- 1 day ago
The stars of ‘KPop Demon Hunters,’ Arden Cho (Rumi) and Ahn Hyo-seop (Jinu) are here to respond to your fan mail, and they’re very impressed! Arden and Hyo-seop marvel at the fans’ deep analysis, which reveals more hidden meanings and easter eggs than they even knew were there–“we are learning about our movie right now!”
From the secrets hidden in “Soda Pop” song lyrics to important metaphors about fandom, this fan mail session will make you want to watch the movie again. Arden responds to which real-life KPop star she would add to Huntr/x–a tough question since she has many friends in the industry–and how her experience as a Korean American helped her relate to Rumi living between two worlds. Plus, one fan letter inspires Hyo-seop to imagine the Saja Boys’ extensive training to become KPop idols (“about 45 years”)–do we sense a prequel?
From the secrets hidden in “Soda Pop” song lyrics to important metaphors about fandom, this fan mail session will make you want to watch the movie again. Arden responds to which real-life KPop star she would add to Huntr/x–a tough question since she has many friends in the industry–and how her experience as a Korean American helped her relate to Rumi living between two worlds. Plus, one fan letter inspires Hyo-seop to imagine the Saja Boys’ extensive training to become KPop idols (“about 45 years”)–do we sense a prequel?
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PeopleTranscript
00:00This is like gold.
00:02We're being taught. We are learning about our movie right now.
00:06Hey, InStyle. We're the cast of K-pop Demon Hunters.
00:09I'm Arden Cho, the voice of Rumi.
00:11And I'm Ahniosup, the voice of Jina.
00:14And today we're going to be opening up some fan mail.
00:16Let's get into it.
00:23It was quite long.
00:25When Zoey and Mira held their weapons at Rumi,
00:28we can see that Rumi cries from her right eye,
00:30which is her human side,
00:31showing that her human side is what was hurt the most.
00:34And when Selene rejects Rumi for who she is,
00:37she cried from her demon eye,
00:39showing that her demon side was hurting the most,
00:41which proves that demons do feel,
00:44unlike when Rumi told Jina,
00:46you're a demon, demons don't feel anything.
00:48But when Jina sacrifices himself for Rumi,
00:51she cries from both her eyes,
00:52meaning both her human and demon side love Jina.
00:55Wow, that's...
00:56What?
00:57I love it that way.
00:58That's so deep.
00:59I just got goosebumps.
01:00And that was from big molasses4788 on Reddit.
01:03That is incredible.
01:05Wow.
01:06That is deep.
01:07And I feel like that's so legit.
01:08I never thought of it in this detail.
01:10Do you think Maggie and Chris actually kind of...
01:12I feel like they do.
01:13They did?
01:14Yeah, I feel like it was probably intentional.
01:16Wow.
01:17Maybe we just didn't notice.
01:18I definitely didn't notice.
01:19But that is incredible.
01:20Honestly, the fans know more than we do.
01:21Exactly.
01:22For sure.
01:23Okay, true fan.
01:24Oh, another K-pop Demon Hunters cast.
01:27All right, let's see.
01:28This is honestly some of the best voice acting I've ever heard in an animated movie,
01:32specifically with Rumi and Jina,
01:34because they sometimes use their demon voice,
01:36which has an echo to it that makes it hit harder.
01:39From Andrew Abram, 4147 on YouTube.
01:45That's very nice.
01:46What did you think about your demon voice?
01:49I think it's mostly the engineer's work.
01:51I thank them for making our voices such demons.
01:55I know.
01:56I remember, at least for me, I felt really free,
01:58because I could really go big and express myself.
02:02And they were like, oh, we'll play with it later.
02:04I think for me, preparing for this role was interesting,
02:07because initially I put Rumi on such a high pedestal,
02:10and I really wanted her to be so perfect,
02:12because she's a K-pop star.
02:14I know so many friends who are singers in Korea,
02:16and I really wanted to honor the character
02:19and really respect the industry, because it's so tough.
02:22But then at the same time, the more I got to know Rumi,
02:25I was like, oh, she really is a girl,
02:29trying to figure out who she is and her identity.
02:31And then I related to her so much.
02:33I felt like she reminded me so much of myself,
02:36especially those big scenes between Celine and Gino,
02:39like when she's breaking down.
02:40Those I feel like I just was present and I was there,
02:43and it was a lot of fun.
02:44Yeah, same for me.
02:45I don't really think about Gino's voice.
02:47I thought it had to really come out of me,
02:49and I just like Gino kind of grew from there.
02:51I just thought about his past,
02:53about he's been living for a couple of hundred years.
02:56It's a very old person.
02:58Just scene by scene, I just thought about the emotions he had.
03:01And Maggie and Chris were just very supportive.
03:06Oh, I picked mine.
03:07Oh, perfect.
03:08If Gino had a name like the other Saja boys,
03:11what would it be?
03:12From TreeTurtleA52 on Reddit.
03:14What do you think?
03:15Oh, that's a hard question actually.
03:17I never thought about it.
03:18I know.
03:19Cause they have like romance and abs.
03:21Maybe something like secret Saja.
03:24Secret Saja.
03:25Cause Gino has so many secrets.
03:26Okay.
03:27I like that.
03:28Yeah.
03:29He looks cold on the outside,
03:30but you can't really know who he really is.
03:32So yeah, maybe secret Saja.
03:33We could call him handsome boy too.
03:36We'll call him handsome.
03:39Oh, Arden.
03:41If you could add a fourth member of Huntrix from the real world,
03:44which female K-pop idol would you choose?
03:47Oh my goodness.
03:48That is way too hard.
03:50You know what?
03:51I'm just going to have to say,
03:52I love Maggie and Chris's choice to make it three.
03:55I think Rumi, Zoe and Mira are perfect.
03:58So I'm not going to change it.
04:00What do you think?
04:01I agree.
04:02Let's go.
04:04It's for both of us, right?
04:05Yep.
04:07One thing I haven't seen anyone talk about
04:08is the fact that Gino was only able to give his soul to Rumi
04:11and by that helped her overpower the demon king
04:14because she actually is partly demon
04:16and by that can take souls.
04:18So her flaw and weakness
04:20turned out to be actually essential for her success.
04:23You know, these fans are so deep.
04:24They're so smart.
04:25I respect them so much.
04:26I didn't even think of that either.
04:28I thought Gino gave it to Rumi,
04:30but actually if you think about it,
04:31that's probably right.
04:32Yeah, it's probably right.
04:33We don't really know.
04:34We're just actors.
04:36Oh, wow.
04:37Oh, wow.
04:41I love how this entire song Soda Pop
04:42is literally just them talking about
04:44feeding on their fans' love and souls,
04:46but no one notices it because of the way the song sounds.
04:50I totally agree.
04:51I didn't know until I saw it here.
04:58My little song.
04:59Because I'm that guy who listens to the melody,
05:01not the lyrics.
05:02Oh my gosh.
05:03Whenever I listen to this song,
05:04I think about like, you know, Coke or Sprite.
05:07I don't know why.
05:08I always just imagine Soda Pop being so cute,
05:10like H.O.T. Candy.
05:11Yeah.
05:12So like, I don't think I thought
05:13it was like feeding on souls,
05:14but I guess you're right.
05:16Because they say like, give me your soul.
05:17Exactly.
05:19This is like gold.
05:21We're like, we're being taught.
05:22Exactly.
05:23We are learning about our movie right now.
05:25All right.
05:27I love how Rumi's patterns aren't gone,
05:29but have faded into almost luminous now
05:31that she has accepted that part of herself.
05:33It's such an amazing metaphor.
05:35From RedLuca56 on YouTube.
05:37You know, I love that too.
05:39I think it's beautiful.
05:41And I love that her patterns are now like,
05:43such a part of her identity.
05:45And I feel like that's a lesson for all of us.
05:47You just have to take your battle scars
05:49or whatever it is
05:50and just wear it proudly.
05:53I'm just starting to show.
05:54Can I read it for you?
05:55Sure.
05:56Okay.
05:57So other genius thing to note about this movie.
05:59Golden always gets interrupted by something
06:01the song never fully finishes.
06:03Highlighting the thematic through line
06:05that the golden hun moon is unachievable.
06:08And it's only through constant vigilance,
06:10self-improvement and community
06:12that we keep our demons from consuming us.
06:15Man.
06:16You guys are smart.
06:17How many times did you watch the movie
06:19to get all this?
06:20That's my question.
06:21Golden is such a, you know,
06:24obviously like the theme song of the movie.
06:26And I do love that because it's such a tough song
06:29for Rumi to sing.
06:30I remember Maggie and Chris,
06:32you know, making that such a point
06:34that her voice breaks for Golden.
06:41Let's take it again.
06:42From the top.
06:43Obviously overcoming it with the help of the girls
06:45and her accepting herself and everything.
06:47It's, I mean, it's the whole theme.
06:49And so that's so interesting.
06:50I didn't realize it never plays all the way throughout
06:53in the movie.
06:54Did you?
06:55No, no.
06:56Oh my gosh.
06:57We are being educated right now.
06:59All the songs are so great,
07:00but one of my favorite songs from the movie
07:01is what it sounds like.
07:02I cry every single time I watch that scene.
07:05I think mine would be Free.
07:06Only Rumi and Jinu knows that pain.
07:09They kind of share the same agony.
07:11So it's, it's the scene where they kind of relate
07:14to each other and kind of break free.
07:16I love Free too.
07:18Kpop Demon Hunters cast.
07:21I love how they use the metaphor of being a fan
07:23throughout the film.
07:24It can give you strength in a way and help you in dark times.
07:27But as soon as it turns into obsession,
07:29it can suck out your soul.
07:31From I'm Stargazing9120 on YouTube.
07:34That is true.
07:35Yeah, it's very, I feel like the balance is so important.
07:39It is.
07:40It really is.
07:41I mean, we love the fans and the fans have brought us
07:44on this incredible journey and I feel like it's such a big part
07:47of it, but you're right.
07:48There's still a fine line.
07:49Yeah.
07:54I feel like I get the long one all the time.
07:57You do keep getting the long one.
07:59It's okay.
08:00You got this.
08:01So obsessed with Rumi and Jinu, but Derpy Tiger and Magpie
08:04have my heart.
08:05And as an art historian, I love seeing artwork,
08:08especially traditional artwork, make its way to different forms
08:11of media.
08:12I looked up some Minhua, which is a type of Korean folk art,
08:16and learned that my favorite duo is a whole genre.
08:20And the name for this particular subject is
08:24which is translated into Magpie Tiger.
08:26And the tiger is so silly and meant to represent aristocrats.
08:29Is that how you read it?
08:30Oh, right.
08:31While the Magpie is serious and meant to represent commoners.
08:34Wow.
08:35I love Derpy too.
08:36I feel like one of my favorite scenes with Derpy, obviously,
08:38is when Derpy keeps knocking over the flower pot.
08:46Oh, that's so cute.
08:47It's okay.
08:48It's okay.
08:49I loved recording that scene because the art was just so beautiful.
08:52It was.
08:53And it really is so special to see so much Korean culture
08:56in an animated movie like this because it's so beautiful
08:59and I don't know, it just feels so special.
09:02Yeah.
09:03And also there's a line,
09:04the Magpie is wearing the hat.
09:06But Jinwoo says,
09:07I made it for the tiger, but the bird keeps taking it.
09:11And that makes you think, you know,
09:13Derpy used to be that small, right?
09:15Because the hat was really small.
09:16Oh my gosh.
09:17I never thought of that.
09:18Yeah.
09:19So Jinwoo was for a very, very long time.
09:23Wait, I like that.
09:25Isn't that so cute?
09:26Because the hat was so small, right?
09:27That's so cute.
09:28So do you think Derpy is also like 300 years old?
09:30Probably.
09:31Or maybe older.
09:32I'll read this for you.
09:34What gets me about the Saja boys is that it was all Jinwoo's idea.
09:37So, before he pitched it to Quima,
09:39he had to have studied K-pop extensively.
09:42Songs, dances, styles, trends, fandoms,
09:45to come up with the idea to steal the fans.
09:48He must have had to study Huntrix,
09:50and Rumi of course as their leader,
09:52to know that the fans were their weak spot.
09:55Purely for research, of course.
09:57Thinking about Jinwoo, recruiting the members,
10:00writing, composing, recording, choreographing,
10:02and rehearsing is super fun.
10:04The demon realm must have been having
10:06a full blown fan party at all times.
10:09From Liz Rochester 80 on YouTube.
10:12This is also genius.
10:14I love these kind of fans.
10:16They're so into it.
10:17Do you think that Jinwoo researched Huntrix and Rumi?
10:20Um, I don't know.
10:22But just imagining the whole Saja boy,
10:24you know, practicing in a practicing room
10:26in front of the mirror.
10:27I know, right?
10:28I think that's kind of cute.
10:29Or do you think that because they're demons,
10:30they can just be like,
10:32look at something and be like, have the skill.
10:34That makes more sense.
10:35But I just want to imagine, like,
10:37them taking vocal lessons.
10:39And like having their makeovers at the salon
10:43and stuff like that.
10:44Okay, how many years were they trainees?
10:48Like 45 years.
10:49Oh no, 45 years?
10:51Dang.
10:52Struggling.
10:53But now that I think about it,
10:55maybe he really did study because
10:57in the bathtub, in the sauna scene,
10:59like, he sees her patterns right away.
11:02Yeah.
11:03So maybe he already knew.
11:04Maybe.
11:05Maybe he saw it.
11:06Okay, last one.
11:07I'll read it.
11:08Okay.
11:09As a biracial person,
11:10Vietnamese and Guatemalan,
11:12I really relate to Rumi's character.
11:14Mmm.
11:15I'm feeling like I'm in between two worlds.
11:17It was so inspiring to see Rumi's journey
11:19of self-acceptance.
11:21And how do you relate to her journey?
11:22And what was your reaction
11:24the first time reading the script?
11:26Also, curious about what energy you tap into
11:28to get into the character.
11:30Yeah.
11:31I relate a lot.
11:32I feel the same things.
11:33Yes, I am Korean,
11:34but I'm Korean American,
11:36born in America.
11:37And again,
11:38I feel like through my teen years and 20s,
11:40I struggled so much of understanding who I was.
11:43Sometimes I felt like I wasn't American enough.
11:46And I often felt like I was never Asian enough.
11:49And so I feel like with Rumi,
11:50I connected so much where,
11:52again, being in entertainment,
11:53I felt like I had to sometimes be someone else to fit in.
11:57I felt like I had to be more American,
12:00if that makes sense.
12:01I remember bringing kimbap to school
12:03and getting made fun of.
12:04You know, I remember feeling like our food
12:07was something to be embarrassed about,
12:09which it isn't.
12:10I love Korean food
12:11and I think it's the best.
12:12And now all I ever do is introduce
12:14everyone to Korean food.
12:16And I don't think it was until probably my 30s
12:19when I really felt more comfortable and confident
12:21to just be proud of who I am
12:23and my culture and the things that I love.
12:25I think that's why this movie is so special.
12:27We get to see Korean food, Korean culture,
12:29Korea being celebrated.
12:31And I love that.
12:32And I love that you related to her as well.
12:34And thank you.
12:35Thank you so much for watching us open today on mail.
12:38It's been so much fun.
12:39And make sure to watch K-pop Team Hunters on Netflix.
12:43Thank you so much, guys.
12:44Bye.
12:45Bye-bye.
12:46All right, everyone, that's a wrap.
12:47Yay!
12:49Well done.
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