Shocked, ruined childhood in a second?

In my lifetime, can you still open "Journey to the West" in this way?

Sun Wukong not only gave birth to cubs, but was also stolen by the cub with a golden hoop rod and went to the United States to attend high school;

Guanyin Bodhisattva changed into house clothes to mediate the conflict between Sun Wukong's father and son, and was as intimate as the aunt of the neighborhood committee;

The Bull Demon King was snatched away by his good brother Sun Wukong, blackened into a 90s punk, and premeditated to rebel against the Heavenly Court;

Jigong is degraded to mortals, an alcoholic artist who hides in a Chinese restaurant to work, and a wallhead grass sandwiched between the Monkey King and the Bull Demon King...

, take another look.

"Journey to the West ABC", a magic work destined to jump in the Chinese minefield.

Domestic reviews are extremely dismal, but foreign audiences have scored high.

Really blossom outside the wall and scold inside the wall.

On U.S. rating sites, "Journey to the West ABC" is one of the best-performing episodes in recent times

First of all, it is necessary to affirm:

This American drama is not adapted from Wu Chengen's "Journey to the West" original novel, but the comic "Meisheng Chinese" that was shortlisted for the US National Book Award.

Chinese painter Yang Jinlun, using the shell of traditional mythology, talks about the identity dilemma of their group of Chinese Americans in the United States.

Therefore, there is no need to worry about whether Wu Chengen's coffin board can be suppressed, or whether the six-year-old child will break his defense because of this.

What it actually tests is how open each of us is to the second creation of Chinese culture.

From the 86th version of CCTV's "Journey to the West" to Stephen Chow's version of "Journey to the West", from real people to two-dimensional, the image flow of the scripture group in the world's film and television and ACG has been proved:

Classics need a new zeitgeist to capture today's audiences.

The most valuable thing about "Journey to the West" is its presentness.

From "Crazy Rich Asians" and "Don't Tell Her" to "Instantaneous Universe" and "Angry Life", taking advantage of the Asian theme in Hollywood, Asian practitioners have made their ambitions clear -

Not only to be the protagonist, but also to tell your own story in your own language.

"Journey to the West ABC" is born under such an urgent desire for expression, and this is also quite bluntly reflected in the play.

Yao, played by Guan Jiwei, was once a household name with a harlequin in a sitcom, and thirty years later, the old drama became popular, and he was made into a meme to continue to be made of for people to make fun of.

This is not only the epitome of his lifelong acting career as an unsung supporting role, but also reflects the marginal status of Asian actors in Hollywood.

The crew recorded a reunion special, and he no longer catered to other people's stereotypes of himself.

Instead, he said what he had been holding back for 30 years: I want to play a hero.

People who don't necessarily have superpowers are called heroes, and those who rise to the challenge of defending important things are also heroes.

"I wish there was a kid who was watching the show and felt that he didn't have to be the laughing stock of everyone and believed that he could be a hero."

These words not only inspired the male protagonist in front of the screen, but also spit out the voices of all Asian-Americans.

Behind this, there is a broader social reality -

During the new crown pandemic in the past two years, there have been several atrocities in the United States in which Asian elderly people were beaten for no reason, and the atmosphere of discrimination against Asian Americans has become increasingly strong.

Azu, who played the Monkey King in the play, also organized and participated in the anti-Asian hate march at that time.

Exploded along with the atmosphere of discrimination is the cohesion of Asians determined to twist together.

Whether ordinary people or cultural celebrities, they began to speak out, began to break the reality of non-existence, and fought for the right and opportunity to be seen and respected.

In connection with these contexts, we can better understand the meaning and inevitability of the emergence of this work.

So "Journey to the West ABC", the focus is not on Journey to the West, but on ABC.

The real protagonist of the story is not Sun Wukong, nor Sun Wukong's son, but an ordinary male high school student who is a second-generation immigrant of Chinese descent, Wang Jin.

Walking into his house, the familiar East Asian taste came to his face——

Dad worked honestly for many years and could not get promoted, and Mom was a budget-conscious housewife.

Time has smoothed down their original courage to the United States, leaving only a stagnant life and endless quarrels.

When a woman opens her mouth, she is pushing men to advance.

Wang Jin is not only sandwiched between his parents, but also between two cultures.

At home, his parents hope that he will learn well Chinese, and when he is outside, he will suffer from various social embarrassments and discomforts because of his Chinese appearance.

The harder he tried to pretend to be a native-born American, the more he appeared to have no personality and no ego.

Many people don't like this show, and a large part of the reason is probably here:

The male protagonist is neither handsome nor cool.

A small man, an ordinary face, and a dull personality that seems to have seen the life of an East Asian child.

Obviously football is playing well, but others say "probably" when asked;

Secretly loved a beautiful white girl for many years, but the other party did not know his existence at all;

He always showed no concern in the face of other people's offenses, and even betrayed his Asian peers in order to fit in with the white community.

Indian friends like cosplay, strange costumes plus middle two attributes, is regarded as an outlier, but in order to fit in with him, he allows others to joke about good friends;

When he was made into a funny meme by the captain of the football team and spread all over the Internet, and the brave Japanese girl launched a cultural club to support him in protest, he turned his head and slapped others in the face.

In other American youth dramas, it is difficult to see such an unconfident, flattering, and weak male protagonist.

It wasn't until Sun Weichen, the son of Sun Wukong, that his life changed.

This sunny and cheerful big boy does not care about the confidence of anyone's eyes, which is the opposite of Jin.

Sun Weichen pinned on a certain yearning of Asian teenagers -

Confidence in culture and identity, no shame in interpersonal interactions, knowing where you came from and where you're going.

In front of this culturally homogeneous peer, Wang Jin can finally give up pretending to be himself.

From resistance to acceptance, Weichen has found identity and self-worth.

If Weichen hadn't drawn him into an unimaginable adventure, he wouldn't have known that he could also burst into amazing courage in the nick of time.

This is not exactly what Guan Jiwei encouraged at the beginning:

Ordinary people can also have heroic dreams.

However, despite the novelty and eye-catching intention, "Westward Journey ABC" is still a regrettable work full of flaws.

First of all, the oriental wonders of the journey to the west are not polished in place.

The action scenes are still worth boasting about.

In the corridor of the high school, the monkey father and son snatched the golden hoop stick:

In the American-style apartment, Guanyin taught the bull demon king:

In the basement of the restaurant, Jigong revealed his true skills:

Chinese martial arts, with the blessing of special effects, show the magical powers of various gods, and they are not too obtrusive in real scenes.

Fun and sense of proportion, better than many superhero films.

Unfortunately, outside of the action scenes, these immortals basically have no memory points, and they lack a connection with each other, but just gurgle out like dumplings.

The only thing that has a relationship is portrayed by the Sun Wukong and the Bull Demon King, the two grudge brothers.

The history of the feud between the two is the same as the audition of Stephen Chow Leung Chaowei-

Sun Wukong accompanied the Bull Demon King to apply for the Heavenly Court Yipin Great Sage, but the iron rice bowl inexplicably smashed on Sun Wukong's head.

As for why? Maybe Sun Wukong is too e-e, and he is born to steal the limelight from others.

This scene, with the style of nonsensical Hong Kong films, mockery is also very postmodern deconstruction, which makes people laugh.

But it's just a few lines.

As for how Sun Wukong went from a rebellious wild monkey to a civil servant who defended the system, he couldn't see the mental journey behind the change.

If you want to use this drama to satisfy the Journey to the West complex, you are bound to be disappointed.

Even you will be glad that there is only one episode of the heavenly drama -

Because the aesthetic of mixing and matching things is really going to be old.

When Guanyin first appeared in old Beijing muffin shoes, my alarm bell was ringing.

Who expected that more fierce is still to come——

The Tiangong Peach Festival really allows us to see what is called the dance of demons.

The South Heavenly Gate is just a hole made of a few stones, and the immortals who combine earth and ocean are like going to the MetGala catwalk.

The decoration of the Tiangong is like a foot-washing city opened by a coal boss, and the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother are addicted to talk shows.

It's not so much a modern presentation of Eastern mythology as a parody of the American entertainment industry.

The whole process reveals a rough texture of not enough budget and too much time.

Secondly, ABC's adolescent identity is also sloppy.

Wang Jin and Weichen, who could have mirrored each other and were deeply entangled in fate, mostly stopped at superficial tenagory friendships.

The relationship between the two can be said to be "he chases him and runs, he can't escape", what makes people wonder is that he is chasing Weichen, who has great powers, and escaping is Wang Jin, who can't do anything.

As for why Weichen decided that Jin was his guide, the phrase "dreamed" dispelled the audience's conjecture and curiosity.

"When i people have a social cow fairy friend", this kind of dream bridge actually did not shoot the refreshing feeling it deserved, but wasted on the boring thing of using the golden hoop stick to help a friend win the first place in the stupid competition.

Not only friendship, but also the part of love and family affection is just a dragonfly going through the scene, which leads to the charm of the male protagonist never being established.

What touches people's hearts is the love of parents full of resentment and understanding.

The housewife played by Yang Yanyan is the most vivid and three-dimensional character in the entire drama.

The myth of Journey to the West does not subtly echo the real world, which makes "Journey to the West ABC" particularly pity.

But there's nothing inherently wrong with an adaptation with a contemporary spirit like this, and the more the better.

Culture can only have vitality if it receives new stimuli.

The most feared thing in the classics is not offense, but dust.