History YMMV / Mulan

** What Chien Po recites to get Yao to calm down is a legitimate Buddhist mantra. This would also match up with Chien Po's bald head - implying he's a monk and therefore socially allowed to shave his head.

*** Heck, the fact that the movie treated Chi Fu as "overreacting" to ''Nepotism''. Shang's performance or preparedness notwithstanding, the Huns are clearly a substantial threat even to prepared soldiers, and General Li smugly talking about Shang's "impressive military lineage" as part of a response to the serious question of why Shang was being given a position that would normally have been handed to someone with more experience really doesn't help his case. And, regardless of any other reasons he lists for giving Shang the position, any of the potential positive traits of Shang's are undermined by the fact alone that his interactions with his son are fairly familiar and informal, which is sweet and all, but not at all appropriate for supposedly giving him a position for strictly professional reasons. And even worse, as cool as it looks, Shang's training techniques, or at least some of them, actually ''are'' questionable: at least two of them endanger the recruit's lives, (flaming arrows & making them stand on a high clifftop), some of them are just in no way relevant to facing an armed enemy soldier, (archery - keep in mind these are foot soldiers, breaking boards with their faces) and none of them deal with learning basic swordsmanship, the main weapon the army equips them with. Being mistrustful of someone because of there is a strong chance of nepotism is NOT "petty" or "bullying", it is ''the right thing to do under any circumstance!''

** In Mulan and her father's argument about whether or not the latter should go to war, it doesn't come off as black and white as they seemed to want us to see it as. While Fa Zhou was too old to be fighting, you have to remember that Mulan's initial plan was simply trying to convince her dad to ignore the conscription call and stay home. This of course is pretty obviously not as easy as Mulan appears to believe, as every recruit summoned is handed a piece of paper that they are expected to turn in, which probably in turn is noted. Fa Zhou not showing up would be noticed, especially given with how famous he is. And then that of course would have severe consequences for not only Fa Zhou, but for his beloved family as well. There's never any indication that Fa Zhou has any delusions about his age or current capabilities - he also also clearly says that he is doing is to protect his family, not necessarily from invaders but from causing trouble that might cause his family to lose their home and financial security. Mulan twisting his words and characterizing him as simply dying for honor[[note]]Especially after he was so kind to her regarding her accidentally dishonoring him over the disastrous matchmaker test[[/note]] comes off as ignorant and even a little manipulative, so Fa Zhou losing his temper right after that is understandable. That being said, later in the story it's clear that recruits that can't keep up with everyone else ARE sent home, and whole platoons can be held back if they were considered unfit for battle, so it's on Fa Zhou (and Fa Li and Granny Fa) 100% to not explain this ASAP to calm Mulan down.

** Some trans readings of Mulan confuse {{applicability}} for {{allegory}}, interpreting Mulan as canonically trans where the text makes it clear she's comfortable with being a woman - it's the rigidness of the society around her and them being unable to see a chaotic, headstrong woman as feminine, along with the theme of filial piety, that's the issue. Some Chinese people and Chinese diaspora view the trans reading as erasing the cultural aspect of the film, such as the weight that familial expectations place on people or the need to wrestle with old-fashioned Chinese views on gender roles, which do not allow [[MenAreTheExpendableGender women to contribute to the war effort directly]], instead forcing them be [[StayInTheKitchen perfect wives who would birth more sons]].

** The film is often said to have borrowed elements from [[InterchangeableAsianCultures Japanese and Korean culture]] as well. Most of these are in fact [[AluminumChristmasTrees Ancient Chinese traditions]]. The dress Mulan wears for the Matchmaker is mistaken for a kimono, when it is actually a [[https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/traditional-chinese-clothes-hanfu.htm hanfu]] - a traditional Chinese dress; which for the record is the predecessor of the kimono and hanbok. The make-up likewise is thought to be Geisha, but is actually based off Tang Dynasty make-up (which did influence the Geishas). Even so, the Geishas originated in the courts of Imperial China.

** Mulan often lauded as the first ActionGirl Disney princess as well as saving her love interest instead of the other way around. The first Disney Princess to save her love interest was Ariel in 1989, (And arguably Belle as well, though she didn't save hers from physical danger) and Jasmine had been kicking copious amounts of ass in her TV series a few years earlier. And the second point is inaccurate - Mulan would have been executed if Shang had not suddenly decided to spare her, meaning Mulan did NOT break that trend.

** While the Matchmaker was being a complete jerkass by calling Mulan a disgrace, she was right to give Mulan a failing grade on the test. Mulan wasn't an impressive bride-to-be (at first): she cheated by writing on her skin, she spilled tea on the table, and even set the woman on fire, (She didn't do it intentionally, and there was a cricket but she still: Set. On. Fire.) all while she was supposed to be proving her best mettle as a wife. In fact, had she simply told the Matchmaker there was a cricket in her tea, rather than trying to grab the cup off her, that part of the mess could have been avoided – although she does try to tell her, only to be cut off because the ideal bride is supposed to be silent.