Ambitious to a fault but always entertaining, KPop Demon Hunters is a fun blend of Korean mythology, colorful animation, the perils of modern fandom, and, of course, pop music. Sony Animation took some lessons from Spider-Verse to produce some dynamic fight sequences and breathtaking visuals, though the story gets lost in the haze. If it manages to escape the morass of Netflix slop, it could gather a following not unlike that of our superstar leads.
The biggest girl group in Korea, Huntrix, has a secret. Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) are the latest in a Buffy-esque line of secret demon hunters, tasked with protecting the barrier between the human world and the world of demons, their strength coming from their musical abilities. The barrier between worlds is nearly sealed, though a group of demons led by a wily figure named Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop) threaten to destroy everything the hunters have done. Jinu, trying to impress the Demon King Gwi-Ma (Lee Byung-hun), knows that besting the girls in combat is useless – to truly defeat them, they must take their fans. Thus, the Saja Boys debut in the human world, entrancing all of Korea with their good looks and catchy tunes.
Though united in their hatred of demons, the girls aren’t entirely trusting of each other. Rumi carries a dark secret that may threaten their entire world, while Mira and Zoey are holding back some true feelings to keep up a solid front for their fans. As much as a lesson like “hiding your scars can make things worse” is good and appropriate for a teen audience, it rings a bit false when placed in the world of K-pop. As much as I’d love for K-Pop stars to be able to share their true feelings and battles with the world, the industry is far too cutthroat and brutal to allow such a thing. This is why Perfect Blue happens every couple months over there.
I’m interested to see K-pop stan reactions to the film, which is the first time I’ve ever said anything like that. Will they love the music, ably performed by the K-pop girl group Twice? The forbidden romance between Rumi and Jinu that both parties fear? Cute anime-esque gags and facial expressions? The Uniqlo-core fashion? There’s a lot thrown at the audience during this movie, which feels like an attempt to paper over some cracks in the plotting. Was there more of a plan to dive into past demon hunters, including Celine (Yunjin Kim), who raised Rumi after her mother was killed? Did the previous girls meet untimely ends? Are the demons truly evil, or just misguided? It’s not important, but perhaps could be explored further in a sequel. For now, it’s nice to watch an animated film with exactly zero white speaking roles, with deftly designed Korean characters who don’t look tossed off for diversity points. The film appreciates its audience and doesn’t do any fandom hand holding. This is K-pop, you’re either in or you’re out.
KPop Demon Hunters
2025
Dir. Chris Appelhaus & Maggie Kang
95 min
Streaming on Netflix starting Friday, 6/20
