Unapologetically Asian: American Born Chinese review

Photo Credit: Disney

American Born Chinese is the live-action adaptation of the 2006 graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang. The premise of the show is about Jin Wang (Ben Wang), an average teenager, who gets unwittingly entangled in a battle of Chinese mythological gods. In this coming-of-age series, we see Jin navigate friendships, school, family, and saving the world. Here are my observations of Season 1 of American Born Chinese.

 Update: In January 2024, it was announced that Disney+ cancelled season 2 of American Born Chinese. My opinions on that here.

Unapologetically Asian

The series is packed with action scenes and martial arts. In the cold open, we see the mythological gods fighting and speaking Mandarin. I was surprised to see such unapologetic display of Chinese mythology and language. The show wasn’t pandering to white audiences with some drawn out explanation of the story of the Monkey King or the Journey to the West story. Rather, the things are just happening and the audience is either ancestrally familiar with the story or they are drawn in curiously to the mystical tale. With a star-studded cast of predominately Asian actors, we see portrayals that feel genuine. Oscar-winning Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan draw in audiences to the show, but all of the performers are bringing their own experiences to the characters. It was unapologetically Asian.

Photo Credit: Disney

Microaggressions as a matter-of-fact

Jin is experiencing microaggressions at school. Kids compare him to a sitcom character with a viral but racist punchline. Jin resents the character and the actor who plays him. While the actor had since moved on from that role and tried to put it behind him, it was unfortunately his most famous role that haunted him. We, along with Jin, see how these seemingly harmless comedic bits such as the racist punchline can create real problematic ramifications in the real world. The “comedy” bit creates a language that allows people to perpetuate those racist stereotypes and dehumanize Jin for the sake of a viral video. In a reunion show, Jamie Yao shares an honest response about his wish to be seen by the audiences as a hero to anyone.

Photo Credit: Disney

Jumping between worlds and cultures

Just as many first-generation children may experience, the jumps between worlds and languages in this show may reflect how jarring the experience can be. We see the code switching even between Jin and how he interacts with the kids at school and with his parents and with other Asians at his school. Not only are his parents struggling with work and their own relationship, there is the tug between Jin’s parents being overly strict and being almost completely absent. We see Jin attempt to navigate this level of emotional work and mental gymnastics in the side-by-side scene of him with his parents. This constant switching can be exhausting and for many people who have one foot in multiple worlds, may recognize this symbolism.