What is it about?
Jin Wang, a Chinese-American teenager, is the most ordinary, dividing his time between friends and family. When he meets a new foreign student on the first day of the new school year, Jin has little doubt that he will soon find himself unwittingly embroiled in a terrifying battle between the Chinese gods…
An American from China, a series created by Kelvin Yu and Charles Yu with Ben Wang, Yan Yan Yeo, Chin Han, Michelle Yeoh… Episodes Watched: 4 of 8
who is he with
It’s Ben Wang who lends his qualities to Jin, this teenager who’s a little uncomfortable in his own skin and who’s looking for himself. Only 23-year-old actor does not have a big career. We can see him in an episode of MacGyver or Legion. Yang Yang Yeo and Chin Han play Christine and Simon Wang, respectively, Jin’s slightly overworked parents.
In front of him, another young talent, Jim Liu plays Wei-chen, a new high school student officially from China, but who is actually the son of Sun Wukong, or the Monkey King. He fled to earth with a holy wand that bestows great powers.
In this war between Chinese deities, Guanyin, also called the Goddess of Mercy, is played by the divine Michelle Yeoh. He has chosen his side, and he is a kind of godfather or fairy godmother to Wei-chen. Recently, the Oscar-winning actress finds her accomplice in everything, everywhere, at once, Ke Hui Quan. I will not reveal the nature of his role here, which is better discovered by watching the series.
Is it worth checking out?
In recent years, the issue of representation of underrepresented groups in films and series in general has been addressed with varying degrees of success. The question that most often comes up when it comes to presenting a work with a predominantly non-white cast is: Who is it for?
In the case of an American from China, it’s obvious from the start that the answer is: everyone. The characters in the series speak Mandarin about 30% of the time, and Chinese-American culture is ubiquitous. And despite its cultural idiosyncrasies, this 2006 adaptation of Jin Luen Yang’s graphic novel of the same name is clearly aimed at the general Disney audience, with its comic intrigue mixed with fantasy and martial arts.
It’s a feel-good series that’s likely to appeal to the largest number of people. When Jin is forced to take Wei-chen under his wing, it’s a real culture shock for the teenager. Jin is initially intimidated by Wei-chen’s lack of knowledge of the social hierarchy, as Jin is desperate to gain popularity. But they bond over a shared love of manga.
Michelle Yeoh’s character Guanyin serves as both Wei-chen’s teacher and Buddha’s emissary. It’s a series highlight that lavishes wisdom on Wei-Chen as he spends his time building IKEA furniture or serving the buffet. Between all two battle scenes in the manner of a tiger and a dragon, the secret of which he has.
Although secondary, Wei-chen’s father, Sun Wukong, or the Monkey King (Daniel Wu), is interesting in many ways. He portrays a jaded hero who lives in a kind of epilogue at a point in his story where he is no longer the main character.
With its gallery of characters, all well-written, The Chinese American stands out and holds itself to be genuine entertainment. And once Wei-Chen reveals his heavenly origins to Jin, the series turns into a real action comedy, and its themes of personal identity and racism are diluted.
Despite its taste in martial arts, Chinese American’s strongest moments come from its slight cultural specificity, moments when the series tries to subvert the clichés surrounding global Asian culture. Like the moment Ginny complains about the presence of chicken feet in her soup, or when her dad half-heartedly reveals to his boss that he’s a huge Bon Jovi fan.
The series was written long before Everything, Everywhere, At Once became a worldwide success, but there’s no denying that the success of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s film now allows a series like this to exist in a different way. More generally, we can appreciate the evolution of the American audiovisual landscape toward greater realism.
Ten years ago, it would have been unimaginable to see such a broad depiction of Asian and Asian American life in a mainstream TV series, even if it ultimately just follows the plight of the teenager who is the main character of the Disney series.
Source: Allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
