was simply focused on the fact that his friend's boyfriend was seemingly cheating on her]].
* ChekhovsGunman: A subtle example: Ben sees an Asian-American man staring at him and Sasha in the flea market. At first believing the man [[ItsAllAboutMe to be judging him for dating a white woman, then to be jealous of him for dating a white woman]], [[spoiler:it's later revealed the man was a friend of Miko who was simply focused on the fact that his friend's boyfriend was seemingly cheating on her]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
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!!Tropes:
to:
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to:
!!Tropes for the Film:
* BigApplesauce: Miko and Alice both idolize New York City, to the annoyance of Ben. In the second half of the film, "Big Applesauce" is seemingly done in earnest, with plenty of shots of New York skylines.
* CastingGag
** Along with FakeNationality: Korean-American Justin H. Min plays Japanese-American Ben Tanaka, while Chinese-American Sherry Cola plays Korean-American Alice. Ben claims he is often confused for Korean, which Alice laughs off. Lampshaded and handwaved in-universe with RacialFaceBlindness and InterchangeableAsianCultures.
** Creator/RonnyChieng appearing in a ''Film/CrazyRichAsians''-like film-within-the-film.
** Creator/JacobBatalon as a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man films.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Ben[[note]]who is Japanese-American and does not speak Japanese[[/note]] sarcastically says, "Sayonara" to Leon[[note]]who is white/non-Japanese but speaks Japanese[[/note]]. Leon does not realize he's been insulted and commends Ben's Japanese speaking ability.
* DistinctionWithoutADifference: Miko asserts that [[Creator/TimothySimons Leon]] is not white but "Jewish and indigenous American". Ben is not persuaded.
* FriendsRentControl:
** At first seemingly played uncritically: Ben and Miko live in an absurdly large apartment in the Bay Area[[note]]the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most expensive places to live in the United States[[/note]] despite Miko being an intern and Ben working a low-paying job as a manager at an independent movie theater. Later lampshaded and averted when it's revealed Miko's wealthy father gave them the apartment.
** Arguably presented unironically with Meredith, who lives in a similarly large apartment in New York City[[note]]New York City is one of the most expensive places to live in the United States[[/note]] on a university instructor's salary.
* Hypocrite: Ben considers white men who date Asian women to be fetishists, despite the fact that he himself is accused of being a fetishist for liking white women. The hypocrisy is not lost on Alice and Meredith.
* PoliticalOvercorrectness: Played for laughs: Alice corrects Ben for using terms like "internment camps" rather than "incarceration camps" while herself making derogatory statements about bisexuals and Japanese people.
* ProductionPosse: A variation: Creator/SherryCola, Creator/StephanieHsu, and Creator/RonnyChieng shared scenes in another summer 2023 film, ''[[Film/JoyRide2023 Joy Ride]]''.
* RunningGag: Ben and Alice using the [[InsistentTerminology phrase]] "[[MakesSenseinContext Kick her in the pussy]]." Meredith, who is not in on the joke, finds the phrasing offensive.
* TakeThat:
**to ''Film/CrazyRichAsians'': Ben and Miko watch a cheesy romcom about a billionaire Asian couple at an Asian-American film festival. Ben is offended to see other attendees praise an unoriginal, flawed film simply because it has an Asian cast. Eventually, [[spoiler:when he sees an older Asian woman weeping while watching the film, Ben seems to recognize that even a film like that can still be valuable.]]
**to the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse: Lamont criticizes Gene's taste in film since Gene enjoys the MCU. Doubles as CastingGag and BitingTheHandHumor since Creator/JacobBatalon (Gene) and also director Creator/RandallPark are best known for their roles in the MCU.
* WholePlotReference: ''Shortcomings'' borrows a lot from 1990s indie movies with slacker protagonists, especially ''Film/HighFidelity''. ''High Fidelity'' gets an onscreen shoutout in the form of a [[StonersAreFunny pun-based cannabis shop name]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
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A film adaptation was announced to be in development in 2021 with Creator/RandallPark at the helm. It is set to star Creator/JustinHMin as Ben, Creator/AllyMaki as Miko, and Creator/SherryCola as Alice.
to:
A film adaptation was announced to be in development in 2021 with Creator/RandallPark at the helm. helm debuted at Sundance in January 2023. It is set to star stars Creator/JustinHMin as Ben, Creator/AllyMaki as Miko, and Creator/SherryCola as Alice.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 10 (click to see context) from:
A film adaptation was announced to be in development in 2021 with Creator/RandallPark at the helm. It stars Creator/JustinHMin as Ben, Creator/AllyMaki as Miko, and Creator/SherryCola as Alice.
to:
A film adaptation was announced to be in development in 2021 with Creator/RandallPark at the helm. It stars is set to star Creator/JustinHMin as Ben, Creator/AllyMaki as Miko, and Creator/SherryCola as Alice.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shortcomings.png]]
->''"It's almost like you're ashamed to be Asian."''
-->-- '''Miko''' to '''Ben'''
''Shortcomings'' is a graphic novel by Creator/AdrianTomine. It was originally published as three issues of his ''ComicBook/OpticNerve'' comic series -- its first multi-issue arc -- before being compiled and released as one graphic novel in 2007.
The story follows Ben Tanaka, a cynical movie theater manager whose relationship with his girlfriend Miko, a politically-minded film festival organizer, is going through a rough patch. When Miko temporarily moves to New York for an internship, Ben considers pursuing the kind of woman he thinks he wants, and questions his Asian-American identity and the identities of others around him as a result.
A film adaptation was announced to be in development in 2021 with Creator/RandallPark at the helm. It stars Creator/JustinHMin as Ben, Creator/AllyMaki as Miko, and Creator/SherryCola as Alice.
----
!!Tropes:
* TheBeard: The lesbian Alice brings Ben along to a Korean church in order to hide her homosexuality. She mentions that her family might not like the Japanese, but seeing her with a Japanese boy is better than seeing her with a Korean girl.
* BiggerIsBetterInBed: Ben and Alice discuss the stereotype that Asian men are not preferred partners because they tend to be less well-endowed than white men.
* BittersweetEnding: The comic ends with [[spoiler:Miko breaking up with Ben and Alice, his only friend, leaving him to stay in New York]]. Ben flies back to California alone and with no plans for the future, but has accepted that he needs to work on himself.
* GroinAttack: Alice gets suspended for kicking another woman "in the pussy".
* MasculineFeminineGayCouple: Sasha is rather feminine and she describes an ex-girlfriend of hers who [[{{Bifauxnen}} looked like a handsome young man]]. Ben questions why a woman who likes women would date someone boyish since to him it seems like it defeats the purpose.
* MightyWhiteyAndMellowYellow: After [[spoiler:seeing Miko with Leon, a white-passing man,]] Ben (who is Japanese) comments that seeing an older white man with a younger Asian women has gross connotations, while the gender inversion is much less common and much more pleasing. However, Meredith turns it on him, asking if his fixation on white women is a manifestation of his desire for assimilation. She then points out that he makes moralizing generalizations to make himself feel better.
* NoBisexuals: Sasha is disparaged as a "fence-sitter" for dating both men and women.
* RaceFetish: PlayedForDrama. Miko and Ben are a Japanese-American couple. Miko knows Ben has a thing for white women, and is immediately suspicious of his new white coworker. She's upset when she finds his [[GirlOnGirlIsHot lesbian porn stash]] and all the women in it are white. She accuses him of settling for her when what he really wants is the Western beauty standard.
* RacialFaceBlindness: Alice jokes that to the self-hating Ben, all Asian girls look the same.
* ReallyGetsAround: Alice is very promiscuous. Ben bonds with Sasha at a party over being two of the few people there that she hasn't ever gotten with.
----
->''"It's almost like you're ashamed to be Asian."''
-->-- '''Miko''' to '''Ben'''
''Shortcomings'' is a graphic novel by Creator/AdrianTomine. It was originally published as three issues of his ''ComicBook/OpticNerve'' comic series -- its first multi-issue arc -- before being compiled and released as one graphic novel in 2007.
The story follows Ben Tanaka, a cynical movie theater manager whose relationship with his girlfriend Miko, a politically-minded film festival organizer, is going through a rough patch. When Miko temporarily moves to New York for an internship, Ben considers pursuing the kind of woman he thinks he wants, and questions his Asian-American identity and the identities of others around him as a result.
A film adaptation was announced to be in development in 2021 with Creator/RandallPark at the helm. It stars Creator/JustinHMin as Ben, Creator/AllyMaki as Miko, and Creator/SherryCola as Alice.
----
!!Tropes:
* TheBeard: The lesbian Alice brings Ben along to a Korean church in order to hide her homosexuality. She mentions that her family might not like the Japanese, but seeing her with a Japanese boy is better than seeing her with a Korean girl.
* BiggerIsBetterInBed: Ben and Alice discuss the stereotype that Asian men are not preferred partners because they tend to be less well-endowed than white men.
* BittersweetEnding: The comic ends with [[spoiler:Miko breaking up with Ben and Alice, his only friend, leaving him to stay in New York]]. Ben flies back to California alone and with no plans for the future, but has accepted that he needs to work on himself.
* GroinAttack: Alice gets suspended for kicking another woman "in the pussy".
* MasculineFeminineGayCouple: Sasha is rather feminine and she describes an ex-girlfriend of hers who [[{{Bifauxnen}} looked like a handsome young man]]. Ben questions why a woman who likes women would date someone boyish since to him it seems like it defeats the purpose.
* MightyWhiteyAndMellowYellow: After [[spoiler:seeing Miko with Leon, a white-passing man,]] Ben (who is Japanese) comments that seeing an older white man with a younger Asian women has gross connotations, while the gender inversion is much less common and much more pleasing. However, Meredith turns it on him, asking if his fixation on white women is a manifestation of his desire for assimilation. She then points out that he makes moralizing generalizations to make himself feel better.
* NoBisexuals: Sasha is disparaged as a "fence-sitter" for dating both men and women.
* RaceFetish: PlayedForDrama. Miko and Ben are a Japanese-American couple. Miko knows Ben has a thing for white women, and is immediately suspicious of his new white coworker. She's upset when she finds his [[GirlOnGirlIsHot lesbian porn stash]] and all the women in it are white. She accuses him of settling for her when what he really wants is the Western beauty standard.
* RacialFaceBlindness: Alice jokes that to the self-hating Ben, all Asian girls look the same.
* ReallyGetsAround: Alice is very promiscuous. Ben bonds with Sasha at a party over being two of the few people there that she hasn't ever gotten with.
----
