Re:tro Re:view - American Born Chinese GN!

American Born Chinese is a powerful graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang that is about identity specifically the Asian identity! The graphic novel was published in 2006 by First Second Books. It was a finalist, the first graphic novel to do so, for the National Book Awards for Young People’s Literature. Also the Best Graphic Album 2007 Eisner Award which is the comic book industry award. The awards are well earned by Yang who also wrote the limited series, Superman Smashes the Klan (2019), and the series, Monkey Prince. The graphic novel may get more attention since the Disney Plus series is based on it and is set for release tomorrow, May 24th. It features three parallel storylines that reflect and interweave with each other. The first deals with the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, who was featured in Journey to the West. His journey is to find Buddhist writings from India, the West, with a monk, Tang Sanzang, Zhu Bajie (Pigsy in Monkey Prince), and Sha Wujing sometimes called Sandy. A recent film adaptation featured Donnie Yen in The Monkey King: The Legend Begins (2022).

The story begins with a dinner party in Heaven with “the gods, the goddesses, and the demons.” They include Lao-Tzu, the philospher who had written the Tao Te Ching, and became a god of the celestial bureaucracy. Also, the God of Thunder, Leigong. Yang’s artwork is simple and can easily fit in with manga. The music and food scents descend to Flower-Fruit Mountain. This is where the monkeys gather around the Monkey King. His origin story is told where a magic stone atop the mountain turns into a stone monkey who becomes Monkey King. The character is played by Daniel Wu in the series. He studies Kung-Fu learning the “Four Major Heavenly Disciplines”, Monkey King practicing with effects is great, the “Heavenly Senses”, makes him interested in the dinner party. Then, Monkey King brings the last Discipline, “Cloud-As-Steed.” The Flying Nimbus is familiar to Dragon Ball anime fans. He finds a long line to get into the dinner party, but is patient. The guard points out he doesn’t wear shoes and is a monkey. Monkey King is laughed at and gives a thrashing to a pile of gods using his Disciplines. His anger and embrassment at his own nature is a theme of the graphic novel.   

Next, we get the story of the boy, Jin Wang. He is played by Ben Wang in the Disney+ show. Jin has the bowl cut and sadly plays with a robot in the back seat of his family’s car. His mother, Christine Wang is played by Yeo Yann Yann, tells a story about a mother and son constantly on the move. At the new home, Jin thinks over the story of how his parents met at the San Francisco State University library. There isn’t too much development of his parents from that point, but I think the series will do so. Jin has other Chinese kids around to play with their robots watching cartoons. These kids don’t factor in the rest of the story. Jin goes to herbalist with an older woman who tells him he can be anything if he is willing to forfeit his soul! A minor incident that we find is important for Jin’s story. Later, Jin is introduced to his third grade class by Mrs. Greeder. I think the show will have him older, Mrs. Guardia is played by Gloria Laino. She mispronounces his name, says he came from China, and Jin corrects her that he arrived from San Francisco. One of the stunned classmates is Amelia who is played by Sydney Taylor in the Disney+ series. 

He notes that the other Asian in the class is Suzy Nakamura, but all of the rumors has him avoiding Suzy. She is played by Rosalie Chiang who voiced Meilin in Turning Red (2022)! 

While the other kids are on the playground, Jin eats alone, until bullied by some kids for eating dumplings. This may be unusual back in the 80-90s time period, but there are probably kids joining Jin now. He is almost defended by another boy, Greg, he is played by Ethan Rich in the show. Two months pass and a new kid is introduced to Mayflower Elementary School. Wei-Chun Sun has to also correct the teacher that he came from Taiwan. Jimmy Liu plays the character in the new show. Wei-Chun later introduces himself to Jin while he is eating his lunch. Jin tells him to speak English. Jin is uncomfortable speaking Chinese in public. It is an embarrassment that Jin has to understand. Still, the new kid shows Jin his toy robot that transforms into a monkey, and they become best friends in the “next few months.” A time jump so I think the show can develop the friendship. 

This shifts to the third story, “Everyone Ruvs Chin-Kee”, a absurdity that slaps stereotypes in readers’ faces. There is clapping and laughs like a tv sitcom. The interview in the graphic novel with the series cover has an interview with Gene Luen Yang. He pointed out, “There’s a character in American Born Chinese who is essentially a walking, talking Asian stereotype. He’s satire, but my greatest fear was that clips of this character would show up on social media, completely ripped of their context.” Yang notes that show runner, Kelvin Yu, and the writers “addressed this fear brilliantly.” At night, we have a girl, Melanie, studying with the boy, Danny right out of classic television. He tries to ask out Melanie, but Danny is interrupted by his mother (from the next room) who tells him about his cousin, Chin-Kee. Eyes, teeth, and traditional clothes that are just absurd. All of his exaggerated accented English is accompanied with laughs. He drools over Melanie that creeps her out. Then, Danny’s mother says that he will take his cousin to school the next day. Jin finds himself suddenly interested in Amelia, but is too shy to talk to her. His confidence and Wei-Chun’s part of the story is the heart of the narrative. Yang encapsulates some of the Asian American experience in this graphic novel. American Born Chinese tackles with awkwardness, the struggle of a culture within another one, next to the Monkey King’s discovery, and a stereotypical tv sitcom character!      

Five Monkey Robots out of Five! 

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