American Born Chinese review: Disney Plus adaptation hits a sci-fi sweet spot

Gene Luen Yang’s 2006 graphic novel American Born Chinese is an unabashed mix of an identity crisis and larger-than-life mythological concepts, so it’s no wonder the book spoke to audiences (especially Asians, who are underrepresented in the media). Now, 17 years after its publication, Yang is executive producing his book’s official adaptation. Disney+’s American Born Chinese, which premieres May 24, tightens the novel’s storylines in ways more suited to a visual medium. But thankfully, the undercurrent of his emotional beats remains the same, making this a vivid, heartfelt project.

The show features an impressive cast, with standouts like Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan, who won Oscars earlier this year for their impeccable performances in Everything Everywhere All At Once. They’re both enticing draws as recurring characters here, and Stephanie Hsu, Ronny Chieng, Jimmy O. Yang, Poppy Liu, and James Hong also make appearances. However, this star-studded ensemble is only there to pave the way for the striking lead duo of Ben Wang and Jim Liu. Their young characters’ central bond roots ABC in coming-of-age tales, ensuring that all of the spiritual lore and big concepts don’t become overwhelming.

American Born Chinese is entertaining as a sci-fi endeavor, pulling from the mythos of Chinese Gods like the Monkey King, the Jade Emperor, and other heavenly creatures. The show understands the deities and uses them as metaphors for community, acceptance, and self-discovery through the lens of these two breakout teens. This authenticity is achieved because the writers’ room features multiple Asian voices, including series creator Kelvin Yu, 30 Rock’s Vali Chandrasekaran, and Legion’s Charles Yu. Plus, Lucy Liu and Destin Daniel Cretton are two of the show’s directors. (Cretton defintely brings his Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings expertise to the fast-paced, well-shot action scenes.) It all adds up to a worthy adaptation that breezes by with eight roughly half-hour episodes.

The show finds its center with Jin Wang (Wang), a Chinese American high schooler struggling in every department: His crush seems unattainable; his parents are facing marital problems; his soccer friends may or may not be bullies; and he’s even turned into a meme. Jin starts as a withdrawn kid, but that changes when he is forced to befriend a new student, Wei-Chen (Liu), simply because they’re both Asian. While Jin quietly strives to fit in among his white peers, Wei-Chen confidently stands out. He helps bring Jin out of his shell, and they connect over their mutual love for manga and stories about the Monkey King. Jin doesn’t know yet that his new pal is the son of the King, a.k.a. Sun Wukong (played by Chinese superstar Daniel Wu).