Disney+’s new YA-action series American Born Chinese, which debuts Wednesday on the streaming service, plays with many classic hallmarks of the first-generation coming-of-age story. The series finds a force even stronger than high school popularity to help Jin see through his conformist haze: Michelle Yeoh.
Wei-Chen, played with guts and gusto by Jimmy Liu, is more than your average manga obsessive; he’s also a warrior and son of the Monkey King, Sun Wukong (Daniel Wu), whose epic quest rests on Jin’s shoulders. Convinced by a prophetic dream, Wei-Chen has come to Earth (with Yeoh, the Goddess of Mercy, in tow) to find Jin and rescue the Heavenly Realm from a cataclysmic uprising.
Published in 2006, American Born Chinese unravels in three storylines that converge. The first, a contemporary retelling of the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, follows the “Monkey King”—who, unhappy with himself as a monkey, progressively works to shift into human form. The second follows Jin as his family relocates from Chinatown in San Francisco to a white suburb where he’s one of only a couple of Asian American students.
Ben Wang perfectly embodies both the shrinking awkwardness of teenagerdom and the discombobulating emotional turmoil that usually underlies it. His quiet sensitivity also belies his comedic timing, both physical and verbal—a lethal combination that makes it impossible to root against his character, no matter how sullen he can be. Liu’s Wei-Chen, meanwhile, is both determined and strikingly empathetic. He’s also a marvel during the show’s many martial arts scenes—including one in the school’s kitchen against a man with a pig face.
Yeoh seems to be having a blast playing an interdimensional deity who chooses to hang out in an earthbound apartment building, advise Wei-Chen on his quest, and assemble IKEA furniture for a while. (Also, it must be said: Her Heavenly wardrobe is just stunnin’.)
Source: Yahoo News