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Coming-of-age stories can relate to anyone no matter what their background is, just like Disney Plus’ new series American Born Chinese. Based on Gene Luen Yang’s groundbreaking graphic novel, the show blends in a teen story with some martial arts mixed in. It’s quite an unusual combination, but it does help in bringing some Asian stories into a mass audience and make them relatable to those in the community. By tying into Chinese mythology, there’s a lot to love about American Born Chinese with its vast range of characters both in the real world and in its beautiful fantasy setting.
In American Born Chinese, this coming-of-age tale follows Jin (Ben Wang), an average high school student who is struggling life as a teen dealing with his social life, a school crush, and his family. Jin is at odds with his Asian identity and trying to fit into the American lifestyle. Things get more complicated for Jin with the arrival of new transfer student Wei-Chen (Jim Liu), with whom he is given the task to show him around. What he doesn’t know is that Wei-Chen is the son of the Monkey King himself, Sun Wukong (Daniel Wu). Jin soon finds himself in the middle of a war between the gods of Heaven as an uprising takes place in the kingdom being led by the Bull Demon King (Leonard Wu).
What showrunner Kelvin Yu does right in adapting American Born Chinese into a series is tackling the ordeals of being an Asian American teenager with Jin. We get to see how much Jin grows as he tries to balance his school life with his cultural identity. Jin has trouble fitting in with his peers and he tries to get into the soccer team and be a normal teen. In contrast, Wei-Chen is a confident kid who loves to read manga and comic books, which can be frowned upon by the popular crowd. However, he doesn’t look for anyone’s approval and just wants to be himself. It is what makes these two individuals unique and how their journeys cross over as they learn about each other. It is why both Ben and Jim do an amazing job portraying these teens as the show tackles themes of belonging and self-discovery.
Even when the show goes into its fantasy setting and falls into the martial arts action, American Born Chinese never feels out of place as it balances the lives of both mortals and deities. The heart of the story lies in Jin and Wei-Chen’s friendship. They both reflect the typical young teen growing into a mature person. It is a universal lesson that everyone will understand after watching American Born Chinese. Sometimes accepting oneself is better than letting others decide who they should be.
What the show also does well is the authenticity of the Asian American household when we see Jin’s parents Simon (Chin Han) and Christine (Yeo Yann Yann). They also have a great story where we see them constantly arguing and trying to stay together for their son. The subplot of them goes through their emotional states as Christine constantly pushes Simon to come out of his bubble and try to move up in his career. Their dynamic pretty much mirrors Jin and Wei-Chen in how they are complete opposites of one another, and yet they also find commonality with each other when it comes to family. Audiences with a similar background may relate to the stories being told as it deals with living in an Asian American household and upholding the same traditions as back home while also trying to chase that American dream.
Fresh off their Oscar wins, both Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan round out the cast of high-caliber talent in American Born Chinese. Michelle plays the majestic Goddess Guanyin, the protector of the Heavenly Realm where Wei-Chen is from. She also plays more of an aunt to Wei-Chen as she helps him on his journey. Despite playing a powerful being, she also gets to have fun in her role by being the typical quirky parental figure. Ke Huy portrays Freddy Wong, a former actor who was popular on a 90s show that is constantly a meme. His storyline is a reminder of the stereotypes that Asians in Hollywood have gone through in history, and it’s great to see that being tackled in the series as it mirrors Jin’s struggles with that similar experience as a teen. We don’t get too much screen time with Ke Huy, which can be a bit discouraging but it does help tackle the topic of xenophobia and racism.
What is done incredibly well is the action shown here. Much of the stunts in the series have the actors performing them for most of the scenes, which shows just how incredible their talent is. The cast has put in a lot of effort to showcase just how impeccable their skills are as martial artists. We see a wide range of styles used here and it shows by how it is well choreographed, almost like the traditional Kung Fu films that audiences around the world are accustomed to. Even the visuals feel like it is movie quality as we see how the realm of Heaven pops with color and imagination.
Overall, American Born Chinese is a great coming-of-age tale that packs a punch thanks to great acting and action. It is a story that anyone can relate to and the storylines come together so well as it tackles different themes that modern audiences will get to take away after watching the series. The series does take certain liberties from the original graphic novel, but it stays true to the original in keeping it a special kind of story. Some balance would be great to keep the storylines more aligned, but it is no doubt that audiences will enjoy the series while also learning something that remains universal in the community and staying true to themselves. Of course, the action is also where it’s at to keep things entertaining.
American Born Chinese premieres with all episodes on May 24th on Disney Plus.
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