- Even with their implied difficult relationship, Mei and her parents clearly hold a lot of affection for each other. Ming calls her daughter the adorable nickname Mei-Mei — even when she's absolutely livid with her — and she even prepares Mei's breakfast carefully and lovingly with a smiley face on top. Director Domee Shi describes Mei as the apple of her mom's eye.
- When Ming finds out about Mei's panda and follows her home, she immediately tries to calm her down, telling her what's happening is okay, and that "Mommy is here". While initially anxious to touch Mei's panda form, in the temple Ming gently takes her paw and holds it dearly.
- Mei and Ming love to take care of their family temple, where they sweep the shrine together happily, and even protect it from intruders together. When three street rats try to spray paint the walls of their shrine, both Mei and Ming don't hesitate to come out swinging after them and successfully scaring them off.
- When she thinks Mei's started her period, Ming sends her to school with extra snacks in her lunch, herbal tea, and painkillers, assuring her that even if she feels different, no one will be able to tell what's happened and she has nothing to worry about. Her Amazingly Embarrassing Parents routine undermines it later, but it's still a sweet gesture towards her daughter who really is freaking out over a big change in her life... just not the one she thinks.
- It's a tiny thing, but Mei drinks the herbal tea. She's relieved to find that it helps control her transformations.
- Mei is so nervous about the panda thing that she sweats profusely, prompting Priya to say, "I got you, girl" and offer her some extra deodorant she has in her bag. Later, when the friend group comes to visit her at home to check on her (implied to have snuck out of school to do so), Priya offers extra pads, and is obviously sympathetic towards Mei's predicament.
- When Tyler is mocking Mei over the "Ming at Daisy Mart" incident, her friends all form a barrier between him and Mei and all tell him to go away and leave her alone; whether or not Mei actually needs them to take on Tyler, they're not letting her deal with him alone.
- When a classmate wants to know what's up with Mei, Miriam snaps "What's with your face?!" to shut down the classmate before quietly and gently asking Mei if she is okay because she knows something is wrong but also knows Mei clearly doesn't want anyone to know.
- When Mei first flees the school in her panda form, she runs into a couple out walking and in her surprise does the little paws up thing
◊ real red pandas do when startled. It's as funny as it is utterly adorable. - When her parents learn that her panda has appeared, they clear Mei's room of all furniture and possessions so she can safely learn to control herself. However, Jin goes out of his way to make sure that Mei still has her stuffed puppy Wilfred to cuddle with. Mei's grateful response and clear appreciation show that Wilfred is her Security Blanket, and Jin knows her well enough to know that she'll need the plushie to get through this very difficult time in her life.
- When Mei's three BFFs (Miriam, Priya and Abby) discover her newfound transformation ability, Mei's worried about how they'll react. While they're certainly surprised by Mei's condition, they prove to be very accepting of it—in fact, they find it really cool and immediately start gushing about how cute Mei looks as a red panda. They ultimately assure Mei that, no matter what, she's their best friend, and they'll always love her for who she is.
- In the same scene, when Mei is depressed about being a red panda and is afraid of what her friends and everyone else will think of her, Miriam, Abby, and Priya start to beatbox and perform an improvised acapella version of their favorite 4*Town song to cheer Mei up. Miriam leads the song and tries to get Mei to sing along. Even as miserable as Mei is, she can't resist that. She joins in singing as well, showing that despite her changed form, inside she's still the same Mei they know and love, and they still all share the same love for 4*Town.
- When Mei first starts singing along with her friends, she's saying the words of the song, but her tone indicates that she's actually asking, "you really still want to be friends with this— this gross, slobby, smelly monster?" Their (equally unspoken) answer is an enthusiastic "YES!"
- A subtler example, when Mei gives her multimedia presentation on why she should be allowed to go to a concert, Mei is seen wearing her mother's business coat. This shows that she sees her mother as business savvy enough to emulate her when making what is essentially a life-investment (going to the concert being portrayed by the movie as a cornerstone in Mei's life). Not only that, but a young girl wearing her parent's clothes to look more grown-up is a universally cute image to see, especially if it's your own kid. Whether she was consciously aware of any of this or if she was using these facts as a tactic to get her way is a more subjective area of discussion.
- Most people (at least those who are Mei's age) seem to find her transformation ability to be a good thing. Later on, we see Mei in full red panda form, dancing with her friends and other schoolmates at Tyler's party, a majority of them wearing red panda themed T-shirts!
- A blink and you'll miss it scene, but during recess and the girls making merch, a group of boys are running, but they actively encourage their somewhat chubby friend to keep at it, a nice touch of friendship there.
- In a small way, Tyler accepting Mei's terms of $200 for only an hour with no presents. Considering they actively refused to let him in on the panda stuff and he kept quiet about it, that can be him knowing he's been a jerk so he can been seen as breaking the trend of Evil Is Petty.
- At Tyler's birthday party, when Mei finally shows up, she initially refuses to change into a panda, because her grandmother warned her that transforming too many times might make the transformation permanent. Since not changing into a panda means Tyler won't give Mei the remaining $200 they need, this would cost Mei her chance to see 4*Town, but since they still have the $600 they earned, her friends still have enough money to buy 3 tickets. However, Abby, Miriam, and Priya decide that if Mei can't see 4*Town, then they won't go to the concert either, as their friendship with Mei is more important. Then, Mei decides that none of her friends should give up their chance because of her, so she transforms into a panda at the party despite the risks so Tyler won't renege on his deal.
- What makes it even more heartwarming? Priya is the first to initiate not to go.
- Jin showing Mei encouragement and support to make her own decision about keeping the panda after watching the camcorder video of her in panda mode with her friends and realizing how much joy the panda brings her.
- We learn that the reason why Ming is so uptight and paranoid about her daughter's well-being is because she accidentally hurt her mother when she went into panda-mode in her teenage years. Why? Because her mother had disapproved of her choice in boyfriends. Not only was Jin not frightened off by his girlfriend turning into a giant red panda-monster when she was angry, but he eventually married her, had a daughter, and their marriage is still stable and loving over a decade. Now that's real love right there.
- In a different story, either Jin would've been scared off by how she scarred her own mother or Ming would've associated Jin with her bad memory. If their marriage in the present day is any indication, neither came to pass. If anything, this shows their relationship was stronger than the trauma.
- After Mei takes off for the concert, Ming is left on the ground in tears. The aunties crowd around clamoring in distress, while Wu loudly chastises her for letting this happen at all. Only Jin comes to her actual aid, putting an arm around her shoulders and gently assuring her that it's okay.
- When Mei is about to take her only chance to seal away her red panda side and be normal once more (just as her female relatives before her), she looks back for one instant... and sees the red panda as a reflection of herself, looking back at her in helpless fear. What follows is Mei looking back on all the memories of her time as the red panda. All of them. Even the ones that weren't as good, she still looks back on them, because they're now part of who she is. This ultimately convinces her to embrace her red panda side and keep it.
- This also adds and reflects to what Mei's father told her earlier before the ritual:Jin: People have all kinds of sides to them, Mei, and some sides are messy. The point isn't to push the bad stuff away, it's to... make room for it, live with it.
- Mei picking herself up out of the dust of the ritual, finding her transformation intact, and wrapping herself — and by extension, her panda spirit — in a joyful, laughing embrace.
- And when Ming wonders why Mei is still a red panda, there's something pure about how Mei says "I'm keeping it" as though it were a pet that grew on her, and wholesome about how she says it with a mature inflection. Mei isn't asking her mother for permission; she's stating a fact.
- This also adds and reflects to what Mei's father told her earlier before the ritual:
- Fridge Heartwarming: With how upset Mei's red panda spirit was when she tried to separate from it, imagine how overjoyed it was to hear Mei say she was keeping it after all.
- When Mei reunites with the other girls in the 4*Town concert after the Plot-Mandated Friendship Failure, Miriam in particular is reluctant to forgive her... yet all it takes to fully mend the bond is a heartfelt apology and the reveal that Miriam has been looking after Mei's Tamagotchi ever since Mei left it behind at Tyler's house.
- Immediately afterward, Miriam notices that Tyler is at the 4*Town concert, much to his embarrassment. But rather than make fun of him, the girls are thrilled to learn he likes 4*Town, immediately give him a Group Hug, and happily welcome him into their "sisterhood".
- The girls and Tyler finally watching the 4*Town concert together. Each and every reveal of the band members have them jumping for joy with the rest of the crowd, and Robaire's in particular immediately has them burst into Tears of Joy. A lot of people watching said it was similar to their own first concert experience.
- The brief meaningful looks of friendship that Miriam, Priya, Abby, and Tyler all gave Mei when they are all running towards the 4*Town singers during the concert. It's possible that they all know that Mei wanted to meet her favourite singer Robaire, and all of them help Mei by working together to lift her up (with Tyler accidentally getting Mei's shoe in his face in the process) to touch hands with Robaire who looks as though he was singing personally to Mei herself.
- In another weird way as opposed to a mindless monster on a rampage, Ming retaining her personality and somewhat maternal aspects. Sure, she was on a rampage, but she was still telling kids to "go home, put some clothes on." If that doesn't sell, what parent even in full kaiju mode still calls their child by their nickname? It's almost as though letting the audience know that, somewhere beneath this raging monster attacking the stadium, Ming's better part still resides beneath the surface.
- A sort of "heartwarming background event" occurs at the concert: as the kids are running from the rampaging panda-Ming, in the background there's a girl in a wheelchair being pushed toward safety by another girl. In a situation where most people, and especially most kids, would just panic and run, this one put her wheelchair-using friend's safety ahead of her own.
- When Mei meets up with Jin and the other family members, she gives her father a quick hug in relief.
- A quick moment, but in the same above-mentioned moment, Priya and Abby can be seen holding hands for safety. Given how Abby is treated like The Baby of the Bunch among their friends and it's implied Priya is the oldest, it's reminiscent of the eldest sibling taking care of the youngest one.
- When Mei finally calls out Ming for her behavior after she crashes the 4*Town concert in giant red panda form, everyone else is shocked, but Abby's giddily smiling as if to say, "You go, girl!"
- Blink and you miss it but 4*Town helping each other when they were trying to leave. Normally, you'd expect individual members to cut their losses and save themselves, but if you focus, you can see they don't leave until they're all free.
- Grandma Wu and the aunties risk releasing their own red panda spirits to help Mei move an unconscious giant Panda-Ming back into the circle. When Mei worries that it'll be too late for all of them to excise their spirits, it doesn't matter to any of them: what matters most is saving Ming and re-sealing her highly-dangerous kaiju-sized panda spirit.Grandma Wu: I'm not losing my daughter!
...
Mei: But what if you can't turn back?
Helen: Your mom needs us!
Lily: She's family! - Despite being freaked out as everyone else when Panda-Ming goes on a rampage, 4*Town helps Mei and her friends and family complete the ritual by singing with enough heart and power to send all the women into the astral realm. Robaire even cries during a closeup. Also, the final shot of the film before the credits roll is a signed picture of the guys posing with Panda-Mei and her friends and family.
- After Mei manages to find her mother in the astral plane and to reunite with her aunties, Wu slowly approaches towards Ming, as we expect that she would scold her for her panda rampage. But, to everyone’s surprise, she hugs Ming, both as a way to apologize for her strict treatment towards her own daughter, and to tell her that she already forgave her for accidentally scarring her during their last fight.Ming: (tearfully) I'm sorry...
Wu: Shhh. You don't have to apologise. I'm your mother.- She then turns to Mei and simply says, "May Sun Yee guide you, and keep you safe," showing her willingness to accept Mei's choice. Mei's aunties quickly follow suit.
- Mei and Ming reconciling and her mother giving a heartfelt apology for being so uptight, letting Mei-Mei be who she wants to be.Ming: I see you, Mei-Mei. You try to make everyone happy, but are so hard on yourself. And if I taught you that... I'm sorry. So, don't hold back. For anyone. The farther you go, the prouder I'll be.
- In the epilogue, Ming and Mei are on such good terms that the former no longer lords high expectations over the latter to work at the shrine all the time. Before she goes off to hang out with her friends, mother and daughter exchange genuine smiles, as though acknowledging Mei's ready to be her own person.
- There's also the lovely Bookends to the story. The prologue started with a small montage of Mei's family photos of spending time with her mother and putting her family first. Although the photos were sweet unto themselves, Mei's monologue gives an undertone she only honored her family because it was expected of her. The last shot in the story is a photo of Mei and her collective friends and family posing with 4*Town. This marks how, thanks to her red panda powers, Mei doesn't have to pretend for her mother anymore: she gets to be the person she wants to be.
- Unto itself, it's a Meaningful Echo to Mei's imagine spot about going to the 4*Town concert. It ended with her having the perfect photo with 4*Town and her friends. But in the ending, there's a similar photo, except she's a red panda and it's with the addition of her family and Tyler. It's a nice symbolism that although reality won out expectations, it signifies Mei's individuality and how her "messy, loud, weird" side shaped her experience.
- Fridge-Awesome: There's a deleted scene that reveals that the photo of Mei bowing before her mother is supposed to be a holiday family photo of them celebrating Chinese New Year as opposed to Christmas. This puts a whole new spin on the symbolism behind Mei's family photo, signifying the artificiality of the perfection her mother's been trying to uphold. By contrast, her photo of her as a red panda with 4*Town feels real and improvised, reflecting that Mei can be herself instead of putting up a front to fit her mother's idea of perfection.
- Unwittingly, the way Mei and Ming pose in their Chinese New Year family photo, it has the unfortunate implication of looking like a servant bowing to their master, as though reflecting how Mei had to obey her mother. The photo by the end of the movie has a more genuine feel to it, as though signifying that Mei has grown to be her mother's equal.
- Mei's family leaves the astral plane, and with the red moon passing, Mei presumably cannot ever seal her red panda spirit into a talisman, future red moon rituals being rendered ineffective to her. Having passed the Point of No Return, she sadly asks Sun Yee, "I'm not going to regret this, am I?". Her honored ancestor's response is to swoop in and embrace her descendant, turning them both into red pandas who fly above the forests and towards the moon, beholding the vast, wondrous, limitless potential of the physical and supernatural.
- Especially poignant is that the first time Mei tries to seal her panda Sun Yee looks down from the mirror with a solemn expression, given most of her descendants have rejected what she saw as a blessing. Once Mei makes the choice to keep her panda, being the first descendant in a long time to do so, Sun Yee gives a smile that is still poised but overjoyed regardless.
- Another thing that made this especially poignant is when Mei first heard the story of her ancestor, all she could think about was how her panda powers ruined her life and tried to tear up her picture. Mei's mother admits that now the powers are an inconvenience. It's implied that Mei's family started to reject their powers, originally seen as a gift to protect their daughters. Now Mei is going to her ancestor for comfort and advice, and her ancestor Sun Yee hugs her. Mei was probably the first member of the family in a long time to accept her panda powers as a gift and choose to keep her powers.
- Especially poignant is that the first time Mei tries to seal her panda Sun Yee looks down from the mirror with a solemn expression, given most of her descendants have rejected what she saw as a blessing. Once Mei makes the choice to keep her panda, being the first descendant in a long time to do so, Sun Yee gives a smile that is still poised but overjoyed regardless.
- While most people are understandably shocked to find an 8-foot-tall bear-monster running around, when they get over their shock they devolve into Cuteness Overload, ruling Mei's fears of being shunned and treated like a monster as irrational. Even after the reality of the red panda lineage becomes public knowledge — especially in the form of a giant monster attack that destroyed public property and endangered lives by the end of the movie — people are more astounded and amazed at something as miraculous as a big cuddly creature living in their city ready to give tours and autographs.
- Tyler becoming part of the girls' group by the end of the movie. He even wears a friendship bracelet that matches the ones Mei and her friends all wear, which cements how they've accepted him as one of their own (and is especially heartwarming when one takes into account that Tyler was implied to not have any friends before this point). After calling Mei's temple "weird", he happily is shown to have respect for Mei's mother.
