Netflix’s animated movie K-Pop Demon Hunters dropped on June 20 and quickly became a sensation. With 80 million views in a month and its soundtrack dominating the charts, it’s arguably Netflix’s hottest animated film yet.
To be honest, it took me a while to watch it. I was worried it’d be cringe and childish. Plus, I’m old enough to have grown out of animation. But when I finally gave it a shot, I was pleasantly surprised. 😲
Now that the dust has settled (or is it still floating in the air?), I want to share my thoughts on the good, the bad and the questions I had after I watched the animated movie.
🥳 The Good:
- The best thing about K-Pop Demon Hunters? The music. It’s the reason I ended up watching it. The songs are pure K-pop perfection — I could totally imagine real idols performing them.
- BTW, did you know that my (and everyone else’s) favorite song ‘Golden’ was not only performed, but was also written by Ejae? (A true queen!👑) There’s even talk it’ll be submitted to the Grammys — and honestly, it deserves a win. 🏆
- The movie blended traditional and modern Korean culture so well — from outfits like gat (hat) & dopo (clothing) worn by Saja Boys to everyday elements such as Ramyun & Gookbap, herbal medicines and bath houses.
- Also, shoutout to the all-Korean cast! Ken Jeong, Daniel Dae Kim, Kim Yunjin, Arden Cho, Lee Byung-hun, An Hyo-sup… absolute legends. 🇰🇷
- OMG! And don’t get me started on the performances by Huntrix and Saja Boys — they felt real. The dancing, the camera gestures, the stage presence… it was like watching an actual K-pop live performance! Especially Saja Boys’ “Your Idol” — iconic! This production team must have spent thousands of hours studying and perfecting to get the performance just right.
- Can I just say that Jinu is swoon?! He was just so hot looking 😍 He just reminded me of Cha Eun-woo.
- Also, the tiger? ADORABLE. That electric blue fur looked so fuzzy I wanted to reach through the screen and snuggle it. (And have it for a pet!) 🤭
🫣 The Bad:
- I wish “K-Pop Demon Hunters” were a series. The pacing made it hard to sit through in one go. I had to stop couple of times before I continued watching. Also, I wish they delved more into the side stories and other sub-characters.
- “What It Sounds Like” didn’t really land for me as the finale song. It was underwhelming, weak and just didn’t hold the weight — especially compared to bangers like “Golden.”.
- Also, I couldn’t get over the mismatch between the characters’ speaking and singing voices — especially Mira and Jinu. They both have deep speaking voices, but their singing voices felt totally different. It was jarring.
🤔 The Q’s:
Okay yes, I know it’s an animated movie, so logic doesn’t always apply. But I still had some burning questions . (For fun!) 😝
- OMG, OMG! What happened with Jinu?! Is he really gone, just like that? Did he die? Will he ever comeback? And why is no one talking about Saja Boys vanishing? If this were real life, fans would’ve shut down the company demanding answers.
- What kind of agent only gets 3% commission?! That is number that is unheard of lol. It makes Bobby look like Mother Theresa! 😂
- How do these idols book massive venues for a surprise show on the same day? I don’t care if you’re BTS or BLACKPINK, that’s not happening.
- The Seoul streets were pretty accurate, but why was there a stadium next to Namsan Tower?! There’s definitely no stadium there IRL. 🧐
- What happened to Celine? Did she and Rumi make up? Is Celine still managing Huntrix?
👩🏻🍵 Overview
“K-Pop Demon Hunters” was an animated movie that I didn’t have any expectations on. But that ended when I heard the song ‘Golden’ by chance. It did such a superb job portraying Korean culture and K-pop music as real as it can.
That said, it’s not for everyone. Even I had trouble watching it in one go. But I really believe this IP has potential to grow beyond just one film. I mean, the charts speak for themselves.
But the biggest question I’m left with is… will there be a sequel? A spin-off? Anything? Just bring back Jinu, please. 🤭
