Latest news with #demonhunters
Forbes
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘KPop Demon Hunters' Director On Getting K-Pop Culture Down
KPOP DEMON HUNTERS - (L-R) Mira (voice by MAY HONG), Rumi (voice by ARDEN CHO) and Zoey (voice by ... More JI-YOUNG YOO). ©2025 Netflix South Korea has been dominating the global pop music scene for the past few years with groups like BTS, BLACKPINK, TWICE, and Stray Kids. There have been multiple projects surrounding K-pop music, including a Broadway musical, documentaries, and several film projects. One of the projects includes Netflix's K-Pop Demon Hunters, an animated feature centered on a K-pop girl group that also serves as a team of demon hunters sworn to protect their fans from supernatural threats. Things become complicated when a popular rival boy band is revealed to be demons. Director Maggie Kang didn't expect the impact of Korean culture and K-pop, which inspired her to write this film. When she was in elementary school in Canada, her teacher couldn't locate South Korea on the map. Now, her film is set to release on Netflix and has been praised by critics and fans. 'It was surreal,' Kang says. 'Every step of the way and every milestone we hit, I can't believe we're able to do this.' She had been working on this project for over nine years, aiming to create a story that explores Korean demon mythology and lore, starring badass women. The K-pop aspect was always present, but it was the last part that was developed in the story. They had initially planned for the animation to be a lower-budget movie that was a lot grittier and darker than the final product looked. 'Rumi was going to be the black sheep of her family,' Kang explains. 'It still had the themes of shame about their worth, but there was this girl who was kinda a dropout and failure, before discovering her lineage and living up to it, proving her own self-worth within herself. It was a story with ancestors and a little bit more Asian.' Kang was informed that the project had expanded significantly, which altered the story slightly, introducing two additional characters – Mira and Zoey. She found it funny that there were three members in Huntrix, but they created five characters for the Saja Boys. 'At first, Sony was like 'Can [Rumi] just be a solo artist?',' says Kang. 'I was like, no, she needs to be part of a group.' KPOP DEMON HUNTERS - When they aren't selling out stadiums, Kpop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey use ... More their secret identities as badass demon hunters to protect their fans from an ever-present supernatural threat. Together, they must face their biggest enemy yet – an irresistible rival boy band of demons in disguise. ©2025 Netflix When creating a K-pop group, there's a lot to be included in the story, especially the fandom: terminology, lightsticks, photocards, shipping, fan signs, variety shows, comebacks, and more. The screenplay, written by Kang, co-director Chris Appelhans, Hannah McMechan, and Danya Jimenez (with assistance from K-pop fans and writers Bo Yeon Kim and Erika Lippoldt), perfectly captured the fan culture. Kang says it was a group effort in creating this story and the culture surrounding it. She credits McMechan and Jimenez for their research on the K-pop culture aspect, and even became K-pop fans themselves. 'They became K-pop fans because of this movie,' Kang explains. 'As they were doing research, they became total stans of K-pop – to the point that they would be up at three in the morning to refresh to watch music videos and then vote on stuff.' She says they became her K-pop experts. Anytime she had a question, she would text them for the answer. She says, 'It felt like a second job to be updated on all the K-pop things. As production rolled through, Kang just ran out of time to learn about K-pop culture. So, she depended on them for the knowledge. KPOP DEMON HUNTERS - When they aren't selling out stadiums, Kpop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey use ... More their secret identities as badass demon hunters to protect their fans from an ever-present supernatural threat. Together, they must face their biggest enemy yet – an irresistible rival boy band of demons in disguise. ©2025 Netflix The art department also had knowledgeable K-pop fans on staff who were involved in every part of the production. At one point, there was a scene where the idols competed against each other in the Idol Star Athletics Championships, also known as ISAC. 'For people who don't know: [ISAC] is like the Olympics for Korean idols,' says Kang. 'When we cut that scene in, all the executives were like, 'What is this? Why are they suddenly doing the Olympics and running hurdles and doing archery?' That eventually became a fan signing event. But, for a very long time, they had Rumi and Jinu doing archery, as they were having that conversation.' The animation team also played its part in highlighting the Korean idols' faces. Kang says they all drew inspiration from K-dramas and had Korean animators involved in the film. 'One of the animators, Sophia [(Seung Hee) Lee], was instrumental in figuring out certain eye shapes and mouth shapes – just rounding the corners of the mouth gave it this more Korean feeling. For some reason, it was just so strange. Once we figured that out, it opened up the movie, and we were like, 'This is it. This is our look'.' Lighting was challenging for the team, as they tried to find the perfect placement for the most appealing angles and lighting. Kang recalls it being quite a journey, as well as more difficult than they expected. 'The way we lit the faces was challenging because our faces just look different,' says Kang. 'Our models look different as well. It was a challenging and different undertaking for our lighters to figure out. So, it was interesting.' KPOP DEMON HUNTERS - When they aren't selling out stadiums, Kpop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey use ... More their secret identities as badass demon hunters to protect their fans from an ever-present supernatural threat. Together, they must face their biggest enemy yet – an irresistible rival boy band of demons in disguise. ©2025 Netflix When it came to the K-pop music aspect, their team collaborated with THEBLACKLABEL, owned by the legendary producer Teddy Park, who has worked with K-pop's biggest names, including BIGBANG, G-DRAGON, BLACKPINK, and 2NE1. Adding to the K-pop connections, the film secured the popular K-pop girl group, TWICE, to sing the main title song, 'Takedown.' Kang and Appelhans were initially naive about how much of the music would be featured in the movie. They discussed it being a non-traditional musical, which meant that there wouldn't be a lot of singing involved in the storytelling. Things changed, and the music became an integral part of the story. 'Through the help of our executive music producer [Ian Eisendrath], who comes from a more musical background, we quickly realized some of the songs were taking up two minutes or so of screentime, they had to carry the story,' Kang says. 'It forced us to answer a lot of tricky story questions when finding the lyrics out.' They created these documents for the songwriters, detailing the scene and how the characters were feeling and why. The musicians and songwriters would then come up with music and lyrics that matched perfectly with the story, keeping it in the K-pop style. KPOP DEMON HUNTERS - When they aren't selling out stadiums, Kpop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey use ... More their secret identities as badass demon hunters to protect their fans from an ever-present supernatural threat. Together, they must face their biggest enemy yet – an irresistible rival boy band of demons in disguise. ©2025 Netflix Although everything seemed to fit into the K-pop world, one thing was missing: a fandom name. Kang reveals the Saja Boys fans are called the Pride, but never came up with one for Huntrix. Kang says, 'We will leave it up to the fans.' KPop Demon Hunters premieres tomorrow, Friday, June 20, on Netflix.
New York Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘KPop Demon Hunters' Review: Singing, Slinging and Slashing
Lest you roll your eyes and think of it as a four-quadrant-friendlier version of 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,' 'KPop Demon Hunters' immediately establishes its premise, getting any prospective scoffing out of the way. For generations, a voice-over intro explains, girl groups have used their popular songs to secretly trap hordes of demons underground and keep the world safe. The latest group on their trail? Huntrix, a K-pop girl band that, in its fight against the sinister Gwi-ma (Lee Byung-hun) and his demons, is close to completing the Golden Honmoon, a protective barrier that will permanently keep evil forces at bay. But the girl group soon faces its toughest challenge yet: a demon boy band. With that somewhat silly logline behind us, what we'll find in this Netflix animated film, directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, is an original universe that is charming, funny and artfully punchy. It's a Sony Pictures Animation film that shares a kind of lineage with the studio's recent hit 'Spider-Verse' franchise that is most apparent in the similar visual style. But otherwise what it borrows mostly is a more holistic and technical sense of the cinematic, a philosophy of approach that is rare in big-budget animation films. The action sequences are fluid and immersive, the art is frequently striking and the music (catchy, if formulaic earworms) is a properly wielded and dynamic storytelling tool. And as for the cheesy girl group vs. boy band story, Kang and Appelhans have a sly sense of humor about it all, too; the movie is funniest when it pokes at pop culture that is highly manufactured, from K-pop to K-dramas to mass-produced singing competitions — the very things the film itself would never stoop to. Rated PG. Running time: 1 hour 35 minutes. Watch on Netflix.
Gizmodo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
‘KPop Demon Hunters' Is a Hilarious, Kaleidoscopic, Monster-Hunting Bop
In an era where K-pop music groups have undeniably become a dominant force in the global music scene, Sony Pictures Animation's latest film, KPop Demon Hunters, does more than ride the wave of this craze. It cleverly presents the phenomenon in an action-packed animated film that serves as a gateway for parents who are curious about why their kids are so enamored with synchronized choreography. What's more, the movie demystifies the idols, portraying them as regular people, and weaves a touching story about acceptance while incorporating tons of flashy dance and fight breaks along the way. KPop Demon Hunters, co-directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, is a movie that could be summed up very easily by its title. Thankfully, the film has more to offer than what it lampshades on its proverbial tin. It follows follows Huntrix, a girl group built around the friendship of its three members: Mira (May Hong), the sardonic punk-girl lead dancer; Zoey (Ji-young Yoo), the bubbly, little sister-coded rapper; and Rumi (Arden Cho), the workaholic lead singer who is the heart of the group. While the trio top the charts to their army of adoring fans, Huntrix moonlights as demon hunters, protecting their adoring public from things that go bump in the night. In concert with films of its ilk that came before it, like Turning Red and, surprisingly, Sinners, KPop Demon Hunters explores music as both a haven and a form of emotional expression through its musical elements. But unlike those films, KPop Demon Hunters leans heavily into the magical girl anime aesthetic—think Sailor Moon (or, for real ones out there, Winx Club and Totally Spies!) meets Twice—where the members aren't just deified performers; they moonlight as warriors protecting humanity from demonic threats as the latest iteration on a generations-long line of singers who protect humanity with the power of song. All the while, their dazzling stage presence and catchy tunes manifest in a healing shield they magically enmesh the world in; the more popular and resonant their songs are with fans, the more they serve to create the legendary golden honmoon. This golden, shimmering shield keeps demons under the command of a dark entity called Gwi-Ma (Squid Game's Lee Byun-hun) from opening rifts in the world forever. While all of the above is a lot to take in conceptually, KPop Demon Hunters doesn't get bogged down in a year-one-esque tale of their heroic exploits, exposing the ins and outs of their heroic mission. The moment the film opens, the girls are established as both a veteran K-pop group and demon hunters, confidently handling the hijacking of their private plane by shapeshifting demons en route to their big concert. What's more, Huntrix kick ass while serving a live performance about how much ass they're kicking with the same kinetic energy and sonic flair as a Riot Games' K/DA—catchy, visually dazzling, and undeniably stylish—before they skydive into the stadium below to regale their adoring fans with the opener for their show. With the girls on the precipice of achieving a golden honmoon, Gwi-Ma concocts a plan to undo the girl group's meteoric rise in popularity: Saja Boys, a rival demon boy group led by Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop), who plan on taking down Huntrix by hitting them where it hurts the most, by poaching their fans. The obvious bar that KPop Demon Hunters sets for itself is to deliver a film worthy of its distinction as the follow-up to Sony Pictures Animation's Spider-Verse success, where both its songs and action are exceptional. The animation team at Sony Pictures Animation didn't skimp, delivering yet another visual treat with decadent and vibrant animation. Most notably, KPop Demon Hunters' character designs are bold and expressive, filled with off-model gags and chibi-like moments that add texture to its idol protagonists, allowing them to shed their near-mythic personas and become the kind of approachable girls with gremlin-like tendencies that anyone would want to hang out with. Alongside the phenomenal voice work of its main cast, who display an uncanny sense of comedic timing that matches the film's fluid action, KPop Demon Hunters adds another layer of authenticity to its musicality. This is showcased by the girl group's diss track, 'Takedown,' performed by Jeongyon, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung of Twice. This song, along with other catchy tracks from Huntrix and Saja Boys, demonstrates that the musical efforts are not just standard fare. In conjunction with the attention to detail in the rival group's stunning sequences, wardrobe, and rhythmic choreography, the film's musicality ensures that the songs are so catchy that even the most reluctant K-pop critic would find themselves bobbing their head and humming along to the chorus. While the main crux of the film sees Saja Boys and Huntrix battle over the affection of fans, KPop Demon Hunters sidesteps a basic 'battle of the bands' set up by introducing an intriguing early twist. Rather than facing their rivals one on one, Huntrix finds itself embroiled in a deeper struggle beyond the grueling media tours. The film's emotional core, like with the group itself, centers on Rumi whose journey to superstardom takes an unexpected turn when she loses her voice. What could have been a predictable obstacle turns into the film's most compelling arc, forcing her to confront her own identity beyond her talent as a songstress and demon hunter. While the film does bring its conflicts and big ideas to a resolution, its ending feels overly convenient, so neatly tied up that it loses some of the depth that its setup promised. There's a twinge of missed potential here, as intriguing plot threads, particularly those tied to Rumi's journey of self-discovery and Juni's backstory, are prematurely trimmed rather than fully explored. The film could have benefited from a longer runtime, allowing for a more layered conclusion instead of opting for a simplistic 'day is saved' wrap-up. The film cheekily has its cake and eats it too by calling attention to this with quips from Mira and Zoey. As a result, KPop Demon Hunters' final act, while functional, rings a bit hollow. Putting aside any complaints about its somewhat rush-job wrap-up finale, KPop Demon Hunters is an animated film that boldly embraces its over-the-top premise and approaches a powerful message of acceptance. With high-energy fight sequences and moments of genuine hilarity, KPop Demon Hunters never loses sight of the magic that makes animation and idol culture so irresistibly fun. Sony Pictures Animation continues to establish itself as a leader in Western animation. Much like Tsuburaya Productions and Industrial Light & Magic's 3D CG animated film, Ultraman Rising, which elevates a familiar premise while celebrating Asian heritage at its core, KPop Demon Hunters reinforces Sony Animation Studio's reputation for creating visually stunning, genre-blending spectacles. KPop Demon Hunters will be released on Netflix June 20.
Forbes
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘KPop Demon Hunters' Director Reveals Who Inspired The Characters
When Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters teaser trailer and images were first released, many K-pop fans began speculating who the K-pop idols in the film looked like. There have been several side-by-side comparisons, with fandoms claiming that these characters were based on their idols. Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters, out this Friday, revolves around a K-pop girl group named Huntrix, who are also demon hunters sworn to protect their fans from supernatural threats. Things become complicated when a popular rival boy band, The Saja Boys, are revealed to be demons. Director Maggie Kang, who grew up loving the first generation of K-pop, with groups like H.O.T. and Seo Taiji and the Boys, has seen all the comparisons on social media. Though she never named exactly who the characters were inspired by, she could see how the fans' suggestions matched perfectly with the characters. 'I think what I like to talk about is that there are so many certain archetypes that every group has,' says Kang. 'It's fun to see this conversation happening because everyone's picking the right member who fills that archetype and that kind of role and looks for each group.' Kang and her directing partner, Chris Appelhans, pulled their favorites onto the digital bulletin board. Many in the art department added their favorites to the board. She says once she gave the department access to the bulletin board, everybody was on it. She saw so many different actors, idols, and groups on there. The Saja Boys, comprising members Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop), Abby, Mystery, Romance, and Baby, were inspired by Korean groups such as Tomorrow X Together, BTS, Stray Kids, ATEEZ, BIGBANG, and Monsta X. There's always a muscular one who shows off their abs; one who was the romantic type ('I purposely gave him these bangs that were meant to be heart-shaped'); and, the baby of the group. 'Baby Saja is, obviously, the maknae (youngest),' Kang explains. '[They] have this look and they're usually the rapper of the group.' The only member whom Kang couldn't recall comparing to an artist was Mystery, whose face is mostly obscured by his long, purple hair. He was inspired by anime. When Kang asked her team why he doesn't have a face, they told her to 'trust us.' 'That's just a question mark,' Kang laughs. 'It was also just a challenge to animate five faces versus four. So that also helped with the animation as well.' Kang and her animation team created boards for each character, alongside images of idols, models, and well-known actors. Though the Saja boys were given their own individual, distinct looks, they all have one thing in common. 'Fun fact: they all share the same CG body, except for Abby Saja, because he's a little bit bigger,' Kang explains. 'We bulked him up like 20%.' Kang did admit that the character of Jinu was inspired mainly by K-drama actors. She names Cha Eun-woo and Nam Joo-hyuk as the leading men on the inspiration boards. They wanted him to have a very classic Korean look, which is why he had dark hair. Though Ahn was cast as the voice of Jinu, the character was created before he signed on for the part, but Kang does see the similarities with his Business Proposal character. As for the three members of Huntrix – Rumi, Mira, and Zoey, Kang says they referenced K-pop idols and models. Kang has worked on Rumi for many years, but her appearance has changed slightly to reflect the animation and Korean lighting. '[We looked at] ITZY, BLACKPINK, and [TWICE],' says Kang. 'Who else? I think it was a lot of mixing.' Kang reveals that Korean model Ahn So Yeon inspired the fashion-forward character, Mira. Kang, who is a fan of the model, says it 'might be kind of obvious [when you look at Mira]'. For Zoey, Kang wanted a cutesy vibe for the character. Many K–pop idols were referenced for her look. Kang's main goal for Huntrx was that they all looked very different from each other. She focused on each of them having their distinct look, aside from their hair color. 'Even with the way we animated them, [they were different and distinct],' says Kang. 'With their smile, you'll notice Zoey has more of a heart-shaped mouth when she expresses herself. We wanted Mira to be long and lean because I love that look on a woman. I think that's so beautiful. With Rumi, we leaned into a very classic, beautiful Korean look.' Kang does enjoy the conversations surrounding the animated looks of her characters. She jokes, 'Yeah, we knew we [wanted them to be] hot.' KPop Demon Hunters premieres this Friday on Netflix.
Gizmodo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
The Stars of ‘KPop Demon Hunters' on Spotlighting Korean Representation in Animation
Arden Cho, May Hong, and Ji-young Yoo star as the girl group Huntrix in Sony Pictures Animation's new feature, coming to Netflix June 20. After the massive box-office triumph of the Spider-Verse films, Sony Pictures Animation is back with a brand-new hero team-up animated adventure called KPop Demon Hunters. The feature film, which drops on Netflix June 20, follows a girl group named Huntrix who must balance their skyrocketing superstardom with moonlighting as demon hunters, saving the world using the power of music and magical girl action to protect their fans from an impending demonic invasion. Ahead of its streaming release, io9 spoke to Arden Cho, May Hong, and Ji-young Yoo—the voices behind the Huntrix's trio Rumi, Mira, and Zoey—to reflect on the thrill of staring in the film, the importance of meaningful Asian representation in animation, and the unique challenge of bringing its titular down-to-earth, demon-hunting pop stars to life. Isaiah Colbert, io9: What drew you to starring in KPop Demon Hunters? Were there any elements about the movie's story or characters that immediately gripped you as actors? Arden Cho: Initially, I just loved the idea. I love K-pop and I'm all about three cool, awesome, badass leads who are Asian American—Korean American to be specific. I loved the story and I was so excited just to be a part of it. May Hong: I like how tough Mira is, but how vulnerable she actually really is. How sensitive she is. How loyal she is, and I very much relate to that. That really drew me in. Ji-young Yoo: I'm a big fan of K-pop, and I love doing voice over work so this was the best of both worlds. The more I found out about it, the more I thought it would be so much fun. I mean, from the title alone, anytime I tell my friends the name of the movie, they always start smiling, and I think that's indicative of how fun the film is. io9: As advertised on the tin. Yoo: Yes! io9: Did you draw inspiration from different K-Pop groups or supernatural shows while preparing for your roles in KPop Demon Hunters? Were there any specific performances or series that helped you bring your characters to life? Cho: For Rumi, I was focusing more on just her experience. She just goes through so much through the movie. She's going through a lot of things. I don't want to spoil anything, but it's a big journey for her. I was focusing a lot on who she was not only as a friend, a sister to the girls, but a leader, and also a slayer. I grew up loving so many shows that are sort of in that world of strong females—Buffy the Vampire Slayer was literally my favorite, always—and so I feel in a sense [that] I wanted Rumi to be very strong and grounded. But also sweet and cute. We can't take credit for the music stuff because we're not in that part of the girls, but I definitely wanted her to be as cool as Blackpink, Aespa, Le Sserafim, and everybody. It exceeded my expectations. But I feel like I didn't do much for that. I can't really take credit for that. I feel like that was the world that was created for us. Hong: I thought a lot about Sailor Moon. I grew up watching it and I was so excited to see it and doing the comps of who everyone is, too. Whenever we would play Sailor Moon, I always wanted to be Sailor Jupiter. Cho: Wait, that's so fitting. Hong: I know, and I feel like Mira is a different version of Sailor Jupiter. I think the inspiration—they're hidden identities—I think it's funny that they transform and they look exactly the same but just [have] different outfits. I feel like Cowboy Bebop was a huge inspiration for me. I think about it a lot, and how much that music is so fully integrated into the story, and how crucial it is to sound and look like that. It feels like a perfect merger of those two things. Yoo: I don't know if I had specific things that I did research into because I think this is such an original tone. You didn't really need to pull references. But as I began to talk about it with my friends more, I realized that there were things in the back of my head that were floating around and definitely influencing it. I grew up on Totally Spies and Kim Possible. I would say that Zoey has got a little bit of Starfire from Teen Titans—the original show, not Teen Titans Go. I'm a big fan of BTS, so that's always in the back of my head. Actually, I had a really funny conversation with a friend where he asked me if [KPop Demon Hunters] was anything like Jujutsu Kaisen. Which it kind of is. We're exorcising demons, but tonally not nearly as dark. I'm such a fan of the show that I wondered if it affected my performance at all. I don't think I'll ever know consciously. Maybe people can watch the movie and let me know. io9: KPop Demon Hunters brilliantly captures both the stunning beauty of the idol scene and the gremlin nature of the three girls, where they get chibi and very animated at each other. Was this distinct animation style where you had to do the voiceover afterwards, or did you do the voiceover and Sony Pictures animated their expressions to match yours during production? Cho: I remember my first few sessions, we just did the voice, and they'd film us. So I did feel a little shy. Hong: (Laughs)The internal video, like, where is that? Cho: (Laughs) Yeah, I'm like showing up to work in my pajamas, no makeup on. All these cameras are set up and I'm like, 'Oh no, wait what's happening!' They're like, 'Oh no no, it's just for art!' and I'm like, 'Yes… art.' Yoo: (Laughs) I'm guessing that the chibi style was always a part of the plan, but there were definitely moments where I'd finish a line reading and they'd be like, 'We should note that take. Whatever face she was doing was perfect' and I was like 'I don't know if I like that.' Cho: I feel like the animation, the weirder, the uglier, it was so perfect. That's what makes it fun. We don't have to feel shy about it even though I felt shy in the beginning and then I got used to it. Yoo: I guess the answer is we don't know. Probably. Kind of. Maybe. Yes? Hong: (Laughs) We didn't see anything. We just scream, and they would take videos that were used. Cho: We don't know. We just show up and they make it awesome. I know the eating stuff I'd always feel so silly too. The funny eating noises I'd struggle with those. Some of those are hard. I ate a lot and they wanted more funnier (mouth noises), but when you're actually eating, you don't make those sounds to make it more fun. Hong: (Laughs) Speak for yourself. Yoo: (Laughs) Yeah, I was gonna say that sounds exactly like how I eat. io9: Were there any funny, memorable bloopers that happened during your recording sessions? Yoo: Too many to count, man. Hong: A lot of running to be out of breath. I think I felt the most goofy probably doing laps or I'd need to genuinely do three more laps to sound out of breath. But then everyone is watching me run in circles for a while. Cho: All the action stuff was pretty silly and fun. Rumi has some romantic things that are cute. In the voiceover world, you're doing it all alone, so you feel super awkward. But it's awesome and it comes together so beautifully. Hong: Oh, also the bar. There's a little guardrail that's in front of the mic. I'd hold it and run in place. It's almost like an exercise. Cho: Oh yeah. I was jumping on that and holding on for dear life the whole time. Yoo: It almost looks like a mini ballet bar and they'd put it in front of the mic and you can use it to lean on. I climbed on top of it. Hong: Who would have thought of that. Genius. Yoo: Voiceover is kind of one big blooper. Cho: It really is. The days where you're eating a ton and doing all the fun sounds and then after you're doing a lot of jumping around action and you're like, 'Oh no, that was too soon. That's why they say don't go swimming right after eating.' It was all fun. io9: How meaningful is it for you to be part of a Sony Pictures Animated film that aimed to go beyond the surface-level appeal of K-pop and action to authentically highlight Korean roots in its storytelling? Cho: It's so special that they are so respectful to the Korean culture in the food, the city, and the world. It's so magical to see how big and beautiful it's been created in the world of KPop Demon Hunters. It's also really cool to see these young women who, yes, they're Korean, but they're also just girls struggling with things that are very, well, normal, but not normal. Normal if demons were—well maybe they are here? Hong: (Laughs) Are they in the room with us? Cho: (Laughs) You know how people have their demons? The metaphor. Hong: (Laughs) Yes. I love the universal pain and suffering of it all. At first I was, 'Is this Korean?' It felt like it hit some chords for me, but then it was 'This is just everyone.' Cho: It definitely hit those identity battles and the whole, 'Who am I really? Am I hiding something?' The struggles that Rumi goes through, in an odd way, I related to so much being Korean American. I feel like that in itself is so relatable, but also so special because it's something that involves so much of our culture, history, story, and where we come from. Hong: And it also makes Seoul look so glorious, and it is glorious. Though fictionalized, hopefully, it makes people more interested in actually going. io9: If KPop Demon Hunters were to receive a sequel, what would you love to explore about your characters in the future? Yoo: When the movie comes out, I do actually have a very specific pitch that I've already told [directors] Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans about. For Zoey, some of the stuff she's going through being the only Asian American in the group [where] she feels out of place some of the time, which I think is very resonate with anyone. I would love to see her find a place where she doesn't feel like she needs to please as much. She spends a lot of her energy trying to make sure everyone else is okay, and I want Zoey to check in on whether Zoey is okay. Maybe that's the sequel. KPop Demon Hunters premieres on Netflix June 20.
