WARNING: Minor Mulan spoilers ahead.
Although Captain Li Shang does not, in fact, make a man out of Fa Mulan in the beloved 1998 animated film, he does manage to inadvertently reveal her womanhood and win her heart. Stoic at first but eventually revealed to be gentle, Shang became a childhood crush (and bisexual icon) for many ‘90s babies. So when the news broke that Disney’s live-action reboot would not feature the iconic chiseled captain, not all were pleased.
In a February interview with Collider, Mulan producer Jason Reed said, “I think particularly in the time of the #MeToo movement, having a commanding officer that is also the sexual love interest was very uncomfortable and we didn’t think it was appropriate.”
But he clarified that Li Shang would serve as inspiration for other characters in the film, adding, “We split Li Shang into two characters. One became Commander Tung (Donnie Yen) who serves as her surrogate father and mentor in the course of the movie. The other is Honghui (Yoson An) who is [Mulan’s] equal in the squad.”
Some fans understood and agreed with the #MeToo argument. Others found it offensive, arguing that Shang would never use his commanding position to coerce a woman into romance. He waited until after she was no longer under his command to pursue any sort of romantic relationship. And anyway, it was Mulan who had the crush on him! (Understandably so.)
View full post on XView full post on XView full post on XView full post on XThat said, Mulan doesn’t escape the live-action remake without some degree of romance. It’s just that Li Shang has a new face, a new name, and a new personality, and he’s not her commanding officer. So ... he’s not Li Shang.
In early 2017, fans noticed the Mulan casting call listed a new character as the heroine’s love interest. The call read, “Strapping, cocky, and handsome, Honghui is another recruit who joins Commander Tung’s unit, and he’s determined to be the best soldier in human history. Full of himself, with a mean, bullying streak to him, he quickly realizes that Mulan is his chief rival, but he does not realize that she is a woman. Grittily determined to be simply the best at everything, Honghui is increasingly peeved by Mulan’s ability to match or out-maneuver him. But after learning that his rival is a woman, his intense feelings of rivalry turn into something very different, something like love.”
Watching the final film, viewers will realize Honghui is hardly a love interest at all. (He and Mulan close with a shy handshake rather than dinner at her house, like in the animated film.) Although his sudden attraction upon her gender reveal, per the character description, feels patronizing and problematic, he and Mulan do share some private conversations and reassuring looks when she is still disguised as Hua Jun, possibly hinting at his feelings. He treats her as an equal, but ultimately, he’s no Li Shang—a commander who, though outdated in some of his initial views, eventually comes to deeply respect both Ping and Mulan, realizing they are no different. Many even believe Shang was attracted to Mulan when she was presenting as Ping. For Honghui, that could have been the case, but we don’t really get to see his attraction to Jun or Mulan flourish before the credits roll.
So is the live-action film better off without Mulan’s true love? Not exactly.
View full post on XView full post on XView full post on XIt would be one thing if Mulan went through the entire film without any romance complicating her empowering narrative. But the creators demanded Honghui shoot his shot (sort of). Despite his attraction, he hardly has the same respect for her that brave and beautiful Li Shang did. The live-action movie gets some things right, sure. But messing with Shang isn’t one of them.
