OK, so what actually is KPop Demon Hunters? I’ve heard it mentioned by parents at school, by kids and randomly on social media but I am too lazy to Google it. Also, Google is terrible now.
It’s been touted by Netflix as the platform’s most-watched original animated film ever. It tells the story of three hunters who use music’s power to move and connect hearts to create a barrier – the “golden Honmoon” – that will keep the forces of evil demons at bay. But probably just as importantly, it has everything: characters that grow, gorgeous animated visuals and a soundtrack I’ve been playing on repeat.
That sounds great! Big fan of demon hunting. But is it for kids, adults, or both?
Like many animated productions, it can be watched on multiple levels. I put the film on for my niece and nephew, who loved the action and fun animation. However, just as viewers can enjoy Wall-E or Spirited Away with childlike wonder at any age, the film’s story and characters might resonate with adults just as much. The characters of KPop Demon Hunters deal with survivors’ guilt, pressures to perform and finding their voices in a chaotic world.
Are BlackPink in it? Or other legit K-pop stars? My K-pop knowledge is extremely limited. Though my kids occasionally sing the ‘ah pt pt’ song, if that helps.
No BlackPink. In, fact the singing stars of KPop Demon Hunters come from relative obscurity. EJAE, who provides the singing voice for the main character, Rumi, had been considered an K-pop unsuccessful debut, and went on to find success on the other side of the recording booth, writing and producing. The same could be said for Andrew Choi – the singing voice of another major character, Jinu – whose career hadn’t gone far before this. It’s quite meta, really – that a movie about the pressures to keep up appearances has now shot two relative unknowns, previously unable to meet the K-pop industry’s infamous standards for beauty and perfection, to stardom.
Even though it seems really popular, I haven’t seen ads for it. I only know about it from people talking about it in real life and on social media. What’s going on?
It seems like Sony, the corporation behind the studio that created Kpop Demon Hunters didn’t have enough confidence to sell it themselves. According to Forbes, Sony sold the rights to KPop Demon Hunters to Netflix for just US$100m so I can imagine the hair-tearing frustration when the movie caught fire. Not only has it risen to the top of Netflix but four of its songs, Golden, How It’s Done, Soda Pop and Your Idol, took two out of five spots in Billboard’s top 5 charts. It’s safe to say the execs at Sony had no idea how much audiences would love it, and they paid dearly.
Wow, OK. So is it good? It sounds like it is good.
The fact that an entire month after its streaming release, its theatrical “sing-a-long” release in cinemas has packed out cinemas with kids and adults alike, says it all. In a world of AI slop, turns out the kids just want to be inspired by something Golden.