A Love Letter to Music Fans Around The World: ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Reviewed

When K-pop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey aren’t selling out stadiums, they’re using their secret powers to protect their fans from supernatural threats.

The creators of KPop Demon Hunters must be psychic because they created an animated movie that feels tailor-made for my inner KPop fan. The premise allows for both killer songs and stylish fight sequences. KPop has been an important cornerstone of South Korean New Wave Culture (Hallyu) — and at its best, KPop can be as experimental and cutting edge as Korean film and TV. That’s why it’s so satisfying to see a film that gets KPop right!

In lesser hands this could have easily been a mediocre story film trying to capitalize on a youth music trend. However, KPop Demon Hunters is much more than a glittery celebration of KPop culture. Rumi’s inner journey toward self-acceptance hits on multiple emotional levels. The symbolism of her character arc is open for audience interpretation; I was moved to tears multiple times.

KPop Demon Hunters also pushes boundaries within Sony Pictures Animation. With Sony’s previous successes — the Spider-Verse films and The Mitchells vs The Machines, to name a few — it would have been easy for KPop Demon Hunters to adopt another comic book-esque cel-shaded art style. Yet, the film carves out its own visual identity that blends Chibi-styled facial expressions with Tex Avery‘s type of cartoon lust. The result is a dynamic art style that can be grounded, glamorous, and hilarious whenever needed.

When Arcane ended, I hoped to see a K/DA film from Fortiche. I’m happy to say, KPop Demon Hunters delivered everything I would have wanted from a K/DA film and more.