“American Born Chinese” Airs on Disney+ to Positive Reception
Action-comedy series, American Born Chinese, released aired all eight of its episodes on Disney+ on May 24. Starring Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Daniel Wu, Ben Wang, and Jimmy Liu, the fantasy series weaves in Chinese folk tales and martial arts.
High schooler Jin Wang (Ben Wang) struggles to fit in with his peers and his American-born-Chinese identity. Whentasked with guiding new exchange student Wei Chen (Jimmy Liu) around campus, Jin( is suddenly thrust into a battle with mythical Chinese gods. Daniel Wu will play the legendary Monkey King, Sun Wukong, while Michelle Yeoh will portray the Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin.
Following the success of Crazy Rich Asians, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Everything, Everywhere All at Once, Hollywood has continued its efforts in embracing unique stories with Asian-centered charactersIn addition to exploring cultural clashes and identity struggles for first generation Asian Americans, American Born Chinese also taps into Chinese legends and mythology. In addition to Sun Wukong and Guanyin, mythical characters such as the Bull Demon, Princess Iron Fan, Pigsy, and the Jade Emperor also make recurring appearances.
The series was adapted from the graphic novel of the same name, written by Gene Luen Yang. Disney’s American Born Chinese released to primarily positive feedback, with comments praising the series for its accurate depiction of the struggles of Chinese American teenagers growing up in the 1990s being caught between two cultures.
This article is written by Huynh for JayneStars.com.
Daniel Wu and Michelle Yeoh to Star in Disney Plus Series, “American Born Chinese”
If US Chinese don’t want to be stereotyped, then why are the characters speaking in stilted English? I don’t know of any Asians who speak like that in America. I don’t find the show sending a positive image of Chinese Americans. Won’t be watching another episode.
I feel the same, I find such accent really exaggerated. And even in UK, I dont know many that speaks with such accent, but there are a number of Asian Comedians selling these stereotype aggressively online. I dont understand what is so funny about laughing at someone’s accent…
i don’t mind the accents so much. There’s representation for every kind of Asian American. Earlier there was Dunk which stars an Asian American with no accent. There’s Beef on Netflix which stars two Asian Americans with absolutely no accent whatsoever.
haven’t you ever encountered 1st or 2nd generation immigrants with heavy accents?
Not interested. Not watching. Saw the trailer but don’t care for it. Agree with what others are saying about breaking the stereotype. Why must Asians have an Asian accent? I am an ABC myself and I don’t have an accent at all. Nor do most of my peers who are ABC. Or even look at CBC, they don’t have accents. And if they are immigrants that have been here long enough to establish themselves, their accents aren’t strong either. I’m so tired of Chinese or Asian-centric type of dramas with constant emphasis on kung fu and martial arts. There’s a time and place for that sure. Like period dramas. Or like Ip Man. But why must everything be martial arts just because it is Chinese? Why must it be about East Meets West? Why after so many years are storylines still so stereotypical? Why can’t it just be about LIFE? Asians living life. Not necessarily about Asian life. That’s how we bridge the gap. By integrating Asian actors into movie roles and scripts about everyday life. Not always about Asian things. We have made no progress. Smh.
I’m OK with the cast. Problem is Michelle yeoh as guanyin shows to me thr casting is horrible, Daniel wu as monkey King on paper is a joke. I don’t like how they change jttw, when some people still do pray to monkey King. Better watch dicky cheng jttw. Maybe more relevant.
@funn Disney needed Asian American stars who are well known in the US, among general audiences as well as Asian American viewers. The veteran casting for “American Born Chinese” is based on their recognition and fame, rather than suitability for their roles.