NE ZHA 2: the demonic wunderkind returns for a convoluted Chinese odyssey
China’s box office success story delivers gross-out humour and high spectacle but is weighed down by its mythic origins.
A mega-hit in China, the sequel to 2019’s NE ZHA demolished box office records to become the highest grossing animated feature film ever made. However, it presents a potentially challenging prospect for audiences not versed in Chinese mythology or anyone who hasn’t seen the opening instalment.
Director Jiao Zi, aka Yu Yang, picks up where the first movie left off as pint-sized demon-child hero Ne Zha and his pal, dragon prince Ao Bing, are resurrected by Ne Zha’s master, the portly Taoist Taiyi. Unfortunately, Ao Bing’s rebirth goes awry, forcing his spirit to assume temporary residence in Ne Zha’s body. To save the prince, Ne Zha undertakes a quest to win a magical elixir by completing three challenges posed by the immortal Wuliang.
That’s the simple version, but drawing upon the 16th Century novels Investiture Of The Gods and Journey To The West, Jiao Zi’s tale is truly sprawling. The massive cast rivals any labyrinthine wuxia martial arts series and, following the tradition of wuxia novels adapted for the screen, NE ZHA 2 employs onscreen titles to identify each new face. Nonetheless, at first sight it’s hard to know which characters are merely decorative and which are worth remembering.
NE ZHA 2 offers a twist on the premise that’s very different from earlier versions like Chang Cheh’s live action Na Cha The Great (1974) or the beautifully animated Nezha Conquers The Dragon King (1979). Traditionally, Ne Zha and Ao Bing are enemies, the young hero protecting humanity against the predations of the Dragon Clan. Instead, Jiao Zi constructs a series of constantly shifting allegiances that may confound younger viewers struggling to discern friends from foes. More appealing will be the gross-out humour and abundant energetic fights.
Although the influence of Japanese manga and anime on their Chinese counterparts isn’t one-way traffic – Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball draws freely from Chinese mythology – NE ZHA 2 features many familiar Shōnen manga plot beats and motifs. Fighters announce their special moves and reveal their most powerful forms in battle. Ne Zha’s ultimate incarnation is a cross between Dragon Ball’s Goku with his spiky hair and Luffy from One Piece with his red waistcoat and three-quarter length trousers, while his pugnacious personality recalls Naruto. In classic Shōnen fashion, NE ZHA 2 is a boy’s club. The only significant female character is Ne Zha’s mother, but Jiao Zi relies on flashbacks to the first film to lend her fate any emotional meaning.
While the convoluted plot is more readily digested by those familiar with the legends, the combination of frenetic battles, bawdy slapstick, and a rowdy, indefatigable hero make NE ZHA 2 likely to extend the reach of Chinese animation beyond the vast mainland market.
► NE ZHA 2 is in UK cinemas now.