Chuck and His #1 Phan resume after a brief hiatus to talk about a recent hit animated series on Amazon Prime called INVINCIBLE. Starring Steven Yeun, JK Simmons, and Sandra Oh, they can't help but read into the series' distinct Asian American themes about patriarchy, immigration, alien cultures, and even .... child abuse. 

TW: We talk about some very heavy, personal stuff. Yet after 500 minutes of recording, we still have each other. We hope you can relate and find a way to work through as well.

Shang-Chi is coming out later this year. We have little to no knowledge as to what it's about or ... who Shang-Chi is. But we're going to give Disney our money because of reasons discussed in this episode. Maybe ... pandering is okay as long as there's some sincerity beneath it all. 

For the first time, Chuck and His #1 Phan invite a special guest: their little brother Kelvin. Even though there's a lot of anger and sadness in our community, we wanted to lighten the mood with an honest and embarrassing exploration of our virtual crushes from the video game, anime, and literature worlds. As once repressed nerds, we hid a lot of our interests from others, but now we're going to open up. A lot of brotherly ball-busting and twists and turns will ensure in what is our most joyous episode to date.

As reports of people of Asian descent getting randomly assaulted have emerged as of late. Chuck and His #1 Phan work through their emotions. Most importantly, we don't know how to talk about these issues with people who aren't directly impacted by them, i.e. non-Asian people. On this challenged episode, we talk about our respective experiences, provide a historical context, and offer some possible ways to be a proper ally during these tumultuous times.

#StopAsianHate
#WhoKilledVincentChin

Chuck and His #1 Phan have a similar trajectory. Alienated early on by their Vietnamese culture, they found themselves immersing in Japanese culture and language, even traveling to Japan at different stages in their life. Yet their attitudes and approaches differ greatly as well. Where do they stand now with respect to the complex beauty of the Land of the Rising Sun?

After months of patience, Chuck saw MINARI, starring Steven Yeun and directed by Lee Isaac Chung. They follow up from their expectations from the trailer months ago. Is it as dramatic as we originally thought? Were the antagonists "racist" enough?  Does it deserve all the award recognition it's getting (and does that really matter? Special thanks to SAAFF (saaff.org) and the Hawaii International Film Festival (hiff.org) for providing us with early access to the film.

January 6, 2021 was a tragic day for Americans, including newer ones like the families of Chuck and His #1 Phan. Some wondered why there was a yellow flag with red stripes waved alongside others such as the Confederate, QAnon, pro-Trump, and other radical right symbols. We explain why carrying that flag among domestic terrorists is completely disgraceful to us and the broader Vietnamese community.

Chuck and His #1 Phan get even realer. Topics covered: the tendency for American cinema to express racist humor through other BIPOC voices, is "Mulan II" worth a watch or just direct-to-DVD soulless cash grab, the lack of respect towards traditional cultural symbols, a hypothetical pitch to "Disney China" about a non-Hamilton story based on the American revolution, and whether we should be cautiously optimistic or prudently cynical? This one is available on "all the networks!" #fourseasonstotallandscaping

When Chuck and His #1 Phan saw the animated Mulan film back in 1995, they were big fans (for the most part). This latest entry from the Disney live-action remake engine had them scratching their heads at the best of times and flipping over tables in anger at the "blurst" of times. Chuck might have a super-nerdy solution to enjoying this live-action, but his Phan is not convinced. This conversation will be released in two parts. Tranquil as the forest, but a fire within, folks.

This holiday season will be a difficult one for many people. For Chuck and His #1 Fan, it's often difficult every year. They discuss Christmas spirit, Vietnam stories, Marxist commodity fetishism, and the importance of generosity and family. This one is a long one, but there's a happy ending ... we think.