This is two different shows: One is a fantasy drawing Chinese mythology the other is a Chinese American coming of age dramedy. The former is hackneyed silliness with terrible fight choreography and cinematography reminiscent of 'Ms. Marvel'. I loved Daniel Wu as Sonny in 'Badlands' but wirework blended with with cheap CGI always looks terrible. I wish that flowing style of Kung Fu was more 'Once Upon a Time in China', 'Fist of Legend' or 'Tai Chi Master' but the it ended up more 'Bullet Proof Monk'. The latter is fairly beautiful at moments with excellent writing, acting and cast chemistry (hence the solid score) that reminds me of 'Never Have I Ever' and 'Gilmore Girls'. Fortunately the two stories barely intersect and there is definitely a way to edit this to remove the fantasy altogether!
Review of American Born Chinese
