| Genghis Khan |
images coming soon |
Al Leong plays this Mongolian Despot. But in the movie, he was a drummer in Bill and
Ted's rock band. He comes with a bladed staff, a clubbed staff, and a three-piece drum
set. He's wearing a white T-Shirt for some odd reason, and he has some sort of armor
breastplate that covers it, thank goodness! His head is unusually large for his body, and
he has a fu-manchu, just like all other evil Asian figures. His eyes slope downward, which
is something I dislike very much, yet it is so common. One strange feature of his eyes is
that they don't have any white color. I've never seen someone with just pupils for eyes,
but apparantly, in a cost-cutting move in production, they opted not to give him white
coloring. On tha back of the package it says: "Genghis Khan was a most threatening
dude back in ancient China! However, Bill & Ted realized that he would make an awesome
drummer and have brought him back to our time to join the band." You know, I think I
just may try to get a job as an action figure package design writer. At least I would've
added SOME historical facet about Genghis Khan, as I'm sure every kid in America has heard
of him but probably couldn't tell you much else. Thanks to this movie, I bet half of those
kids would say he was a drummer! |
| Ted "Theodore" Logan |
images coming soon |
Keanu Reeves, unbeknownst to many of his fans, is at least ¼ Japanese. I've never
heard him admit this though, so I'm not sure which quarter of him is Japanese. It's a
shame he can't choose a descent movie to star in though. I don't think one of his movies
is worth renting! As for his character, he is Ted, and he plays a guitar. |
| Flash Gordon |
| 1979 Mattel and 1996 Playmates |
| I used to think Flash Gordon was the greatest super hero of all time. I
don't know where I got that idea from, I mean, he was just a normal guy who landed on some
planet and fought some bad guys. But anyway, his arch enemy has always been a great
concern. Ming the Merciless is most likely an Asian character. The name and the way he is
usually depicted (with fu-manchu and long, black hair) gives it away. I believe this is a
relic of the time (not so long ago, mind you) when Westerners thought of Asians as evil,
sneaky, and mysterious. It may also have been the time when the Mandarin (in the comics
section) was created. This is yet another stereotype. I have yet to meet a super villain
Asian or Asian American who wants to take over the world and has mysterious powers. I
mean, let's get real here, don't get into stereotypes. Treat everyone you come in contact
with as individuals, not as a race, or ethnicity, or color. Believe me, you'll help make
society a more comfortable place for everyone, including yourself. |
| Ming the Merciless (1979) |
images coming soon |
This character is very stereotypical. He's got the fu-manchu beard, the dark, yellow
skin, and long black hair. Do you know how difficult it is to grow a fu-manchu out to any
more than a couple of inches?! Why is it, then, that so many Asians are portrayed with
fu-manchus that are so long? Kinda makes you wonder about lumping millions of people into
singular categories, no? |
| Ming the Merciless (1996) |
images coming soon |
Now this is an improvement. I actually thought about not including this in my
collection because this Ming, from the re-released action figure line, is some sort of
green monster. It doesn't even look human, let alone stereotypical Asian. I just wanted to
include it because I think someone finally saw the flaw in pegging a group of people as
evil super villains, and decided to make this super villain an inhuman monster. Too bad
they couldn't change his name though. I would've suggested "Thing the
Merciless," no? |
| James Bond: Tomorrow Never Dies |
| 1997 Exclusive Premier Toys |
| I think I've watched every James Bond movie ever made, and am amazed at
how offensive many of them are, to women, to little people, to Black Americans, to Native
Americans, etc etc etc... But hey, it must be a British thing. 8-) Actually, since many of
them were made in the 60's and 70's, they just represent the attitudes of the times, which
serves the purpose of making sure people don't forget how racist society has been in the
past (and how recent it was). You know, it was only in the 1960's when Asians were able to
become U.S. citizens legally, and how long did it take for Japanese American victims of
the U.S. Internment camps to be compensated by the U.S. government? We've come a long way,
but we still have a long way to go. But anyway, back to James Bond, this particular movie
set a lot of new standards for everyone's favorite British secret agent (or does everyone
like the Prisoner, hmmm, who knows?). Michelle Yeoh became 007's sidekick, and proceeded
to kick some major @$$ throughout the film. She is a Hong Kong movie star, and following
the more recent trend of Hong Kong stars forming a strong fan base in the West (like
Jackie Chan), she entered the scene with a BANG! I believe she will be in the next Bond
flick due out in a couple of years, but I could be wrong. I think it's about time a woman,
and especially an Asian woman, take charge in a James Bond movie. |
| Mortal Kombat Special Movie Edition |
| 1994 Hasbro |
| These actually belong in the GI Joe section located in the
T.V./Cartoons page because they are essentially GI Joe reissues. They could also be in the
video games page, but I decided since they were labeled "Special Movie Edition,"
I would put them here, in the Movies Section. The video game in which this whole Moral
Kombat thing came from is actually pretty cool, albeit still a bit too stereotypical for
me. I mean, it gets into that whole martial arts thing again, and then it brings ancient
warriors who are supernatural and from another dimension into the scene. I've actually
noticed this trend more and more in the past few years. What's with Asians and other
dimensions?! You see it in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in Mortal Kombat, in Street
Fighter, and several other places. Do people think now that Asians are from a different
dimension?! Am I thinking into this too deeply?! Probably, but I dunno, I'll have to keep
my eyes peeled for this one. But anyway, a LOT of cool techno music has come from the
Mortal Kombat series. Now, this is partially a stereotype, but it is also a reality that
many Asian Americans like to listen to techno music. I, for one, don't get into it that
much, which just supports the fact that people really do need to treat people as
individuals instead of groups. But anyway, I once saw some young Asian Americans dancing
to Mortal Kombat music using martial arts moves. I thought it was awesome, but I am
convinced these people had some previous training, because when I got out there and tried
to do it I looked like a darn fool! That's just me though, but I think this should be done
more often at dance parties. Perhaps it already is, but it's certainly an identifiable
thing to do. |
| Liu Kang |
Click here for image |
He is the main hero of Mortal Kombat. He fights for honor, and courage, and to avenge
someone's life (I think it's his brother). Like GI Joe figures, these figures are super
poseable. I mean, nearly every joint can pivot or move. They also come with a selection of
ancient weapons. |
| Shang Tsung |
Click here for image |
He is the super bad guy from another dimension. This figure has a helmet on, which
fits kind of weird. Actually, he looks nothing like the real Shang Tsung, whatever the
real Shang Tsung looks like that is, but anyway, he's a cool figure. |
| Sub Zero |
Click here for image |
He is one of the many ninjas in Mortal Kombat. The ONLY differentiating thing among
the ninjas is the color of their outfits, so I only have this one ninja in my collection.
He is translucent, meaning that you can see through his arms and legs, which I think is a
VERY cool feature. He's not like this in the video game or the movie thought, perhaps he's
just mysterious and supernatural. But anyway, he comes with a whole bunch of weapons, and
he has a cloth wrap around him that makes up his outfit. |
| Mulan |
| 1998 Disney and 1998 McDonalds |
| I saw this movie, and I think it is really well done. If you could
imagine me sitting amongst all these little kids with my pen and notebook in hand ready to
record every offensive part for an article I was writing, I was quite pleased to walk out
ever taking the cap off my pen. It is based on a Chinese fairy tale that may actually have
some truth to it. Someone told me that Mulan's armor sits in a museum in China somewhere,
but in any case, it is about time Disney looks to the East to find movie potential. They
have been using Western tales far too long. Of course many people might be wondering now
why I'm even making a big deal about this, but for so many years, all the children who
grew up with Disney were forced to learn about German, British, American, and other
Western folk tales. We learned that the "fairest one of all" was named Snow
WHITE, and Chinese people act like little mushrooms and rhyming Siamese cats (ala
Fantasia), but now Asian Americans, and all little girls, can look up to a woman who stood
for what she believed in, that a woman is capable of doing anything, and deserves the
opportunities that men have been receiving for so long. It just so happens that this
champion of women's rights is Asian, so she serves more than one purpose for young,
impressionable minds. For those who don't know, Mulan is the story of a girl who loves and
respects her father so much, that she takes his armor and goes to battle the invading Huns
disguised as a man. Another snippet of fact is that it was treason for a woman to be a
soldier in ancient China, as in many countries for that matter, and Mulan actually risked
certain death because she loved her father so much. Honoring thy parents has been a
mainstay in Asiatic cultures for thousands of years, and has been one of the Ten Biblical
Commandments as well. unfortunately, too many cultures are leaving this custom behind, as
countries become more industrialized, a common feature you begin seeing are nursing homes
and retirement homes. Western cultures, to the most part, gave up the notion that children
are supposed to take care of their parents long ago, but it is just now beginning to
happen in various Asian cultures. Truly, this is a sad reality of life in the name of
Industrialization and Modernization. Let's just not ever forget where we came from, and
who helped to make us who we are today, all right? |
| Hua Mulan |
Click here for image |
She is, of course, the main character. Fa is her family name in Cantonese (Hua is its
Mandarin form), just in case you weren't aware that surnames are deemed more important
than individual names in many Asian countries, and are placed first. She is voiced by Ming
Na Wen, who was in the Single Guy. But anyway, the main problem in all of the Mulan
figures I have is that her eyes slant downward. I discuss this phenomenon in great detail
in the TV/Cartoons section, but basically, a common feature among Asian American action
figures is that the eyes are slanty, and are point downward towards the nose. I've never
met an Asian person who had eyes like this. I don't doubt that there may be people who
look like this, which is a testimony to how diverse and different Asian people are amongst
themselves, refuting the stereotypical notion that "all Asians look alike." But
anyway, Mulan comes in either her military uniform, usually with cool armor that snaps on
and off, or her "matchmaking" dress, where she is all dressed and made up in
order to find a husband, or in her primping outfit which is what she wears just before she
gets all dressed up. Her McDonalds toy has both her armor, which is in one piece as
opposed to separate upper and lower halves and separate helmet, and a piece of cloth that
attaches around her waist when you remove her armor. Her Disney figures often come with Mu
Shu (the dragon that is voiced by Eddie Murphy), weight lifting stones, and a sword. |
| Li Shang |
Click here for image |
He is voiced by B.D. Wong, an up and coming Asian American actor. He is big and
muscular, usually in either a military outfit or his armor, and comes with the cannons
that were used in main battle sequence in the movie. His eyes don't slant downward too
much, but his face is really flat. His McDonalds toy has this lame karate chop action that
barely works, unless I got a defective one. 8-( |
| Shan Yu |
Click here for image |
He is the villain in the movie. He is a Hun, and has a bluish complexion. I don't
remember ever reading that Huns had blue skin, but this is Disney, and anything goes in
Disney when it comes to the villains. He has a hawk with him at all times, and he has very
slanty eyes that are bright green. Actually, I get scared just looking at him... |
| Yao, Ling, and Chien Po |
Click here for image |
These are the comic-relief characters of the movie. They are in training camp with
Mulan, and become good friends after trying to beat each other up. I could be mistaken,
but I think Chien Po is the ONLY one of these three who is voiced by a real Asian American
actor. He is also extremely huge, and always speaks in fortune-like statements. As a side
note, Fortune cookies were created in San Francisco, thus, they are Asian American, or
actually, an America product. Why, then, are they always associated with Asian movies or
people? I mean, I never ONCE saw a fortune cookie while I was in Taiwan, so why do people
associate them with Asian people? Think about it, it's an American thing, really, it is,
people should associate fortune cookies with all Americans, no? It's a deep stereotype,
but if you give it enough thought, you'll see what I'm trying to say. As for Yao and Ling,
one is short and fat, and sounds like Wolfman Jack, and the other is tall and skinny, and
always has a big smile. I did mention that these were comic relief characters, but they
were NOT my favorite characters of the movie. In the McDonalds set they are all molded
together, with Yao tied on to a string that when it is pulled, it makes Chien Po run, with
Ling sitting on his head. I don't think I saw them do this in the movie. |
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images coming soon |
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