MY BAD, correction, Jennifer Yuh Nelson the Head of Story (and director of Kung Fu Panda 2 & 3) is Korean American, not Chinese American. Also I know y'all love learning, so I encourage you to read up on Palestine to understand more about the things you're seeing in the news! decolonizepalestine.com/faq/
have you ever considered making a video on post ww2 chinise martial arts films and there sub text of defiying the imperialst powers that occupied it, idk if that makes sence i have vaugly read of such films and i am intrested in learning more about this topic but dont know where i would start researching the chinise movie industry
I apreciate this, however if I may opine on this as an israeli citizen without having my head chewed off, I find this type of websites to over simplify the issue as good guys and bad guys. especially when you have terrorist organizations taking advantage of this whole situation.
@@Angelicwings1 Its not complicated, its simple. ruclips.net/video/62I61kBahNY/видео.html Watch from the beginning or skip to 3:57. Its a totally asymmetrical relationship.
@@seekeroftruth8758 yup, but not dragons, lions (or lion stone statues), the female lion has a cub and the male has a perfectly cut round ball, they normally come in pairs, a female and a male, as a decoration or as some believed: to scare away bad things and protect the building, you could do some more research if you're interested, chinese history and culture has alot of interesting parts
@@seekeroftruth8758 It's a joke from the Mulan (cartoon) video. Lion statues are supposed to be in cub/ball pair as mother/father, but in Western media they often just go with a pair of ball-lions.... which Xiran joked meant they were a gay pair. It's apparently become a running joke reference across at least three videos now?
I love how in the sequel, Poe’s father changed his restaurant to “Dragon Warrior Noodles and Tofu” which not only shows how proud of he is of his son, but shows that Poe inspired him as well since he told Poe that he once had crazy notion about making tofu.
"Master, I have good news!" "There is just news, there is no good or bad." "Xiran Jay Zhao made a 30 minute video on Kung Fu Panda!" "Ah, that is good news!"
What I love about Shifu is that when he saw that his initial method wasn't working with his new student, he stopped trying to change the student, changing his method instead. That is what a good teacher does.
He probably wouldn't have done so without direct (if vague) instructions from his own master to change the way he viewed Po. Shifu is a pretty shitty teacher at the start of the film, that's kind of his entire arc; even though Po is the protagonist, Shifu is the deuteragonist and undergoes an entire arc of his own, facing his past mistakes as a parent and teacher and learning to change his approach and finding peace in doing so. ...look, i just watched this movie for the first time in 10 years two days ago and i have many emotions. this is such a well-written and well-structured story all around...
It is actually said that Confucius once got asked the exact same question by two different students whom he gave different answers respectively, and when another student asked Confucius why he had given different answers to those two, he explained that they had different personalities so he should give them different suggestions accordingly. Confucianism kinda has this idea of "因材施教" teaching students in accordance with their aptitude, and I never noticed how much Shifu represents Confucianism until I watched this vid
I love the scene where Po finishes his training and says that he's not hungry, because earlier in the movie he says he gets hungry whenever he's anxious. It means that he has learned to overcome his insecurities and has some self-stem in him now
I thinks it’s interesting that Po is purely black and white, while Tai Lung is grey. Which mirrors how clear Po becomes and how conflicted Tai Lung is.
Every single time I watch a video, I'm glad Xiran was this pissed off about Mulan, otherwise I wouldn't have learned nearly a third of the things I've learned watching these videos.
That was such a godsend, absolutely. For one thing, I appreciate and respect the hell out of turning anger and spite into something this good, for another I can reactivate a bit of the knowledge that sort of ended up in dusty boxes in the attic since my China Studies days (this video reminds me that I need to read the Daodejing again. And again). Very grateful for that.
I feel like Kung Fu Panda actually shows that, if you actually do your homework and have some respect for the culture you're portraying, you can make something good no matter where you're from.
The Sucker Punch developers who gave the world "Ghost Of Tsushima" & the overwhelming majority of gamers in Japan who gave the game glowing reviews R further proof of that.
If you make something with love and respect then yeah you can make something that doesn't make the ppl you see portraying feel like they are being depicted as caricatures. But it's very easy to mess that up. You need to make sure as the creative heads behind something like Kung Fu Panda or Ghost, that you are depicting ppl who you haven't lived the experience of and you need to do your research so you can respect them as full ppl. Sadly some ppl don't want to put in that effort. Cough Ghost in the Shell Cough lol
@@zenkim6709 And if it's about japanese creators doing non-japanese settings, there's Berserk, Vinland Saga, Metal Gear Solid... there are excentricities that do leak out, but in the end it's not impossible and can lead to an interesting mix (or a disgusting mess if done superficially)
Almost every Chinese restaurant in my conservative American city is guarded by gay lions. So is the house of the homophobic old lady a few houses down from me. I’ve been cackling ever since I learned about this and that female stone lions exist. It’s the absolute best. Next year during pride month I’m tempted to put little pride flags in the paws of all the gay lions I can find.
Korean here. The four trigrams are called geon, ri, gam, and gon. They are basically four different aspects of the universe like cardinal directions, family members, seasons, and celestial bodies.
In Jack Black's defense: his portrayal of him is what ultimately saved Po's character. Po was supposed to be much more arrogant of a character, not even caring about kung-fu. It wasn't until Jack Black came on that Po was changed to be much more vulnerable and kind as a protagonist. (But yes, overall we do still need to stop this trend of actors taking voice actors' jobs.)
Separating actors from voice acting is kinda gross dude, at the end of the day it's still just acting. Tell me, is Mark Hamill not deserving to get all those voice acting roles (Especially his turn as the Joker from the highly regarded Batman: The Animated Series) because he was Luke Skywalker? Same with the guy who played the Genie in the Aladdin Broadway musical, he's done some voice work, too. Is he now exempt from being a VA because he's also a theatre actor? Consequently, should we deny Voice Actors other roles in live-action or theatre _because_ they also do voice-over roles?
@@tcrpgfan we already deny voice actors roles. literally all the time. in fact, hollywood actors took the roles away from voice actors, and voice actors didnt get shit in return
Some actors are just also good voice actors! Jack Black is one of them, imo. I get what you're saying though, when you're watching something and you can tell they just cast someone for their name and not their voice, it's definitely disappointing
I feel when it comes to people like robin Williams or jack black, aka actors who may not be traditional voices actors but have enough energy and talent that they can make it work should be allowed to voice act but not actors who are just there because they are big names/aren’t really that wide an actor but more just a face shouldn’t
Jack Black is arguably one of the exceptions. He's a decent VA (which makes sense as even in onscreen roles his voice is a big part of his presence) and as mentioned brought a lot of heart and vulnerability to Po. On the other hand, Kung Fu Panda does have some excellent earlier examples of "celebrity VAs for the big name's sake and really nothing else" in Angelina Jolie Tigress (who did a fine job, but like... Tigress didn't need to be her, or vice versa) and unfortunately, Jackie Chan Monkey (on paper it makes sense to have him here, it would be weirder if he wasn't, but in including him you have the otherwise perfect let voice actors voice act argument because the advertising made a HUGE deal of Jackie Chan playing a major character and then Monkey has like, two lines because surprise, the dude whose career revolves around on-screen low speech action scenes isn't the best voice actor)
There's a lot of foreshadowing in the first movie like how when walk out of the smoke he looked like he is wearing a cape and a straw(I think that was it is) just like in Kung fu panda 3
@Katie Rae I think Xiran uses she/they, if I remember correctly. I think it came up in the video about anti-Asian speech and violence. I could have misinterpreted them, though.
@@austinluther5825 iirc Xiran said they prefer they/them, but is also used to she/her. So I'd say to try to use they/them as much as you can, but if you slip and use she/her it shouldn't be that big a deal.
@@gracehenry-tarrant597 my daughter and I call chai 'tea tea' because of the sheer number of people who say 'chai tea' - drives us nuts, but we find it funny at the same time.
My personal takeaway from the Confucianism vs Daoism in kung fu panda was recognizing when to apply each. Which weirdly relates to how my grandpa got a job in tv and radio. He couldn’t control the fact his parent wanted him to go into business and didn’t approve of tv and radio. So he majored in tv and minored in business and told his parents it was the other way around since they were okay with him minoring in tv and radio. He became one of the first Chinese American tv directors.
It's wild to think this entire RUclips channel started out of pure, unadulterated spite for a certain atrocious film released last year. You've come a long way!
Can we all just apreciate how fluidly Xiran can use chinese words while speaking english flawlessly? I'm sure all of us bilinguals know how hard it is to use proper pronunciation while alternating between languages mid sentence. It's just so cool to hear it this flawlessly.
Hm, I wouldn't know how difficult Chinese and English is, but Greek, German and English work pretty easily, even with the vastly different pronunciations of most of the consonants. I suppose it depends if you grew up multilingual.
For the Wuxi Finger Hold, in either a deleted scene or the post credit scene of the film, Shifu states that the hold wasn't real and was just a myth that Masters passed on to mess with their pupils so he's confused as to how Po figured out how to make it real. I feel like it's name is a reference to Wuxia movies (wuxi - wuxia just remove a single English letter) and how hilariously unrealistic they depict their martial arts (of which I am generally a fan because it's cool). And I've heard stories about martial art masters doing similar things to mess with students. But I am a dude who vaguely knows random things that may or may not be true, so I might be wrong.
Apparently it came from a scholastic "interview" where Po talks about himself, it's all in character stuff so he describes how Shifu told him that the move was made up.
I appreciate how at the beginning you were like “the Chinese government IP black listed me, but that’s ok because I can use a VPN to deal with it” and I was like, this is peak advertisement right here. Excellent video as always.
25:55 This is even more profound to Po's character development when you remember that Oogway observed that Po eats when he's upset. But now, he's not hungry, because he's not upset.
something that I really loved about this movie was how Po was never treated bad by the rest of the villagers who are smaller animals. sometimes in this type of stories were the main character is different from the rest they get made fun of or worse by everyone else.
Mr. Ping seems to be a respected man in the valley of peace on top of everything, so it's not like Po, as his adopted son, was an outcast to begin with.
"The turtle is Daoist." I actually studied Daoism as a personal research project in high school. I went all out, too, as much as an American possibly could in the early 2000s. Even joined a daoist internet forum and talked directly to some practicing daoists to get it as close to from the original source as I possibly could. I've kept up my studies on the subject on and off over the years. And now when people find out I did this, the first question they ALWAYS ask is, "So, what is the Dao?" This might be the reason I'm prematurely balding.
@@andromeda3687 As Lao Tzu said, "those who speak of Dao do not know it, and those who know it do not speak of it." This is because the concept is one of those where the harder you try to put it into words that give a clear answer, the farther you get from reality. The closest to an accurate answer I can get is this: the Dao is the way the universe is. Well, actually, the closest true answer you can give is "The Dao is," but if I say that, people just assume I've said an incomplete sentence. The problem is that the answer tells you very little, but the more you try to explain it, the further you get from the idea. The only way to really explain Dao is to explain other things that can be explained and lead a person to understanding, but that takes a lot of study. The more you study, the more you sort of get an idea for what Lao Tzu was talking about, and the more you realize that there just isn't a good way to explain Dao itself. It's much easier to talk about the principles that followers of Dao should follow if they understand Dao than it is to talk about Dao, which is why it's a religion.
@@numberanother5630 That's wu-wei, and that is a common misconception. Wu-wei literally translates to "not acting," but it's more complicated as a philosophic idea. It's not that you don't act, but that you don't act out of step with the natural way. The idea is to become so in tune with Dao that you never have to think about what you're doing. No, actually, that isn't quite right. It's more like Newton's law that a body at rest stays at rest unless outside forces act upon it. It's kind of more that every action you take is not so much an action, but a reaction. Things happen and you just react to it. You don't fight or fret, you don't waste tons of energy trying to redirect the tide, you just . . . sorta go with it. But tomorrow, I'll probably have thought of another reason why *that* explanation isn't quite right either. And that's why Dao is so difficult to talk about. All you can ever really do is talk about things that are sort of like what it means, but that's really only sort of pushing you in the direction of it. No explanation is ever really quite right. And for reference, this is what it was like actually talking to daoist philosophers. At least the ones I talked to. They never give you a direct answer, they just sort of nudge you in the right direction, let you think about it and then give you another nudge to course correct when you talk back. It's very circular, but if you really try to understand, you do get there eventually. Sort of. I honestly don't think even Lao Tzu even really fully understood what he was trying get across.
"The Dao that can be named is not the true Dao" "Thirty spokes share a single hub; grasp the nothingness at its center to get the use of the wheel. Clay is fashioned to make a vessel; grasp the nothingness at the center to get the use of the vessel. Bore windows and doors to create a room; grasp the nothingness of the interior to get the use of the room. That which is constitutes what is valuable, but that which is not constitutes what is of use." “When the fierce wind is past all the hollows are left empty - haven’t you noticed their trailing cries?” Ziyu said, “By the pipes of earth you mean the hollows; by the pipes of man you mean the braces of bamboo flutes. May I inquire about the pipes of heaven?” Ziqi replied, “They whistle through the myriads of different things and let each be like itself, each taking all that is appropriate to each - but who is it who blows them?” Dao is the emptiness which turns walls into a room, or a dowel into a flute - the avenue of wu wei, of acting without acting, or of noncoercive action. And yet, it is more. It is the Way of the world, the great viaduct of qi, it is one's instinct and also one's trained intuition. Dao cannot be simplified; it must be sought after without expectation of result or reward. I can neither say that the Dao simply is - for one cannot say that emptiness truly is - nor can I say that the Dao simply is not, for the hollow of a bowl is what makes it a bowl, and so it is for the Dao. I could call it a universal Judo, but that would not capture it either - there is too much structure in Judo, for that analogy to hold And that's why talking about "What the Dao is" is so infuriating
I think the main reason I liked Kung fu panda so much was because po never had some montage where he gets super fucking ripped like absolutely shredded they kept him as him while he improved his skills and he even used it to his advantage in a fight. Best body positivity film imo
Yeah but he still needed good cardio, muslce development, and flexibility (Remember the cookie jar scene) or in other words still be healthy. You don't get that from just eating. Case and point: sumo wrestlers
Did Wuxi finger hold had anything to do with Wuxia ("Martial Arts Heroes") stories? I guess not, Wuxi is a name of a town. There are some origin stories like it means "without tin". referencing the fall of Xin Dynasty, but some others (source: wikipedia) Similar sound, though
A really interesting note with KFP3 is that Oogway further confirms his beliefs in Daoism by revealing to Po that he'd met that village of pandas years ago, and that's where he'd learned the secrets of Chi and eventually invented Kung Fu. Po just *showing up* out of nowhere was entirely natural to Oogway because in that moment it was clear that Po was the key to bringing the past of Chi tutelage together with the future of Kung Fu. A panda of all things, appearing from the sky in a shower of fireworks to be there in *just* the right moment, at *just* the right time? No wonder Oogway was so intent that Po was the Dragon Warrior from the first time they met.
You explained the meaning of Dao while demonstrating it perfectly by just allowing your cat to take up the shot and not refilming that part is just perfect. If it was intentional, that is brilliant.
Honestly Kung Fu Panda was such a comforting and awesome series to watch. Plus it proved to me that 3D animation could be just as rich, detailed, and BEAUTIFUL as 2D animation.
Don't at me i haven't seen Kung Fu panda for a long time but I think they didn't do pop culture reference or modern song the would ruin the mode of the film like Klaus when the mailman started rapping it was off putting good movie tho
That quote by Zhuangzi reminds me of an anecdote from the life of Diogenes. When asked how he wanted to be buried, Diogenes said, "throw my body over the wall." When they argued that dogs would then eat his body, he said, "Then give me a stick to fight them off." When they argued that he would be dead and wouldn't be able to use the stick, he said, "Well, if I can't be bothered to use a stick to fight them off, then I guess I can't be bothered to worry about being eaten by dogs." The moral of the story? Don't fuss so much.
The similarities exist because Daoism and Cynicism both want to live according to nature. There's also overlap with Stoicism, where one also should live according to nature and accept the flow of the cosmos.
You just can't compare anyone to Diogenes, he was built different. He'd fight street dogs for scraps, and when someone called him a dog for that, he'd rise a leg, and pee on them. And if a guy like that living until over 80 years old doesn't mean God wanted more people to learn from him (or, you know, God may have some sick sense of humor), then I don't know.
I never noticed, but Shifu keeps complaining about his own students but he really was a terrible student himself. He disagrees with his master on pretty much everything and need to be taught the very basics of his philosophy, even tho they've been together for decades Shifu literally learned nothing from Oogway, before the events of the movie
I'm glad someone has pointed that out. As an adult I can appreciate the character of Shifu for feeling realistic, he isn't completely good nor completely evil. But at the same time he's so realistic that I can pinpoint many real people I've met that I just can't stand, precisely because they have the same blind hypocrisy going on: Complaining about every good thing (and person) in their life, while failing to realize that the problem is their own attitude. Sometimes we reflect our state of being into our surroundings, like the "half-full or half-empty" water glass debate, and Shifu saw everything as half-empty because he himself felt that he lacked something within him.
@@100lovenana for me the glass... is both half empty and half full.... what does that make me? ive always been confused by why people debate about it when its both
0:01: Uhm, can we talk about this more? ...I mean, the topic of the first 15 seconds of this video probably deserve their own video, yeah? Or their own channel even?
I just really love the scene where you talk about "Dao" while letting the cat be in front of the camera. It's like you're presenting the meaning of daoism while talking about it. xD
To realize that there was no secret ingredient, is realizing that Mr Ping lied to his costumers by selling ordinary soup with a higher price. What a legend.
The thing I love about Tai Lung's and Po's reactions is how at first they seem the same, but they are different. Tai Lung saw it as nothing, showing his insecurities in how with nothing there he will never be anything. But Po said it was blank. Blank may appear to be nothing, but the difference is that when something is blank you can fill it in with something over time, like Po did as he continued to learn when talking with his father and coming to a realization.
Yes! Tai Lung only values selfish things that directly benefit him and dismisses anything that doesn't. Po values everything, even emptiness that can be used to benefit someone else after it's been filled even if he doesn't directly benefit from it.
@@Dargonhuman i wouldnt say he values selfish things exactly but yeah. I mean how would you react when your father teaches you the many skills to become a kung fu master yet isnt humble so you arent taught humility.
@@Dargonhuman tai ling values validation. Shifu raised him to think that he needs to have something to the point where he can't make anything of himself. If anything this shows tai lungs Insecurity. He has to be validated as the dragon warrior and be told that he is strong because thats what Shifu made him believe. If it wasn't for Po's father, he would have never understood the meaning of the scroll because shifu couldn't see any validation in the scroll
25:30 i like how "I'm not hungry" also calls back to Oogway saying Po eats when he's upset. In his own way, "not being hungry" is his own kind of inner peace (tho that comes up properly in the second movie, granted...).
He got over his insecurities about being unable to match the Furious Five's level, only to have childhood trauma yeeted in his face by Shen and the wolves
Parents being constantly disappointed, causing the child to just stop caring about their opinion, is relatable to me. My father showered me with so much negativity, I just had to start ignoring him, or I'd be a nervous wreck, afraid to go out into public, for fear of failure.
@@cccaaa702 Parents were taught what is best & believed it blindly. They expect it of themselves & of their children, making everybody, themselves included, miserable.
Xiran's first video: Disney screwed up and here's what all they totally messed up Xiran's videos now: Probably an excuse to watch epic shit like ATLA again
@@lalystar4230 Indeed they are! I can imagine all of us ten or so years from now looking back at these first videos in celebration of a big anniversary.
If there's anything I've learned as a new anthropologist, it's that there are certain commonalities among humans, such as: sword go swish swoosh, fried dough good, body doubles as art medium, and spinny glowy toy.
The trigrams on the Korean flag (Taegeuki) are for each of the cardinal directions, as well as the four classical elements and each of the seasons. The meaning of the flag in context represent the three elements of a nation: the white is the land, the taegeuk in the middle represents the people, and the trigrams represent the governing body.
Xiran choosing to move with the flow of the universe and not shoo their cat, explaining Daoism in practice as they're explaining it verbally is the level of storytelling I aspire to.
Chinese director Lu Chuan said "From a production standpoint, the movie is nearly perfect. Its American creators showed a very sincere attitude about Chinese culture."
I'm pretty sure this is a thing for parents from all over the world and not just Asia. But maybe it became a common stereotype for Asian parents particularly? So I would write rather just "Parents, amiright?" :-)
@@sodium_and_scales RANDOM, I KNOW, BUT: Can you go and report some stuff? Cancel-Culture is a social problem and a big problem indeed but PLEASE BE AWARE OF THE FACT that the 180 Degree Opposite of C-Culture does exist. People, among others also me, try to make RUclips and with that the internet and with that the world a better and safer place. Just like using the Police-Phone-Number offline, its only right to use the Flag-System if youre online; thats just right - IF you dont become Cancel-Culture. Honestly, i would ask you to help even: Please BE the Opposite of Cancel-Culture, as many people genuinly try to be, so youtube can become more healthy and less s-ual and racist and all such. Type things like 'H0t Nudity' into the searchbar and just confirm the content to be problematic; then you flag. I myself have gotten so many people deleted; Scammer trying to rob People of their Money, Racists, Sexists, and so much more. I had much success, but not enough; thats why i search for a long time now to get believers-in-god to help me; but apparently, 2020/2021 has gotten their spirits down or even made their believe in helping others for no money, crumble? ...Its rightful AND fun - so why not join?
I'm white british and was brought up most of my life by an Asian step-parent and my white dad. I can straight up say the constant state of disappointment from my Asian step-mum is on another level than my actual biological parents.
@@MajklAstarin Yes, but you have to see Asian parents in action. Even a third generation here in the US has a whole nother version of parental dissapointment. I have a friend who , as a joke, would tell her daughter "don't make me go full on Asian mother on you," in an argument. Like Asian mother had become a verb.
In defence of the Japanese sword and ninja stars in the temple, there is a Norman effigy of a knight with a distinctively Chinese sword on his hip from mediaeval France. Even a thousand years ago, weapons and other artifacts could end up thousands of miles away from where they were made. It's wacky, but it happens.
Plus, Japan and China are literally right next to each other, separated by sea, not a huge ocean. Japan's isolation period aside, it seems inevitable that stuff from Japan would make it into China and vice versa.
I still can't believe "Jack Black as an ancient Kung Fu warrior panda" actually worked. Like, on paper this should've been a disaster but damn if he didn't nail the role
My Chinese teacher showed us in class once the making-of of Kung Fu Panda and when they showed the voice actors she said that he is like a panda and giggled 😄😄
16:26 - "The Daoist master lives carefree in the present." The calmness with which you reacted to the cat - you, too, are a Daoist master, aren't you? Anyway, because of that you'll live in my head rent-free and carefree in the present.
cat: *casually walks by* Xiran: *disapproving Chinese parents' face* (btw i love this video so much that i can't even express, it just brings my understanding to things that i'm familiar with to a much deeper level
My Japanese mother in law gives that look to my partner or his sister at least once every family gathering (well, in The Before Times at least)! I'm lucky enough to avoid that look - 多分彼女の子供は日本語を話せられないから、私は話しことが出来で大学校の先生です。
I'm Korean! It's true, those black lines are 4/8 trigrams. I wasn't sure why, so after a quick search, it seems like the 4 trigrams on the flag represent heaven, sun, moon, and earth. I suspect that these were purposefully chosen to accent the harmony represented by the Taeguk (blue and red swirl in the middle), meaning that heaven and earth, sun and moon are harmonious :)
Ah, that does make sense. I've studied Bagua before and when I saw the flag my first thought was wondering why fire and water are randomly placed there. But I know fire can also represent the sun, so logically water could be moon, too. Also, just to save folx a google search, clockwise the symbols are water, earth, fire, heaven
I've also read somewhere that the Korean flag was based on the flag of the Qing Dynasty. And the similarities are apparent. However I'm not sure about the actual history between the two and it's implications.
@GW2Scapades Hi there! Hope you don't mind me just hopping on this comment, but actually, that's not true at all. You may have unintentionally fallen prey to Chinese revisionist attempts at Korean history, and misinformation rampant in English sources. It's pretty complicated but I will condense it into a brief synopsis. The claim goes like this: "Ma Jianzhong, a scholar and delegate of the Qing dynasty suggested a new flag for Korea (Joseon at the time) and proposed a dragon design based off the Qing dynasty flag for them. A Korean official took his suggestion and created the Korean flag based on Ma's ideas on 1882, September." However, this is a theory based on no evidence. What actually happened was that Joseon officials and the king of Joseon at the time, Gojong, created the flag. We know this because in 2004, we discovered a US navy record titled "Flags of Marine States", where Joseon had made a sketch of the Korean flag in 1882, May. Additionally, nowhere in our current flag, do we reference dragons as suggested by the Qing dynasty, further showing that the claim is false. Hope this helps :)
I watched another really good video essay on Kung Fu Panda, and they had brought up that I thought was a good point about why China didn't produce a movie like KFP. They had mentioned that the story itself wasn't focused on telling the story of Chinese culture or authentic martial arts culture from a Chinese perspective, but rather telling a story of a more western protagonist who is fascinated by the culture and martial arts. Starting out from this point of having a more western type protagonist, they were able to make it relatable and more consumable for western viewers (who bring in millions in revenue and media coverage), while still lovingly and caringly showcasing Chinese culture and referencing old martial art film tropes to also appeal to Chinese audiences.
“It has only made me stop caring about their opinion.” Yeah I feel that. My mom isn’t Chinese, but that’s how it is with most Asian parents. If you don’t succeed, it’s your fault. But if you do succeed it’s only because your parents insulted and pushed you to do better. There is no personal victory, only defeat.
@@mohammedyousef4005 no? Yes? Kinda? I mean I’m not going to raise my kid the way my parents did. But I can see now that they did help me in a way. It may not have helped with my motivation, but I can put up with just about anything before I start getting upset. Really helps me deal with crappy bosses or awful coworkers.
No victory is truly peronal if you think about it. Unless you're in a jungle and have to survive on your own but even then you're using the knowledge of others to get by. I mean, it's not like you raised yourself as humasn evolved to be social creatures. Though there is a fine line between discipline and abusinve the act most parents have children that end up alright (in Asia at elast) show that things are generally alright.
@Nathalie Lofranco the worst part is I thought as I got older things would change as I gained skill and experience to back up my opinions. But even now I get told that the way I do things is wrong even though I’m the one that took classes, got certifications, and studied. I watched it happen to my brother too. He took piano for years and mom was there telling him how horrible he was, and that he need to practice the way she showed him (my mother has never taken a piano class and does not know how to play). And when he decided to get into Hockey it was the same thing. He was semi pro and my mom was still telling him how to skate better. These days they wonder why my brother is never home, and why he doesn’t talk to them about his plans.
One last thing that I love about this movie that people often don't know about, is that Shifu calls Po "panda" in a very dismissive way the whole time... while being a red panda himself. I won't try to interpret this further though ^^
Agree that more Chinese people should be cast as Chinese voices but also, Jack black is perfectly cast in this role, both as a voice, and as a person who reflects Po s journey
@@silverhawkscape2677 The dialogue was made before Jackie was hired for the role. So I suppose it was a coincedence. Though some say it’s because he was busy, making another movie. He has more lines in 3, though.
Can we appreciate the effort they makes EVERY video to wear topics related outfits, they're dressed like a panda, the avatar videos they dressed with fire and water themes.
You know, I think this is a more common occurrence than most people think. For a foreign author or creator to do more justice to a culture and history than studios/artists native to them. One of my favorite stories of all time is the manga series, "Vinland Saga." A series that follows actual historical figures and events like the Icelandic explorer Thorfinn Karlsefni, as well as the Danish King Cnut the Great around the times of the Anglo-Saxon/Dane war in England and Thorfinn's expedition of North America. The story is heavily fictionalized, but incredibly authentic to the history of the setting and the culture of the Scandinavians and the Anglo-Saxons in the early Medieval period. The author, Makoto Yukimura, did a better job capturing the culture and history of Medieval Scandinavia than anything else I have seen or read (save for the Northman). Not to mention, the story and characters are just fantastic. Yet, this came from a Japanese mangaka from Yokohama, Japan. And that is because he as an individual is super passionate about Norse culture and their history. He has traveled to Iceland multiple times to learn more for writing Vinland Saga, and was even invited there for a festival celebrating Icelandic culture because of his work. I think it's actually quite common for a foreign artist to care more about authenticity than native producers and writers because they grew up with the culture and didn't develop the same curiosity and passion that someone outside might have. Obviously this isn't a rule, Hollywood pretty much bastadizes all cultures, not just American (see Vikings and Braveheart). However, I don't really subscribe to the thought that foreign artists need to step aside and hand off their inspiration to someone we might assume is more suited because of locational or cultural reasons. I mean shit, I've met normal Brits who know way more about US history than damn near any Americans I've known (and I say that as an American). American films about American history are usually awful. Yukimura had a story he wanted to tell about violence and trying to create a land free from it without resorting to it, and the difficulties that would come with that. Medieval Scandinavia was the perfect setting, considering that dying in battle was the highest honor and supposedly sent you to Valhalla, not to mention the constant wars in that region at that time. I'm rather glad that Yukimura didn't just hand off that idea to someone from Iceland or Denmark assuming they might be better for the job because he was Japanese. I can understand the desire to see more writers from outside America getting chances, but I don't really think pleading with Hollywood is really a good solution. Hollywood is a corporate, studio-run dystopia. Even films about their own culture are shit. I think the real solution would be more artists and teams getting more accessibility and promotion for audiences outside their countries. I certainly am happy that Vinland Saga was localized for English speakers and that I heard about it from the internet when trying to find something like Berserk. Else, I would have missed out on my favorite series. If more foreign artists can get exposure in the West, that would be amazing. But I wouldn't want to tell talented writers in the West to shut up and give their opportunities to someone else for superficial reasons. I think the work will speak for itself if given the chance.
@@lunawolfheart336 And they communicate in written language! ...Sort of. Their facial features are inexpressive, they don't seem to use pheromones, and they don't vocalize much, so they seem to communicate among themselves by clawing trees in their territory. Pandas are neat little weirdos.
im korean! i grew up understanding that the four symbols on the flag represent the four elements (water, air, earth, fire) and represent balance. also aligns with the taegeuk in the middle which symbolizes balance too (like the yin yang in other east asian cultures). im not a super strict scholar tho, that's just what my family taught me ^^" thanks for making these videos!
YESS i was looking for this comment! I can't add anything other than learning about the balanced elements and all, my only knowledge comes from studying Tang Soo Do (martial arts) when I was little (and they had us study and memorize some aspects of Korean culture for our belt exams.^^;
I'm not Chinese but this movie was really helpful to me when I was teaching. (After awhile I just got too burnt out.) A lot of my students were adults that couldn't really read and struggled with confidence and self-belief. I tried to take inspiration from Shifu's teaching style and from Ugwe's gentle confidence, and I watched it with some of them. A lot of them were really touched and inspired by Po's dad too.
0:02: Uhm, can we talk about this more? ...I mean, the topic of the first 15 seconds of this video probably deserve their own video, yeah? Or their own channel even?
To be fair, the Chinese probably heard that story and said "Yeah, that totally sounds like something one of our ancestors would do." If you told me an American tried to invade Canada singlehandedly in an old decommissioned army tank just after WWII I would believe you right until I looked it up and researched it.
Did you enjoy the ending of the film? After the credits, Shiful and Po are eating dumplings under to peach tree as the camera zooms out to show the seed that Oogway and Shifu planted earlier was now growing.
Xiran: I am only one person, so I don’t have the same opinions as all Chinese people Also Xiran: the lions are canonically genderless because I said so Based
I'm not sure if this is a joke, but they said they're genderless because in china, a male lion would hold a ball and a female would have a cub with her. So, the lions are genderless because they dont have either of those.
I heard someone who was part of the movie sitting in the audience while the movie was played in China and that the Chinese people laughed at certain places and not the same place as the Americans laughed at. And the Americans laughed at other places but did not laugh at the places that the Chinese people laughed at. I’d really love to know your thoughts on which Part of the movie each culture would find hilarious and what the trigger was for that. I love your videos, love from California
The rocket chair story made me laugh because I'm half Japanese and half Scandinavian. Here's the thing: Vikings never wore helmets with horns on them. The Gauls did that (e.g. Asterix). But Vikings have been depicted with horns on their helmets by so many people for so long that even Scandinavians use that trope despite knowing better.
I remember when I was in sixth grade, there was a medieval festival at my school. I wanted to dress as a Viking, so my mom and I spent days researching their armor and weapons to get it accurate. People were wondering why I didn't have horned helmets, and I told them. Don't ask if I still have the costume, I do not. I have no idea what happened to it.
Indeed, the horned helmets were associated with viking war attire because the clothing designer for Wagner's Valkyrie wanted to draw attention to the character despite the distance between the scene and the spectators
@@nehcooahnait7827 We do know a few things about the hairstyles of Vikings/Norsemen. Contemporary writings from non-Scandinavian writers commented on how the Danes were much cleaner than other Europeans (bathing once a week on Saturdays, combing their hair, and wearing clean clothing) and how this was bad because it meant they were seducing non-Danish women. Archeologists have also found combs in Viking dig sites.
I really like that kung fu panda sort of called out Confucianism for its flaws, I'm sure a lot of children of authoritarian parents needed to see this movie
I think it's even better that they used Daoism as the conflicting philosophy rather than some western idea of individualism. Too often we see stereotypes of strict Asian parents put into contrast with individualist western culture making it appear that strict parents is a universally Chinese thing. By placing Daoism in this place, it's demonstrating an entirely Chinese alternative to that Confucian mindset, showing the reality that there's a lot more nuance in Chinese culture, just like there is in any culture.
@@cozmicclockwork1136 Hey, I have had a long lasting but still pretty superficial (to my regret) fascination for Xianxia and Daoism as a whole, could you explain me in details the contrasts between Confucianism, Daoism and Individualism ? Or send me towards articles or videos that talk about it ?
@@levi2725 I wouldn't really know where you would start with that myself. I was mostly just referencing how in media you would often see strict Asian parents in contrast with white American parents who would be depicted as more permitting to their child's personal aspirations or interests. Although anyone who has lived in a western country like America can tell you that there are just as many strict parents here as there are Asian ones.
That actually makes me curious... My coworker from India says Americans (me included) smell like milk ... I didn't even know milk had a scent, but it makes me curious... Is it due to diet?
@@MegaRambit two different things. but THAT one I can answer. In most other cultures/geographies, adults don't drink milk, only babies and maybe children and the elderly (this was also true in Europe), but CHEESE has been a huge part of the "Western" diet for millennia and even back in the middle ages and industrial era, people from Africa and the Middle East noted that Europeans had a distinct "milk smell".
@@AlexDuck what people specifically ? Here where I am from (lebanon) our daily food is like 80% diary products, especially breakfest and most people in the countryside have a cow or two
10:30 I remember one gruesome thing that a poet said about the red lacquered doors. “The doors were painted red with the blood of the corpses who starved.”
Thank you for this video. YT recommended it to me at exactly the right time. I got a book deal for a comic a while back, and I've just started working on my thumbnails. It's been an excruciatingly stressful process. I got finished with my work for the day and turned on this video to watch before bed. And BOY did I need to hear this. Your analysis of Oogway and Shifu's conflict-along with Po's insecurities-really got me thinking about my own creative process. There are undoubtedly times where I won't be able to avoid stress, but I have the opportunity to make working on my first book a fun and exciting process...and so far I've spent most of it punishing myself. This video reminded me to step back and enjoy what I do, and stop beating myself up for the natural way I do things...And to push back against those insecure thought spirals! It inspired me to put my foot down and write out some affirmative statements with my therapist as well. So I had to comment and let you know that you've really made a difference for me with this video, and put me on the path to climbing out of this insecure stew-fest.
0:01: Uhm, can we talk about this more? ...I mean, the topic of the first 15 seconds of this video probably deserve their own video, yeah? Or their own channel even?
I want to wish you all of the luck with that awesome opportunity because you deserve that perspective and to have as much fun as possible and edit because hey I didn’t even realize that I’m actually subbed, your content is incredible and really makes me think too. you really are an awesome writer, you deserve that deal and you deserve to enjoy it. thank you for your content
9:00 Bonus fact: The reason why the snow leopard was specifically chosen as Tai-Lung's species is because snow leopards specifically hunt panda-cubs, making Tai-Lung a low-key Boogeyman
I love that when you were explaining Daoism and your cat got in the camera, you let it happened and didn't stop talking. It really makes you understand the concept a little bit better.
I'd argue that Jack Black was a good A-star actor to be Po, he has such a can-do attitude and humility that lends itself to an insecure and optimistic voice for a zero-to-hero character
That is why it is not silly to use A-class actors as voice actors for animated movies. A lot of the actor's own energy and personality, and of course their acting skills, goes into the voice acting. Great animation studios fine tune their animations, especially their facial animations, according to the voice actor's expressions (they use motion capture cameras when recording the voice track to drive the facial expressions). It is hard to imagine any other actor to bring the same personality and energy to the character of Po. With a different actor, even if the script is the same, the character would have come out completely different.
@@StarlasAiko Further, a lot of these roles are written for the A-lister they get cast by; see also, the Genie in the original Disney Aladdin film, who was explicitly written for Robin William's frenetic energy. You can't have that role without Williams, its part of why the first sequel is so much worse.
@@BloodyAltima true, and I hate it when people's go to critic is "celebrity voice acting" and it's like... I can see why it'd be annoying, but if the celebrity is already an actor... then who tf cares?
@@JaneDoeValentine It's moreso that we're annoyed with how its a transparent attempt to attract viewers. It's obviously different when the role was tailored to the actor, but when the actor brings nothing to the table and is only their because of their clout, when a more culturally appropriate option exists, or when professional voice actors with years of experiences get shafted for these larger celebrities (or when a character is brought to the big screen and the person who's always voiced that character gets overlooked for the big celebrity), it gets obnoxious.
The look on Zhao’s face when their cat just takes over the frame at 15:59 cracked me up so hard. I love learning about Chinese culture, and how it’s influenced some of my favourite media, but Zhao themself is also just insanely funny, I’ve been watching through their catalogue and I haven’t laughed this good in weeks. Single handedly has helped relieve some of the tension that’s been building up in my body over the past two months since the year began.
I'm Chinese but I'm adopted and have grown up in an American family, and from time to time I've wondered why I've never needed deodorant. This was kind of a cool small thing to find out, and I loved the rest of the video, too! It's so entertaining and educational to hear about these influences in some of my favorite movies
Omg me too!! I'm Chinese and adopted by a Canadian family and never had BO or needed to use deodorant either! Finding out about dry wax and wet wax was also an interesting tidbit. So glad I'm not alone in this revelation as an Chinese adoptee : D
There’s this one anime called Asobi Asobase that has a white character named Olivia and there’s a bunch of jokes about how she smells much more strongly than her friends
MY BAD, correction, Jennifer Yuh Nelson the Head of Story (and director of Kung Fu Panda 2 & 3) is Korean American, not Chinese American.
Also I know y'all love learning, so I encourage you to read up on Palestine to understand more about the things you're seeing in the news! decolonizepalestine.com/faq/
have you ever considered making a video on post ww2 chinise martial arts films and there sub text of defiying the imperialst powers that occupied it, idk if that makes sence i have vaugly read of such films and i am intrested in learning more about this topic but dont know where i would start researching the chinise movie industry
I apreciate this, however if I may opine on this as an israeli citizen without having my head chewed off, I find this type of websites to over simplify the issue as good guys and bad guys. especially when you have terrorist organizations taking advantage of this whole situation.
What do you think about Asian telling stories base off of White Culture?
The whole conflict is so complicated. I don’t pretend to know enough to have an opinion yet. I’ve been called a stupid white person because I said so.
@@Angelicwings1 Its not complicated, its simple. ruclips.net/video/62I61kBahNY/видео.html Watch from the beginning or skip to 3:57. Its a totally asymmetrical relationship.
“There are no accidents.”
Cat blocks cam. Video goes viral. Book sales skyrocket.
I was introduced to the author because classmate said, “look at this dude with their cat all up on them.”
The cat did it on purpose and on cue.
_depression drops down_
Cats make everything better
😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣
"Master Shifu is literally Master Master"
Chai Tea: Finally a worthy opponent our battle will be legendary!
The convenience of this meme is amazing
*Master²*
@@anguirosuchus55 😂😂😂
Naan Bread, Soviet Union and Sahara Desert:
Tea tea 😏
"what gender are you?"
"oh, sorry I don't have a smooth ball or a lion cub actually."
💫IT'S NON BINARY 💫
So dragons with a specific item under their paw indicates their gender?
@@seekeroftruth8758 yup, but not dragons, lions (or lion stone statues), the female lion has a cub and the male has a perfectly cut round ball, they normally come in pairs, a female and a male, as a decoration or as some believed: to scare away bad things and protect the building, you could do some more research if you're interested, chinese history and culture has alot of interesting parts
@@seekeroftruth8758 It's a joke from the Mulan (cartoon) video. Lion statues are supposed to be in cub/ball pair as mother/father, but in Western media they often just go with a pair of ball-lions.... which Xiran joked meant they were a gay pair.
It's apparently become a running joke reference across at least three videos now?
🤣🤣 my gender identity is an ambiguous stone lion statue.
I love how in the sequel, Poe’s father changed his restaurant to “Dragon Warrior Noodles and Tofu” which not only shows how proud of he is of his son, but shows that Poe inspired him as well since he told Poe that he once had crazy notion about making tofu.
That’s super cute. Awwww.
i used to think it was exploitative but now i just realise that po relishes in his fame anyway lol
I never noticed!
Thanks for pointing that out!
aww that's so sweet. thanks for pointing that out, man.
"Master, I have good news!"
"There is just news, there is no good or bad."
"Xiran Jay Zhao made a 30 minute video on Kung Fu Panda!"
"Ah, that is good news!"
Forget good news, it’s *great* news
Up you go !
@Nathan L
I read this in his voice.
@@JustGrowingUp84 Me too.
Definitely!
What I love about Shifu is that when he saw that his initial method wasn't working with his new student, he stopped trying to change the student, changing his method instead. That is what a good teacher does.
!!1 yesss !!!
He probably wouldn't have done so without direct (if vague) instructions from his own master to change the way he viewed Po. Shifu is a pretty shitty teacher at the start of the film, that's kind of his entire arc; even though Po is the protagonist, Shifu is the deuteragonist and undergoes an entire arc of his own, facing his past mistakes as a parent and teacher and learning to change his approach and finding peace in doing so.
...look, i just watched this movie for the first time in 10 years two days ago and i have many emotions. this is such a well-written and well-structured story all around...
It is actually said that Confucius once got asked the exact same question by two different students whom he gave different answers respectively, and when another student asked Confucius why he had given different answers to those two, he explained that they had different personalities so he should give them different suggestions accordingly. Confucianism kinda has this idea of "因材施教" teaching students in accordance with their aptitude, and I never noticed how much Shifu represents Confucianism until I watched this vid
Excellence
I wish my math teacher was like that T-T
"Grabs popcorn" I am ready to get educated about things.
I know lots of things
LOTS OF THINGS
I always read the comments first, and you have inspired me to make popcorn. Thank you 🙌🍿😺
Literally me when I see that she posted
I have XXtra Hot Cheetos-ready to rewatch this video!
I love this comment! 😭❤️
I love the scene where Po finishes his training and says that he's not hungry, because earlier in the movie he says he gets hungry whenever he's anxious. It means that he has learned to overcome his insecurities and has some self-stem in him now
Aww :))
@AverageCharacter Or perhaps a subtle nod to Tigress mentioning how the Dragon Warrior can go months without food
EXACTLY
@@OhCrapI_He I mean....the fat stores on Po (if they work like in humans in the kfp universe) WOULD sustain him for awhile if he had no food around
Also that dumpling is probably super gross after being thrown around.
I thinks it’s interesting that Po is purely black and white, while Tai Lung is grey. Which mirrors how clear Po becomes and how conflicted Tai Lung is.
Oh wow I never thought on this!
@@niapurdue230 me either!
And Master Shifu is mostly white 👀 and then in panda two ISNT the ox character all black. Or am I thinking of another villain.
Wow, Alex Or Whatever! You blew my mind. Excellent!!!! 👍🏽🐼🙌🏽
@@MrDrProfessorSir962 you're thinking of part 3. Part 2 has the white Peacock.
Monkey: You saved me...why?
Meme lord Xiran: MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
*Because Monke*
@@jadeuwu9860 Based
I still find it hysterical how this channel started as a huge "f*ck you" to Mulan 2020, and became this awesome source of knowledge and culture.
Every single time I watch a video, I'm glad Xiran was this pissed off about Mulan, otherwise I wouldn't have learned nearly a third of the things I've learned watching these videos.
Then you guys better admit at least SOME good came out of Mulan 2020!
Yeah.
As as a Jewish woman, I’ll tell you a little secret:
Spite is one hell of a motivator
That was such a godsend, absolutely. For one thing, I appreciate and respect the hell out of turning anger and spite into something this good, for another I can reactivate a bit of the knowledge that sort of ended up in dusty boxes in the attic since my China Studies days (this video reminds me that I need to read the Daodejing again. And again). Very grateful for that.
I feel like Kung Fu Panda actually shows that, if you actually do your homework and have some respect for the culture you're portraying, you can make something good no matter where you're from.
The Sucker Punch developers who gave the world "Ghost Of Tsushima" & the overwhelming majority of gamers in Japan who gave the game glowing reviews R further proof of that.
Unlike a certain other movie MULAN (2020))
Same goes for Avatar and the Aladdin live action!!
If you make something with love and respect then yeah you can make something that doesn't make the ppl you see portraying feel like they are being depicted as caricatures.
But it's very easy to mess that up. You need to make sure as the creative heads behind something like Kung Fu Panda or Ghost, that you are depicting ppl who you haven't lived the experience of and you need to do your research so you can respect them as full ppl.
Sadly some ppl don't want to put in that effort. Cough Ghost in the Shell Cough lol
@@zenkim6709 And if it's about japanese creators doing non-japanese settings, there's Berserk, Vinland Saga, Metal Gear Solid... there are excentricities that do leak out, but in the end it's not impossible and can lead to an interesting mix (or a disgusting mess if done superficially)
Ever since I learned that the stone lions are male and female based on what they are holding, I notice gay lions everywhere and I love it
People like their symmetry more than heteronormativity, it seems.
It's not the sole indicator. Male lions are often sculpted with phalluses.
*looks at her own set with them both holding orbs* I too am protected by the gay lions :D
Almost every Chinese restaurant in my conservative American city is guarded by gay lions. So is the house of the homophobic old lady a few houses down from me.
I’ve been cackling ever since I learned about this and that female stone lions exist. It’s the absolute best. Next year during pride month I’m tempted to put little pride flags in the paws of all the gay lions I can find.
@@Annie_Annie__ Doo Eeet
There is a saying: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.
Grand Master Oogway
Korean here. The four trigrams are called geon, ri, gam, and gon. They are basically four different aspects of the universe like cardinal directions, family members, seasons, and celestial bodies.
This is the comment I came into the comments to find. Thank you!
I also came to see if anyone left the deets, thank you!
Why is there not a suggest to be pinned function? This comment should be pinned.
This was really helpful! Thank you!
Thank you!
In Jack Black's defense: his portrayal of him is what ultimately saved Po's character.
Po was supposed to be much more arrogant of a character, not even caring about kung-fu. It wasn't until Jack Black came on that Po was changed to be much more vulnerable and kind as a protagonist.
(But yes, overall we do still need to stop this trend of actors taking voice actors' jobs.)
Separating actors from voice acting is kinda gross dude, at the end of the day it's still just acting. Tell me, is Mark Hamill not deserving to get all those voice acting roles (Especially his turn as the Joker from the highly regarded Batman: The Animated Series) because he was Luke Skywalker? Same with the guy who played the Genie in the Aladdin Broadway musical, he's done some voice work, too. Is he now exempt from being a VA because he's also a theatre actor? Consequently, should we deny Voice Actors other roles in live-action or theatre _because_ they also do voice-over roles?
@@tcrpgfan we already deny voice actors roles. literally all the time. in fact, hollywood actors took the roles away from voice actors, and voice actors didnt get shit in return
Some actors are just also good voice actors! Jack Black is one of them, imo. I get what you're saying though, when you're watching something and you can tell they just cast someone for their name and not their voice, it's definitely disappointing
I feel when it comes to people like robin Williams or jack black, aka actors who may not be traditional voices actors but have enough energy and talent that they can make it work should be allowed to voice act but not actors who are just there because they are big names/aren’t really that wide an actor but more just a face shouldn’t
Jack Black is arguably one of the exceptions. He's a decent VA (which makes sense as even in onscreen roles his voice is a big part of his presence) and as mentioned brought a lot of heart and vulnerability to Po. On the other hand, Kung Fu Panda does have some excellent earlier examples of "celebrity VAs for the big name's sake and really nothing else" in Angelina Jolie Tigress (who did a fine job, but like... Tigress didn't need to be her, or vice versa) and unfortunately, Jackie Chan Monkey (on paper it makes sense to have him here, it would be weirder if he wasn't, but in including him you have the otherwise perfect let voice actors voice act argument because the advertising made a HUGE deal of Jackie Chan playing a major character and then Monkey has like, two lines because surprise, the dude whose career revolves around on-screen low speech action scenes isn't the best voice actor)
I had NEVER made that connection of Po being immune to the acupuncture foreshadowing being immune to Tai Lung's stun attack
HOLY COW ,ME NEITHER
I was too busy laughing at Po's facial expression when mantis pokes his facial nerve and temporarily paralyzing him.
There's a lot of foreshadowing in the first movie like how when walk out of the smoke he looked like he is wearing a cape and a straw(I think that was it is) just like in Kung fu panda 3
@@_hn5343 I thought it was because of the dream he had at the beginning when he was wearing the bamboo hat and cape in that.
I thought it was because he is fat lmao
The best part about this whole video is how Xiran made their hair look like panda ears. Perfection.
ANND she was wearing white and black xD
@Katie Rae I think Xiran uses she/they, if I remember correctly. I think it came up in the video about anti-Asian speech and violence.
I could have misinterpreted them, though.
@@austinluther5825 iirc Xiran said they prefer they/them, but is also used to she/her. So I'd say to try to use they/them as much as you can, but if you slip and use she/her it shouldn't be that big a deal.
@@drygonfyre Thanks for clarifying!
@Katie Rae It's official. I completely misinterpreted what they said in that video. Sorry, Xiran!
"Master Shifu is literally 'Master Master'."
Professor Doctor: Ah, finally, a worthy opponent!
Or the Sahara desert? Literally "the desert desert".
@@DestructionGlitter Oh wow, I didn't know that one either. I'm learning so much today!
Chai tea= Tea tea
@@gracehenry-tarrant597 my daughter and I call chai 'tea tea' because of the sheer number of people who say 'chai tea' - drives us nuts, but we find it funny at the same time.
@@celinahatton2653 In Russian any tea is also called chai, obviously a word borrowed from Chinese, so I understand that feeling.
My personal takeaway from the Confucianism vs Daoism in kung fu panda was recognizing when to apply each. Which weirdly relates to how my grandpa got a job in tv and radio. He couldn’t control the fact his parent wanted him to go into business and didn’t approve of tv and radio. So he majored in tv and minored in business and told his parents it was the other way around since they were okay with him minoring in tv and radio.
He became one of the first Chinese American tv directors.
That's amazing!!!
Your grandpa sounds like a gigachad. lol
Who was he?
It's wild to think this entire RUclips channel started out of pure, unadulterated spite for a certain atrocious film released last year. You've come a long way!
Spite is one of the fundamental forces of (human) nature. There's hardly any stronger motivation than doing things out of spite.
@@DonVigaDeFierro There are many things that only exist because somebody somewhere said the magic words "FUCK YOU".
"there are no accidents"
@@DonVigaDeFierro What about the desire to make a buck?
I was just thinking about this lol
Street vendor in Europe: *stares at Xiran and slaps some putty on the table really hard hoping to entice them into buying it*
Xiran:👁👄👁
Can we all just apreciate how fluidly Xiran can use chinese words while speaking english flawlessly? I'm sure all of us bilinguals know how hard it is to use proper pronunciation while alternating between languages mid sentence. It's just so cool to hear it this flawlessly.
Especially when you change to Chinese and forgot there are 4 notes resulting in sloppy words, it hurts.
It's true. I'm bilingual too and thyus is really hard.
@@annacbrown1986 try multilingual. Now that's scary.
@@annacbrown1986 "how to frick am I supposed to be good in Chinese, Malay and English at the same time, think mom! Think!
Hm, I wouldn't know how difficult Chinese and English is, but Greek, German and English work pretty easily, even with the vastly different pronunciations of most of the consonants.
I suppose it depends if you grew up multilingual.
For the Wuxi Finger Hold, in either a deleted scene or the post credit scene of the film, Shifu states that the hold wasn't real and was just a myth that Masters passed on to mess with their pupils so he's confused as to how Po figured out how to make it real.
I feel like it's name is a reference to Wuxia movies (wuxi - wuxia just remove a single English letter) and how hilariously unrealistic they depict their martial arts (of which I am generally a fan because it's cool).
And I've heard stories about martial art masters doing similar things to mess with students.
But I am a dude who vaguely knows random things that may or may not be true, so I might be wrong.
Apparently it came from a scholastic "interview" where Po talks about himself, it's all in character stuff so he describes how Shifu told him that the move was made up.
I'm going to accept that as canon now because that's the funniest thing I have heard in a long time.
I love how impractical Wuxia martial arts looks. Like, long lengths of cloth on clothing apparently makes for a great weapon. But hey, it looks good!!
15:50 "People would make bows and arrows out of peach wood to fight demons" *A demon appears*
Quick, get the peach wood!!!
@@eeuseilaporra1177 *throws branch at cat*
That explains why the Peach Tree was able to defeat Ka pa(?).
I appreciate how at the beginning you were like “the Chinese government IP black listed me, but that’s ok because I can use a VPN to deal with it” and I was like, this is peak advertisement right here. Excellent video as always.
So clever ngl. 😂
Right best VPN ad I have ever heard
Can you actually access Chinese internet while being outside China using this VPN?
@@SPofSaturnProduction Ah, okay! I use ExpressVPN, so I would need to check how to access internet of China while I am back in the US, for instance.
China when discovers VPN: BAN IT, COPY IT
"The Kung Fu Panda palace is guarded by non-binary lions" made my day.
sameeee 😂
Glad I'm not the only one
I wonder what a bi lion would have
@@silentlyjudgingyou A ball and a cub, probably.
As someone who thinks they maybe Non binary them self same:-)💜💛
25:55 This is even more profound to Po's character development when you remember that Oogway observed that Po eats when he's upset. But now, he's not hungry, because he's not upset.
And he was pretty upset with his life as well.
Not just upset, he eats when he’s *anxious.* He’s confident that he can defend the valley
When Kung Fu Panda is more culturally accurate than Mulan 2020 :/
edit: this kinda blew up lol it was just a throwaway comment lmaooo ty guys :)
😂
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂💀
damn... that hurts... after all the promotion disney did about that.. ooff xD
Given what Disney did, it's not that hard.
XD ~dies of laughter XD Good One!, and now to climb up the mountain of my Chair ;-P
something that I really loved about this movie was how Po was never treated bad by the rest of the villagers who are smaller animals. sometimes in this type of stories were the main character is different from the rest they get made fun of or worse by everyone else.
A nice touch for sure!
Aside from just being good people, you don't want to piss off the owners of a good eatery.
Mr. Ping seems to be a respected man in the valley of peace on top of everything, so it's not like Po, as his adopted son, was an outcast to begin with.
I wouldn't piss of a guy five times my size and weight
@@raiorai2 Yeah considering he just can flatten me in 2 Seconds if he wants.
I won’t lie, the prospect of them using a vpn to evade an authoritarian government makes surfshark so much more appealing than like, other ads
they use they/them pronouns btw!
@@jjjm7322 I had no idea ! Thank you for correcting me ^^
@@jjjm7322 who, Xiran? I didnt know that 😯
@@pokaay3163 Yep! They are, I got kinda excited to see another enby when I found out
@@jjjm7322 gross
"The turtle is Daoist."
I actually studied Daoism as a personal research project in high school. I went all out, too, as much as an American possibly could in the early 2000s. Even joined a daoist internet forum and talked directly to some practicing daoists to get it as close to from the original source as I possibly could. I've kept up my studies on the subject on and off over the years.
And now when people find out I did this, the first question they ALWAYS ask is, "So, what is the Dao?"
This might be the reason I'm prematurely balding.
could you reply back with a question like "what do you think the dao is?" (& hopefully save some of your hair🤣)
@@andromeda3687 As Lao Tzu said, "those who speak of Dao do not know it, and those who know it do not speak of it."
This is because the concept is one of those where the harder you try to put it into words that give a clear answer, the farther you get from reality.
The closest to an accurate answer I can get is this: the Dao is the way the universe is. Well, actually, the closest true answer you can give is "The Dao is," but if I say that, people just assume I've said an incomplete sentence. The problem is that the answer tells you very little, but the more you try to explain it, the further you get from the idea.
The only way to really explain Dao is to explain other things that can be explained and lead a person to understanding, but that takes a lot of study. The more you study, the more you sort of get an idea for what Lao Tzu was talking about, and the more you realize that there just isn't a good way to explain Dao itself.
It's much easier to talk about the principles that followers of Dao should follow if they understand Dao than it is to talk about Dao, which is why it's a religion.
From what I gathered it is if procrastination had a positive meaning
@@numberanother5630 That's wu-wei, and that is a common misconception. Wu-wei literally translates to "not acting," but it's more complicated as a philosophic idea. It's not that you don't act, but that you don't act out of step with the natural way. The idea is to become so in tune with Dao that you never have to think about what you're doing.
No, actually, that isn't quite right. It's more like Newton's law that a body at rest stays at rest unless outside forces act upon it. It's kind of more that every action you take is not so much an action, but a reaction. Things happen and you just react to it. You don't fight or fret, you don't waste tons of energy trying to redirect the tide, you just . . . sorta go with it.
But tomorrow, I'll probably have thought of another reason why *that* explanation isn't quite right either. And that's why Dao is so difficult to talk about. All you can ever really do is talk about things that are sort of like what it means, but that's really only sort of pushing you in the direction of it. No explanation is ever really quite right.
And for reference, this is what it was like actually talking to daoist philosophers. At least the ones I talked to. They never give you a direct answer, they just sort of nudge you in the right direction, let you think about it and then give you another nudge to course correct when you talk back. It's very circular, but if you really try to understand, you do get there eventually. Sort of.
I honestly don't think even Lao Tzu even really fully understood what he was trying get across.
"The Dao that can be named is not the true Dao"
"Thirty spokes share a single hub; grasp the nothingness at its center to get the use of the wheel.
Clay is fashioned to make a vessel; grasp the nothingness at the center to get the use of the vessel.
Bore windows and doors to create a room; grasp the nothingness of the interior to get the use of the room.
That which is constitutes what is valuable, but that which is not constitutes what is of use."
“When the fierce wind is past all the hollows are left empty - haven’t you noticed their trailing cries?”
Ziyu said, “By the pipes of earth you mean the hollows; by the pipes of man you mean the braces of bamboo flutes. May I inquire about the pipes of heaven?”
Ziqi replied, “They whistle through the myriads of different things and let each be like itself, each taking all that is appropriate to each - but who is it who blows them?”
Dao is the emptiness which turns walls into a room, or a dowel into a flute - the avenue of wu wei, of acting without acting, or of noncoercive action. And yet, it is more. It is the Way of the world, the great viaduct of qi, it is one's instinct and also one's trained intuition. Dao cannot be simplified; it must be sought after without expectation of result or reward. I can neither say that the Dao simply is - for one cannot say that emptiness truly is - nor can I say that the Dao simply is not, for the hollow of a bowl is what makes it a bowl, and so it is for the Dao. I could call it a universal Judo, but that would not capture it either - there is too much structure in Judo, for that analogy to hold
And that's why talking about "What the Dao is" is so infuriating
I think the main reason I liked Kung fu panda so much was because po never had some montage where he gets super fucking ripped like absolutely shredded they kept him as him while he improved his skills and he even used it to his advantage in a fight. Best body positivity film imo
A ripped po would be terrifying tho
@@kingsaracoon9594 A ripped Po would haunt my nightmares
Ripped Po = Gohin from Beastars
Yeah but he still needed good cardio, muslce development, and flexibility (Remember the cookie jar scene) or in other words still be healthy. You don't get that from just eating.
Case and point: sumo wrestlers
@@alexanerose4820 ah yes the art of eating shit tonS of food while exercising a shit ton.
Honestly the best advertisement for a VPN I've seen. "I use it because...I've been IP banned by the government of China." XD
When she said that I was like holy crap
@@Olivia_Dreamrider xiran is actually nonbinary using they/them pronouns
Fun fact: in Polish dubbing "Wuxi finger hold" was translated to "finger of doom technique"
“Not the finger of doom technique! Noooooo! “
That is fantastic 😂
Did Wuxi finger hold had anything to do with Wuxia ("Martial Arts Heroes") stories?
I guess not, Wuxi is a name of a town. There are some origin stories like it means "without tin". referencing the fall of Xin Dynasty, but some others (source: wikipedia)
Similar sound, though
I love that lol
In spanish too!
A really interesting note with KFP3 is that Oogway further confirms his beliefs in Daoism by revealing to Po that he'd met that village of pandas years ago, and that's where he'd learned the secrets of Chi and eventually invented Kung Fu. Po just *showing up* out of nowhere was entirely natural to Oogway because in that moment it was clear that Po was the key to bringing the past of Chi tutelage together with the future of Kung Fu. A panda of all things, appearing from the sky in a shower of fireworks to be there in *just* the right moment, at *just* the right time? No wonder Oogway was so intent that Po was the Dragon Warrior from the first time they met.
The inspirational things I learnt from this franchise is:
" Monke "
mmm... Monke
Mmm.. Monke
猴子🐒
mmm.. monke
mmm... Monke
Xiran: *talks about Daoism*
Xiran's cat: "That's my cue"
Yep xxx *fusses moggie*
Meowism
The cat: "I'll go with the flow"
I love how while she is talking and explaining Doa beliefs and her cat is literally in the shot, she is going with the flow of her cat's universe.
@@erseshe howcome?
@@mayganphynix8267
Cats are cool. 'Nuff said.
oh hey they use they/them pronouns btw!
@@rainestorme25 wait don’t they use they/them?
@@a_gal.in.your.basement oh weird, I could've sworn their twitter said they/it. I think they might've changed it. I'll edit my comment!
Love how you kept the shots of your cat blocking out the camera as you talked about the laid back philosophy of Doaism. A visual aid for the concept.
I was just about to say! What a visual interpretation of Daoism as she talks about it.
Xiran: "The Jade Palace is being guarded by nonbinary lions."
Me: "I accept this as canon now."
Nonlionary
@@catherineperry5099 *bows down to the pun master*
You explained the meaning of Dao while demonstrating it perfectly by just allowing your cat to take up the shot and not refilming that part is just perfect. If it was intentional, that is brilliant.
Honestly Kung Fu Panda was such a comforting and awesome series to watch. Plus it proved to me that 3D animation could be just as rich, detailed, and BEAUTIFUL as 2D animation.
agree 100%, even now i have trilogy on my pc and i watch it from time to time :D
Don't at me i haven't seen Kung Fu panda for a long time but I think they didn't do pop culture reference or modern song the would ruin the mode of the film like Klaus when the mailman started rapping it was off putting good movie tho
Yeah but there's very limited 2d hand drawn animation nowadays
Honestly I've seen it 6 times, and not always with my children.... 💁🏻♀️
I mean, there are SO many 3D movies that are rich, detailed and beautiful...
That quote by Zhuangzi reminds me of an anecdote from the life of Diogenes. When asked how he wanted to be buried, Diogenes said, "throw my body over the wall." When they argued that dogs would then eat his body, he said, "Then give me a stick to fight them off." When they argued that he would be dead and wouldn't be able to use the stick, he said, "Well, if I can't be bothered to use a stick to fight them off, then I guess I can't be bothered to worry about being eaten by dogs."
The moral of the story? Don't fuss so much.
The similarities exist because Daoism and Cynicism both want to live according to nature. There's also overlap with Stoicism, where one also should live according to nature and accept the flow of the cosmos.
Zhuangzi and Diogenes probably would have liked each other.
@@DoubleADwarfThough Zhuangzi would likely complain about Diogenes' smell
@@pacmonster066 Probably, and Diogenes would probably think it was funny.
You just can't compare anyone to Diogenes, he was built different.
He'd fight street dogs for scraps, and when someone called him a dog for that, he'd rise a leg, and pee on them.
And if a guy like that living until over 80 years old doesn't mean God wanted more people to learn from him (or, you know, God may have some sick sense of humor), then I don't know.
I never noticed, but Shifu keeps complaining about his own students but he really was a terrible student himself. He disagrees with his master on pretty much everything and need to be taught the very basics of his philosophy, even tho they've been together for decades
Shifu literally learned nothing from Oogway, before the events of the movie
I'm glad someone has pointed that out. As an adult I can appreciate the character of Shifu for feeling realistic, he isn't completely good nor completely evil. But at the same time he's so realistic that I can pinpoint many real people I've met that I just can't stand, precisely because they have the same blind hypocrisy going on: Complaining about every good thing (and person) in their life, while failing to realize that the problem is their own attitude. Sometimes we reflect our state of being into our surroundings, like the "half-full or half-empty" water glass debate, and Shifu saw everything as half-empty because he himself felt that he lacked something within him.
It's a story about NOTHING@!
@@100lovenana for me the glass... is both half empty and half full.... what does that make me? ive always been confused by why people debate about it when its both
@@NoobGamer-hn5rs I guess in your case it means you're content, or at least neutral
@@100lovenana okies yeah lol thank you
You should put "I got IP banned by the Chinese Government" on a resume or plaque or something to show your skills and expertise.
0:01: Uhm, can we talk about this more?
...I mean, the topic of the first 15 seconds of this video probably deserve their own video, yeah? Or their own channel even?
I just really love the scene where you talk about "Dao" while letting the cat be in front of the camera. It's like you're presenting the meaning of daoism while talking about it. xD
That's exactly what I was thinking!!! I was like, oh surprised she didn't cut this part out - *realizes what she's talking about* OHHHHHH MY GODDDDDD
I mean, cats flow like water sometimes so...
Dao is the only possible way to deal with a cat at any given time. They will do whatever they want so you might as well just accept it.
Cats are the true masters of the Dao, actually
That was exactly what I thought!
To realize that there was no secret ingredient, is realizing that Mr Ping lied to his costumers by selling ordinary soup with a higher price. What a legend.
I guess there is a secret ingredient: deceit
The thing I love about Tai Lung's and Po's reactions is how at first they seem the same, but they are different. Tai Lung saw it as nothing, showing his insecurities in how with nothing there he will never be anything. But Po said it was blank. Blank may appear to be nothing, but the difference is that when something is blank you can fill it in with something over time, like Po did as he continued to learn when talking with his father and coming to a realization.
Yes! Tai Lung only values selfish things that directly benefit him and dismisses anything that doesn't. Po values everything, even emptiness that can be used to benefit someone else after it's been filled even if he doesn't directly benefit from it.
@@Dargonhuman i wouldnt say he values selfish things exactly but yeah. I mean how would you react when your father teaches you the many skills to become a kung fu master yet isnt humble so you arent taught humility.
👏🏽
@@Dargonhuman tai ling values validation. Shifu raised him to think that he needs to have something to the point where he can't make anything of himself. If anything this shows tai lungs Insecurity. He has to be validated as the dragon warrior and be told that he is strong because thats what Shifu made him believe. If it wasn't for Po's father, he would have never understood the meaning of the scroll because shifu couldn't see any validation in the scroll
@@BabyGirlTiny That makes sense.
25:30 i like how "I'm not hungry" also calls back to Oogway saying Po eats when he's upset. In his own way, "not being hungry" is his own kind of inner peace (tho that comes up properly in the second movie, granted...).
Hey I eat when I’m upset.
Hey I eat when I’m upset
He got over his insecurities about being unable to match the Furious Five's level, only to have childhood trauma yeeted in his face by Shen and the wolves
Parents being constantly disappointed, causing the child to just stop caring about their opinion, is relatable to me. My father showered me with so much negativity, I just had to start ignoring him, or I'd be a nervous wreck, afraid to go out into public, for fear of failure.
I think it's more stereotypically parent than stereotypically *insert country where you grew up & experienced this here*
@@elaineb7065 Is doing the *insert country* thing you just mentioned another way to say "We live in a society."?
@@cccaaa702 Parents were taught what is best & believed it blindly. They expect it of themselves & of their children, making everybody, themselves included, miserable.
@@elaineb7065 Make sense, but I just wanted to make a society joke
@@elaineb7065 Make sense, but I just wanted to make a society joke
23:18 “Seriously I didn’t know what BO was until I came to Canada.”
As a Canadian I died inside after hearing this
When A movie about Anthro talking animals does the whole "chi is magic" thing better than....another *ahem* "movie".
the movie that shall not be named
@@drawnwithlove3499 what movie is it? Im guessing mulan
@@alraunedee8973 how dare you speak blasphemy. There can only be 1 Disney Milan film and that is the 1998 version
@@heistingcrusader_ad3223 Yeah it's remake deserves to be tossed into the flaming pile of trash, along with it's director.
Mostly because they actually portray the concept of Chi and not just use its name for generic superpowers.
Xiran's first video: Disney screwed up and here's what all they totally messed up
Xiran's videos now: Probably an excuse to watch epic shit like ATLA again
Honestly having a youtube channel like this gives you the BEST excuse to binge on your comfort movies
Xiran has said this before, but the Disney video blowing up was originally supposed to be a one and done thing, but then the subscribers blew up, too.
@@KyrstOak Of course the sub base blew up, that was an amazing video! As are all the others!
@@lalystar4230 Indeed they are! I can imagine all of us ten or so years from now looking back at these first videos in celebration of a big anniversary.
This continues to be the most chill commentary channel ever.
If there's anything I've learned as a new anthropologist, it's that there are certain commonalities among humans, such as: sword go swish swoosh, fried dough good, body doubles as art medium, and spinny glowy toy.
Same with Indian mythology.
I like that
Also noodles/pasta 🍝
Seems about right
Don't forget "let's let that rot....and see if the drink works????"
The trigrams on the Korean flag (Taegeuki) are for each of the cardinal directions, as well as the four classical elements and each of the seasons. The meaning of the flag in context represent the three elements of a nation: the white is the land, the taegeuk in the middle represents the people, and the trigrams represent the governing body.
Reminds me of so much flag iconography.
wow
Now that’s some good flag design
Xiran choosing to move with the flow of the universe and not shoo their cat, explaining Daoism in practice as they're explaining it verbally is the level of storytelling I aspire to.
They actually use they/them pronouns btw
@@allanagiles9470 Oh, I did not realise. Corrected now.
@@colinfitzpatrick3389 If they’re both right, you didn’t have to correct them..?
@@salami7031 Think of it kinda like the argument for or against the oxford comma. They're both right...one is just more right than the other. =P
Chinese director Lu Chuan said "From a production standpoint, the movie is nearly perfect. Its American creators showed a very sincere attitude about Chinese culture."
"this is relatable to me because my parents are in a constant state of disappointment with me"
Asian parents, amiright?
I'm pretty sure this is a thing for parents from all over the world and not just Asia. But maybe it became a common stereotype for Asian parents particularly? So I would write rather just "Parents, amiright?" :-)
Parents in general, am I right?
@@sodium_and_scales RANDOM, I KNOW, BUT:
Can you go and report some stuff?
Cancel-Culture is a social problem and
a big problem indeed but PLEASE BE AWARE OF THE FACT that
the 180 Degree Opposite of C-Culture does exist.
People, among others also me, try to
make RUclips and with that the internet
and with that the world a better and safer place.
Just like using the Police-Phone-Number offline,
its only right to use the Flag-System if youre online;
thats just right - IF you dont become Cancel-Culture.
Honestly, i would ask you to help even:
Please BE the Opposite of Cancel-Culture,
as many people genuinly try to be, so
youtube can become more healthy and
less s-ual and racist and all such.
Type things like 'H0t Nudity' into the searchbar
and just confirm the content to be problematic; then you flag.
I myself have gotten so many people deleted;
Scammer trying to rob People of their Money,
Racists, Sexists, and so much more.
I had much success, but not enough; thats why i
search for a long time now to get
believers-in-god to help me; but apparently,
2020/2021 has gotten their spirits down
or even made their believe in helping
others for no money, crumble?
...Its rightful AND fun - so why not join?
I'm white british and was brought up most of my life by an Asian step-parent and my white dad. I can straight up say the constant state of disappointment from my Asian step-mum is on another level than my actual biological parents.
@@MajklAstarin Yes, but you have to see Asian parents in action. Even a third generation here in the US has a whole nother version of parental dissapointment. I have a friend who , as a joke, would tell her daughter "don't make me go full on Asian mother on you," in an argument. Like Asian mother had become a verb.
In defence of the Japanese sword and ninja stars in the temple, there is a Norman effigy of a knight with a distinctively Chinese sword on his hip from mediaeval France. Even a thousand years ago, weapons and other artifacts could end up thousands of miles away from where they were made. It's wacky, but it happens.
Plus, Japan and China are literally right next to each other, separated by sea, not a huge ocean. Japan's isolation period aside, it seems inevitable that stuff from Japan would make it into China and vice versa.
@@MelodyRose96In fact, there are many things important to Japanese culture that originated in China.
Rice, tea, written language, myths and religion
Not even one minute in an I'm still amazed a Jack Black movie put people into an cultural/artistic existential crisis.
I still can't believe "Jack Black as an ancient Kung Fu warrior panda" actually worked. Like, on paper this should've been a disaster but damn if he didn't nail the role
@@consoleking9670 to be fair, he was oddly perfect for the role in a meta way.
My Chinese teacher showed us in class once the making-of of Kung Fu Panda and when they showed the voice actors she said that he is like a panda and giggled 😄😄
ever heard of school of rock
@@LexFerraro or Nacho Libre
Quietly just loving their hair looking like panda ears and their entire outfit being black and white like fuck yes, panda vibes!
*manifesting lord shen peacock resembling aesthetic in the next analysis*
@@kingsaracoon9594 yes PLEASE
YES ! Just YES !
I would be so interested in all of her hair pieces.. I look out for them in every video..
First thing I noticed too! Small details like these allow her dedication and passion to shine through... Can't stop watching!
“People would make bows and arrows out of peach wood to fight demons.”
Cat: “Cut the program, they cannot learn our weakness!”
16:26 - "The Daoist master lives carefree in the present."
The calmness with which you reacted to the cat - you, too, are a Daoist master, aren't you? Anyway, because of that you'll live in my head rent-free and carefree in the present.
cat: *casually walks by*
Xiran: *disapproving Chinese parents' face*
(btw i love this video so much that i can't even express, it just brings my understanding to things that i'm familiar with to a much deeper level
You saw it too, right? The mom energy in their eyes could thinly carve stone, I swear!
@@grammarmaid 😂💀
I FELT that look.
I'm Black. We get that look from our mothers too... 😩💀
My Japanese mother in law gives that look to my partner or his sister at least once every family gathering (well, in The Before Times at least)!
I'm lucky enough to avoid that look - 多分彼女の子供は日本語を話せられないから、私は話しことが出来で大学校の先生です。
I'm Korean! It's true, those black lines are 4/8 trigrams. I wasn't sure why, so after a quick search, it seems like the 4 trigrams on the flag represent heaven, sun, moon, and earth. I suspect that these were purposefully chosen to accent the harmony represented by the Taeguk (blue and red swirl in the middle), meaning that heaven and earth, sun and moon are harmonious :)
Ah, that does make sense. I've studied Bagua before and when I saw the flag my first thought was wondering why fire and water are randomly placed there. But I know fire can also represent the sun, so logically water could be moon, too. Also, just to save folx a google search, clockwise the symbols are water, earth, fire, heaven
I've also read somewhere that the Korean flag was based on the flag of the Qing Dynasty. And the similarities are apparent. However I'm not sure about the actual history between the two and it's implications.
That's so cool!
@GW2Scapades Hi there! Hope you don't mind me just hopping on this comment, but actually, that's not true at all. You may have unintentionally fallen prey to Chinese revisionist attempts at Korean history, and misinformation rampant in English sources. It's pretty complicated but I will condense it into a brief synopsis. The claim goes like this: "Ma Jianzhong, a scholar and delegate of the Qing dynasty suggested a new flag for Korea (Joseon at the time) and proposed a dragon design based off the Qing dynasty flag for them. A Korean official took his suggestion and created the Korean flag based on Ma's ideas on 1882, September." However, this is a theory based on no evidence. What actually happened was that Joseon officials and the king of Joseon at the time, Gojong, created the flag. We know this because in 2004, we discovered a US navy record titled "Flags of Marine States", where Joseon had made a sketch of the Korean flag in 1882, May. Additionally, nowhere in our current flag, do we reference dragons as suggested by the Qing dynasty, further showing that the claim is false. Hope this helps :)
@@gracejung4070 Definitely! Many thanks for this clarification!
Xiran Jay Zhao’s next book: Invasion of alien vendors with those glowing spinning things.
10/10 would read it.
I'm from the future. It was a bestseller!
YES!
I swear, there's so many of them in Europe (at least where I'm from). Seriously, WHO SUPPLIES YOU?!
She said they sell them in Mexico as well, but I didn't quite understand what was she referring to. Can someone explain me?
I watched another really good video essay on Kung Fu Panda, and they had brought up that I thought was a good point about why China didn't produce a movie like KFP. They had mentioned that the story itself wasn't focused on telling the story of Chinese culture or authentic martial arts culture from a Chinese perspective, but rather telling a story of a more western protagonist who is fascinated by the culture and martial arts. Starting out from this point of having a more western type protagonist, they were able to make it relatable and more consumable for western viewers (who bring in millions in revenue and media coverage), while still lovingly and caringly showcasing Chinese culture and referencing old martial art film tropes to also appeal to Chinese audiences.
Accented cinema?
Accented cinema brought me here, too.
That gene mutation thing was very interesting to learn, but now I’m seething with jealousy.
_im a girl who had a bad sweaty smell which i smelled like a tiny lime fruit_
As someone who has this and nearly damaged their hearing because of it , both cause problems
@@caracrotalus that in itself fascinates me.
@@caracrotalus how does it affect hearing?
@@loremipsum1972 because dry wax has a tendency to get stuck, giving you a host of negative symptoms and severely increaseing infection risk
“It has only made me stop caring about their opinion.”
Yeah I feel that. My mom isn’t Chinese, but that’s how it is with most Asian parents.
If you don’t succeed, it’s your fault. But if you do succeed it’s only because your parents insulted and pushed you to do better. There is no personal victory, only defeat.
That sounds incredibly toxic and abusive...... Are you OK?
@@mohammedyousef4005 no? Yes? Kinda? I mean I’m not going to raise my kid the way my parents did. But I can see now that they did help me in a way. It may not have helped with my motivation, but I can put up with just about anything before I start getting upset. Really helps me deal with crappy bosses or awful coworkers.
@@Heiryuu good just don't make the same mistakes your parents did our parents are not perfect and they make mistakes too good luck as a parent
No victory is truly peronal if you think about it. Unless you're in a jungle and have to survive on your own but even then you're using the knowledge of others to get by. I mean, it's not like you raised yourself as humasn evolved to be social creatures.
Though there is a fine line between discipline and abusinve the act most parents have children that end up alright (in Asia at elast) show that things are generally alright.
@Nathalie Lofranco the worst part is I thought as I got older things would change as I gained skill and experience to back up my opinions. But even now I get told that the way I do things is wrong even though I’m the one that took classes, got certifications, and studied.
I watched it happen to my brother too. He took piano for years and mom was there telling him how horrible he was, and that he need to practice the way she showed him (my mother has never taken a piano class and does not know how to play). And when he decided to get into Hockey it was the same thing. He was semi pro and my mom was still telling him how to skate better.
These days they wonder why my brother is never home, and why he doesn’t talk to them about his plans.
"There should always be more Chinese voice talent in Chinese movies"
(Moves to recast Jack Black)
"Not that one"
Well tecnically they had one, Jackie Chan was the voice of Monkey. Just too bad that that character didn't talk so much.
Also Viper, Oogway, and Mr Ping, I think
@@pendragongameart Lucy Liu, Randall Duk Kim, and James Hong.
@@keithkoganeislife3144 yeah, them, thanks!
@@keithkoganeislife3144 I think Randall Kim is Korean American not Chinese
One last thing that I love about this movie that people often don't know about, is that Shifu calls Po "panda" in a very dismissive way the whole time... while being a red panda himself.
I won't try to interpret this further though ^^
To be fair, a red panda is more of a raccoon than a great panda.
ye
Agree that more Chinese people should be cast as Chinese voices but also, Jack black is perfectly cast in this role, both as a voice, and as a person who reflects Po s journey
And I kinda like the fact that Jackie Chan is the voice actor for Monkey. It's like the cherry on top.
@@viviawaag863 If only Monkey has more lines...
@@silverhawkscape2677 The dialogue was made before Jackie was hired for the role. So I suppose it was a coincedence. Though some say it’s because he was busy, making another movie. He has more lines in 3, though.
@@viviawaag863 Jombies!
@@silverhawkscape2677 Seriously I think he only had like 5 words the entire movie if that.
Can we appreciate the effort they makes EVERY video to wear topics related outfits, they're dressed like a panda, the avatar videos they dressed with fire and water themes.
Except for Mulan 2020 because you can’t wear a dumpster fire.
they prefer to use they/them pronouns but yes you're absolutely right, we should appreciate 😔👌
@@hillarypritchard9249 😂😂😂😂 I'm dying! 😂😂😂
Xiran goes by they/them pronouns! Just a heads upp
@@YourMajesty_1O1 Thanks! I didn't know that, so I'm glad you said this!
Xiran talking about how peach wood is believed to get rid of demons.
Xiran's cat: My time has come ~
You know, I think this is a more common occurrence than most people think. For a foreign author or creator to do more justice to a culture and history than studios/artists native to them. One of my favorite stories of all time is the manga series, "Vinland Saga." A series that follows actual historical figures and events like the Icelandic explorer Thorfinn Karlsefni, as well as the Danish King Cnut the Great around the times of the Anglo-Saxon/Dane war in England and Thorfinn's expedition of North America. The story is heavily fictionalized, but incredibly authentic to the history of the setting and the culture of the Scandinavians and the Anglo-Saxons in the early Medieval period. The author, Makoto Yukimura, did a better job capturing the culture and history of Medieval Scandinavia than anything else I have seen or read (save for the Northman).
Not to mention, the story and characters are just fantastic.
Yet, this came from a Japanese mangaka from Yokohama, Japan. And that is because he as an individual is super passionate about Norse culture and their history. He has traveled to Iceland multiple times to learn more for writing Vinland Saga, and was even invited there for a festival celebrating Icelandic culture because of his work.
I think it's actually quite common for a foreign artist to care more about authenticity than native producers and writers because they grew up with the culture and didn't develop the same curiosity and passion that someone outside might have. Obviously this isn't a rule, Hollywood pretty much bastadizes all cultures, not just American (see Vikings and Braveheart). However, I don't really subscribe to the thought that foreign artists need to step aside and hand off their inspiration to someone we might assume is more suited because of locational or cultural reasons. I mean shit, I've met normal Brits who know way more about US history than damn near any Americans I've known (and I say that as an American).
American films about American history are usually awful.
Yukimura had a story he wanted to tell about violence and trying to create a land free from it without resorting to it, and the difficulties that would come with that. Medieval Scandinavia was the perfect setting, considering that dying in battle was the highest honor and supposedly sent you to Valhalla, not to mention the constant wars in that region at that time. I'm rather glad that Yukimura didn't just hand off that idea to someone from Iceland or Denmark assuming they might be better for the job because he was Japanese.
I can understand the desire to see more writers from outside America getting chances, but I don't really think pleading with Hollywood is really a good solution. Hollywood is a corporate, studio-run dystopia. Even films about their own culture are shit. I think the real solution would be more artists and teams getting more accessibility and promotion for audiences outside their countries. I certainly am happy that Vinland Saga was localized for English speakers and that I heard about it from the internet when trying to find something like Berserk. Else, I would have missed out on my favorite series.
If more foreign artists can get exposure in the West, that would be amazing. But I wouldn't want to tell talented writers in the West to shut up and give their opportunities to someone else for superficial reasons. I think the work will speak for itself if given the chance.
An absolute banger and easily one of my favorite works of all time. Wish I could like this comment twice.
Omg PANDAS ARE TAOISTs! Whenever you see the zoo videos and they fall and tumble with the fall. It’s very go with the flow
There also stubborn as hell tho. Will only mate in certain conditions and will only eat bamboo even tho they can technically eat other things
@@lunawolfheart336 And they communicate in written language! ...Sort of. Their facial features are inexpressive, they don't seem to use pheromones, and they don't vocalize much, so they seem to communicate among themselves by clawing trees in their territory.
Pandas are neat little weirdos.
They kind have to go with the flow, because their food is so nutritionally poor, they have no energy to go against the flow.
@@lunawolfheart336 as we learned during the pandemic, they just won't mate while people are watching. Can't say I blame them. lol
There was literally a cartoon I watched as a kid called Tao-Tao, it was about a panda bear cub :D
Their face when the cat walks in front of the camera 😂😂😂
Also can we stop and appreciate this outfit 🤩 Xiran's got style
Someone who is better than me will hopefully comment with a time stamp for that reaction cause it was priceless. And yes, such great style.
@@khaxjc1 it's right around 15:55
Yeah, They're so pretty :D
Their outfits just get more and more extra with each video and i am NOT complaining
I am confused - does Xiran go by they/them pronouns instead of she/her (genuinely asking)?
im korean! i grew up understanding that the four symbols on the flag represent the four elements (water, air, earth, fire) and represent balance. also aligns with the taegeuk in the middle which symbolizes balance too (like the yin yang in other east asian cultures).
im not a super strict scholar tho, that's just what my family taught me ^^" thanks for making these videos!
YESS i was looking for this comment! I can't add anything other than learning about the balanced elements and all, my only knowledge comes from studying Tang Soo Do (martial arts) when I was little (and they had us study and memorize some aspects of Korean culture for our belt exams.^^;
I’m not a scholar either but that’s also what I was taught. I was also taught that the red is the sun and the blue is the ocean ☺️
I was looking throughout the messages to see if this question was answered it really peaked my curiosity
Huh, I learned something new today, cool :D
When she said about the Korean flag with the trigrams.. ahhh the Hyugas though?
I'm not Chinese but this movie was really helpful to me when I was teaching. (After awhile I just got too burnt out.) A lot of my students were adults that couldn't really read and struggled with confidence and self-belief. I tried to take inspiration from Shifu's teaching style and from Ugwe's gentle confidence, and I watched it with some of them. A lot of them were really touched and inspired by Po's dad too.
The story of the rocket chair: A guide on how to make fanfic canon.
0:02: Uhm, can we talk about this more?
...I mean, the topic of the first 15 seconds of this video probably deserve their own video, yeah? Or their own channel even?
I knew about that myth but yeah I thought it was chinese
To be fair, the Chinese probably heard that story and said "Yeah, that totally sounds like something one of our ancestors would do."
If you told me an American tried to invade Canada singlehandedly in an old decommissioned army tank just after WWII I would believe you right until I looked it up and researched it.
Did you enjoy the ending of the film? After the credits, Shiful and Po are eating dumplings under to peach tree as the camera zooms out to show the seed that Oogway and Shifu planted earlier was now growing.
.... there’s a post credits scene??
Yep
Ooh how lucky you are, you get to watch it for the first time. That post credits made me tear up😂, was so sweet.
Xiran: I am only one person, so I don’t have the same opinions as all Chinese people
Also Xiran: the lions are canonically genderless because I said so
Based
I'm not sure if this is a joke, but they said they're genderless because in china, a male lion would hold a ball and a female would have a cub with her. So, the lions are genderless because they dont have either of those.
The first is serious, the latter is a joke.
what monmon said. i partner with my buddhist friend and professionally make Buddhist temple videos. but everyone tells foreigners this anyway.
I heard someone who was part of the movie sitting in the audience while the movie was played in China and that the Chinese people laughed at certain places and not the same place as the Americans laughed at. And the Americans laughed at other places but did not laugh at the places that the Chinese people laughed at. I’d really love to know your thoughts on which Part of the movie each culture would find hilarious and what the trigger was for that. I love your videos, love from California
The rocket chair story made me laugh because I'm half Japanese and half Scandinavian.
Here's the thing: Vikings never wore helmets with horns on them. The Gauls did that (e.g. Asterix). But Vikings have been depicted with horns on their helmets by so many people for so long that even Scandinavians use that trope despite knowing better.
I remember when I was in sixth grade, there was a medieval festival at my school. I wanted to dress as a Viking, so my mom and I spent days researching their armor and weapons to get it accurate. People were wondering why I didn't have horned helmets, and I told them.
Don't ask if I still have the costume, I do not. I have no idea what happened to it.
LITERALLY, I AM A HISTORY MAJOR, AND PEOPLE DON'T BELIEVE ME WHEN I TELL THEM THIS
Indeed, the horned helmets were associated with viking war attire because the clothing designer for Wagner's Valkyrie wanted to draw attention to the character despite the distance between the scene and the spectators
Now they have braids in pop culture (TVs and games) and it seems that historians once again say there is little evidence over their hair styles…
@@nehcooahnait7827 We do know a few things about the hairstyles of Vikings/Norsemen. Contemporary writings from non-Scandinavian writers commented on how the Danes were much cleaner than other Europeans (bathing once a week on Saturdays, combing their hair, and wearing clean clothing) and how this was bad because it meant they were seducing non-Danish women. Archeologists have also found combs in Viking dig sites.
I really like that kung fu panda sort of called out Confucianism for its flaws, I'm sure a lot of children of authoritarian parents needed to see this movie
I think it's even better that they used Daoism as the conflicting philosophy rather than some western idea of individualism. Too often we see stereotypes of strict Asian parents put into contrast with individualist western culture making it appear that strict parents is a universally Chinese thing. By placing Daoism in this place, it's demonstrating an entirely Chinese alternative to that Confucian mindset, showing the reality that there's a lot more nuance in Chinese culture, just like there is in any culture.
@@cozmicclockwork1136 Hey, I have had a long lasting but still pretty superficial (to my regret) fascination for Xianxia and Daoism as a whole, could you explain me in details the contrasts between Confucianism, Daoism and Individualism ? Or send me towards articles or videos that talk about it ?
@@levi2725 I wouldn't really know where you would start with that myself. I was mostly just referencing how in media you would often see strict Asian parents in contrast with white American parents who would be depicted as more permitting to their child's personal aspirations or interests. Although anyone who has lived in a western country like America can tell you that there are just as many strict parents here as there are Asian ones.
now i know why my friend's abusive parents never let them see the movie 😬
Chinese intellectuals have being calling out Confucianism since the 1920s’ New Cultural Movement…
In Japan they use the slang "スパイシー" (spicy) to refer to western body odor and underarm odor. I find that incredibly hilarious 😂
That actually makes me curious... My coworker from India says Americans (me included) smell like milk
... I didn't even know milk had a scent, but it makes me curious... Is it due to diet?
@@MegaRambit as far as I can tell epocrine scent is genetic, not diet related.
@@MegaRambit two different things. but THAT one I can answer. In most other cultures/geographies, adults don't drink milk, only babies and maybe children and the elderly (this was also true in Europe), but CHEESE has been a huge part of the "Western" diet for millennia and even back in the middle ages and industrial era, people from Africa and the Middle East noted that Europeans had a distinct "milk smell".
That’s hilarious 😂😂😂 I can see why they say that too because lord have mercy, that smell can be extremely potent, piercing, and sharp
@@AlexDuck what people specifically ? Here where I am from (lebanon) our daily food is like 80% diary products, especially breakfest and most people in the countryside have a cow or two
My wife is a Filipina, it is fun to see the cultural similarities. Thanks for sharing Chinese beliefs with us.
10:30 I remember one gruesome thing that a poet said about the red lacquered doors. “The doors were painted red with the blood of the corpses who starved.”
that reminds me of a poem, actually. "Beside the red doors wine and meat go bad, on the chilly roads people freeze and starve to death"
@@landmerry_6742 Wine, not sake. Sake is Japanese, though it's the same character 酒. Unless Japanese copied this line from Du Fu and you quoted them.
@@mRRandak 啊我知道，只是一直当那个单词是英文在用啦，所以不严谨
@@landmerry_6742 那最好是用'（rice)wine', 'vodka' 或者 'Liquor'. 即使中國釀酒的過程跟歐洲的beer的更像，正式地最好翻譯成 Chinese rice wine之類的。如果用'spirit',這也行。
@@mRRandak 我是觉得都很奇怪啊，首先为了翻译美感三个词的肯定不行吧，但其他给我的印象都带上了典型的西方特色。虽然sake也是日本特色吧，至少一起在东亚……或者又想了想wine其实也行，虽然我的第一反应是葡萄酒，但我国古代应该这东西也是有的
„In which prison are you sitting?“
„I‘m sitting in the sitting in prison prison.“
where the floor is made out of floor.
Thank you for this video. YT recommended it to me at exactly the right time. I got a book deal for a comic a while back, and I've just started working on my thumbnails. It's been an excruciatingly stressful process. I got finished with my work for the day and turned on this video to watch before bed. And BOY did I need to hear this. Your analysis of Oogway and Shifu's conflict-along with Po's insecurities-really got me thinking about my own creative process.
There are undoubtedly times where I won't be able to avoid stress, but I have the opportunity to make working on my first book a fun and exciting process...and so far I've spent most of it punishing myself. This video reminded me to step back and enjoy what I do, and stop beating myself up for the natural way I do things...And to push back against those insecure thought spirals! It inspired me to put my foot down and write out some affirmative statements with my therapist as well. So I had to comment and let you know that you've really made a difference for me with this video, and put me on the path to climbing out of this insecure stew-fest.
I’m very glad you’re feeling better! As long as you take care of yourself, you can make something great. Wishing you all the good luck in the world ❤️
+++
0:01: Uhm, can we talk about this more?
...I mean, the topic of the first 15 seconds of this video probably deserve their own video, yeah? Or their own channel even?
good luck making the comic!! don't get an RSI!!
I want to wish you all of the luck with that awesome opportunity because you deserve that perspective and to have as much fun as possible
and edit because hey I didn’t even realize that I’m actually subbed, your content is incredible and really makes me think too. you really are an awesome writer, you deserve that deal and you deserve to enjoy it. thank you for your content
9:00
Bonus fact: The reason why the snow leopard was specifically chosen as Tai-Lung's species is because snow leopards specifically hunt panda-cubs, making Tai-Lung a low-key Boogeyman
I love that when you were explaining Daoism and your cat got in the camera, you let it happened and didn't stop talking. It really makes you understand the concept a little bit better.
I'd argue that Jack Black was a good A-star actor to be Po, he has such a can-do attitude and humility that lends itself to an insecure and optimistic voice for a zero-to-hero character
That is why it is not silly to use A-class actors as voice actors for animated movies. A lot of the actor's own energy and personality, and of course their acting skills, goes into the voice acting. Great animation studios fine tune their animations, especially their facial animations, according to the voice actor's expressions (they use motion capture cameras when recording the voice track to drive the facial expressions). It is hard to imagine any other actor to bring the same personality and energy to the character of Po. With a different actor, even if the script is the same, the character would have come out completely different.
@ㄉㄎㄉ • ꨆꨟꨮꩆ ꨣꨰꨕ He's good but not great
@@StarlasAiko Further, a lot of these roles are written for the A-lister they get cast by; see also, the Genie in the original Disney Aladdin film, who was explicitly written for Robin William's frenetic energy. You can't have that role without Williams, its part of why the first sequel is so much worse.
@@BloodyAltima true, and I hate it when people's go to critic is "celebrity voice acting" and it's like... I can see why it'd be annoying, but if the celebrity is already an actor... then who tf cares?
@@JaneDoeValentine It's moreso that we're annoyed with how its a transparent attempt to attract viewers. It's obviously different when the role was tailored to the actor, but when the actor brings nothing to the table and is only their because of their clout, when a more culturally appropriate option exists, or when professional voice actors with years of experiences get shafted for these larger celebrities (or when a character is brought to the big screen and the person who's always voiced that character gets overlooked for the big celebrity), it gets obnoxious.
giving a cliffnotes on daoism while your cat wandering directly in front of your camera was a great unintentional visual aid lol
The look on Zhao’s face when their cat just takes over the frame at 15:59 cracked me up so hard.
I love learning about Chinese culture, and how it’s influenced some of my favourite media, but Zhao themself is also just insanely funny, I’ve been watching through their catalogue and I haven’t laughed this good in weeks. Single handedly has helped relieve some of the tension that’s been building up in my body over the past two months since the year began.
Especially because they were just talking about fighting/warding off demons 😭
I'm Chinese but I'm adopted and have grown up in an American family, and from time to time I've wondered why I've never needed deodorant. This was kind of a cool small thing to find out, and I loved the rest of the video, too! It's so entertaining and educational to hear about these influences in some of my favorite movies
Omg me too!! I'm Chinese and adopted by a Canadian family and never had BO or needed to use deodorant either! Finding out about dry wax and wet wax was also an interesting tidbit.
So glad I'm not alone in this revelation as an Chinese adoptee : D
There’s this one anime called Asobi Asobase that has a white character named Olivia and there’s a bunch of jokes about how she smells much more strongly than her friends
@@TheGrumblyTumbly I'm positive I replied to this, RUclips is being weird. Glad I'm not alone though!
@@morganalabeille5004 Huh, that's an interesting detail
i was today years old when i found out that there can be wet ear wax
The Republic of China had a meeting to talk about Kung Fu Panda?
Not gonna lie, I wish I was there as a fly on the wall. That’s weirdly fascinating.
Actually, it was the *People's* Republic of China. The ROC was just sorta vibin'.
@@Hawkatana The ROC has been vibing since 1958, the last time the PRC tried to hit Taiwan.
@@thethirdsicily4802 Exactly.
@@Hawkatana ah. Thank you for the correction. I thought the People’s Republic and the Republic were interchangeable. My mistake entirely.
Never realized how many Chinese inspired shows and movies I watched until now. Everything they’ve covered was a big part of my childhood.
Mulan, Avatar, Kung Fu Panda... mama😭
They use they/them pronouns :)
east asian culture in general as welll
Dang, you have point🤔
@@crunchylettuce
You are absolutely correct that slipped my mind.