This summer, the world was surprised by the endless praise that KPop: Demon Hunters received. On paper, it sounds like a silly movie: a movie about three girls in a KPop group, using the power of music to defeat a demon boy band trying to steal their fans. Surely, this will be a movie whose only adult viewers will be parents who are dragged out and forced to listen to the songs sung out of tune by their children for the next few weeks.
Obviously, now that it’s been out for about four months at the time this is being written, this has been proven not to be the case. The fanbase of KPop: Demon Hunters is completely diverse in age, with numerous trends exploding from the film after its release. These ranged from girls videoing their boyfriends’ invested reactions as they watched for the first time, cosplays of the characters, edits of the film, fanmade animations, covers of the songs, and so much more. So why did this seemingly silly film have such a positive reception?
I believe there are numerous reasons for this, including the incredible animation and humor that is accessible to all ages, but the main reason that I feel drew in the largely female audience is the unique take on the three female protagonists. Growing up, I always loved watching movies that had a lot of action and fighting, but because of that, my options for female characters I could look up to were very limited. I tended to look to characters with very little screen time, or women whose identity was tied to a romantic relationship. If I did get lucky enough to find a female character that got real attention from the writers, it was normally my one and only choice in the show. KPop: Demon Hunters doesn’t fall into this category at all.
This is a film with significant action, opening with a fight scene right off the bat and keeping up that balance of combat with real emotion and plot. Throughout it all, the trio of protagonists, Rumi, Mira, and Zoey, all maintain their identities as characters with their own goals, struggles, and arcs. Even Rumi, the main character of the film, maintains her own story throughout a romance arc. Too often, when I watch movies that include a romantic subplot, the story is put on the backburner. In this film, the romance only serves to further the plot. Rumi doesn’t lose her own goals in favor of furthering Jinu’s story, but instead their story is a give and take of both of them using each other for their own purposes. In the end, it wasn’t even Rumi and Jinu’s love that saved the day. It was Rumi’s relationship with Mira and Zoey that was the true climax of the story, showing the three girls that they’re not alone and don’t have to isolate themselves in their shame.
This movie has truly given me hope for the future of writing women in an otherwise bleak time for the writing industry. KPop: Demon Hunters is tangible evidence that people will be interested in watching stories that focus on women, friendships between those women, and the importance of human connection. My wish for the movie industry is that executives see the success of this movie and decide to support the writing of complex female characters, understanding the importance of these kinds of figures onscreen for little girls all over the world.