K-Pop Demon Hunters Has Taken Over the World — and It’s Easy to See Why
Hello, there! 👋
How are you today?
Last Saturday, I finally got the chance to watch the film that has been on everyone’s lips: Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation’s K-Pop Demon Hunters.
Since its release on June 20th, K-Pop Demon Hunters has topped Netflix Global Top 10 Movies and swept music charts all over the world. So I hit play with a weird mix of anticipation and fear of disappointment — after all, how good is this film for it to be so scandalously successful?
An hour and forty minutes later, I knew the answer.
K-Pop Demon Hunters is an extraordinary celebration of Korean culture, packed in an electric, absorbing, and colourful package.
The story follows Rumi, Mira, and Zoey, the three members of the world-famous (fictional) K-pop girl group Huntr/x. They are also demon hunters who use their music to protect humans from demons. When they cross paths with the Saja Boys, a new but instantly popular boy band, they have to face the greatest showdown of their lives.
The mind behind the film is Maggie Kang’s in her debut feature. She created the story, co-directed the film with Chris Appelhans, and co-wrote the script with Appelhans, Danya Jimenez, and Hannah McMechan.
And you can feel her Korean roots in the film: you can feel her love, respect, and admiration towards her heritage. K-Pop Demon Hunters may be an English-speaking animation realised in Canada but its soul is definitely Korean.
Kang was born in Seoul but raised in Canada. In an interview with Slate, she explains that:
I wanted to create something that celebrated my Korean heritage and showcased Korean culture, and was especially inspired by Korean shamans, who are typically women, performing rituals through song and dance. Those ceremonies felt like the earliest concerts where the audience really connected with the performer—there’s this shared energy. We wanted to make that energy the superpower in KPop Demon Hunters, and once we connected the project to something rooted in Korean tradition, it opened up a whole mythology running through this imagined version of our world for hundreds of years.
It’s also important to mention that her co-director and co-scriptwriter Chris Appelhans is married to Korean-American author Maurene Goo. From the very first scene, it’s clear that this project isn’t idealising or trying to portray a far-away culture with curious eyes but little knowledge. K-Pop Demon Hunters is bringing authentic Korean culture to the world and reinterpreting it with joy, magic, and thoughtfulness.
K-Pop Demon Hunters is an action-fantasy K-pop musical, which is an achievement in and of itself. At the same time that, narratively, it isn’t novel (all the plot points happen as expected), it feels completely fresh — probably because they decided to offer a recognisable tale in a totally unique environment.
This environment is vividly built through a modern and smart reinterpretation of Korean folklore, folk art (I mean, the Tiger and the Magpie? Minhwa?), and shamanism. Korean culture is the backbone of K-Pop Demon Hunters, making it stand out from its several counterparts.
Visually, K-Pop Demon Hunters stuns with its dynamic silhouettes, fluid movements (of both characters and camera), and bright colours. It’s also clear that K-dramas, K-pop music videos, and decades of anime leave their mark on the film’s visual identity, consolidating this blend of styles, formats, and genres.
The soundtrack isn’t just catchy but marvellously used as a narrative tool, fleshing out characters and moving the story forward. The climax with the lovely “What It Sounds Like” reminded me a lot of Mamoru Hosoda’s Belle, creating a similar emotional resonance commendably.
What amazed me the most about K-Pop Demon Hunters wasn’t the excellent animation, though. It was its thematic courage.
Superficially, K-Pop Demon Hunters is just another ordinary identity story about a young woman who wants to be accepted for who she is. However, by placing this tale within a Korean context and the K-pop industry, it is completely transformed to encompass an entirely different meaning.
“Your faults and fears must never be seen,” so repeat Rumi, Mira, and Zoey.
We are talking about a culture that demands perfection from its artists, imposing on them impossibly high moral standards that no human being should be subjected to. K-Pop Demon Hunters places that burden in the very core of its drama and has its K-pop singer protagonists question it.
Of course, as a fantasy film, Kang’s feature isn’t a faithful representation of the K-pop industry — and it never intends to be. But this question of whether these young women, who are talented, beautiful, and beloved, have the right to be flawed resonates with those familiar with Korean celebrity culture.
Without spoiling anything, I can say that the story ends on a very hopeful note, one that allows its protagonists to be free to be who they are — warts and all. After all, aren’t we all just human?
Another lovely aspect of K-Pop Demon Hunters is how it emphasises the power music has to unite, console, and move us. K-pop is particularly known for its ability to create communities, promoting camaraderie, self-love, and diversity (which reminded me of this heartwarming article from The Guardian, “‘BTS taught me that I am worthy’: readers on why they love the K-pop superstars”). Kang portrays the K-pop fandom with the same care that she gives all the other cultural elements in the film, making it a unique entity in its own right.
K-Pop Demon Hunters is incredibly well-executed, counts on a fantastic voice cast, and shines bright with its distinctive narrative and visual identity. Most importantly, it proves that there are many culturally rich nations out there that deserve to have their stories heard and told — because a story that is created with passion and appreciation is bound to resonate wherever it goes.
K-Pop Demon Hunters is on Netflix.
If you want to know more about how “a great story can transcend language, culture and format,” I’d recommend ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ brings Korean culture to global screens in English from The Korea Times. Or if you’re curious about the portrayal of shamanism in modern Korean television, give “K-dramas reinterpret shamanism” a try!
I wonder what you thought of K-Pop Demon Hunters? I hope you share your own ideas in the comments!
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Shall We Take A Stroll Around the World of Japanese & Korean Media?
1. Cinema
Netflix has recently announced that “more than 50 percent of its members — amounting to over 150 million households, or an estimated 300 million viewers — now watch anime” (as per The Hollywood Reporter). Maybe you’re one of them. Or maybe you’re just a fellow Studio Ghibli fan. Or maybe both! If so, I’d like to recommend The Japan Times’s marvellous feature on the exhibition dedicated to Isao Takahata’s remarkable filmography, “The man who planted Japanese animation”. Entitled “Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made,” the article gives us — poor souls who can’t travel to Japan — a quick but worthy overview of the exhibition taking place in Tokyo until Sept. 15th.
Despite the lack of Korean content at Cannes, one name stood out: Heo Ga-young, the young director whose short film won the prestigious La Cinef’s top prize. In a heartwarming and inspiring interview with The Korea Herald, Heo Ga-young describes her journey from a student to a Cannes-acclaimed director. “Heo Ga-young didn’t expect to get on course —then she won at Cannes” is an interview that really moved me and made me curious about the incredible stories this young woman can tell in the future.
Also from The Korea Herald, “Korean film veterans share insights on cinema’s growth and freedom at Da Nang Film Fest” offers an optimistic take on the future of Korean cinema. If you’ve been following the crisis within the industry, this article proposes a different perspective by looking at how far it has come in the last decades.
2. Television
Squid Game has, once again, taken over Netflix, so I have a long list of interviews and features to offer you:
The Hollywood Reporter put together three excellent features that all fans should check out: “‘Squid Game’ Star Yim Si-Wan on Learning to “Love the Hate” Fans Feel for His Character”, “‘Squid Game’ Creator Weighs in on American Spinoff Reports and Explains That Surprise Cameo” and “‘Squid Game’ Star Unpacks Her Character’s Sacrifice: “I Could Not Stop Crying”.”
For shorter interviews, I’d recommend Lee Jung-jae’s conversations with The Korea Times (Lee Jung-jae praises 'Squid Game' creator for ending series with integrity) and The Korea Herald (Lee Jung-jae breaks down Gi-hun’s journey and the line that left fans hanging).
The Korea Times also interviewed Park Gyu-young and Hwang Dong-hyuk, in two conversations that highlight the experience of bringing this story to a global audience. They’re quite short too and highly recommended: “'Squid Game' director reflects on bittersweet end of six-year journey” and “Why ‘Squid Game’ pink guard No-eul never lost her humanity”.
For some insight on the production of Korean content on Netflix, I’d urge you to read “‘Squid Game’ Success Validates Netflix Korea’s Local-First Philosophy, Says Content Chief Don Kang (EXCLUSIVE),” an in-depth conversation between Variety and Netflix Korea content chief Kang.
If Squid Game isn’t your kind of thing, then you might appreciate Park Jin-young’s interview with The Korea Times in which he talks about tvN’s latest hit, Our Unwritten Seoul. In “Park Jin-young reflects on ‘Our Unwritten Seoul’: ‘Some moments felt like magic’,” Jin-young discusses how carefully the show was directed and how playing Ho-su left a profound impression on him.
Following the end of Our Unwritten Seoul, tvN is now airing Law and the City, which you can watch on Viki and Disney+ (depending on the region). I watched the first two episodes over the past weekend and enjoyed every minute. So, I found The Korea Times’s introduction to the series quite insightful. In “'Law and the City' puts lens on everyday life of attorneys,” journalist Park Jin-hai shares star Lee Jong-suk’s perspective of the story as well as discusses the idea of “viewer fatigue” that has become more prominent when talking about legal and medical dramas.
Another new series attracting attention is Wavve’s S-Line, which premiered in Cannes earlier this year. In “Cannes-acclaimed drama 'S-Line' explores hidden human desires,” The Korea Times covers the press conference for the series, sharing director Ahn Joo-young and the cast’s experience at the Canneseries and what makes this fantasy thriller unique.
Have you found yourself re-watching your old favourites these days? Well, you’re not the only one! According to The Korea Times, “hit Korean dramas from the past are experiencing a resurgence, capturing the attention of younger audiences who are discovering the appeal of early-2000s storytelling.” The article “Classic Korean dramas find new life as younger viewers rediscover their charm” explores this phenomenon a little bit and highlights a few older titles that you might want to revisit.
3. Literature
The Tokyo Weekender proudly announced that “novelist Akira Otani made history this week, becoming the first Japanese winner of the best translated crime novel prize at the Dagger Awards.” The Dagger Awards are organised by the United Kingdom’s Crime Writers’ Association (CWA). Otani’s winning book, The Night of Baba Yaga, is one of the novels that have been recently brought into English as part of this new wave of translated Japanese literature in the UK. If you want to know more about it, give the complete article a read!
And since we’re talking about translated literature, make sure to read “Poet Kim Hye-soon on creative power of translating literature” from The Korea Herald. Sharing Poet Kim’s words from her panel at the 2025 LTI Korea Global Literature Forum, the article highlights her ideas about her work and career as well as discusses her belief that “translation is not just word-by-word interpretation; it is a creative act.”
Meanwhile, on The Blossom Review:
Last week, we reviewed tvN’s Our Unwritten Seoul and discussed the themes, strengths and weaknesses of this touching series. You can read our review here or watch our video essay here!
This week, we’re talking about a very, very special Japanese drama that you might not be familiar with: TBS’s Who Does Housework Anymore? Make sure to stop by The Blossom Review in the next few days so we can talk about it together! 😉
Thank you so much for being here! I hope you have a wonderful day! ✨
I will take a look at K-pop Demon Hunters. You know that I have been rather picky as well as eclectic in what I like but you make K-pop Demon Hunters sound very interesting. I confess that my interest in rewatching animated movies and TV shows exceeded the interest of my Daughters then my Grandsons. I was in my 60s when I stopped asking myself if I would ever grow up. I will give K-pop… a watch.