Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Jentry Chau is a lively, K-pop-loving Chinese-American teen living in Seoul, excitedly looking forward to her sixteenth birthday. However, just hours before her big celebration, she discovers that an evil demon is after her life because of her superpowers… powers she had successfully suppressed for years until they suddenly activated with a vengeance. Her great-aunt AKA Gugu, flies her back to their hometown in Texas, where she trains Jentry trains to perfect her powers and battle demons.
Created by Echo Wu, “Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld” is a colorful, 13-episode long animated series, which is steeped in Chinese culture, legends, myths, and monsters. The very first episode of the show reminded me of “Samurai Jack”, primarily because a minor shape-shifting demon called Ed changes into a from that’s slightly reminiscent of Aku, the demon antagonist Samurai Jack must battle to save his world. But unlike the megalomaniac Aku, who wants world domination, Jentry’s enemy, Mr. Cheng (voiced by Greg Chun, who also provides the English dub for Muzan Kibutsuji in Demon Slayer) has a far more sentimental motive for stealing powers – to bring his dead daughter back to life.
Ali Wong (Beef/Single Lady) voices Jentry Chau, who, now that I think of it, doesn’t seem to have a lot of hobbies except for listening to K-pop music. In fact, I didn’t think it would take me over a week to finish this series, especially since the episodes are less than 30 minutes long. The first few episodes were pretty fun, following Jentry into her new school in Texas, only to learn that her younger version is popular as the ‘demon girl’ who nearly destroyed the town by setting it on fire. Making new friends and dealing with crushes in a new school is hard enough for average kids, but it’s doubly hard for Jentry, who can combust into flames if she doesn’t keep her stress under control. Lori Tan Chinn voices Gugu, Jentry’s mentor and only surviving relative, who is hiding way more family secrets than she lets on. Bowen Yang is Ed, a hilarious little demon who becomes Jentry’s BFF and a social media star due to his antics on the internet.
The biggest strength of Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld lies in its vibrant, eye-catching animation, reminiscent of early 2000s Cartoon Network shows, but more modern and snazzier. From dazzling, neon-powered action sequences to more subdued yet vivid depictions of high school antics, the animators skillfully shift the color palette throughout the episodes, making it quite an engaging visual experience.
From unraveling what really happened to her parents and how she inherited her powers, to choosing between her hot childhood friend Michael (A.J. Beckles) and the cute new guy Kit (Woosung), Jentry Chau has more on her plate than just fighting demons. She also accidentally opens a portal to the underworld and must deal with the different kinds of demons that come through it.
I didn’t enjoy the love triangle in the show and yes, I will have to admit I was rooting hard for the ‘wrong guy’, and it made sense why Jentry didn’t go for him, but she did not have to end up with the other dude either. That was the only cliched bit about this otherwise refreshing show, which could’ve easily been wrapped up in ten episodes. After that, it feels like a drag. However, for those who weren’t disappointed with the romantic subplot, the last three episodes of Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld might still feel fun.
Rating: 6 on 10. Stream the series on Netflix.
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