The Magical World of Huntr/x and the Saja Boys

The new Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters quickly became a global success, topping the platform’s charts in 93 countries and selling over 33 million streams in less than two weeks since its 20 June debut. The Korean-pop musical fantasy adventure, about three girl band members who must protect the world from demons while maintaining their global superstardom, has not only impressed K-pop fans but also many people outside of this cultural bubble.

KPop Demon Hunters has quickly climbed its way up the global Netflix top 10 to the number two spot. Fans have already created fan art, while many users on social media have begun to demand a second season.

The appeal of KPop Demon Hunters also translated well into real-life music charts: On Billboard’s Hot 100 music ranking, seven tracks from the film featuring members of the two fictional bands (the all-female Huntr/x and the gender-fluid Saja Boys) managed to beat out even BTS and Blackpink, South Korea’s top K-pop acts. The animated K-pop groups also topped Spotify’s Hot US Songs chart, coming in first and second, the only fictional artists to achieve that feat.

Inspired by the Korean pop idols she admired as a child growing up in Canada, co-director Maggie Kang envisioned a film in which the fictional K-pop bands could be stars in their own right. “We didn’t want the music to feel like an interruption or a performance that happens in the world of the film,” she says. The music was central to the story, and it played a powerful role as a symbol of hope against the darkness of the villains.

The fantastical journey from superstardom to self-acceptance is just the right mix of action, slapstick, emotion, and humour to appeal to audiences across cultures, while the modern music style and the dance routines can be enjoyed by anyone who understands the universal language of K-pop. The detail-oriented film features cultural landmarks around Seoul like the city’s old city walls, Hanuiwon clinics and public bathhouses, and Namsan Tower.

The makers of KPop Demon Hunters spent time in South Korea filming and photographing the details. They visited folk villages in Sunchang, researched traditional Korean clothes, and photographed characters walking around Myeongdong streets.

Amanda Golka, a Los Angeles-based YouTube creator and a self-described K-pop newbie, is a big fan of the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack. “I have been blasting the soundtrack from Spotify every time I’m in the car,” Golka says in an email interview. “It’s fascinating how music can be such a universal language.”

Golka, who attended a virtual premiere of the film, also appreciated the positive representation of being Korean: “I love that the girls can just be themselves around each other. To just be Korean together and not have to explain or justify their culture or identity.”

Hits Both Global and K-pop-Specific

Some of the traditional elements are woven into the film’s fantasy action, including visual allusions to the Korean Grim Reaper and Korean shamans (Mudang). Traditional Korean symbols such as the Dokkaebi goblin and the Dangsan tree are also woven into the scenes, and two folk-inspired mascots — a tiger and a magpie — represent guardian spirits and good luck.

Director Kang hired Korean composers Teddy Park, who has worked with Blackpink, and Lindgren, a Grammy-winning producer who has produced tracks for BTS and TWICE. The songwriters came up with a mix of songs that sound like K-pop hits from a real Korean label. “I think it’s safe to say fans of real K-pop will enjoy the new songs, and casual viewers will be exposed to some amazing tracks that are sure to be new favourites,” Golka says.

KPop Demon Hunters, co-directed by Chris Appelhans, was produced by the Korean music label Kakao Entertainment and has a host of other Korean and Korean-American talent involved.

KPop Demon Hunters does more than feature the latest and freshest K-pop sounds, though. The film also tells a story of friendship, trust, and self-acceptance as the girls come to terms with their identities and learn to embrace who they are.