Synopsis
To treat her father's illness, Ajuan represents her declining martial arts school in the "Shanghai Fight Night" martial arts competition, telling the story of her transformation from a lion dance teenager to a ring fighter.
Overview
I Am What I Am 2 (Chinese: 雄狮少年2) is a 2024 Chinese mainland animated film directed and written by Sun Haipeng. It is the sequel to the 2021 animated film I Am What I Am, featuring voice actors Li Xin, Chen Zhuang, Xiong Ma, Nuo Yan, and others. The film was released in mainland China on December 14, 2024, with a runtime of 133 minutes.
The story moves from Guangdong in the first film to Shanghai, shifting the main theme from "lion dancing" to "arena fighting." Despite its underwhelming box office performance, the film scored 8.5 out of 10 on Douban (with over 210,000 ratings) and has been hailed by audiences as "a high-scoring masterpiece of realistic-themed domestic animation."
Plot
A nobody named A Juan (voiced by Li Xin) comes to Shanghai to make a living. To earn money for his father's medical treatment, he agrees to represent a declining traditional martial arts gym in the "Shanghai Fighting Night" martial arts competition. To win, he must overcome all the top fighters, prejudice, and himself.
Struggling at the bottom of the city, A Juan meets similarly marginalized companions—Zhang Wate (voiced by Chen Zhuang), a small-town youth from the grassroots, and the girl Xiaoyu (voiced by Xiong Ma). To win the competition and the prize money, A Juan begins grueling training and challenges various masters.
Through A Juan's growth story, the film explores the perseverance and courage of ordinary people facing adversity, as well as the impact of social prejudice on individuals.
Cast
| Character | Voice Actor | Description |
|---|---|---|
| A Juan | Li Xin | Protagonist, a young man working in Shanghai |
| Zhang Wate | Chen Zhuang | A Juan's companion, a small-town youth |
| Xiaoyu | Xiong Ma | One of the female leads |
| Master | Nuo Yan | Master of the traditional martial arts gym |
Production & Reception
I Am What I Am 2 is directed by Sun Haipeng, who also directed the previous film. The writing team includes Sun Haipeng, Shen Cheng, Zhang Ting, and Shi Mai. Unlike the lion dancing theme of the first film, the sequel shifts the story to Shanghai and centers on traditional Chinese martial arts arena combat.
The film scored 8.5 out of 10 on Douban (with over 210,000 ratings), making it one of the highest-rated domestic animated films of 2024. However, its box office performance fell far short of the previous film (which grossed 250 million RMB). Ten days after release, the cumulative box office was approximately 60 million RMB, with a final total of about 81.7 million RMB.
| Item | Data |
|---|---|
| Douban Rating | 8.5/10 (210,000+ ratings) |
| Box Office | Approximately 81.7 million RMB |
| Runtime | 133 minutes |
| Release Date | December 14, 2024 |
| Genre | Animation, Action, Comedy |
| Extended Run | Until March 16, 2025 |
Cultural Impact
I Am What I Am 2 presents a stark contrast between box office and reputation. Its high rating proves the quality of the film itself, but the low box office was severely impacted by non-quality factors such as controversy over character design (the "slanted eyes" incident). This phenomenon has sparked widespread discussion in the Chinese film market about "how online violence affects the film industry."
The film continues the core theme of the previous work—"ordinary people can also shine." From lion dancing to arena fighting, the unchanging spirit is that "nameless weeds can bloom like magnolias."
References
- Douban Movie: https://movie.douban.com/subject/35883131/
- Baidu Baike: https://baike.baidu.com/item/雄狮少年2/61786385
- Wikipedia: https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-cn/雄狮少年2
- Boya Media: https://www.boyamedia.com/category/detail/19866/
Comments (0)