KPop Demon Hunters is officially Netflix’s most-watched movie, and its popularity shows no sign of slowing down. Indeed, KPop Demon Hunters is poised to become a major franchise, with its confirmed sequel, awards wins, and collaborations all speaking to its potential. It’s easy to understand why viewers are so enamored with it. The songs from KPop Demon Hunters are earworms, the visuals are vibrant and memorable, and the kickass heroines are compelling.
Yet KPop Demon Hunters isn’t devoid of flaws, and one area that could use further fleshing out is its lore. There are a few elements of the Netflix movie that simply don’t add up, no matter how hard we try to make sense of them. Hopefully, KPop Demon Hunters 2 will get the chance to fill in the blanks and elaborate on these details.
In KPop Demon Hunters, the Honmoon is the shield that keeps demons out of the human world — and it’s the thing that Gwi-Ma wants to destroy. That’s why the Saja Boys are sent to weaken the barrier, but it’s not clear how they get through it in the first place. The Honmoon’s strength stems from the power of music and connection, so it makes sense that the division between the Saja Boys and HUNTR/X — and even within HUNTR/X itself — weakens it. However, the boy band shouldn’t be capable of waltzing in as the Saja Boys so easily at the beginning, a deception that seems to require a significant amount of power on their end. That’s not to mention the demons that appear at the very beginning of the movie. Although some can get through the Honmoon, it seems like too many before the film’s rifts truly form.
Gwi-Ma is the major villain of KPop Demon Hunters, and he lords over the demon world. He’s committed to breaking down the wall between Earth and his realm, but it’s not entirely clear why he wants this so badly. Greater access to humans will make him more powerful, and it will expand his domain. It’ not clear what he stands to gain from all this effort, however, and it makes him feel like a fairly one-note villain. Gwi-Ma’s motivations could use more fleshing out, as could his backstory. KPop Demon Hunters focuses more on the people doing his bidding, which is understandable. But it makes us feel far removed from the main villain and his endgame.
Rumi’s conflict in KPop Demon Hunters centers her half-demon nature, which Mira and Zoey don’t know about. Considering how much time the girls seem to spend together — they regularly tour and lodge together — this just doesn’t feel believable. It’s true that Rumi’s markings aren’t always visible, but surely she’s been in situations where they’ve surfaced with Mira and Zoey around. It happens multiple times during the film’s runtime, so it’s probably happened before then. Her managing to hide something so massive from two people she’s always around just doesn’t feel feasible.
The trio at the center of KPop Demon Hunters is incredible, but tasking them with protecting the world from all demon interference feels like a big ask. The Netflix film doesn’t really explain why three people are needed, specifically, much less how they’re chosen. And assuming demons crop up regularly and over a wide range, it’s hard to see how just three people could keep up them all at bay. One Redditor raises the very good question of whether demon activity is confined to South Korea or if they appear all over the world. The latter definitely makes HUNTR/X’s job more difficult…unless there are other musical groups dedicated to the same mission and we just don’t hear about them.
Gwi-Ma might be the Big Bad of KPop Demon Hunters, but the demons are also presented as villains at the start. However, they’re inconsistently portrayed throughout the movie. Although some are depicted as natural evil worth killing on sight, others are former humans and shown to have good in them. Rumi develops sympathy for the latter, but KPop Demon Hunters never fully commits to that. We’re made to feel for demons like Jinu and the Saja Boys, but they’re not capable of being fully redeemed or restored. The film’s messaging on this front is confusing, and it’s something KPop Demon Hunters 2 needs to rectify.
What’s something about KPop Demon Hunters that you don’t think makes sense? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
