“KPop Demon Hunters” – Flashy, Fast, and Worth Your Time

The three hunters jumped from the plane, singing their opening song, “How It’s Done.” Neon blue lights trailing their descent, then the three land on stage, a cloud of smoke billowing in their wake. The hunters emerge from the fog, all bringing down their weapons on the three demons below. The audience roars, 50,000 fans cheering, glowing lightsticks and glowing faces in admiration.

“KPop Demon Hunters” is an animated film about a female k-pop group, called the Huntr/x (Huntrix) that performs in the day and secretly fights demons at night. Demons steal people’s souls to become more powerful, once the soul is gone the body disintegrates completely. The hunters fight demons to ensure the amount of missing persons reports go down and so they can seal the Honmoon. The Honmoon, a portal, prevents Gwi-ma–the demon king–and his army from entering the human world ever again. 

The main character is Rumi, a half demon and half human hybrid. Her mother died during her childbirth and her father is kept unknown. Rumi’s identity is kept secret as Celine, the woman who raised her, convinces her to trust no one with the secret. 

“Why couldn’t you love me?” Rumi asks. “I do,” Celine whispers. “All of me,” shouts Rumi.  Throughout the film, Rumi struggles to hide her identity, fearing rejection from her friends Mira and Zoey–and their fanbase too. 

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the movie. The animated style, bright colors, and catchy music could keep anyone entertained. I loved the animation style, the almost choppy, “holding on twos” method which gave the film a unique comic book feeI. There was just one thing I didn’t like too much and that would be the rushed plot and underdeveloped characters. The story was very hurried along, different problems flying in from both sides, it felt like the characters never got a moment to breathe. 

Despite this, I still highly recommend this film–even if you aren’t a tween or a k-pop fan. There’s truly something about it for everyone, from romance, to appealing visuals, to music. 

“KPop Demon Hunters” the urban-fantasy film has topped the global charts becoming the number one most-watched Netflix film, ten weeks after its release. This was surprising considering that it was marketed towards an audience of tweens and k-pop fans (I am neither). Still, its themes of self-acceptance and friendship must have resonated with older audiences as well. 

Even though “KPop Demon Hunters” might not have had the most intricate plot, the energy, style, and message make it worth watching. 

“I’m done hiding, now I’m shining,” sings the Huntr/x.