American Born Chinese is a series that blends realism, drama, humour, fantasy and action in a way that everyone can enjoy. However, it doesn’t go overboard on any of those aforementioned elements, which is what makes the series feel balanced and fun. Based on Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel of the same name, showrunner Kelvin Yu has managed to craft a series that Asian Americans, and perhaps even Asians, will be able to relate to.

Fresh Off The Boat

Basically, American Born Chinese focuses on protagonist Jin Wang (Ben Wang), whose life is turned upside down when he meets another fellow Asian student named Wei Chen (Jimmy Liu), who turns out to be the son of the mythological Sun Wukong (Daniel Wu). Together, they get embroiled in an epic quest, while Jin still has to navigate through problems at school and at home. What’s great about American Born Chinese is that it doesn’t overwhelm viewers with fantasy elements, much of which is adapted from Chinese mythology.

The highlight of the series is not actually the fantasy elements, but the realistic ones. Jin is a relatable individual, especially for Asian Americans. His situation reminds me of that of Eddie Huang from the sitcom Fresh Off The Boat. He’s just trying his best to be himself while juggling what his peers and his own parents expect of him. What I like most about American Born Chinese is that it doesn’t shy away from heavy and complex subject matter like him bearing witness to his parents’ marriage crumbling or him facing racist bullying at school.

The series also doesn’t just focus on Jin. His parents, Simon Wang (Chin Han) and Christine Wang (Yeo Yann Yann), also have problems of their own, besides marital issues. For instance, Simon suffers from a problem that many Asians do, which I personally identified with. His wife pushes him to ask for a promotion at work but like many other Asians out there, Simon feels like sometimes it’s just easier to keep your head down and keep working hard and hoping people will notice, instead of being confrontational and speaking out.

The subject matter of racism is also explored in American Born Chinese. For instance, Ke Huy Quan’s character is a former actor who stopped acting because Hollywood wouldn’t stop typecasting him because of his race. This storyline actually mirrors Ke Huy Quan’s real life before he acted in Everything Everywhere All At Once, which is what makes it all even more powerful when you look at it all with further context. One could say that American Born Chinese doesn’t go far enough in depicting racism. Though it does feel like it’s pulling its punches a little (probably because this is still a Disney production), the issues it does present feel realistic and are ones that Asians/Asian Americans can relate to.

As for the fantasy elements, there’s really not much of it. American Born Chinese is mostly a coming-of-age teen story with elements of Chinese mythology. Those elements are fun but not really delved into as deep as they should have been, but that could be because the showrunner didn’t want to bombard non-Asians who aren’t familiar with Chinese mythology. The series gets a boost of momentum near the middle with a major twist and a whole episode that looks like a classic Chinese production, like one of those old Sun Wukong movies that I’m sure many Asians would have grown up watching.

The action scenes in American Born Chinese are really just decent and nothing special. They’re the typically exaggerated wushu fights with lots of jumping, flying around and not much brutality. Of course, this is a series intended for all ages, so you can’t really expect bloody martial arts fights like in The Raid Redemption or Into The Badlands (look up the fights in this underrated series, it features some of the best wushu-style fights I’ve ever seen and one of the actors in American Born Chinese, Daniel Wu, was even in it). Also, there’s really not much action at all (in comparison to the comedy and drama), especially if you’re looking to watch American Born Chinese for its fights and action.

Last but not least, the ensemble cast is a definite highlight. While supporting actors/actresses like Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, James Hong and Ronny Chieng don’t really get much screen time, what little we do get from them is great stuff to look forward to for viewers.

Journey To The West

American Born Chinese is worth watching for its balanced blend of realism, drama, humour, fantasy and action, as well as featuring issues and problems that Asians/American Asians can relate with. Plus, there are only eight episodes which average around 30 minutes each in the first season, so it’s quite a binge-able show and I don’t say that lightly, as someone who doesn’t like to binge-watch. Unlike other Disney+ shows, all eight episodes of this series will drop at once.

FINAL SCORE: 70/100

We received an early access screener of American Born Chinese courtesy of Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia. All eight episodes of the first season are slated to premiere on Disney+ Hotstar on 24 May 2023.