Jentry Chau vs the Underworld is an invigorating teen horror series racked with anime aesthetics and eerie paranormal properties, joining the ranks of series like Gravity Falls and The Owl House. Reminiscent of Pixar’s Turning Red, the series boasts bushels of Asian-American excellence with its entirely youthful and energetic soundtrack, and voiceover performances from esteemed Asian-American comedians and actors including Ali Wong, Bowen Yang, and Lori Tan Chinn.
What Is ‘Jentry Chau vs the Underworld’ About?
Thanks to a supernatural power to emit fire from her hands, 16-year-old Jentry Chau (Ali Wong) became an infamous urban legend as the little girl who set fire to her hometown in Texas. Now that she’s 16, her powers are mysteriously back, and so are a legion of underworld demons after those powers. Jentry navigates the awkward woes of life at a new high school, alongside Kit (Woosung Kim) and Michael (A.J. Beckles), two very attractive, very friendly, and totally platonic new friends of hers. At the same time, aided by her wise great-aunt Flora, better known as Gugu (Lori Tan Chinn), and a less-than-intimidating jiangshi named Ed (Bowen Yang), Jentry works to hone her powers in order to close a portal to the underworld and defeat the menacing Mr. Cheng (Greg Chun). As Ali Wong told Collider's Steve Weintraub, “She’s under a lot of pressure!”
Jentry Chau's Biggest Obstacle in the Netflix Series Is High School
Characters in Jentry Chau vs the Underworld will seem very familiar to fans of Disney Channel’s Gravity Falls and The Owl House. Those who know and love Gravity Falls’ secretive-great-uncle-involved-in-dark-magic, Stan, should have no trouble adjusting to Jentry Chau’s secretive-great-aunt-involved-in-dark-magic, Gugu. And lovers of Bill Cipher will appreciate the smooth-talking and undeniably evil mogwai (Kenton Chen) — although the mogwai is admittedly much less charismatic, and it doesn’t come with the little top hat and bowtie that you love so much on ol' Bill. The Owl House’s Luz, an only child grieving the absence of her parents, might make good friends with the likewise grieving only child Jentry Chau. Folks who are loyal to The Owl House’s Hooty should also enjoy Jentry’s equally impish but lovable sidekick, Ed. But fans of both shows, and other similarly youthful paranormal-centric series, should certainly come for the show’s young protagonist who’s strangely comfortable with dangerously magical beings.
A common trend in series like Gravity Falls, The Owl House, and less horror-based cartoons like Avatar: The Last Airbender or Steven Universe — all fantastical shows that revolve around adolescent characters — is to keep their protagonists outside of the public school arena. But Jentry Chau’s story is deeply reliant on her life in high school, closer to the likes of Star Butterfly in Star vs. the Forces of Evil. Half of Jentry’s main relationships come from her experience at Riverfork High, including a love triangle between Kit, Michael, and herself.
Series creator Echo Wu discussed with the LA Times that placing Jentry Chau in high school was intended as an added fear factor for the character. Not only is she dealing with a supernatural bounty on her head, but she’s also starting life at a new high school. As Wu put it, “Talking to a boy, for Jentry, is scarier than having to defeat the mogwai king of the underworld.” Jentry’s entanglement with her own forces of evil disrupts any chance of her desire to maintain a normal high school experience. All the while, she does her best to mask her infamous identity as the “demon girl of Riverfork.” The LA Times goes on to suggest that the romantic feud between Jentry, Kit, and Michael isn’t the only love triangle in the series, as Jentry also struggles with prioritizing her human relationships over her connection to her powers.
‘Jentry Chau vs the Underworld’ Is an Authentic Chinese-American Tale
Image via Netflix
Echo Wu’s underlying goal with Jentry Chau vs the Underworld was to create a love letter to her childhood, having been heavily inspired by the anime Sailor Moon and other cartoon series that transcended the language barrier between herself and her parents. Jentry Chau’s visuals are indeed lively and downright fiery, full of exciting movement and plenty of anime-derived styles. “I wanted to try and make a show that had a lot of different interests of mine combined into one,” Wu told the LA Times. “There’s horror elements and there’s action, but there’s also teen YA romance.” In blending those foundational interests, Wu made sure to properly represent Chinese culture. According to an interview with Collider, Wu and the creators brought in a cultural consultant who imbued a great deal of authenticity and detail in the creation of the story’s magical beings. Viewers will also surely notice that Gugu’s lair is riddled with mythological Chinese artifacts and weapons, not to mention the spoken references to Chinese mythology throughout the series.
Jentry Chau vs the Underworld is an accessible show for young audiences interested in a little low-key spookiness, and the story is full of mystery and misdirection — enough to keep audiences of all ages engaged. Jentry deals with boys, magical powers, and a complicated family history, as only a teenager under the influence of societal, familial, and even self-imposed expectations would know how. But at the center of it all, she’s just trying to figure out her identity. Jentry Chau is a fantastic coming-of-age series with an original voice that grapples with the all-too-familiar themes of adolescence.
Jentry Chau vs the Underworld is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
Image via Netflix
Image via Netflix 
English (US) ·