"KPop Demon Hunters", 2025

Review of the film ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ — Netflix's new animated hit

A fantasy about idols that only pretends to be light-hearted.

In June, Netflix released a new animated series called ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ with a very telling title. The unexpected mix of music and action instantly won the hearts of fans around the world. We'll tell you what makes the show so captivating and try to figure out how realistic it is.

Since ancient times, Earth has been under attack by demons. Time and again, girls with unusual voices have come to the rescue: the magic of their vocals has allowed them to ward off the threat from outside. In this generation, the honour has fallen to the K-pop group Huntr/x: the trio of idols not only captivates listeners around the world, but also actively fights against aliens. An important concert is coming up, which should seal the spatial rift for a long time, but, as luck would have it, the demons strike back and launch the boy band Saja Boys: realising that fighting with traditional methods is useless, the villains decide to resort to their opponents' tactics. So they will have to face the enemy not only in battle, but also in the music charts.

Analysing ‘K-Pop Hunters’ is quite an exciting task for a number of reasons. One of them is the creative team: the cartoon, in which Korean pop music plays a key role, was filmed in the United States, and most of the producers are also from America. The idea for the project came from Maggie Kang, a Korean who has lived in Canada since the age of five (meaning she knows Korea more indirectly than directly), while Marcelo Zarvos, a Brazilian pianist of Greek origin, is responsible for the music. The team of artists is also extremely international.

Why was K-pop chosen? We have Maggie Kang (who, incidentally, is one of the film's directors) to thank for that: she has repeatedly emphasised in various interviews how important her heritage is to her. Music often features in Korean religious practices, which is where the idea of the guardians came from. As for K-pop, it is simply a reflection of the times: the genre could have been different — it is simply a natural tribute to popularity.

The music as a whole captures trends well and works with pop culture — to the extent that the vocals for the characters were provided by members of the very real (and popular!) group Twice. Their opponents, the Saja Boys, were also voiced by real K-pop artists. The film's sound is appropriate — authentic and... somewhat faceless. To the uninformed ear, the tracks may seem more like American pop, but a more attentive and knowledgeable viewer will notice numerous references to Twice, Super Junior and MEOVV.

Moreover, the reflection of K-pop culture in general in The Hunters is surprisingly accurate: for example, the local Idol Awards are clearly inspired by the very real MAMA Awards, the choreography of the musical numbers is similar to existing ones (you can see BLACKPINK's moves in the opening How it's Done), and scenes with autograph signing are not uncommon in the real life of any idol.

Some episodes of The Hunters are reminiscent of other Netflix projects — it's impossible not to recall the recent The Devil Can Cry in moments where they talk about the difficult fate of demons. But there are other examples too — from Bright to Parasite: Gray, where creatures traditionally hostile to humans are portrayed in a positive light, but it's difficult to put this new release on the same level as them. Yes, K-Pop Hunters has a narrative about generational trauma, the sins of fathers and the mistakes of the past that must be learned to let go of — all of which often surface in one form or another in the company's projects. However, the cartoon still draws boundaries, making it clear that not everything can be forgiven. The demons in Hunters are not portrayed as positive characters: sin is sin, and responsibility for it does not disappear, no matter how likable the sinner may seem to you.

The K-pop hunters take a more subtle approach, avoiding blunt metaphors and attempts to equate entire social groups with monsters. One of the key motifs is reflections on origin, and the mixed blood of humans and demons is positioned as an innate flaw, which the heroines only come to accept at the very end. It can be assumed that the starting point for the plot was Maggie Kang's own experience: after moving to Canada, she was probably perceived as an alien element, which was reflected in The Hunters. Such experiences are universal for migrants in general, which resonates well with the overall international nature of the project.

The effect is polished by excellent animation: the local 3D differs from most similar projects due to its ‘jerky’ movements with a reduced frame rate — as, for example, in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. ‘K-Pop Hunters’ is not shy about its cartoon roots and does not strive for realism: there are many exaggerated elements (from excessive facial expressions to visual gags), plus the authors' love for stop-motion animation is evident — sometimes the characters look and move like puppets. In action scenes, this naturally takes a back seat, and the animation becomes much smoother.

While the music may not be easy to get into (especially if you're not a connoisseur), the plot, characters, and chosen style still elevate the cartoon to a much higher level. As a result, the soundtrack, however unmemorable it may be, harmonises well with the events on screen and, oddly enough, works — primarily thanks to the interesting choreography of the dances and battles, which are perfectly matched to the soundtrack. The latter are kept within the PG-13 rating without losing any of their dynamism: the fights are fast-paced, and the ‘teen’ rating is maintained by the fact that the demons stylishly disintegrate into purple sparks without any blood.

Watching ‘K-Pop Hunters’ is exciting, following the dynamics is also exciting, and the numerous hooks scattered here and there hint that it won't end with just one film. I wonder what will change in the second film.

You can watch ‘K-Pop Hunters’ at NETFLIX.

This article was sponsored by Marcie Dobkin.