Introducing…”Samurai Girl”

I spent this past weekend at home after finally quitting my second job and allowing myself some free time to enjoy the summer. Since I don’t have a television in NYC, I switch into full TV-watching-couch-potato mode when I come home. While being glued to Phelps’s 8^th-Gold-winning Olympic race, I saw a preview for the new ABC Family “Original Event” (read: miniseries) called “Samurai Girl.” Based on the book series of the same name, the title character is 19-year-old Heaven, who discovers that her wealthy, Japanese adopted father is involved with both the Yakuza and her brother’s murder. Some ancient-prophesying and samurai-training later, she takes on the Japanese mafia in legend-fulfilling-samurai force. Or, so I’ve gathered from reading various synopses.

Jamie Chung (from Greek & Real World) = the Samurai Girl

It’s always refreshing to see Asian/Asian-American actors on TV: Sandra Oh on Grey’s Anatomy; B.D. Wong on Law & Order: SVU; the Korean couple in Lost; Lucy Liu in, um, lots of things. (And no, that random Asian girl on Gossip Girl doesn’t count because all she does is give scornful looks in time with Blair Waldorf/Leighton Meester). Margaret Cho had a show in 1994 (“All American Girl”) about her Korean-American family but it was cancelled early on.

Look, it's B.D. Wong!

I’m all for Asians becoming more visible on screen (more AZN celebs/role models, plz!), though it’s a bit annoying that the “Samurai Girl” storyline has to involve ancient prophesies and a martial arts/samurai theme. Also, did I mention Heaven’s sensei is a white guy (her brother’s friend) who she more than likely falls in love with? That makes sense, though, considering there are plenty of white male/Asian female couples these days (um, guilty). But as long as there isn’t another “wax on, wax off” scene, I’d much rather see “Samurai Girl” kicking ass on screen than the usual “Happy Ending Girl” fulfilling creepy men’s fantasies.

Brendan Fehr = the white guy/sensei/love interest