Sometimes it takes work to fully engage with a piece of media. If you're a western consumer you may have discovered that to really get the nuances of k-drama or c-drama, you need to do some contextual research and reading.

To take the example of something like The Untamed (I know, I know, shut up): if I do not understand what cultivation is, is that the fault of the drama? No! I'm approaching it as an outsider, unfamiliar with the history and genre markers of xianxia. It's on me to do the work.

Now, I could go and say, 'This drama did sooo much for gay rep but it's magic system just doesn't make sense! It's worldbuilding is incoherent, and that's a real drawback.' And I might think that's true. But I am wrong. Because I lack context, and did not seek to gain it.

It would be better if I said, 'Having done my due diligence on google, I know this drama draws on typical xianxia genre conventions in it's worldbuilding. How effectively it does this is unclear to me.'

Or - I could learn from people who *are* familiar with those genre conventions, with the cultural significance of the content, and allow my own experience of the media to grow and become nuanced as a result. There's a hell of a lot of joy in that.

But that requires accepting one basic tenet: that my knowledge and experience is the problem, *not the media I am consuming*.

It's possible the media is badly explained! But how on earth would I know pre any kind of research or long-term engagement with similar media?

This also, apropos to nothing, is true for western media written by POC, drawing on their own cultural backgrounds.

This kind of work is likely to draw on narratives, tropes, life experiences and mythologies unfamiliar to many white, western readers.

If you review a POC's work, and you found it difficult to understand, or badly paced, or thought the characters 'lacked agency'... are you sure this is the fault of the work? Or does the fault lie with you?

Hey, I'm not saying POC can't write bad books! It sure does happen (although we historically face more hurdles to getting published at all so we're pretty great, thanks for asking). But are you the best placed to judge that?

If I handed the book you panned for its character's lack of agency to an ownvoices reviewer, would they say it was bad? Or would they go 'oh my god, this fully captures my experience of navigating choice and family in my culture, wow'. You don't know! You just don't know!

Anyway, I am not saying white, western reviewers cannot comment meaningfully on work by POC - although it'd be nice to see more POC reviewers receive paid opportunities - but I am saying a certain level of research and self-reflection is necessary.

In conclusion: If you do the book reading equivalent of starting The Untamed on episode 25 of 50 and then complain it doesn't make sense, I think it's reasonable to except people to be unhappy. It does seem a little disrespectful, doesn't it?

Final, final add: You don't have to understand the full nuances of something to enjoy it or even love it. I've loved many things that were not made for me. Nuances are an extra step - and often a really joyful one.