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00:00A lot of you have been asking me about this, but yes, I've watched K-pop Demon Hunters. Several times, actually.
00:07So I was initially planning on saving this topic for a spilled ink drawing and yapping episode, because that's usually where you can hear me talk extensively about whatever I'm interested in at the moment.
00:17Uh, however, we are currently traveling and we can't record any spilled ink episodes right now. And we unfortunately didn't have time to record a draw and yap session talking about K-pop Demon Hunters in like the week leading up to us flying out for anime expo.
00:33So I figured we're on vacation. You know what? I may as well record something just to get my thoughts out there and then put it on my main channel.
00:41So, as you can see, uh, the visuals are severely lacking in this video. But please understand, this is about the best I can do for now with what I currently have.
00:51And also, I kind of have a lot I want to talk about, which would be too much to draw anyway. So I figured I could keep it casual.
00:59And you can pretend like I'm trapping you in a voice call and forcing you to listen to me ramble.
01:03So, you can listen to this while you fold laundry or do the dishes or draw.
01:09So there's not going to be a lot going on on screen for most of this video.
01:13Also, I should probably mention, if it wasn't already obvious, I am not a film critic or movie buff or even a commentary YouTuber in any way.
01:22So I'm not really here to give any particularly thought-provoking analyses of the movie.
01:26I'm just here to talk about why I liked it and why it's been taking up extra space in my brain for the past few weeks or so.
01:33I've gotten really good at doing that, as you can tell from the back-to-back uploads of my Love in Deep Space content.
01:40So, for anyone who was waiting for me to talk about literally anything else, here it is!
01:45So, I don't think anyone's going to be super surprised by this.
01:48But also, on the topic of not Love in Deep Space, but like the themed hangouts that I've been making videos about,
01:56I am actually planning a themed K-pop Demon Hunter inspired viewing party!
02:03It'll be fun! I'm not going to make a video about it, but I encourage you guys to try it out too.
02:09Cause, imagine this! Viewing party, okay, with kimbap, ramyun, tteokbukki, soda, and then for dessert you can get papingsu,
02:19cause I'm pretty sure they showed that at one point in the movie, and possibly karaoke session with the soundtrack.
02:24I'm currently in the process of planning like two separate IRL hangout sessions doing this exact thing!
02:30So I'm really excited for that and crossing my fingers and hoping that my friends are still interested in re-watching this movie by the time I'm back.
02:38Anyways, side tangent aside, this is definitely not a format that I'm used to, and obviously I'm not expecting this video to be a banger or anything.
02:48I'm literally just talking to myself for however long this video ends up being, so it's also not going to be super organized.
02:54Final disclaimer, before we begin, this video will be heavy on spoilers for K-pop Demon Hunters, so if you haven't seen it, go watch it!
03:04It's on Netflix, it's only like an hour and a half, so not a long watch, and it's fun!
03:08Because I'm warning you, if you haven't seen it and you choose to stay and listen, I won't stop you, I physically can't, but I'm not going to explain the plot.
03:16Because personally, I hate when I click on a video wanting to hear someone's thoughts on a movie and they just spend half the time explaining the plot from start to finish like I didn't watch the same damn movie.
03:25So go watch the movie if you're interested. This very one-sided voice call is not going to go anywhere. I will be here.
03:33Okay, so K-pop Demon Hunters, did you guys enjoy it? Did you like it?
03:39First thing that I want to mention, I know the title sounds kind of corny and probably put some people off from the get-go, but I personally love it.
03:48I love how straightforward it is. I would honestly kind of hate it if they Disney-fied or Pixar-fied the title and made it a single describing word.
03:56Like Huntrix. Or Golden. Or just one name. Like Rumi. Ugh!
04:03It's just K-pop Demon Hunters. It's about a K-pop group that hunts demons. It's perfect.
04:09It's a flashy movie and I think it deserves an equally flashy name that doesn't make it sound pretentious.
04:15Or like it's trying to hide the fact you're going to hear K-pop musical numbers.
04:18I get why people don't like the title, but I personally, I would hate it if it was just one of those one-word titles. I don't like those.
04:26So, obviously, I liked the movie. This video wouldn't exist otherwise.
04:30But I sort of had a feeling that I would like it because this is the same studio that brought us Into the Spider-Verse.
04:36And Into the Spider-Verse was a religious experience back when I first watched it.
04:41You know when you walk out of a theater and you're overcome with that feeling of like,
04:45Oh my god, that was one of the greatest things I've ever watched.
04:48I've only felt that way a couple of times in my life.
04:51I first got that feeling, not in a theater, but it was when I watched Spirited Away in my third grade classroom at the age of nine.
04:58Another time was when I was in high school and I watched Wreck-It Ralph in theaters for the first time.
05:04And then also, all four times I watched Into the Spider-Verse in theaters.
05:09So, K-Pop Demon Hunters did not give me this feeling.
05:13It actually left me with a different feeling.
05:15Because all the other movies that I just mentioned were like, solid.
05:19Perfect start to finish. I have no notes. No sequels necessary.
05:23We don't talk about Wrath Breaks the Internet because, as far as I'm concerned, that movie never happened.
05:29So we're not going to talk about it.
05:31But when I finished watching K-Pop Demon Hunters, I was instead left with a hole in my heart that needed to be filled with a multi-season series, a webcomic, and three more albums.
05:43It left me wanting more.
05:45Like, I need an album showcasing songs from all the different generations of Hunters through the ages.
05:51Like, just from that one little snippet at the beginning where it showed all the different decades of Hunters, give me an album with a song from each of them.
05:59And even though it's not a perfect movie with perfect pacing and perfect writing, I don't think it has to be.
06:06I think with the current trend of soulless sequel slop and nostalgia bait live-action remakes of animated films, K-Pop Demon Hunters was such a fun rewatchable treat.
06:19Especially because you can tell it was made with so much love and creativity by everyone who worked on it.
06:24Okay, the synopsis alone.
06:26K-Pop idol group who fights demons and powers a spiritual barrier through the power of song and has a bitter rivalry with a demon boy band?
06:34It's such an out there idea on paper, but I love it and I would love for there to be more creative original story ideas like this in animation.
06:43And most of the criticism I have about this movie is just because it only had like an hour and a half to tell its story.
06:50So I know it's not realistic to expect every character to be fleshed out within such a short timeframe.
06:55Which is why I'm like, damn, I need a show.
06:59And I think a lot of people feel this way about the movie too.
07:02For example, I want to know more about Rumi's mom.
07:06Because I don't even think we got to even know her name in the movie.
07:09All we know is that she was a hunter.
07:11She had a baby with a demon and died possibly from childbirth?
07:16I want to know what happened to Rumi's dad.
07:18How did Rumi's mom fall in love with a demon?
07:21I want to know more about the group that she was in with Selene.
07:24Also, Selene!
07:26I just know if given the time, her character arc in story would have gone crazy.
07:32I've already made my own personal headcanons because I feel like the potential for angst, for her particularly, would be amazing.
07:39Like, okay, near the end of the movie, that one line Rumi says when she asks Selene to kill her and she's like,
07:45Do what you should have done a long time ago.
07:48It made me think.
07:49Do you think that Selene perhaps considered killing Rumi when she was a baby and she first saw her markings?
07:56Because we know Selene cares about Rumi, but considering how strongly Selene feels about demons,
08:02I feel like that's definitely something she might have considered doing in the moment.
08:07Especially if Rumi's mom did in fact die in childbirth.
08:10Which would also make sense with why Rumi feels so much shame about her being part demon
08:15and why she feels so much pressure to live up to being the best possible hunter slash performer.
08:20Because she probably knew since she was a kid that if she didn't live up to Selene's expectations,
08:24then she'd have every reason to kill her.
08:26The angst! Think about it!
08:28But also, I thought about this more, Selene is seemingly unmarried and has no other children of her own.
08:35So I'm like, what if this is like a Rose Pearl Greg situation where she really loved Rumi's mom?
08:42And what if she was deeply resentful of the demon dad and that's why her maternal love for Rumi is so complicated?
08:48Because she's latching on to what she has left of her mom while also having to be constantly reminded of the demon
08:53that inadvertently robbed her of any closure she could have had with her?
08:57Are you picking up what I'm putting down?
08:59I'm telling you, if this was a multi-season show, the angst would have gone crazy and I would have eaten it up!
09:05Again, I know the movie doesn't have the time to explore Selene or Rumi's mom,
09:11or even the third sunlight sister who I'm also very curious about.
09:15So all I have to work with is my own imagination.
09:18And hopefully, potentially, an art book or concept sketches book with, like, notes if they ever release one.
09:23Please! I'm begging! Netflix, please!
09:25Sony or whoever's in charge of this, please!
09:28Another question that I have is how exactly are demon hunters chosen each era?
09:33The intro of the movie states that hunters are born with voices to drive back darkness,
09:37which makes me think that powering the Honemun is one of those things that you're born with,
09:41like being the Avatar.
09:43Except, unlike the Avatar cycle, it doesn't get transferred over when the previous hunter dies
09:48through, like, reincarnation because Selene is still alive.
09:51So now I'm wondering, does Selene still have the ability to power the Honemun,
09:55or did that go away when the other girls were born?
09:58And assuming the hunter trait isn't passed down through generations of magic nepotism,
10:04like what seems to be the case for Rumi,
10:06how did Selene find Mira and Zoe?
10:08Is it a situation where the previous hunters have to pass down their gift by picking who to give it to?
10:14Like, for example, if you're a hunter and your group starts falling off,
10:18is that when you're supposed to start looking for another young potential hunter?
10:22How does it work? I want to know!
10:24And by the way, I am not at all saying that the movie needed to answer any of these questions.
10:30These little world building details aren't super plot relevant to the movie and the story that they were trying to tell.
10:35I'm just saying that I selfishly want to know more about these characters and the world that they live in.
10:40I take no issue with it being wrapped in a one hour and a half movie,
10:44because I'm guessing that it being a movie is what made it possible for it to look as visually stunning as it does.
10:50I'm just saying, if they ever want to make a sequel or a prequel or a series,
10:55there's a lot of material to work with and a lot of interested people who would tune in to that sort of thing, myself included.
11:02Like, I would love to watch a whole episode showing Rumi first meeting Mira and Zoe
11:08and having like a training montage of them learning how to fight together with the perfect synergy that they have,
11:13because the fight scenes in the movie look incredible.
11:16And speaking of Mira and Zoe, I also would love to know so much more about them.
11:22I know we didn't get to see a whole lot of them or their lore,
11:25because the movie was mostly focused on the growing relationship between Rumi and Jinu,
11:29but I really loved seeing the little moments of friendship and the girls interacting,
11:34like the one on one scene between Mira and Rumi.
11:37I like seeing all the little ways that their personalities shine.
11:40Like, one little detail that I really liked is how even though Mira has this super tough girl crush look to her,
11:46she still wears purple bows in her hair and fuzzy pajamas when she goes to bed.
11:50I know it's such a minor detail, but it's something I picked up on on my second rewatch and I really liked it.
11:56And I also really like how Golden gives us a small look into Mira and Zoe's backgrounds,
12:01even if the movie didn't have much time to get into them.
12:04Like how Mira grew up in a strict traditional family and wasn't really allowed to express herself comfortably.
12:10And how Zoe felt conflicted over her Korean American identity and sense of belonging.
12:14In case you're wondering, Zoe is my favorite Huntrix out of the three,
12:18which is not a surprise since I've always been drawn to like the super cheery, genki girl characters.
12:23And at the part where Gima was voicing everyone's insecurities right before the Saja Boys concert,
12:30when that voice told Zoe,
12:34you're too much and not enough.
12:36Gutted me like a fish.
12:38Gutted.
12:39I was like, oh, I didn't know my insecurity demon voice was gonna make an appearance.
12:44Haha, that's crazy.
12:46Wow, it kind of hurt a little too much.
12:48But I feel, I feel a kindred spirit within Zoe.
12:52But on the topic of insecurities,
12:54there's one scene that I felt didn't hit as hard as it was supposed to.
12:59It was the part where the girls are fighting the demons on top of the subway,
13:02and Rumi is clearly distracted and not fighting as well.
13:05And Mira's like,
13:06Hey girl, why are you f***ing up the home moon?
13:08What are you hiding from us?
13:10And Rumi responds with,
13:11Not everything's about your insecurities, Mira.
13:14I'm not gonna lie, that response didn't make that much sense to me.
13:18I get that it was supposed to be a moment of tension between Rumi and the girls,
13:22but I think that response would have hit harder if we knew a little more about Mira's character
13:27and what her insecurities actually were.
13:29Because before this moment,
13:31it's not really ever stated that Mira's insecure about people being secretive around her or not trusting her,
13:36which I don't think she is.
13:37And her pushy concern over Rumi feels pretty reasonable considering people are literally dying.
13:44I don't know.
13:45I feel like if Mira's part was worded a little differently,
13:48like,
13:49Hey, do you not trust me?
13:50Do you think I won't be able to handle it?
13:52Are we not a family?
13:54Then the,
13:55Not everything's about your insecurities,
13:57Mira outbursts would have made more sense.
13:59And maybe also punch a little harder.
14:01Because we know that Mira cares so much about having a found family who accepts her for all her abrasive qualities.
14:07I don't know.
14:08Again,
14:09I'm just nitpicking.
14:10If I could change anything,
14:11any of the scenes in the movie,
14:13I'd probably tweak that one a little bit.
14:15Circling back to Rumi,
14:16I love that the trailer didn't give away her markings or the fact that she's half demon.
14:22I hate it when trailers reveal important plot points.
14:25And the fact that it was revealed to the audience mid song,
14:29like right in the middle of Golden and not through exposition.
14:32Amazing.
14:33I remember Didis and I were genuinely caught by surprise when she revealed her patterns,
14:37especially because before this point,
14:40we were both actually kind of nervous about what direction this movie was going to take.
14:44Cause I know this is,
14:45this is like meant to be kind of a kid's movie.
14:48I'm pretty sure.
14:49But that gassy bit at the beginning where they interrupt the demons by burping,
14:53I didn't find it very funny.
14:55And like the humor felt really juvenile.
14:58And we were worried it was going to be like an entirely unserious movie with nonstop unfunny gags,
15:04but they really amped up the stakes with the half demon thing.
15:07And also just having people just straight up die.
15:09But also side note,
15:11if I could make another little nitpicky complaint.
15:14And this is just like a personal pet peeve of mine.
15:16When I watch anything,
15:17I kind of hate that Rumi and Mira had the exact same hairstyle and color since they were kids.
15:24I know they're animated characters and I think it's to make it easier to tell which character it is,
15:30but both of their hairstyles look like something that you would see conceived by a K-pop stylist,
15:35which makes sense for them being K-pop idols.
15:38But also you're telling me Mira had a strict traditional family
15:41and they let her dye her hair pink and have it down to her niece at the age of five.
15:45I'm calling BS.
15:47I also just really don't like the trope where they show flashbacks to characters when they were kids
15:53and they have the exact same hair as when they're an adult.
15:56Look, I know I need a healthy amount of suspension of disbelief for this movie as it is,
16:01but I'm drawing the line at Rumi having that big ass purple braid her entire life.
16:06Okay, moving on to Bobby.
16:10I love Bobby.
16:12I love that he loves and cares about the girls
16:15and the fact that he's not even aware of how important their role is as hunters.
16:19Like he has no knowledge of the world being dependent on them doing well.
16:23He just loves being their manager and taking care of them.
16:26And I think that's really sweet.
16:27I really liked the part in the movie where he's staring out the window
16:31and he's like, it's just social media numbers, Bobby, not the end of the world.
16:35And then it hard cuts to the girls POV where they all see the red spots of the home moon
16:39because to them, the stakes are in fact that high.
16:41I thought that was a great visual gag.
16:43Also, he's so cute.
16:45I love little scenes where you see him doing their choreo in the background
16:48while they're dancing on stage.
16:50Bobby, you are everything to me and I want to know your origin story.
16:53I remember when I forced Sydney to watch this movie with me during Anime Expo,
16:57we both made the observation that Bobby kind of reminded us
17:00of one of the Geeks Plus staff at our agency
17:02and it only made the character more endearing to us.
17:05Bobby is great. Great character. Love him.
17:08What is next?
17:09Okay.
17:10Unpopular opinion.
17:11I'm okay with not knowing anything about the other Saja boys
17:15because I don't think they were ever intended to be anything
17:18more than accessories to Genu's boy band plot.
17:21I love seeing all the fan art of them and all like the shipping fan art,
17:25but I think they make it pretty clear that they're just regular shmegular demons
17:29who use illusions to make themselves hot.
17:31Whereas Genu is for some reason like a hot demon by default.
17:35But then that also makes me wonder, why is he the only hot demon?
17:38Where are all the other hot baddie demons?
17:40And are there any other demons in the underworld that were once human too?
17:44Or is he like a special case?
17:46Also, since we're on the topic of Genu,
17:49I know he's hot.
17:51I remember I posted on Insta about how I thought he was hot
17:54and then everyone in my DMs was roasting me like,
17:56Girl, you like him because he looks like Caleb.
17:58Actually, I like him because he has dark hair and strong eyebrows
18:02and a look of mischief.
18:04If Kpop Demon Hunters wasn't a movie,
18:07I would love for Genu to have like a Zuko-esque character arc
18:11where he's like a giant dickhead for an entire season
18:14and then slowly warms up in that slow burn enemies to friends to lovers dynamic.
18:19And then he sacrifices himself in the end.
18:22Because my favorite Genu scenes were the parts
18:24where he was just a giant asshole to Rumi.
18:27Like the end of Soda Pop where he stares at her
18:30and then brushes his shoulder to mock her.
18:32Sheskiss!
18:33That combined with his like dorky clumsy moments?
18:37Fantastic!
18:38I'll take 14 more episodes of that exact dynamic.
18:41There's just something so tasty about a scheming little dickhead
18:45who also has awkward moments.
18:47Scheming little dickheads in fiction, I should clarify.
18:50For the record, I don't think assholes are hot in real life.
18:53Like even with the guys who subscribe to the whole
18:55asshole to the world except your girl mentality,
18:58I don't think that's attractive at all.
19:00Kindness and humor will always be the sexiest quality to me.
19:03But if we're talking fiction,
19:04we love a mean, emotionally conflicted character.
19:07And side note, I think it's so annoying when guys are like,
19:11ooh, a manipulative red flag character?
19:14Is that what women really want?
19:15No!
19:16Obviously not!
19:17I don't assume every guy who thirsts after characters
19:20like Machima and Ez-Death secretly want a hot sadistic
19:23manipulative murderer.
19:25Maybe some of you do.
19:26I don't know.
19:27Don't let me speak for you.
19:28In a sort of similar vein,
19:30Didus thought the Huntrix girls were hot.
19:32Like their designs, gorgeous, beautiful.
19:35But he thought Mira and Zoe were the hottest
19:38when they weren't even themselves.
19:40He thought they were the hottest when the demons
19:42were shapeshifting to look like them
19:43and pushing Rumi around on stage
19:45during the reprise of Takedown.
19:47Because every time we watch that part of the movie
19:49and they're doing that evil little strut on stage
19:51and looking super bitchy,
19:53he reacts to it the same way that I react to Genu
19:56acting like a little shitter.
19:57Anyways, we're getting off topic.
19:59Back to Genu.
20:00One thing that I really liked about Genu
20:03is how they made him genuinely kind of fucked up.
20:06He's not a surprise twist villain
20:09and he's also not a totally sympathetic misunderstood villain
20:12or a blameless victim.
20:13He has done and continues to do terrible shit
20:17throughout the whole movie.
20:18Like yeah, you could argue that he felt bad
20:21about having to abandon his mom and sister
20:23and that he's being used as a puppet for Gima.
20:25Both things are true,
20:26but forming an evil K-pop demon boy band was his idea.
20:30His idea, going out of his way to be a dick to Rumi,
20:33was all him.
20:35Also, let's not forget,
20:36he actively kills scores of civilians
20:39over the course of the movie.
20:41And he was fully prepared to sacrifice
20:43an entire stadium's worth of people
20:45for the sole purpose of erasing his memories
20:47of family members who've been dead for centuries
20:49because he felt guilty.
20:51It's not like if he fulfilled a certain quota of souls for Gima
20:54then he'd be granted freedom
20:55or be able to have his soul pass on,
20:57which would have been maybe a more sympathetic reason.
21:00But no, it was just to erase his memories.
21:03He would still be a demon servant for Gima
21:05just without the part of him that still felt bad.
21:08He views everyone around him as a means to an end,
21:11Rumi included.
21:12And I just want to say,
21:14him taking Rumi's words that she told to him
21:17when she was opening up to him
21:18and then using them against her later
21:20through his demon cronies,
21:21the part where she's like,
21:23I'm a mistake.
21:24I have been since the day I was born.
21:26And then he uses illusions of her best friends
21:28to repeat those same words to her.
21:29That was crazy.
21:31That was evil.
21:32Like the guy kind of sucks,
21:35but that's also what makes him great.
21:37And I know it sounds like I'm bashing him,
21:39which I'm not at all.
21:40I think he's a great character,
21:42but I really liked that the movie highlights
21:44his selfishness
21:45because it really shows that
21:47that is the source of all his guilt and misery.
21:49The whole movie,
21:51he feels super conflicted
21:52about taking advantage of Rumi's trust
21:54and his own growing feelings for her.
21:56And ultimately he gives in
21:57to his original plan of mass murder
21:59because he doesn't believe
22:00he deserves to even attempt
22:01to have a happy ending in any way.
22:03Because for him,
22:04he's a demon inside and out
22:06and has been for centuries.
22:07And a situation trip with a cute
22:09half demon K-pop idol
22:10wasn't going to change that overnight.
22:11I like that they made it
22:14so that he gives in
22:15to the shameful manipulative side of himself.
22:17Because I think if they had him do a complete 180
22:21and agree to help Rumi
22:22after like one romantic duet,
22:24I think it would have undermined the power
22:26that Gima has had over him for years.
22:29It's heartbreaking,
22:30but for the story,
22:31I thought it made a lot of sense.
22:33And I wasn't actually all that upset
22:35about him dying in the end
22:36because number one,
22:38I kind of saw it coming.
22:39Like I felt it was a fitting end
22:41for this character who wanted to atone
22:44for every selfish thing he's ever done.
22:46And what better way to wrap that story arc up
22:49with like the ultimate move of self-sacrifice.
22:52And number two,
22:54again, the movie is only like an hour and a half.
22:56So I didn't have that much time
22:58to get super emotionally attached to him.
23:00Best believe though,
23:01if this were a multi-season series
23:03where we got to watch him
23:04and his relationship with Rumi grow,
23:06and then it ended with him dying,
23:07I would have been inconsolable.
23:09But with the time we were given,
23:11it was so soon after he pulled that
23:13like ultimate betrayal move on Rumi,
23:15that I was kind of like,
23:17you can, you know what?
23:18You can die.
23:19Go ahead.
23:20Bye.
23:21You are hot though.
23:22Also,
23:24another thing to mention,
23:26someone pointed this out before,
23:27but in the opening sequence of the movie,
23:29you see the first hunters saving a bunch of civilians.
23:32And someone pointed out that
23:33two of the civilians kind of look like
23:36Gina's mom and sister.
23:37I don't think there was any significance to this detail.
23:40And if I had to guess,
23:41I think maybe they just reused some of the models,
23:44but it got me thinking.
23:45If Gina's mom and sister did get saved by hunters at one point,
23:49then maybe Gina holds some resentment towards demon hunters
23:53because they're a constant reminder to him
23:55of how he failed his family,
23:57which would also explain why he goes out of his way
24:00to be a huge dickhead to Rumi and the girls.
24:02I'm just saying again,
24:04the potential for angst is there.
24:06If this were a show,
24:07I would love for this to be explored.
24:09I feel like Gino and Rumi are more complicated
24:12than the movie has time for.
24:14And I think that's why people make so many headcanons
24:17and theories about both them
24:19and even the other minor characters
24:21and the Huntrix girls.
24:22Okay.
24:23Let's move on to finally talking about the music,
24:27which I think is the thing that has generated the most hype for this movie.
24:30The soundtrack for this movie is undeniably good.
24:35I think it's one of those soundtracks where if it doesn't hook you immediately,
24:39it will rapidly take over your brain like a disease.
24:42Immediately after we finished watching the movie,
24:45Didis was like,
24:46yeah, the soundtrack was all right,
24:47but he wasn't super attached to any of the songs.
24:49And then guess what?
24:51The very next morning when I woke up,
24:53he was blasting golden on his speakers.
24:55And then he proceeded to play the soundtrack on loop for the entire rest of the week.
25:00As did I.
25:01And I'm gonna admit it.
25:03I actually hated Soda Pop the very first time I heard it.
25:06But it ended up growing on me so much
25:09that approximately 27 times a day,
25:12I'll just randomly get it stuck in my head.
25:14It's true. It is infectious.
25:16It's an earworm.
25:17And I think what also got me so into the songs is the animation.
25:22Like, if I heard Soda Pop just by itself,
25:25I honestly probably wouldn't give it another listen.
25:28But when I listen to Soda Pop now,
25:29I can see the choreo in my head
25:31with all the goofy little animations
25:33and the clapping ajumas,
25:34and it elevates the listening experience.
25:36And honestly, this is a case for all the songs.
25:39I enjoy the song, how it's done, perfectly fine by itself.
25:43I think it's a good song.
25:44But I think the visuals are what make me like it even more.
25:47Like, I can imagine Rumi jumping out of the airplane.
25:50And I also can't listen to it without also imagining the girls
25:53slaying the demons on beat and hearing all the little sound effects.
25:56Same with Your Idol.
25:58By itself, I think it's a fantastically produced song.
26:01And I've been listening to it on repeat.
26:03But I also can't hear Abby singing I Can Be Your Sanctuary
26:07without also seeing him do that sexy-ass move
26:10where he tosses his dangly hatbeats to the side.
26:13Every time.
26:14Also, really loved Takedown.
26:16I know Rumi is uncomfortable with how hateful it is the whole movie,
26:20but I love a good, upbeat, hateful song.
26:24I don't know if you guys remember,
26:26but Takedown gave me kind of the same vibe as To Anyone's Hate You.
26:30It came out in like the 2010s,
26:32so younger viewers might not know what I'm referring to,
26:34but that song is so good and also incredibly hateful.
26:38Takedown is so funny to me as a song because, like,
26:42we as the audience know it's a diss track for actual soul-sucking demons,
26:46but in the perspective of a Huntrick stan in this universe,
26:49imagine your favorite idol group just released a song telling a guy he doesn't deserve to live
26:54and threatening to kill him.
26:55I don't think they actually ended up releasing it in the movie universe,
26:58but they should have because that song bangs.
27:00I also loved the little song that Jinu sings when he's first introduced,
27:04and he's mocking Gima.
27:06And it's a shame there isn't, like, a three-minute extended version of it
27:09because I thought his voice sounded so beautiful.
27:12I liked Free.
27:14I think it's a nice song.
27:16But again, during my first watch,
27:18since the pacing of the movie is pretty fast,
27:20I remember when Rumi sang the lyrics,
27:23Why does it feel right every time I let you in?
27:26I was like, Rumi, you've had, like, four conversations with this guy,
27:30and in two of them you were trying to kill him.
27:32But, like, I get it.
27:33It's a very cute song.
27:35I understand what they were going for.
27:37It just felt really fast, pacing-wise, for their relationship.
27:41Good song, though.
27:43My favorite song, though, is probably the final song, What It Sounds Like.
27:48Everything from the beautiful visuals, Rumi's patterns turning iridescent,
27:53the girls coming back together as a group and harmonizing
27:56and then fighting together,
27:57to the crowd lending their voices and energy to the song.
28:00It is so good.
28:02Do you guys remember Equestria Girls' Rainbow Rocks?
28:06When the girls sing together at the end to defeat the Dazzlings?
28:09It kind of reminded me of that, except if the friendship song actually sounded good.
28:13No offense to My Little Pony, by the way.
28:15I love My Little Pony.
28:16But realistically, if we're going song against song,
28:19I think the Dazzlings would have absolutely demolished the Rain Booms.
28:22Because the Rain Booms portion of Welcome to the Show
28:24sounded like something I sang in Vacation Bible School when I was, like, 11.
28:28But that's also probably because it's a movie for very young children.
28:32My point is, I love a fun little battle of the bands plot,
28:36even if the villain's song ends up being way more popular,
28:39which I'm pretty sure was also the case for your idol.
28:44Okay, another side tangent.
28:47I saw a lot of people straight up get mad that any of the songs from this movie even charted,
28:53because it was from a Netflix animated film and the groups aren't real.
28:57But, like, do they not realize that there are actual people and producers behind the soundtrack?
29:03I feel like it's the same people who I've seen shit on KDA
29:08because it's a fictional K-pop group from League of Legends and therefore does not count.
29:12But the songs made for KDA all include two members of G Idol, which is an actual K-pop group.
29:19You're telling me you heard Soyeon rapping as a Kali and you still don't think KDA is legit?
29:24I don't know. Maybe there's something I'm missing and please feel free to let me know if you have a different opinion or take.
29:30It just gives me the same energy as critics who dismiss animation as real film solely because of it being animation.
29:38And I don't really f*** with that.
29:40I think it's one thing to just not like the songs.
29:43Because, yeah, there's plenty of K-pop I personally don't enjoy. K-pop is such a broad umbrella.
29:48But to completely dismiss the soundtrack as not legit because it's attached to an animated film is really silly and I don't agree with it.
29:55Another thing I want to mention. I've seen some people take issue with the fact that the movie didn't delve into the dark side of the K-pop industry.
30:06And why the hell would they?
30:10I can tell the people who accuse K-pop demon hunters of being K-pop industry propaganda have not seen the movie because if you had, you would know it's not even remotely about the K-pop industry.
30:23It's about the struggle of self-acceptance and shame and identity.
30:27K-pop is just the setting for both the soundtrack and characters.
30:30You could replace K-pop with literally any other music genre and the messaging would have still been the same.
30:36I just think if the movie is meant to be a love letter to the director's Korean heritage and they wanted it to feel fun, modern, and uniquely Korean, then making the movie musical characters K-pop idols make sense to me.
30:49I feel like a lot of people think that every movie based in Korea has to be a Bong Hoon Jo-esque social commentary.
30:57Which is not a diss by the way, his movies are great.
30:59But K-pop demon hunters knew what it wanted to be and it achieved it.
31:03I think it's fine to pretend this movie is based in a more idyllic Korea where idols are allowed to eat 3000 calories before a show and the birth rate isn't in complete shambles.
31:13The movie didn't even have the time to give Rumi's mom a name. You think it had time to introduce ha-sangs and protest trucks and online controversies?
31:20Actually, I'm glad a lot of the conflict wasn't focused entirely on social media because every time a movie goes in that direction, I feel like it's so easy for them to completely f*** it up.
31:32Again, we're pretending Ralph Breaks the Internet never happened because that is an example of a movie doing it so poorly.
31:38I liked the parts where social media did play a part in the movie.
31:43Like the little gags of internet idol shipping and Bobby and Zoe bopping along to all the TikToks of Soda Pop.
31:49I'm just saying I'm glad a lot of Rumi's internal conflict came from her desperately trying to repair the whole moon and being half demon and not because a thousand people on Twitter said mean shit to her.
32:01Does that make sense? Am I making sense? I don't know. I'm not gonna cut most of this.
32:06Since I'm already complaining, if you'll allow me, I have one more complaint.
32:11The official Netflix merch for Kpop Demon Hunters looks kind of underwhelming.
32:16Like some of the stuff is cute and fine and I think recently they added some new stuff that was pretty interesting like the Rujinu shirt from the actual movie.
32:25But I feel like there were a lot of missed opportunities here.
32:29I just wonder why they didn't take inspiration from the fictional merch featured in the movie.
32:35You're telling me they designed those sick ass light stakes for both Huntrix and the Saja boys and they didn't make them real?
32:40They look so good!
32:42You're telling me they didn't make posters that look like the posters in the movie from the signing?
32:47It could have even been printed with the girl signatures.
32:50They literally have the design assets already for like most of these things.
32:54The custom norige that the girls wear could have been an excellent merch idea.
32:58Every time I go to Korea, I see norige being sold as souvenirs everywhere.
33:03Also, no photo cards?
33:05Who's on the merch team? And did the merch team watch the movie? Hello?
33:09I get it if maybe they didn't anticipate the movie being a big hit, but I think stuff like posters and photo cards and shirt designs from the movie would have been an easy, low cost option.
33:18I don't know. I don't want a graphic tee of the same group promo image PNG slapped onto the front like it's a Hot Topic shirt.
33:25I want a notebook that looks like the cover of one of Zoe's idea notebooks.
33:29And like maybe have the opening page be printed with some of her lyrics or scribbles.
33:33I want stationery that looks like the cards Rumi and Jinu exchanged with each other.
33:37I want the bracelet Jinu wears. What are you guys doing? Netflix, please.
33:42Okay, what else? What else did I really like?
33:46I really loved that the movie incorporated elements of Korean mythology and Korean folk art in the designs.
33:52I loved that the tiger looks genuinely kind of terrifying in design, but he ended up being so, so cute.
33:59And even though there were like two animal sidekicks, they didn't feel overbearing at all.
34:04Other observations from my notes.
34:06The tonic juice scene with Dr. Han made me laugh the first time I saw it because I have literally watched my dad fall for those exact same kind of scammy-ass herbal tonics in Korea.
34:16I didn't know it was such a common thing that they made a reference to it in the movie. Very funny.
34:21I really liked the scene of the Saja boys busking in the streets because you don't even have to suspend your disbelief for the sake of the musical number.
34:28Like that could have literally been a regular afternoon on the streets of Hongdae.
34:32I also really liked the detail of Gima first manipulating Jinu when he's busking in the streets and failing.
34:39Because now he's busking in the streets successfully as a servant of Gima.
34:44Not sure if that was supposed to be a parallel, but I liked it.
34:47And I think most of all, I love the amount of fan art that this movie has spawned.
34:53I just love that artistically, you can tell this is a movie that the team had such a fun time working on.
34:59And I think it reflects in the amount of passion you see fans giving back to it through their art and edits.
35:04And I think that's beautiful.
35:06I also love seeing all the beautiful concept drawings that have been released.
35:10Again, when are we getting a Demon Hunters art book? Please! I'm on my knees, please!
35:16Anyways, I think I've yapped about this movie enough. I just really needed to get my thoughts out.
35:23So hopefully you enjoyed this one-sided voice call.
35:27And let me know your own thoughts.
35:29What do you agree with? Disagree with?
35:31What observations did you make during your viewing?
35:34And tell me about your headcanons and theories.
35:37Thank you so much for hanging out with me while I am away.
35:41If you enjoyed this video and you want to see more like it, go check out Spilled Ink.
35:45You can hear me yap with Didis about whatever every single week.
35:50And I hope you guys are having a great summer.
35:53Go watch Kpop Demon Hunters again.
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