Anti-American?
When Shu presents her student to The Kumite, she's met with a snide "She is not Chinese". I was hoping Shu or Jane would roll their eyes, point to some of the other participants and go "And she's Brazilian, and she's Australian, and She's Russian, and she's black. What's. Your. Point?" Does it have to do with her father when he competed?
- The official didn't seem to be objecting so much to the fact that she was an American, as she was to the fact that she was an American fighting in Shu's behalf. The surprise arose from the fact that Shu didn't choose a Chinese apprentice. Given the condescending opinions Shu is supposed to have held about Americans in her youth, this is understandable.
Male-Exclusion?
It's made pretty clear throughout the movie that The Kumite is women's only: from how Wei describes what it takes to win when she's intimidating Ling with her sword, to how Shu describes Jane's hypothetical opponents with female pronouns while training her. But if that's the case, why was Jane's father able to compete in it in the past or Shu's fiancé for that matter? Is it a more recent rule?
