American Born Chinese is a new Disney+ series that has an awkward teen lead caught in high school life, a family conflict, and a mythical story! It adapts the graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang, review here: http://geektruth.blogspot.com/2023/05/retro-review-american-born-chinese-gn.html, by show runner and pilot episode writer, Kelvin Yu. Bob’s Burgers was an animated series written and executive produced by Yu in 2020 to today. All of the eight episodes currently stream on Disney+. The episode begins with script (on the side in Chinese which is great) explaining the Jade Emperor has ruled the Heavenly Realm peacefully for thousands of years. We see the ground covered with red hibiscus flowers. The Bull Demon, the villain of Journey to the West, has risen up against him, but stopped by Monkey King, Sun Wukong. His weapon is the Iron Staff, Jingu Bang, and he is Master of 72 Transformations. A moment as the flowers shift, and then “two months before the Autumn Equinox”, the Monkey King’s staff is stolen!
We see a figure running across the field, the shrieking of an eagle, it pursues a young man in a green robe and a monkeyish face through the forest. He leaps through an opening of two fallen trees, and swings back a branch smacking into the bird. Some special effects and action by director, Destin Daniel Cretton who also directed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). It falls and then transforms into a tiger! The youth pulls an RRR, leaping backwards as the tiger tries to claw him, and then uses his kung-fu mastery to run on the water! This was similar to Li Mu Bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). He hops across the lake as the tiger has shifted into a fish. Then, it transforms into a wolf, as the young man races along the top of the trees. He reaches the ground and is able to dodge and roll from the wolf’s attacks. The youth continues running, but in mid-transformation pushed by a taller man, the Monkey King (Daniel Wu) in a red robe and black Zhongshan suit. Wu played Jay in the sci fi show, Westworld. He says in Mandarin that his son needs more practice.
Monkey King asks for it back, which his son takes out of his robe wrapped up. He says his son doesn’t know how to use the Iron Staff, it is transformed and once tapped, sends him hurtling in the sky! The boy falls and the staff changes back to its baton size. He walks out past waterfalls to see the clouds swirling towards, a beautiful image. Monkey King says his son should stop, but defiantly leaps away! He should know that his son wouldn’t follow rules. Then, we shift to a back to school poster, a smiling boy models his blue denim jacket. This is seen by Jin Wang played by Ben Wang. He plays Bo in the Disney+ series, Chang Can Dunk. Jin has all of the awkwardness of the teenage years, but also a bit clever. His mother, Christine (Yeo Yann Yann) tries to show him various shirts. Yann is also in the Chinese comedy, King of Musang King. She wants him to get new clothes for tenth grade. The change in narrative is the structure of the graphic novel, it looks like Jin is aged up. He refuses her picks so she points out the mannequins; “Skateboard guy, camping guy, handsome guy” and then smiles. Very funny!
Christine asks about “New-jee” and Jin corrects her that his name is Anuuj. Jin says that he was at soccer camp in the summer while Anuuj was cosplaying. The character becomes important later. His mother is confused about cosplay and Jin tries to explain, also funny! She asks Jin who will also read his comic books, I identify with his mention!, but he says he’s on another level. Jin eyes the poster and shows his mother the denim jacket. He tells her the price and Christine laughs. She holds up a white hoodie and says, “Less is more.” I really think the mother is a great part. Jin tries on the white hoodie in the dressing room, he calls for his mom, and turns to see a girl (Sydney Taylor). He is a bit awkward and she leaves saying, “Hot Stuff.” Jin turns to find that it is a design on the back of the hoodie with a hot pepper with sun glasses!, embarrassment! His mother thinks the design is cute. At night, we see Jin’s room is filled with Pokemon and Dragonball figures, also Naruto manga. Along with a Batman figure and poster, this is a Disney show, no Marvel?
Jin is flipping through social media clips, a man (Ke Huy Quan) is bonked on the head with a ceiling fan and says, “What could go Wong?”, laughter. This is the sitcom bit that was the third narrative in the graphic novel. Quan was of course in Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022). The love built up for Quan from the film should counter the parody of the sitcom. Jin pulls out the denim jacket and tries to pull off the security tag, stolen. Then, he hears his parents have returned. The next day, Catherine is playing some traditional music as she drives Jin to school. He is bored, but looks up at the sky to see a swirling cloud formation! Jin can’t take his mother talk about his underwear so he leaves to Sierra Mona High School. He tries to wave to Anuuj (Mahi Alam) who walks away. This reminds me a little of Dear Evan Hansen (2021). In the school hallway, he sees Travis (Justin Jarzombek) and others from soccer camp sharing a joke, and joins them. They are joined by Greg (Ethan Rich) who says Coach Garrett wants more tryouts for the JV soccer team even though he is hesitant to say he plays the game, no confidence. Rich was in the horror movie, Last of the Grads (2021), he is the rival of Jin in the graphic novel.
Greg also asks Jin to come to the tryout. He looks at the flyer as he sees a boy struggle to open his bottom locker. Jin bangs the locker door to open it. Mr. Larkins (Brian Huskey) starts his Biology 2 with the lesson on evolution. He tries to joke about his ex-wife on an evolutionary chart. The teacher is corrected by a student. Mr. Larkins mentions a partner project, Jin looks around, and then the girl from the dressing room turns and introduces herself as Amelia. He notes that they both went to elementary school until she transferred. Jin jokes about the hoodie, this is clever dialogue, much more interesting than the graphic novel’s shyness. Amelia laughs and asks about his lab partner. Principal Finney (Jennifer Irwin) enters, Mr. Larkins is again strange, and she asks about Jim Wang. Jin corrects her. I like the graphic novel similarities. She takes him to the hallway to introduce the boy with locker troubles. He immediately speaks in Mandarin and Jin says he doesn’t speak Chinese well. Principal Finney introduces Wayne Chung. Sun Wei-Chun corrects her.
The principal says Wei-Chun will be in all of his classes except math because he is more advanced than Jin, funny. Wei-Chun introduces himself to the class and the students are stunned. Jin sees that Amelia has found a lab partner and looks away from him. Painful. Later, Jin is headed to the cafeteria when he sees one of the soccer players who invites him over to their lunch place. Then, Wei-Chun yells, “Jin! I found seats for us!” He has a lunch of luobo gao, raddish cakes, and offers som to Jin who refuses. Jin tells him to stop using his name, then looks over to see Amelia, he notices the Mecha on Wei-Chun’s thermos. Wei-Chun says it is from the manga, Kugo Ren Saga, translations are difficult, but ok, for this story. Jin is familiar with the manga, but says there are three books, Wei-Chun tells him there are seven. Travis stops by and mocks Wei-Chun’s robot shirt. Jin then explains that Travis had did the same with Anuuj in summer camp. Wei-chun is ready to fight him, but Jin calms him down.
He then shows Jin the new Mecha who has learned the 72 Transformations. Sounds familiar. Wei-chun says he got the robot from his dad who wanted him to stay home. He says Jin should ask out Amelia; “be a confident dude.” One of Amelia’s friends is watching more of the social media video on her phone. Amelia tries to point out that it is inappropriate with Jin at the next locker. Her character has potential standing apart from the crowd. Jin shrugs it off. On the car ride home, Jin asks about water skiing, the trip that was mentioned by Travis. Christine says they aren’t “water ski people.” She tells Jin that his father has worked at the same job for years, but doesn’t speak up. Monkey King gets the report of Bull Demon’s attack and that they need the staff taken by Wei-chun. He says that he will find his son. At dinner, Jin looks at his chicken foot soup, his mother says she can put it in a hot dog bun, too funny.
Jin's father, Simon (Chin Han) joins them and asks Jin about school. He brings up soccer, but Simon says it’s too many activities which is totally bizarre! It would be considering hard work. Christine brings up that sometimes people treat others like a “little monkey”, ouch! The father's occupation mirrors his son's struggles at school. Later, Jin watches the news about a protest of the 90’s sitcom, Beyond Repair, that is a hit on social media. Jin plays an episode which has a man, Danny, who inherits a building so he needs a repair man, Freddy. He asks if Danny will asks out his neighbor, Lindsay, so parallel stories that just has Jin clicking off the show. There is a cameo with Michelle Yeoh as Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy! Yeoh is of course Quan's co-star in Everything Everywhere All At Once. American Born Chinese has the tone and situations of the graphic novel expanding on the narrative. It has a great lead in Ben Wang, family tension, the awkwardness and bullying of school life, and some action thrown in!
Five Monkey Robots out of Five!
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