Finally got around to watching Kpop Demon Hunters with E

[conuly]

The music is great, but the plot + worldbuilding raises some issues that they don't bother to even attempt to address properly.

For example, if (some strong percentage of) demons are humans who feel (unearned?) shame, should we feel so gleeful over destroying the other Saja Boys? Surely they have their own tragic backstories!?

And for that matter, yes, yes, the power of love and conversations and understanding helped him regain control over his soul, wonderful. But how? Because honestly, without seeing him accept that he had limited agency in his shitty life situation, I don't quite find it plausible that he managed to come to terms with things at the literal last second.

Though I guess it would've been a very different sort of movie if, instead of romantic walks and musical numbers we instead got intense therapy sessions.

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Comments

[kaffy_r]

One of the things that actually happens in KPDH, which wasn't really emphasized nearly enough but was there, was the fact that no demon supposedly destroyed by our demon hunters are actually killed. You'll note that the female demon from the private jet was "destroyed," only to just get sent back to the demon world. And the emphasis on making the Hong Moon complete is that no demons will be able to come into the human world, not that no demons will exist anymore.

When it comes to Jinu, I think that he always harbored a wish to be saved; he just didn't think it was possible. When Rumi essentially stopped trying to destroy/send him back to the demon world, that wish surfaced in a way he didn't expect. And I also think that even as they sang "Your Idol," the horror of what was about to happen was the final jolt he needed to turn from killing Rumi to saving her.

(Thus says someone who loved the movie, but who wants to know if any of the other Saja boys do get the chance at salvation that Jinu had. I suspect that could happen because I think you're right, that those demons were humanoid, even before Jinu magicked them into human form. They might have had a back story like his.

If not? Fanfic!)

[conuly]

But I think they can get killed by the demon king in response to their failures? He's a terrible boss.

[kaffy_r]

He is indeed a foul-tempered un-empathetic, and totally horrible boss. You've got to imagine what the exit interviews would be like, if any demons were able to escape his grasp and get the hell out of Dodge.

"You swallow us whole."

"I was just incentivizing your work day."

" .... "

"We appreciate your soul-capturing. Really."

" ... "

" We're all family here."

" Goodbye, Dad "

Door slams.

[elisi]

The music is great, but the plot + worldbuilding raises some issues that they don't bother to even attempt to address properly.
Yeah. It should have been a TV show, in order to let the world building and the storytelling breathe... Ah well.

[conuly]

TV shows are so short nowadays!

[elisi]

I knoooow! 😭 But even 8 episodes would have created a better paced story, with time to delve into the mythology etc.

But then I am a Fandom Elder and not an 8 year old girl. I hope all the 8 year olds are very happy.

[kaffy_r]

On behalf of all 8-year-olds I can tell you that it made us very happy.

[elisi]

💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

[jesuswasbatman]

That piece about railway token exchange is wildly exaggerated - it was a routine thing and not particularly dangerous. The biggest risk was that people tended to catch the token in the crook of their elbow, which could get bruised if the train was moving too fast.

[conuly]

Ow!

[minoanmiss]

that was the impression I got from the fannish stuff I saw, yeah.

[maju]

All of my elementary school grandchildren seem to love KPop Demon Hunters.

[movingfinger]

Years ago, a ship I was on acquired a pipit and a merlin in Ireland before leaving the coast for North America. The merlin hunted the pipit all over the ship and finally caught it. People (crew) had been trying to get the merlin to accept raw chicken as food, but merlins don't think that way... The merlin disappeared before St. John's, and we didn't know if it had transferred to a passing container ship or simply figured out where land was and headed that way. It was a rough crossing, too.

[andrewducker]

I, too, am wondering about the other demons.

But I'm not sure that it needs to explain that though. I'm just fine with not having every element of a plot/background explained. Leave some mystery for the sequel/fanfic.