Netflix's 'KPop Demon Hunters' is a hit, The animated show has great music, It's a fun watch

Lee Byung-hun and Daniel Dae Kim are part of the voice cast for one of the streaming service's most successful original productions, a Sony-created musical featuring a superstar girl group in conflict with a malevolent boy band.

Courtesy : NETFLIX

K-pop has emerged as a worldwide music sensation, making it surprising that its groups have not been featured in more Hollywood films. Netflix has somewhat addressed this gap with their animated musical, which has unexpectedly risen to become one of its most favored offerings (take that, Adam Sandler).

The reasons for its success are clear. KPop Demon Hunters not only presents a plethora of catchy tunes that will resonate in your mind for weeks, but it also offers a rapid and humorous blend of genres that outshines most theatrical animated releases. Given that the accompanying soundtrack album has been topping the charts as well, sequels seem almost certain. The main characters are the superstar girl group Huntr/x (and that will be the last time I mention that name), which includes Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zooey (Ji-young Yoo). We meet them as they are on their private jet, preparing for a concert while indulging in ramen. Unfortunately for them, the entire crew turns out to be demons, prompting the singers to spring into action, dispatching them to the lively tune “How It’s Done.”

This group is the latest in a long tradition of female pop music trios whose purpose, in addition to entertaining audiences, is to uphold and reinforce the Honmoon, a magical barrier that protects against otherworldly monsters. Rumi’s bandmates are unaware that she is a half-demon herself, a secret known only to their manager Celine (Yunjin Kim). 

The leader of the demons, Gwi-Ma (Lee Byung-hun, known for Squid Game), is understandably exasperated by his singing adversaries. Consequently, he readily agrees to the proposal made by Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop), one of his subordinates, to create a boy band aimed at countering the girl group’s fame and capturing their fans, as well as their souls. The resulting five-member ensemble, the Saja Boys, is so attractive that when the girls first encounter them, they respond in a typically exaggerated, cartoonish manner, with their eyes morphing into various shapes, from hearts to six-pack abs. (Parents seeking evidence that boy bands harbor secret malevolence will finally find their proof.) Jinu, who bears a tragic history as a human, is aware that Rumi is half-demon, yet he keeps this information to himself. He forges an alliance with her to undermine the Saja Boys, allowing him to remain in the human realm, but complications are bound to arise.

Did you grasp all that? It may not be crucial, as the film, co-directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, is filled with such an abundance of visual and musical dynamism that you will not feel compelled to track the plot's complexities. Instead, you can simply relish the catchy songs (including “Golden,” “Takedown,” “Your Idol,” and “Soda Pop”) that will affirm your K-pop credentials beyond Blackpink and BTS — along with the stunning CG animation, which employs a range of styles including manga and anime, proving particularly effective in fast-paced combat and dance scenes. A production by Sony Pictures Animation, KPop Demon Hunter’s visuals often evoke the company’s immensely successful Spider-Verse films, albeit with a considerably broader artistic style regarding the characters. The voice performances are consistently captivating, featuring seasoned actors Daniel Dae Kim and Ken Jeong, with the singing contributions from musical talents such as Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Disney favorite Lea Salonga (Aladdin, Mulan). Most importantly, the swift narrative runs for a concise 95 minutes, including credits, in stark contrast to other lengthy animated features.