“American Born Chinese” proves to be one of the year’s best surprises. A coming-of-age story that at times brings to mind TV greats “My So-Called Life” (though this one is from a boy’s perspective) and “Freaks and Geeks.”

American Born Chinese is a fun, bold reimagining of the American coming-of-age tale, combined with Chinese mythology and a deservedly award-winning graphic novel. There are lots of moving parts in a short amount of time, but it works in a seriously charming way when all brought together with excellent fight choreography to tie a bow on it.

American Born Chinese doesn't always find the right balance between its regular and extraordinary elements, but it sure is a blast to watch it try. [May 2023, p.76]

Is this show a perfectly timed victory lap? Yes. Does it get unwieldy when you’re compressing a centuries-old epic and a high school #StopAsianHate campaign into eight episodes of Disneyfied polish? Of course. But American Born Chinese’s commitment to the juxtaposition makes the show worthy, as uneven as it can be.

Despite its martial arts flair, American Born Chinese’s most powerful moments come from its small cultural specificities.

It’s like the show wanted to showcase all its potential but may only be able to thread it together in a possible second season. If this is what it takes for this story to really come to life, then fine — but at this moment, it’s hard not to view it as a massive waste of time.

By the end, whatever feels distinct about American Born Chinese, which primarily resides in the quotidian details of Jin and his family’s life, washes away in a blur of scrolls, rebellions, and tacked-on endgame stakes. It feels like a vibrant coming-of-age story, spun out of edgier source material, that’s been made to conform to the needs of the Disney machine — a dynamic that sounds suspiciously like its own form of assimilation.

Spectacular star lineup, also made the adaptation of Journey to the West very interesting

The writing, acting and action were all significantly better than expectations going into this. Very enjoyable show all around with a great first season.

This far exceeded my expectations. It's very funny and manages to be both grounded and "real", while also injecting a fun dose of fantastical. Loved the cast. And some great action scenes to boot! Strongly recommend.