American Born Chinese review: A masterful mash-up of fantasy and teen turmoil

Incoming 10th grader Jin Wang (Ben Wang) hopes to "get on another level" socially this year. His plan: Focus a little less on comics and manga, get a spot on the junior varsity soccer team, maybe land a date with Amelia (Sydney Taylor), the cute girl in his biology class. "I just want to be a regular guy who does regular things," he says.

But in American Born Chinese — the extraordinarily fun and uplifting new action-comedy from Kelvin Yu (Bob's Burgers) — the world won't let Jin forget that he's not like every other kid at Sierra Mona high school. The latest viral video making the rounds is a resurfaced clip from the corny '90s sitcom Beyond Repair featuring a wacky-neighbor character named Freddy Wong (Ke Huy Quan), whose bowl cut and heavily accented catchphrase are ripped from the Offensive Asian Stereotypes Playbook. And on the first day of classes, Principal Kinney (Jennifer Irwin) taps Jin — though she calls him "Jim" — to show new student Wei-Chen (Jimmy Liu) around the school, "since you two have so much in common."

They don't, in fact. Unlike Jin, Wei-Chen is confident, speaks fluent Mandarin, and doesn't just pretend to laugh when Travis (Justin Jarzombek), Jin's obnoxious friend from soccer, makes fun of his robot T-shirt. More importantly, Wei-Chen is the son of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King (Daniel Wu). He's come to Earth from the Heavenly Realm to stop an uprising by his father's enemy, the Bull Demon (Leonard Wu) — and he needs Jin to be his guide.

Disney+ Ben Wang and Jimmy Liu in 'American Born Chinese'

Adapted from Gene Luen Yang's beloved graphic novel, American Born Chinese presents an inviting blend of heartfelt coming-of-age humor and exhilarating martial-arts action. For Jin, who's desperately trying to downplay his status as "the Asian kid," being paired up with Wei-Chen is mortifying. Even after stumbling into a cafeteria showdown between Wei-Chen and a mythical pig-faced creature (Brian Le), Jin remains more focused on his problems than helping his new friend save the world. At home, Jin's no-nonsense immigrant mom (Yeo Yann Yann) keeps nagging his dad (Chin Han) to ask for a promotion at work. At school, student activist Suzy Nakamura (Rosalie Chiang) wants Jin to speak out about a prank that targeted him with the offensive Freddy Wong meme — but all Jin wants is to fit in.

Though his earthly guide is a bit of a flake, Wei-Chun does receive helpful advice from Guanyin, the Goddess of Compassion (Michelle Yeoh). Trading in her resplendent Heavenly Realm robes for comfy sweatsuits and a ponytail, Guanyin helps set Wei-Chen up with an apartment and otherwise aids him in his journey — including fending off an attack from the Bull Demon himself. American Born Chinese delivers at least one elaborate, wuxia-flavored fight scene per episode. Characters trip nimbly up walls and whirl weightlessly through the air as they face off in locales ranging from a crimson Heavenly Realm meadow (episode 1, directed by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' Destin Daniel Cretton) to a grimy bowling-alley arcade (episode 6, directed by Lucy Liu).

Disney+ Michelle Yeoh and Daniel Wu in 'American Born Chinese'

Despite the literally earth-shattering stakes, American Born Chinese approaches Wei-Chen and Jin's parallel journeys with buoyant energy and playful stylistic shifts. Episode 4 presents the origins of Bull Demon's conflict with Sun Wukong — which stemmed from an incident at the Sublime Banquet of Immortal Peaches thousands of years ago — as a slick, '70s-style Chinese drama, complete with a groovy theme song. ("He's just a monkey looking for a bash/ Tonight he'll get funky/ Time to make a splash.") But the show is equally witty in its earthbound moments, as when Jin endures the misery of back-to-school shopping with his mom. ("This is a hip store!" "Is it, mom? Because they also sell milk.")

Newcomer Ben Wang demonstrates ample charm and comic timing as Jin, a kid whose self-deprecating humor masks a constant awareness of his perceived otherness. (Did Amelia order Panda Express for his birthday party because she likes sesame chicken, or…?) Liu is stealthily funny as Wei-Chen; the actor and former Taekwondo champ makes his character believable as both a manga-loving teen and the courageous son of a warrior.

Disney+ Daniel Wu as Sun Wukong, the Monkey King in 'American Born Chinese'

Oscar winner Quan brings an affecting earnestness to his performance as Jamie Yao, the actor who brought the problematic Freddy Wong to life in Beyond Repair. In one particularly moving art-imitates-life moment, Jamie explains to the audience at a Beyond Repair reunion why he left Hollywood after the sitcom went off the air. "The only parts that I got offered were nerds and neighbors," he says. "And sometimes ninjas." American Born Chinese has a large canvas of characters to service, but I was left wishing Quan had a lot more screen time.

The series hits a few false notes during its 8-episode run. Some of the YA elements — like Jin's vague falling out with his friend Anuj (Mahi Alam), and a half-hearted attempt to give the Amelia character a second dimension — feel a little underbaked. More puzzling is the way its characters confront the overt racism they face. For one thing, no one ever actually says the words "racist" or "racism," even in moments when they're clearly called for. An unnamed character whisper-worries that the Freddy Wong video might be "problematic." And when Suzy Nakamura, leader of the high school's culture club, stages a protest in the cafeteria, the group carries signs reading "We Hate Hate" — an oddly mealy-mouthed slogan for a bunch of teenage activists. (Do the execs at Disney+ really believe that kids watching at home would be scandalized by seeing racist behavior labeled as such? In case you haven't noticed, folks, it's 2023 — young viewers don't need a spoonful of sugar to help basic truths of society go down.)

None of this overshadows the overall thrill of American Born Chinese and its story, which concludes with a wonderfully vivid collision between Jin and Wei-Chen's worlds on the Sierra Mona High School soccer field. The show premieres on May 24, just one week after Disney pulled several series from its streamer in a cost-cutting measure — including the well-received Big Shot, The Mysterious Benedict Society, Earth to Ned, and Willow. An anxious TV critic might worry that this means Disney+ will be even less likely to support non-Marvel/Star Wars properties in the future, which would be a real shame. Don't we have enough light sabers and Avengers origin stories? TV could use more American born underdogs like Jin Wang. Grade: A-

American Born Chinese premieres Wednesday, May 24, on Disney+.

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