Dolores:
So I took on the challenge for myself in watching the K-Pop Demon Hunters movie so I can give an honest true opinion on what I really think about the movie.
Update still not too fond of it, I mean it did have its moments where I thought it was cool and the only songs I don’t really have a problem with were “FREE,” I just liked the way the melody and lyrics sounded. And “Takedown” by TWICE, because come on it’s TWICE who doesn’t love those girls.
The other songs that obviously everyone has heard are “Golden” and “Soda Pop.” Now with these, anytime I hear them in a public space I just want it to end already. I mean the vocals for Golden are really good, just people overplayed it to where it got annoying.
I think it’s popular for kids because of the way it’s very vibrant and colorful with upbeat music. I would compare it to Cocomelon with the way they both have songs, and vibrant with the exception of it not being “educational”. I mean it was marketed for kids so why wouldn’t it be popular for them.
I don’t have a problem with K-Pop Demon Hunters being nominated for a Grammy and winning the world keeps spinning, now I know that with the other artists it went against definitely would say that they should’ve won but it’s not that serious to me, given that K-pop Demon Hunters was so popular worldwide.
With this experience it still didn’t make me change the way I feel about the movie I still find it annoying, with me being a K-pop stan I didn’t like the way most people that hate and judge K-pop would watch this movie and avidly say “it’s not k-pop because their not speaking korean” what do you mean they sprinkle korean words into the songs they sing and that automatically makes it not korean. I still don’t like K-Pop Demon Hunters, don’t think I ever will.
Abigail:
At first, I thought that K-pop Demon Hunters (KPDH) was just like every other animated Netflix movie. Cheesy, forgettable and badly written characters. But as soon as my friend and I did a watch-a-thon with it, I fell in love. To summarize, KPDH is a movie about three Korean girls who perform their k-pop songs for millions around the world, while they kill soul-sucking demons when the curtain closes. This is such an original idea than what typically floats around Hollywood. Disney, by now, is just rebooting whatever movie they can find.
For one thing, the representation is spot-on. These main characters aren’t just girlbosses, they can be messy, emotional, and funny while still being some really incredible warriors. The movie’s director, Maggie Kang, is a Korean woman, who wouldn’t have been given the opportunity for this job twenty years ago.
For another, almost the entire cast is Asian or of Asian descent. Certain words in Korean are sprinkled throughout the movie, which gives a really authentic look on the effect of k-pop on the world and normalizing Korean culture. Rei Ami, the singing voice of one of the idols of the movie, has praised the fact that gimbap can be shown in a movie, and could give Asian kids a positive look of their culture.
In the story, Rumi, one of the idols in the girl group HUNTR/X, turns out to be half demon. She is ashamed of the way she is, and hides it from the world, including her closest friends. Celine, Rumi’s adoptive mother, encourages her to hide the demon patterns on her skin so no one will know what is wrong with her. Sound familiar? This storyline resonated with certain individuals who have been coerced into hiding their sexuality, gender, race, and even what they love. At the end of the movie, her patterns are revealed and celebrated by her friends, showing the audience that real love will persist no matter what.
Since KPDH is about k-pop, of course there’s going to be fire songs. “How it’s Done” really introduces the audience to some hardhitting k-pop music, and combines it with some creative and incredible animation to go along. Next, HUNTR/X comes out with “Golden”, which is a poppy/electro self love anthem, with some mind-blowing high vocals. The songwriter, EJAE, is a rejected k-pop star who is finally showing the world what she is capable of. “Golden” won a Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media, and rightfully so. With its catchy melody, “Golden” has over 1 billion streams on Spotify and became the first girl group to reach number one on the Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles chart, albeit fictional. And I’m not even halfway done with the album!
These girls really made their mark in animated film history, with their anime-inspired animation style, adorable and funny characters and the crazy hot boy band. Although, with everything, this movie has gained its fair share of haters, forget whatever sort of “childish” or “inaccurate” views of K-pop Demon Hunters, and enjoy it. I just know that these movie stars will be your idols.
