My so called life disney plus9/15/2023 It’s an all-family series that not only focuses on the teen characters but also spends a lot of time on Jin’s parents and their relationship. To label “American Born Chinese” a kids’ show does it a disservice. At one point Jin tells Wei-Chen, “Just text it to me like a normal person.” Viewers can tell by Wei-Chen’s crestfallen expression that those words hurt like a dagger. The show’s “My So-Called Life” vibe is most acute in the high school setting where even Jin, as the protagonist, can be selfish and easily annoyed, often out of fear of what others think of him. Aside from the hourlong premiere episode, most episodes, which all stream May 24, run around 30 minutes, another wise choice where running time is tailored to the material and not vice versa. Yes, the mythology sounds dense, but credit showrunner Kelvin Yu (“Bob’s Burgers,” “Central Park”) with making it play out in a way that makes sense. Wei-Chen seeks assistance from empress Guanyin (Michelle Yeoh), who comes to Earth posing as an auntie who Wei-Chen lives with. Wei-Chen is on a mission to find “the fourth scroll” and prevent an uprising by Bull Demon (Leonard Wu), his father’s nemesis. Through Jin, “American Born Chinese” explores the first-generation American experience, from unintended slights by his white peers and adults in his school to parallels between Jin and his engineer father, who plays it safe at work, much to the annoyance of Jin’s more forward mother.Īn early example of adults in Jin’s life making assumptions comes when the school principal orders Jin to allow a new student, Wei-Chen (Jimmy Liu), who the principal introduces as “Wang Chung,” to shadow Jin simply because “he’s Chinese like you.”īut it turns out Wei-Chen, who brims with self-confidence, is on Earth in disguise: He’s actually the son of the Monkey King (Daniel Wu), the mythical ruler of a celestial realm. The primary plot follows Jin Wang (Ben Wang), an insecure high schooler who through the course of the eight-episode first season gains confidence and tries to figure out his identity. It’s a tangent, but a tangent that’s logical, true to the show’s themes, and, again, it works! It even weaves in the story of an Asian American ’90s sitcom star (Ke Huy Quan) who has a complicated modern-day relationship with the stereotypical character who made him famous. Based on the graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang, the Disney+ series “American Born Chinese” proves to be one of the year’s best surprises.Ī coming-of-age story that at times brings to mind TV greats “My So-Called Life” (though this one is from a boy’s perspective) and “Freaks and Geeks,” “American Born Chinese” manages to blend a realistic portrayal of modern American teen life with a fantasy about a mythical realm - and it works!īy turns heartfelt, funny and action-packed with kung fu fights, “American Born Chinese” is smartly written and plotted.
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