Simu Liu Criticises Poor Mandarin Dialogue in 'Moon Knight'
Arthur Harrow needs to fire his Mandarin teacher.
Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings lead actor Simu Liu has taken to Twitter to criticize a scene in the second episode of Marvel's latest show on Disney+, Moon Knight.
Moon Knight tells the story of Steven Grant, a museum gift-shop employee living a half-life while also unknowingly serving as a vessel for an Egyptian God.
The scene in question, which has been lambasted by Asian fans, depicts the show's villain Arthur Harrow (portrayed by actor Ethan Hawke) speaking what seems to be unintelligible Mandarin with one of his followers.
The scene is followed by the show's protagonist Grant (portrayed by actor Oscar Isaac), asking Harrow if his followers spoke Chinese. The cult leader ironically responds by saying that his followers not only speak Mandarin but also aspire to master three languages.
After watching the episode, Liu, who is fluent in Mandarin, posted a tweet criticising the actors' poor pronunciation.
Alright Arthur Harrow needs to fire his Mandarin teacher — Simu Liu (刘思慕) (@SimuLiu) April 9, 2022
"Alright Arthur Harrow needs to fire his Mandarin teacher," Liu said in his tweet, which received many comments from fans who agreed with his statement.
Meanwhile, YouTube content creator Disney Dwayne said the show's actors and directors should have taken better care to avoid botching the Mandarin dialogue.
“Common, Marvel, Disney. More care, please, into how you represent.” Dwayne said.
“The way the Mandarin is translated shows that there was not enough care taken because it was like a direct Google translation.”
Despite the boo-boo, the episode has been well received by fans and critics alike. Moon Knight airs weekly every Wednesday on Disney+ until May 4.
