Gene Luen Yang’s beloved graphic novel becomes an eight-part Disney+ series with American Born Chinese, which held its world premiere at SXSW. A packed crowd laughed, gasped, and was left wanting more after seeing the first two episodes on the big screen. Whether you’re seeking it out for its cast or its unique perspective on the Chinese American high school experience, the series feels faithful to the tone of the source material while updating it for contemporary audiences.
(Disney/Carlos Lopez-Calleja)
This school year is going to be different for Jin Wang (Ben Wang, Chang Can Dunk), who is feeling cooler than ever after making new friends during his summer soccer club. But nothing about Jin’s first day back at school goes as planned, with Jin being assigned a new transfer student shadow, Wei-Chen (Jim Liu, Youngsters on Fire). This new responsibility gets in the way of becoming lab partners with his crush Amelia (Sydney Taylor, Just Add Magic: Mystery City), his ability to sit with his soccer bros at lunch, and even leads to Jin becoming a meme when he accidentally gets knocked into a trophy case. But if Jin thought this year was going to be different, he had no idea, for his new friend Wei-Chen is actually the son of the legendary Monkey King (Daniel Wu, Westworld)
Mixing Chinese mythology with a John Hughes-ian high school experience gives American Born Chinese a wow factor that really sets it apart from any other story. The relatable themes of feeling like an outsider yearning to be an insider are there, along with thinly veiled racism that will feel all too familiar to any minority tuning in. Like the graphic novel, the narrative diverges between Jin and Wei-Chen’s stories, particularly when it comes to their time outside of school. Jin’s home life is expanded, with his parents Christine (Yeo Yann Yann) and Simon (Chin Han, Captain America: The Winter Soldier) helping to solidify the way Jin’s life is impacted as a second-generation immigrant. Similarly, there’s a game of cat-and-mouse going on between Wei-Chen and his father, who he ran away from along with his magical staff. Aiding Wei-Chen in his mission to learn to wield his father’s magic is the goddess of mercy Guanyin (Michelle Yeoh, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings).
Disney/Carlos Lopez-Calleja)
Fans of the source material will find Jin’s storyline to feel most true to the graphic novel, which was told with three divergent storylines that eventually blended together. In the series adaptation, rather than focusing on the Monkey King’s origin story and quest to transform into a man, which paralleled Jin’s attempts to shed his Chinese American identity, instead the show focus on Sun Wukong’s (aka The Monkey King) attempt to get his son and staff back. The third storyline, a racist TV stereotype that stepped outside of the tube TV and into Jin’s life, is modified into that starts as a TikTok meme of a character named Freddy Wong (Ke Huy Quan, Loki). The screening only featured the first two episodes, so it’s unclear if Freddy will step into Jin’s life the way his source of inspiration did.
Despite its fantasy elements, everything about American Born Chinese feels authentic to both the marriage of cultures and the typical experience of being a minority. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton directs and executive produces the series, infusing it with a similar level of action and style. The series was adapted by showrunner Kelvin Yu (Bob’s Burgers), who infuses a distinct sense of comedy to the show. And for diehard fans of the graphic novel, rest assured that Gene Luen Yang is also among the show’s list of executive producers. It maintains the same spirit and essential themes, translated brilliantly to a contemporary episodic format.
I give American Born Chinese 5 out of 5 Pokémon figures.
American Born Chinese premieres with all eight episodes on Wednesday, May 24th on Disney+.