WesternAnimation Lives up to the "Amazing" part of the title
You wouldn't figure a show that's basically Scooby Doo with a dad and ten children for being so damn good, but this one is. It follows a format, but it never gets boring or stale. Why?
Character realism.
That's right, in a show where ten children supposedly have one basic personality trait each, the characters are far from being hopeless stereotypes who are nothing but their basic personality trait. And when those traits are played up, it's endearing and amusing rather than Character Exaggeration.
Sibling Rivalry? Shockingly nonexistent. The kids have their arguments and differences: Henry facepalms and groans at Stanley's antics, Mimi and Scooter argue over the former's bossiness, Tom and Alan kid their tomboy sister Anne about her gender. But at the end of the day they're mere pokes and jabs; no siblings will get along perfectly 100% of the time and it's clear that Henry values Stanley as a partner, Mimi bosses Scooter out of childish love, Alan and Tom think of Anne as their equal. Oh, and Anne the tomboy and Suzie the girly girl do NOT have the stereotypical sisterly rivalry, which is super refreshing.
And while they're eager to help solve the cases they understand that Pop knows best; their wanting to help him is out of admiration and adoration, not "we must prove ourselves better than the adults". Charlie is a good parent who wants what's best for his kids, but he's not hard-nosed and stern about it. And despite Asian culture dictating boys are superior to girls, he values his daughters as much as he values his sons.
The Asian stereotypes are nonexistent. Mr. Chan does tend towards fortune-cookie proverbs, but it's portrayed as sage wisdom. The kids' Chinese heritage is acknowledged, but lacks the usual unfortunate racial stereotyping you might see elsewhere. The songs are pretty catchy, too.
It's far from perfect, of course. The chase scenes often feel a bit random, like they're trying too hard to fit with the Scooby motif. Some of the otherwise harmless gags can feel overused or out of place (see the entry for Conflict Ball). And this being Hanna Barbera, the animation can leave something to be desired.
But all in all, it's a fun show with likeable characters. Definitely worth checking out.
WesternAnimation A very fun show
Even if this one didn't do as well or last as long as its other counterparts, The Amazing Chan And The Chan Clan is still a very entertaining series. Keye Luke does an excellent job as the voice of Charlie Chan, and the voices of the children are quite good too. In particular, Jodie Foster seems very much at home in her role as Anne Chan.
The characters, despite their initial stereotypical roles, are anything but cliches. The writers gave them real personalities and quirks, which made them more like people than just cartoon cutouts, and Asian stereotyping is essentially nonexistent. Very progressive when you consider the era!
Sibling rivalry is a non-issue as well, which is a pleasant surprise considering there's ten children in that family. The kids know the value of teamwork and getting along; sure, they have their disagreements and their issues with each other, but extended rivalries and grudges don't seem to exist.
Overall, the show may be far from an epic masterpiece, but it's still quite awesome.