Kpop Demon Hunters hit some good notes, but didn’t really stick the landing.

By Julia Kelm
KPop Demon Hunters (2025) is Netflix’s newest money-maker, which hit streaming platforms on June 20. The plot centers around Kpop group “Huntr/x,” and its members Rumi, Mira and Zoey who actually come from a long line of singing demon hunters. 

However, the three girls are faced with their biggest challenge yet, as a group of demons disguised as a boy band try to steal their fans and take over the world.

The animated film is produced by Sony, which is noticeable with the quality of the animation. Sony is known for its sorta choppy, comic book-esque animation style that was noteworthy in their recent animated works like Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse and The Mitchells vs. the Machines. It’s a shame that this film didn’t have a proper theatrical release, as a film of this quality would have been much more enjoyable in a theater.

Overall, I would say this movie was a good time, but not noteworthy in the long-run. The story is fine, but it was just missing a lot that would’ve taken it to another level. 

For instance, early on it’s revealed that Rumi is also part demon. Her father was supposedly a demon, but as an orphan, Rumi’s demonic origins aren’t expanded upon much.

In addition, the main demon boy Jinu, is revealed to have an interesting backstory as well and has a semi-romantic thing with Rumi. Both of which go nowhere.

Rumi’s friendship with the other two girls, Mira and Zoey, is also severely underdeveloped. This was disappointing, since one of the major themes the film seemed to be pushing was female friendship. 

The lack of development in aspects of this film may be due to unconfirmed suspicions that the film was originally supposed to be a TV series. Another disappointment, because I think I may have enjoyed this more if it had more time to tell its story. 

Lastly the music, although decent, left little to be desired. I asked someone with more knowledge about music for their opinion on KPop Demon Hunters. 

“[When] Rumi and Jinu meet up and Rumi starts singing ‘Free,’ I just think it needs a little more build up,” said Hayden Hilscher, a theater and music minor at Cal Poly Humboldt. “Both because the emotional beats feel a little rushed, and to make the song feel earned or justified to start at the moment it does.” 

I agree. The music was good, it just felt a little out of place at times. I think this could’ve been improved if the film decided to take a more traditional musical approach.

Overall, if you didn’t stream KPop Demon Hunters over the break, I would give it a shot if it interests you. Feel free to email me a complaint if you disagree.

Julia is a journalism major, and is the life and arts editor for the paper. She loves film and is a regular on Letterboxd. She also enjoys going on walks in the forest, and taking pictures to relax. If you have a movie you want her to review, email her at jk328@humboldt.edu.