In this second and final episode covering the freshman season of Physical: Asia (check out the first part here), we’re just as shocked as Stun Gun by the thrilling conclusion. Heartbreaking losses, endearing personalities, and inspiring feats of physical spectacle turn this international experiment into an all-timer. … More Physical: Asia, Part II – Finale [PODCAST]
We’re on the precipice of the season finale of Physical: Asia, but have already witnessed bracing human drama through punishing feats of endurance. Robyn almost drowned, James put 110 pounds on his back, and Alexandra pushed herself farther than anyone I’ve ever seen. It’s the signature appeal of its mothership series, Physical: 100, though this wasn’t obvious to me at first. Jang Ho-gi’s Netflix reality show premiered in January 2023, a self-proclaimed search for the “perfect physique” between one-hundred South Korean contestants – athletes, soldiers, bodybuilders – in challenges like “how long can you hang on this metal bar?” and “how far can you carry these sandbags?” Even as the set pieces scaled up to elaborate excess, the challenges felt oddly accessible, deferring spectacle to the contestants’ performances (even when they appeared to be static). And while often incredible, the contestants were additionally impressive for being so unlike the archetypal reality show character. They were polite and friendly with each other, and so interested in proving themselves that they’d rather compound an obstacle than weasel around it. Of course, none of this would’ve been enough to entice ol’ Harrison “gives up on movies and TV shows after mere minutes” Chute. No, the last essential ingredient of Physical: 100’s freshman season was Jang Eun-sil. … More Jang Eun-sil Report – Physical: Asia
Our favorite stress inducer returns, the latest in Netflix’s expanding Physical saga, Physical: Asia. Representatives from eight countries (not six, as I keep saying) gather to fiercely compete in the old games of sand and crate. In addition to a superstar like Manny Pacquiao and new favorites like Australia’s Eddie Williams and Japan’s Nonoka Ozaki, South Korea’s put up a dream team including season two’s winner Amotti and our forever captain, Jang Eun-sil. Donovan and I discuss how the old rewards of the show filter through a somewhat tricky new lens, and balance anxieties of what’s to come with the excitement for breakout players and their respective cultures. … More Physical: Asia, Part I [PODCAST]
A winner declared! We’ve found the perfect physique, though the search continues! (What?) This week, Donovan and I recap episode #5 through the finale of Physical: 100 – Underground. Has a heart-pounding ending sustained our enthusiasm for the show despite a rocky, even controversial sophomore season? … More Physical: 100 Season 2 Part II – The Final [PODCAST]
Boy, that Physical: 100 finale must have left scars on all of us. In the back of my mind, there was such a sense of “contestants vs. producers” throughout that, in the end, it was easy to blame everything on the anonymous, unseen puppet masters doubtlessly manipulating every frame of this so-called “reality” programming to whichever nefarious ends. By the time I’m writing about its spiritual sequel Siren – hoping to give it any kind of boost – proper accreditation never enters my mind. The contestants, sure. Those ladies are badass and I love them. But the bloodsucking producers? No! And I find myself now winding toward an apology not just because the creator of Siren is also a woman, though that certainly helps. Her name is Lee Eun-kyung, and with Siren: Survive the Island, I think she’s done something really great. … More Siren: Survive the Island – Final Report
In between last week’s episodes and this week’s, I found myself engaging with a Facebook group I’d otherwise elected to hide from (long story). Somebody wanted to know if anyone was watching Physical: 100, and apparently, I’ll take any chance to raise my hand and flail about. In that time, I’d also written an article for Collider, and characterized the show in breathless terms: “Whether all the contestants believe it, men and women are equal competitors in these challenges which emphasize a variety of strengths, creating a final, holistic visual metaphor — this time, for egalitarianism.” Wow! Put that on the DVD box: “Egalitarianism” – Collider. Naturally, I then bit my tongue, remembering that Jang Eun-sil was on thin ice, and if she goes down, the rest of the women follow. … More Jang Eun-sil Report – Physical: 100 Episode #7
Last episode, we learned that five eliminated players would be returning, though their identities weren’t revealed right away. “So, they’re the survivors,” Chung-hoon says in proper anime form as they walk in – still unrevealed. We flash back to a “Quest 2.5,” where the torso busts hang from the ceiling via shibari, and the room is lit with steamy red. This is when Seohyun walks in and cracks the whip, but unfortunately, Love and Leashes never made it to the Netflix top ten. Physical: 100 hit number two this week! … More Jang Eun-sil Report – Physical: 100 Episode #6
After bonding over this show on an episode of the podcast, Donovan and I were messaging last night about the upcoming fifth installment. I told him I wouldn’t be able to sleep, with the terrible weight of soon knowing Jang Eun-sil’s destiny on the bridge. He asked when the episode was actually gonna drop on Netflix, and we discovered it’s 8:00 GMT. What that means for our time zones, I could not tell you. You know how it is, with math. … More Jang Eun-sil Report – Physical: 100 Episode #5
To discuss the new Netflix anime Physical: 100 — up to episode four — we need QNA cohost Donovan Morgan Grant, who offers an insider perspective on the world of fitness, having taken his body into his own, Renaissance sculptor hands. Our conversation covers as many of the contestants as we can, their various dramas in this fitness challenge, and how anyone can integrate a more active lifestyle into their routine. It’s safe to say that Physical: 100 has breached the bounds of the Netflix window and haunts both of our daily lives, daydreaming about those magnificent torso busts we want to be [with]? … More Physical: 100 is a Personal Attack [PODCAST]
I’d made a call too early that 2022 was gonna be one of the best years for movies, and that didn’t pan out exactly. So, is 2023 gonna be the year for television? Already in January alone, I’ve cried at The Last of Us episode three, and I must say that this fourth episode of Physical: 100 had me extremely tense. It was almost unbearable. Funnily enough, you combine those two things and produce one Squid Game, but Squid Game did not have Jang Eun-sil, who finds herself in the spotlight once again. … More Jang Eun-sil Report – Physical: 100 Episode #4
With Eyes East 