I Am What I Am

Honestly, I didn't believe that a story concerning a lion dance with a simple premise about a bunch of underdogs trying to win a competition could get me interested. The only thing that seemed interesting about it at first was probably the lion dance. However, I Am What I Am actually won me over in the end by its depiction of the local conditions, a strong social dimension, a well-chosen theme, and its overall message. As I've already said, I initially found it quite run-of-the-mill, but gradually got immersed in the plot, and found my way to the main character and a few others. I also started enjoying the choreography of the lion dance and how vividly and impressively it was portrayed. On top of that, I appreciated the seriousness of the problems the heroes faced, and the fact that the writers weren’t trying to idealize or sugarcoat anything. It made me enjoy the finale quite a lot. I was rooting for the boys, and the essentially bittersweet conclusion was satisfying. The animation is very decent, even charming during the lion dances. The score was also good, though I wasn't crazy about the chosen songs and tunes. None of them really stuck in my head. It's probably not the best I've seen of Chinese animation, but it definitely deserves a decent 4*. 7.5/10 (29/11/2022)