Serial entertainers

Literary fandom in East Asia is certainly of a different, and usually more intense, quality than elsewhere

It is now nine months into the pandemic, or several centuries, depending on whether you consider time objectively or subjectively. One thing that has somewhat startled me is that, in spite of all the time we are spending at home finding ways to entertain ourselves, there has been no big breakout novel as yet. No particular book has been discussed, read simultaneously, and become an instant cultural staple. This seems unusual, and not what I would have expected. On the other hand, there have been plenty of television serials that have accomplished this in the past nine months — from