Courtesy of Netflix
The singing voices behind Huntrix are EJAE (Rumi), Audrey Nuna (Mira) and Rei Ami (Zoey).Editor’s Note: Minor spoilers are in this review.
“KPop Demon Hunters,” an animated film that debuted on Netflix in June, didn’t sound like a movie I’d want to watch when I first heard about it.
The title gave me the impression this movie was either for young children or contained satire. However, after hearing friends’ recommendations and the hit song “Golden,” I was convinced to watch the trailer and eventually the full movie.
The film follows Rumi, Mira and Zoey. The three are part of a K-pop girl group named Huntrix that secretly hunts down soul-eating demons. When the Saja Boys, a demon boy band, begin to steal their fans and unleash chaos, Huntrix faces battles that test both their strength and loyalty to each other. Along the way, “KPop Demon Hunters” explores themes of friendship and identity while mixing humor, action and music.
Several minutes into the movie, the film caught my attention with its smooth animations, epic battle scenes and catchy songs. Several moments of suspense drew me in further. One occurs when the demon king Gwi-ma tells Jinu he can’t escape his sins and the other when Rumi, saying she’d rather see the Honmoon — a magical barrier that keeps demons out — destroyed.
On the other hand, some of the scenes and animations land in really cringeworthy ways, specifically when Huntrix runs into the Saja Boys for the first time.
All three Huntrix girls are depicted as immature when off stage; they scream constantly and have too little dining etiquette. These scenes are mainly included for humor, but maybe it’s also true that for idols, this level of childishness is needed to destress from the constant pressure they face, both from their pop star training and from the stresses of being targeted by the media.
Despite being a humorous movie, “KPop Demon Hunters” does explore some deep themes through Rumi’s interactions with Jinu and the rest of Huntrix. Throughout the film, I could easily follow her character arc and saw her change from not accepting her demon heritage to feeling torn to fully embracing herself. The film effectively uses gentle, emotional moments to teach the audience this important concept.
Not only has the movie become a major hit as evidenced by having over 325 million views on Netflix, the songs have also broken records and made K-pop history. Huntrix is the first K-pop group to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, with “Golden,” and “Your Idol,” shattering BTS’s record by reaching No. 1 on the U.S. Spotify chart in August. It’s crazy to see these fictional K-pop bands surpassing even real ones like BTS, but the instrumentals and lyrics of the songs definitely deserve the recognition.
The instrumentals fully capture the vibe of the scenes they appear in. For example, “Takedown” uses many layers of synth and has a strong beat because it’s a diss track, and it plays when Huntrix fights demons and competes with the Saja Boys for the Idol Awards. On the other hand, “Free” contains a much softer rhythm because it’s about hope and escape, and it is sung by Rumi and Jinu when they meet and share their deepest insecurities. The soundtracks’ lyrics also fit the movie well by subtly hinting at the themes, such as using “Soda Pop” as a metaphor for demons feeding on humans.
Despite the movie exceeding my expectations, it is slightly concerning how “KPop Demon Hunters” became a viral social media trend — it didn’t take long for Huntrix and the Saja Boys to infiltrate my Instagram feed. There have been all kinds of KDH posts: fanart, cosplays, song covers and remixes, and even reels saying “I watched ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ for the 15th time and noticed these hidden easter eggs.” If the Saja Boys were real, Gwi-ma would have the entire teenage population’s souls to feast on.
What I found most shocking was an animated fan remix of “Your Idol” by Huntrix in demon form; the animation and vocals looked and sounded as if they came right out of the movie, showing the insane level of time and dedication fans are putting into KDH content.
At this point, “KPop Demon Hunters” has gone past obsession, but don’t get me wrong: Although the storyline is slightly cliche and predictable, the songs are awesome, and the humor appeals to both kids and adults. The plotline is not the best, but the music makes it worth watching.
Rating: 4.5/5 Falcons
