A Kiss Is Just a Kiss?

Continuing with Monday's discussion of romance in graphic novels, I would like to examine the implications of the kiss between Jin and Suzy in American Born Chinese (188.1). The kiss comes about after Suzy shares her tale of rejection by a former friend that occurred over the weekend, and how events like these lead her to believe the degrading comments directed toward her by their classmates. Similarly, Jin believes that he is not good enough for Amelia because one of their peers tells him so. It is arguably the most tender moment in the book; Suzy has shared her deepest insecurities with the one person she knows will understand, and Jin is able to relate more than ever at this moment. However, this does not explain why he kisses her. It was not exactly something that has been building up for a long time. He had never expressed any interest in her; in fact, at the beginning of the novel he bemoans the fact that they were always associated with each other due to their Asian backgrounds. In addition, Suzy is his best friend's girlfriend. Jin must know how much this would hurt Wei-Chen. However, what he says in defense of his betrayal is even more hurtful. Wei-Chen tries to be reasonable with Jin, but Jin's response is nothing short of mean and cruel. The worst part is that he eventually believes the things he said to his friend, that Wei-Chen was not good enough for Suzy and that she deserved better. This is what ultimately leads to his transformation into Danny. By betraying his best friend, he has finally forfeited his soul.

I am still at somewhat of a loss as to why Jin kissed Suzy. One could chalk it up to hormones, but I do not believe this to be the case. This seems to be his moment of transformation, even more than when he is physically transformed into Danny. It is after this kiss that he is so mean to Wei-Chen. Perhaps he was trying to get revenge on the people who have been so mean and hurtful to him by hurting those whom he believed were not capable of hurting him back. Adolescence is a strange thing, and the obstacles that Jin, Suzy, and Wei-Chen had to face because of their Asian-American status only added to the already numerous complications.