Netflix’s “K-Pop Demon Hunters” is one of the first — if not the first — mainstream animations focusing specifically on Korean pop culture. Given the global popularity of groups like Blackpink, BTS, and TWICE, this film is an action-packed, fantastical extension of the subculture many of us already know and love.
Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Yoo Ji-young) are K-pop trio HUNTR/X, and as the jet to their latest concert gets hijacked by demons, we find out immediately that they are a world-famous girl group by day and fierce demon hunters by night.
They are the prophetic Hunters of their generation, who have been tasked with upholding the Honmoon, the spiritual layer that guards the waking world from the demon realm, and therefore prevents demon overlord Gwi-Ma (Lee Byung-hun) and his henchmen from killing humans. However, when Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop) and his demon boy group Saja Boys steals the spotlight and the world’s attention, all of the characters are forced to confront both literal demons as well as figurative demons they’ve hidden deep inside of them.
I recently sat down with the voice actors behind HUNTR/X — Arden Cho, May Hong, and Ji-young Yoo — to chat about some of their favorite aspects of the story, as well as directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans to talk about the movie’s development.
The Secret Lives of K-pop Idols
The concept of K-pop idols leading double lives as demon hunters is about as unbelievable as it gets. However, the God-like visuals and catchy music of K-pop serve as the perfect backdrop to not only lean into this absurdity, but also to shine a light on the double life that most idols juggle in real life: their onstage persona and their private persona.
Rumi, Mira, and Zoey each present as three unique personas within HUNTR/X, and they each embody this struggle between onstage vs. private self in different ways. Zoey, the maknae, or…
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