K-Pop Demon Hunters: Silly or Sincere?

Feb 15
6 min read

Spoilers, obviously.

AHEM.

I have a new favorite movie.

Okay, I have a lot of favorites, but the keyword is new. This hasn't happened in years.

Overview (Am I a K-pop fan now?)

K-Pop Demon Hunters follows Korean popstars Rumi, Mira, and Zoey, who perform by day and protect the populace from soul-stealing demons by night. Their voices have a special power to connect people, which in turn strengthens a magical barrier called the Honmoon.

This Honmoon keeps the demons and their king, Gwi-Ma, from running rampant through the human world. The few demons who manage to slip through quickly meet their end in a burst of pink sparkles, courtesy of the demon hunters.

Outwardly, these girls have it all: A strong friendship, a booming career, and a healthy, realistic relationship with food (performing on stage takes a lot of calories.) But Rumi has a secret she doesn't dare tell anyone: Her own father was a demon. And the jagged, purplish patterns that all demons bear are inching farther across Rumi's skin with every passing day.

Mira and Zoey know something is wrong, but Rumi is so blinded by shame that she lets her secrets eat at her in silence. Until, that is, the patterns start to affect her voice. With little time between them and their biggest event of the year, and a rival group of demons-in-disguise vying for their fans' attention, the members of HUNTR/X (pronounced HUN-tricks) need to find a solution -- fast.

Note: K-Pop Demon Hunters doesn't necessarily depict demons the way western Christianity usually thinks of demons (i.e., fallen angels). Rather, leaning into traditional Korean folklore, we see different types of demons (and humans who serve Gwi-Ma) throughout the movie, and they serve two purposes: Playing off the main character's fear of what she could become, and showing the depravity and misery of humans who have succumbed to the accusing voice of the demon king. Some demons appear as faceless, grasping creatures based on the Korean idea of souls who have been forgotten; others are shapeshifters, taking on an attractive facade to lure unsuspecting civilians within Gwi-Ma's reach.

Characters

This is one of the best movies I've ever seen period, and much of that is due to the time put into the characters. Each one is unique not only in design, but also in how they're written -- in the things that make them human. Rumi struggles with perfection and misplaced identity; Jinu, an anti-hero, is crippled by the sins of his past and the belief that he can never be redeemed; Mira and Zoey, while more secondary, battle their own insecurities that flare when Rumi pushes them away; and Celine, Rumi's mentor and surrogate mother, believes that Rumi can never be truly herself until her patterns are gone - and she can't see how deeply this mindset has hurt Rumi until it's too late.

The film goes out of its way (or maybe into its way?) to make sure its audience falls in love with the people we'll be spending the next hour and a half laughing and crying with. But it doesn't do this with tired tropes and overused cliches; in fact, another reason I like this film is because the creators took time to try new things, giving us a story that challenges the audience's perspective while still feeling familiar.

Animation

I am not an animation expert, but I know just enough to be dangerous. ;)

KPDH is visually stunning. It's also visually hilarious, and visceral, and wacky, depending on the scene. It glitters with color, yet appears tactile and grounded. The characters' expressions change style when it suits the story, transitioning from hyper-expressive anime (an animation style of Asian origin) to incredibly subtle nuance . . . seamlessly. This is so difficult to do in 3D animation that I barely understand why it's hard, never mind how they pulled it off.

There is a clear, yet unobtrusive color code: The Honmoon, as well as the magical weapons the hunters use to fight demons, is a soothing blue with a touch of silvery purple, reminiscent of water and moonlight. Gwi-Ma, in contrast, appears as a literal devouring fire; he's mostly teeth in a garish fuschia that overpowers everything around it. When Rumi's patterns are exposed to the world, fueling her fear and shame, the marks glow the same fiery pink.

Early in the film, we're introduced to the idea of the Golden Honmoon, a barrier so strong it will never unravel. We even see parts of the Honmoon briefly flashing gold while the hunters are at their best. By the end, though, the hunters realize that solid gold is also rigid and overwhelming. (More on this later.)

On a more technical note, the animators took care to shape each character's lips in a way that appears slightly rounded at the corners, giving the impression that they're speaking Korean (though they're voiced and animated in English). A very subtle but interesting touch!

Story

If you remember the super long and exhaustive series I did on the 3-act story structure a couple of years ago, you know that I've all but eschewed every other story formula out there. However, I've not yet managed to watch K-Pop Demon Hunters all the way through while analyzing the story . . . and that's a good thing.

The best story structure is the one you don't notice. It feels organic and natural, every action and discovery leading to another, until suddenly you're blinking yourself back to earth when the credits roll. I would be very interested in finding out what structure the writers of K-Pop Demon Hunters built the story around, because it feels like a mix of all of them -- and none of them. I'm sure there are elements of the Hero's Journey, and I know there's some 3-act story structure in there, but... the story feels like its own result. It's self-contained, yet universal. You don't think about the framework beneath until the movie is over, and that's how it should be.

There's nowhere near enough room in this post for me to talk about everything great about the story K-Pop Demon Hunters tells, and of course no film is perfect -- but if you do want more, leave your suggestion down in the comments! I'd love an excuse to do another post on this.

The Big Message

Each generation of demon hunters has eagerly awaited the day when their successors will be powerful enough to achieve the ultimate goal: Sealing the Golden Honmoon, which will (theoretically) lock all demons away for eternity. To my fellow Christians, this might sound like a good thing that parallels our expectation of Christ's second coming, but here's the flaw: These are mere humans - 20-something young adults, in fact - who have been burdened with an impossible task that could actually destroy them.

The Golden Honmoon can only be achieved with moral and vocal perfection. As a singer myself, I know how damaging it can be to seek perfection above all else; I can't imagine adding centuries' worth of cultural and ancestral expectations to that. Throw in Rumi's unasked-for parentage, and you have all the trials of Hercules that, if accomplished, could actually rip our main character in two -- figuratively and literally. While Celine leads Rumi to believe (and I think she does honestly believe it herself) that the Golden Honmoon can 'fix' Rumi, I don't think it would work that way. I find it more likely that the very thing the hunters have been taught to pursue might well have killed Rumi if her 'demon side' were banished to the underworld. We're never told this for certain, but it's a solid theory that sure puts the evil of 'tying up heavy loads for others to carry' in a new light for me.

The hunters do achieve an unbreakable version of the Honmoon, but not through Celine's legalistic indoctrination. Rather, by extending grace and love toward one another, they build a new Honmoon that glistens iridescent white.

Rumi's patterns also appear multicolored, pale enough that they barely show at all (as Rumi is fair-skinned). She still bears the scars from her own struggle and the decisions her parents and guardian made, but now she's opened herself up to grace and is no longer serving her shame -- and that is the most Christian thing I've ever seen in a secular animated film.

Hit that share button if you liked this post, and if you're interested in more of my thoughts on K-Pop Demon Hunters, let me know in the comments!

Thank you all for being so patient with me while I figured out what this post needed to be. Onward, my friend!