Paul Lai

May 7, 2024 | multiversitycomics.com | Paul Lai

At one point, I was just so grateful for Asian-American representation that almost any story would do. Thankfully, these days, with creators and media that are “East Asian things everywhere all at once,” we can dispense with the tired tropes that obscured the differences and vitality within our communities. Does the romantic notion of “following your heart” always have to involve denying family, defying tradition, and… going west?!?

Oct 10, 2023 | multiversitycomics.com | Paul Lai

Before phones pinpointed our steps and paths, perhaps the freedom to wander gave us more tenuous, yet more tender connections to our cities… and one another. Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki partner again for “Roaming,” about three friends visiting New York to get lost and found again. By Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki. Over the course of a much-anticipated trip to New York, an unexpected fling blossoms between casual acquaintances and throws a long-term friendship off-balance.

Jul 18, 2023 | multiversitycomics.com | Paul Lai

At the Autumn Equinox, with Heaven and Earth perfectly in balance, the stakes are high. Does the season finale of American Born Chinese stick the landing and leave us satisfied? The show has tried to balance humor, drama, action, mythos, family, and cultural relevance, all with the wit and poetry of the original Gene Luen Yang graphic novel, updated and adapted for TV.

Jul 10, 2023 | multiversitycomics.com | Paul Lai

In the second-to-last episode American Born Chinese‘s first season, the conflicts pinch to the point of appearing “Beyond Repair,” as the episode is entitled. But of course, that’s also the name of the show that Ke Huy Quan’s character Jamie Yao revisits in the reunion panel that starts the episode, where we left off in Episode 6. That fake sitcom’s name suggests the question of whether Jamie’s past notoriety as Freddy Wong has done irreparable damage as a cultural stereotype and to Jamie himself.

Jul 3, 2023 | multiversitycomics.com | Paul Lai

The steam picks up as we tumble to the climax of American Born Chinese season 1, with “Hot Stuff” (Episode 6) bringing together Jin’s school social circles, his feuding parents, and the ruckus in the heavens right into the local Sierra Mona bowling alley. After Episode 5, “Abracadabra,” gained Wei-Chen the Fourth Scroll in the form of Jin’s parents’ jade pendants, but sunk Christine and Simon’s marriage into murky waters, Jin is upset.