KPOP Demon Hunters (Review)
Cast: Arden Cho (Rumi), Ejae (Rumi’s singing voice), Ahn Hyo-Seop (Jinu), Andrew Choi (Jinu singing voice), May Hong (Mira), Audrey Nuna (Mira singing voice), Ji-young Yoo (Zoey), Rei Ami (Zoey singing voice), Lee Byung-Hun (Gwi Ma), Ken Jeong (Bobby, Manager to The Huntrix), Joel Kim Booster (Romance Saja), Samuil Lee (Romance Saja singing voice), Alan Lee (Mystery Saja), Kevin Woo (Mystery Saja singing voice), SungWon Cho (Abby Saja), Nechwav (Abby Saja singing voice), Danny Chung (Baby Saja singing voice), Daniel Dae Kim (Healer Han)Director: Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans
Screenplay: Danny Jimenez, Hannah McMechan, Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans
Story: Maggie Kang
Producer: Michelle Wong
Editor: Nathan Schauf
Music: Marcelo Zarvos
Production: Sony Pictures Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date: 20th June 2025
Platform/Distribution: Netflix
Rating: 4/5
The Huntrix are no ordinary girls!
Besides being The Nation’s Most Popular Band, they are professional Demon Hunters, using their voices to combat Demons and strengthen the Honmoon, a barrier that separates the Human and Demon world. Presenting rapster Mira, Rumi with a legacy and the sweet natured and compliable Zoey.
After another failed attempt by the demons to bring down The Huntrix, Gwi Ma (The Demon King) gets a proposal from underling musician Jinu. He makes the proposition of bringing down the girls by challenging them on their homeground and stealing their fan base in return for ridding himself off his memories. Enter, The Saja Boys, whose colourful and hot appearances dazzles not only the crowds but begrudgingly The Huntrix as well. Their, beaty number Soda Pop with a cool shoulder swag step starts trending on social media, eclipsing the girls popularity.
But, what becomes more scary is their influence on people’s hearts and minds which starts weakening the Honmoon’s stability, creating gaps in the barrier leading to mass souls being consumed in the underworld.
The intervention from the Saja boys couldn’t have come at a worse time, Rumi who has been hiding her part demon ancestry has started experiencing trouble with her voice and the spread of the demon patterns on her skin.
Rumi, a part demon and Jinu, a former human connect and strike a friendship of sorts. They try to make their own plans and find a middle path to avoid the destruction that is sure to strike once Gwi Ma takes over.
I had initially scoffed at the idea of watching this, though word of mouth made me give it a try and I am glad.
If you are a Kpop fan, then the movie gives you several cues to experience Kpop nostalgia: Good Disney style pop music replete with Korean words, a pre-concert Ramyeon ritual, fan signing events, band mates co-ordinated on fancy stage wear with synchronised dance moves, boy bands sporting multi-coloured hair and fancy ear piercings, a mythological angle:Joseon era style that a lot of Kdramas incorporate etc.
For those of you who are interested, the tiger and three eyed bird are beings that appear in Korean mythology whereas the name Saja Boys most probably came from the Korean term for grim reapers “Joseung Saja”.
Indeed what gets more thrilling than Romance set in the backdrop of a diss battle between a cute girl band and a sizzling hot boy band going back and forth right?
The music is absolutely rad, for lack of a better word. The colours, the catchy music and the funny animations got even my ancient 70 year old father interested when I was watching this on Netflix.
Ying and Yang battle it out in this quest for world domination but harmony is achieved only when the two come together to seal Gwi Ma… as Rumi and Juni learn together.
