For her first animated series, Echo Wu presents Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld. This Netflix original features a young 16-year-old Chinese American girl who yearns to be normal. The problem is she is born with strange spiritual powers. Now in high school, her powers are going out of control due to emotional stress.
What’s Jentry Chau About?
Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld takes place in a small Texan town. As she attends Riverfork High, Jentry has trouble making friends and wanting to live a normal life. At the same time, she struggles to bond with her spiritually dead aunt with a self-identity crisis. She wants to hide her powers but they are connected to her soul.
One of Jentry’s powers in the second trailer is fire, which can trigger to burn from sulking or anger. They grow stronger the more she allows her emotions to become unstable. Soon, the demon king senses the amount of destruction they can cause. He sends his monsters from the Underworld to Jentry’s location to harvest her soul.
Echo Wu’s Perspective on Teenage Girls
In an interview with Tudum, Wu explained that Jentry Chau represents the growing struggles of puberty. For girls, they began to experience love, cliques, and peer pressure. Using elements of the supernatural will help them understand finding self-identity. Jentry being 16 years old helps portray the age most girls will suffer through before becoming an adult.
In both show trailers, Jentry is tasked to fight demons during the day and night. However, she can’t be a superhero 24/7. She must attend high school, keep her grades high, and participate in extracurriculars to graduate. Her aunt, Gugu wants her to master powers and use them to slay demons. Not only to protect the world but also for Jentry’s soul to maintain balance. Challenging her granddaughter to search for balance will keep her powers under control.
Who’s Voicing?
Wu made an inclusive voice cast as most of them are defined Asian and Asian American. In the teaser trailer, Ali Wong has been revealed as Jentry Chau. Wong is mostly known for her live-action roles including Ellen Yee (Birds of Prey) and Doris (American Housewife). She had her fair share in voice acting, famously known for voicing Bertie (Tuca & Bertie). With the official trailer and a cast reveal from First Showing, we learned who will be joining Jentry’s journey.
Jentry Chau’s Co-Star Cast
- Bowen Yang-Jiangshi, the hopping vampire sidekick.
- Jimmy O. Yang-To be announced.
- Lori Tan Chinn-Aunt Gugu, Jentry’s spiritual guide and fighting instructor.
- Woosung Kim-To be announced
- Lucy Liu-To be announced
- Sheng Wang-To be announced
- A.J. Speckles-To be announced
First Impressions
Animation Is Stunning
Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld has a promising concept. At first glance, Titmouse chose a fantastic style for the animation. It captures that early 2010s vibe you would see on Venture Bros. and Batman: The Brave and The Bold. My favorite parts are the environmental color change and the monster designs! I haven’t seen a colorful battle scene since Danny Phantom, providing a sense of danger lurking. Staying within Chinese American territory, Wu made sure Chinese folklore monsters were used.
Excellent Voice Cast
The voice cast sounds natural and fitting, translating well to their characters’ personalities. Hiring a handful of experienced comedians is a genius move on Wu’s part! They know when to shift tones, preventing the comedy from overshadowing action and serious scenes.
A Generational Story
Jentry Chau’s story is another addition to the books of young superheroes. Supernatural elements with puberty reminded me of Danny Phantom as he progress to take control of his powers and their consequences. Saving the world as part of your job is not easy while balancing high school. Her powers with chaotic nature have consequences when they aren’t under control. Stories like Superman and Spider-Man have experienced puberty with them. We hope to grow alongside Jentry, too. Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld premiers on Netflix on Dec. 5th.
