Months ago, some good friends told me to watch this movie, but I dragged my feet. I wasn’t sure it was my thing.

I shouldn’t have waited so long.

A few minutes ago, Melissa and I got back from a walk where I talked her ear off about this movie. She watched it months ago, in the theater with a bunch of screaming kids running around singing all the songs, and she didn’t enjoy the movie. I watched it last night on my couch, all by myself, drinking it in and nourishing my soul.

It’s been out long enough that I’m going to get right into spoilers, so this is the brief warning. Also, this is where I’ll strongly suggest you go watch it if you haven’t seen it yet. It’s as good as they say. From this writer’s perspective, maybe better.

I’m going to break this into four sections: Music, Character, Plot and Themes, and my Conclusions.

The Music is Very Good

There are some technical things which Andrew Huang breaks down in this video

It’s catchy. It’s thematically appropriate.

I don’t routinely listen to KPop, but when it comes on, I don’t rush to switch it off.

There’s not much else I can say about the music, honestly. Each song hits, and just when I think I have a favorite, another one comes along and takes its place.

Golden is probably my favorite, but What It Sounds Like is my favorite in the context of the movie, and it has themes from Golden woven into it, so it’s not like I have to choose.

If they hadn’t nailed the music, I don’t think this movie would have landed as hard as it did. All of the other things I have to say about the movie are supported by the music, which is stellar.

The Characters Were Deeper than I Expected

Stories can get by painting background and side characters with a light brush. Sometimes, main characters leave no room for anyone else to have depth. This movie didn’t really do that.

Let’s start with Bobby. He’s a complete side character, in over his head trying to manage things for this group of secret demon hunters, and the amount to which he is out of his depth is played for laughs. But, he has insecurities and feels like he’s struggling to hold the group together. We don’t see it most of the time because he keeps a smile on his face and praises the group for their energy, but his fears and self-doubt are revealed towards the end.

How about Celine? She has barely any time on screen, but we know that she was part of the previous group of demon hunters, and she’s still torn up over losing Rumi’s mother. She adopts Rumi, loves her, but can’t bring herself to fully see past Rumi’s demon-side. Celine passes her trauma and problems on to Rumi, which is what ultimately creates one of the main problems the characters have to overcome: self-acceptance.

Zoey is the bright, soft-hearted lyricist and rapper in the group that used her wits and her voice to fight her fights while growing up in the US. She yearns for acceptance that she ultimately has a difficult time receiving. She has all that, and at the same time, is the most capable of living in the moment and just jamming to a good song.

Mira rejected the expectations of her family, making herself an outcast until she grouped up with her found family in HUNTR/X. She’s walled off, hard-edged, and draws strength from her trauma rather than let it control her. Though, in that respect, her trauma shaped her anyway, didn’t it? When her trust is broken, she’s first to reach for a weapon.

Then there is Rumi. Holy shit.

She was born part demon. There’s a story there that we don’t get any part of. She’s adopted, and she battles the belief that her very existence is a mistake.

If you don’t know, I am adopted, and I’ve spent a great deal of my life feeling like my own existence is a mistake.

I related to Rumi. I saw myself in her. We all have demons within us, but some of us have trouble accepting it.

Plot and Themes

I’ve touched on some of the themes already while talking about the characters. There is a love story at the forefront, which is perfectly serviceable. But there is also found family, overcoming evil through self-acceptance, and the transformative power of love.

HUNTR/X is close to achieving the goals they inherited, turning the barrier between the human world and the demon world golden, which would lock them out forever. It’s at this point that Rumi is unable to sing.

She couldn’t bring herself to telling her friends about her demon side. It’s not until she opens up to Ji-noo that she finds her voice again. Hiding your pain and your trauma only gives them more weight, but opening up and letting other people in gives us our voice again and sets us Free.

This is a world where demons are… us. When we become enslaved to our shame, that shame marks us, twists us into something else, and we allow the intrusive thoughts to win. Even if we resist going that far, our souls can still be consumed, taking our light away and leaving us in darkness. That sure sounds like depression, to me.

We see all of that through Ji-noo and his backstory. But more than that, we see that, as far gone as we might think we are, all is not lost. It just takes a little bit of hope, a moment of trust, and love. That’s when we can become our true selves once again. Even if only for a moment.

Okay, Brian, But How Do You Really Feel?

The stories I love telling involve the same themes I saw in this movie.

It hit just right. It wasn’t too heavy-handed. It gave us characters we can relate to and cheer for, painted in bright colors and beautiful music, and it masterfully delivered a good story with powerful themes.

It moved me.

I don’t cry very often. There are lots of times I want to cry, but I’m not entirely well, and I should probably talk to someone about that. Art, especially music, closes that gap and gives me access to my tears. Sometimes.

I’ve talked before about how Les Mis cracks me like a coconut, mostly because of two lyrics. They’re both towards the end, and the first is Fantine singing to Valjean: “Come with me where chains will never bind you.” Such a description of heaven breaks my heart, every time.

If that didn’t release my tears, then this lyric will: “To love another person is to see the face of God.”

There wasn’t anything in KPop Demon Hunters that hit me quite the same, and yet, I found myself tearing up throughout the movie. Maybe it’s because of how much I related to Rumi. Maybe I’ve just been going through it lately, and the music gave me permission to feel something. I don’t know.

I wish I’d watched this movie months ago. It’s very, very good. I’ll watch it again soon.