[Weekly Update] June 13, 2021

Hope you all enjoy our last video on Kung Fu Panda! That was a highly requested video, ever since our video on Mulan came out.

Actually it all started with me saying "Kung Fu Panda botched Chinese culture and it's still a good movie". Well, now you know where some of the inaccuracies lies!

And no, I didn't plan for this video to come out right after Xiran Jay Zhao's take.

ABOUT THE CHANNEL

• Originally our next video is planned to be NeZha Reborn, coming out next week. But I want to delay it by just a day or two. We receive a special request from a special senpai, and we have a quick little video planned for them.
• It'll be a full episode, but it doesn't require me doing research, so it should be a fast edit.
• Otherwise, nothing is changed. We have Nezha Reborn for next week. After that, we can finally get to Taiwanese cinema, with Ang Lee's Eat Drink Man Woman, and maybe talk about Taiwanese New Wave in general.
• Oh and, despite its name, it is not a cannibalism horror movie.

ABOUT MEDIA

• Since it's kinda irrelevant to the subject, I didn't actually share my thought about Kung Fu Panda in our last video. Hopefully, I made it clear that my feelings were positive, despite half the video is me pointing out how it isn't Chinese.
• Just because it's not culturally accurate, doesn't mean it's not good. No one is perfect, right?
• Considered what the film sets out to be, Kung Fu Panda is way above average when it comes to Chinese cultural depiction.
• It primarily succeeds at capturing the nebulous idea of Chinese feel. And I think a lot of audience, Chinese or otherwise, picked up on that, too. It's that feeling of stepping into an authentic Chinese restaurant (as opposite to an Asian fast-food joint). It's hard to describe, but you know it when you see it.
• The only different is that most non-Chinese people didn't know the difference between Chinese-American cuisine and Mainland cuisine, while mainland Chinese people, of course, do.
• Another way to put it, is that Mulan feels Disney first, and Chinese second. Kung Fu Panda is almost the opposite.
• It has a great deal of respect for the culture it is trying to represent. The peach tree on the mountain top, the pedal tipping the balance on the dragon scroll, the still water as a place for self-reflection. These poetic elements really do feel Chinese.
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• That said, when I first saw this movie, I wasn't able to enjoy it.
• The most obvious reason is, of course, the uncanny valley of cultural accuracy. The Jade Palace where Oogway resides is this weird fusion of a Chinese Palace and a Kung Fu Monastery. Is Oogway a monarch? Or a wise man living beyond the material realm?
• With any other American movies about China, I can easily tell when an element is wrong. But with Kung Fu Panda, because of its increased accuracy, I'm never sure if something is intentional or not. That makes it harder to enjoy.
• Another thing is, I just don't enjoy homage film that much. Everything in Kung Fu Panda feels familiar, because it's mean to be an homage film filled with references. It also makes it feel kinda cliche for someone grew up watching all the movie it's referencing.
• It was already a problem with Kung Fu Hustle. The fact that Kung Fu Panda was supposed to be a homage of Kung Fu Hustle just makes the problem worse.
• Finally, even by 2008, I don't find fat jokes that funny. Granted, Po's fatness is never really mocked. But of all the jokes in that film, the fat jokes are the least funny bit to me. The later films ditched the fat jokes almost entirely, and I find them to be the funnier film, even if the story isn't as nicely crafted.
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• Still, I eventually learn to appreciate this movie. Takes effort to look at a film from someone else's perspective, but I'm happy I did it.
• I love that all the characters are well defined and developed. Despite it being a really short movie, and with Tai Lung having limited interactions with other characters, he is still a well rounded villain, with a consistent personality, a strong motivation, and even charisma.
• Po's father, Ping, only has like, 3 scenes with his son. But their relationship feels genuine enough that, when Po's biological parents arrive in the sequels, you feel the gravity of the situation.
• Even the Furious Five, which some have like 4 lines of dialogue, are still memorable. That is some masterful writing.
• Graphically, it's definitely dated. But unless you are deliberately looking for flaws (like I do, and I'm an asshole), you shouldn't be able to notice the graphical weaknesses. This is like the opposite of Earwig and the Witch. Despite the technological limitation, everything is well lit, with great atmosphere and style.
• Oh and Jack Black. Jack Black is always a win.
• While I still can't say I love Kung Fu Panda as much as everyone do, I can safely say, I will revisit this movie more than once in the future. It's a good watch, entertaining, and inspirational. I feel like the movie still has a lot to teach me, and I'll be happy to learn more.

And that's the update for this week! Hopefully I can get the surprise video out soon. In the meantime, stay safe, and hope you are having a great summer!