K-Pop Demon Hunters review as seen by Koreans Discover Korean culture
K-Pop Demon Hunters is currently a big hit on Netflix. As the name suggests, the show is all about K-pop. It's made by Sony Pictures, and it's not only about K-pop, but also about Korean culture. Let's take a look at our review of K-Pop Demon Hunters and the Korean culture behind it.
K-Pop Demon Hunters Review
I don't usually watch anime, but the topic of K-pop and the rumors that some of the Netflix dramas are #1 in many countries made me curious.
Not a regular drama, but an anime, and with a K-pop theme?
What's surprising about the movie is that it connects K-pop stars with hunters who exorcize evil spirits. According to the director, he connected it to the shaman's role in Korean culture as a good.
Gaks are performed to protect the village community and take the form of song and dance. This is another interesting aspect of Korean culture that can be found throughout the anime.
Also, the soundtrack to the animation is of such quality that it could have been released as a new song.
Teddy from The Black Label, who produced Blackpink, is said to have been in charge of the music, and even if it wasn't an anime, the songs seem like they'd be popular enough to get a lot of traction.
That's a quick K-pop Demon Hunters review, but let's talk about the story.
Just in case, The K-pop Demon Hunters cast and soundtrack OSTthat I've heard about. I personally like Golden.
K-Pop Demon Hunters plot
For a review of K-Pop Demon Hunters, I should probably start by outlining the plot.
At first I thought it was just a story about a K-pop superstar, but then I realized the title was K-pop Demon Hunters, and I thought, what the hell does a story about catching evil spirits have to do with K-pop?
The Huntrix (Rumi, Mira, and Joy) are K-pop superstars and hunters of evil spirits in the human world, and their mission is to complete the Golden Horn Gate so that no more demons can come to the human world.
Just as he's about to complete the Golden Gate, Guima sends his underworld emissaries, the Lion Boys, into the human world as a boy group. With their good looks and singing and dancing skills, they quickly gain the attention and popularity of the people and become rivals to the Huntresses.
In fact, Huntrix Leader Rumi has a pattern of evil spirit symbols all over her body since she was a child, and she's been hiding it from everyone, including her other two teammates. When Lion Voice Leader Jinwoo discovers it, the two of them meet without anyone knowing.
They grow closer as Rumi shares her fear of being hated by everyone, not just her coworkers, for having a pattern of evil spirits, and Jin-woo shares his guilt for abandoning his family long ago to go to Guima for her perfume.
Rumi offers to help Jin-woo by winning first place on stage at the idol awards show and completing the Golden Horn Gate, and Jin-woo agrees. However, Jin-woo is frustrated again by Guima, who already knows about this.
Finally, on stage at the awards ceremony, Rumi is caught in the act by Jinwoo's trickery, and her pattern is revealed to Joey and Mira, breaking their relationship. In the chaotic atmosphere, Lion Voice invites fans who are disappointed in Huntrix to come to his stage to give their souls to Guima.
But after overcoming all their fears, Rumi, Mira, and Joey join forces again on that stage, defeating the demon and the lioness Voice and keeping the fans' souls alive.
K-Pop Demon Hunters Korean Culture
While writing my review of K-Pop Demon Hunters, another thing that struck me was the Korean culture in the anime. I don't claim to know everything about Korean culture, but I'll tell you what I do know.
1) Kimbap, one of Korea's favorite foods
Huntrix eats kimbap to fuel up before a performance. Kimbap is one of the favorite foods of Koreans. It's often eaten as a quick meal, and it's often made and taken on picnics and trips away from home.
If you've lived abroad, you've probably noticed that kimbap looks a lot like Japanese sushi, but it's actually Korean.
Whereas Japanese sushi (maki rolls) use vinegar in their rice, the rice used in kimbap is seasoned with sesame oil and salt.
And while sushi is often made with raw fish, the difference is that gimbap is made with a variety of ingredients, such as sautéed carrots and spinach, sausage or ham, eggs, daikon radish, burdock, and more.
In the photo above, you can see ramen, oden, and sundae around the kimbap, which are also typical Korean foods.
2) Ramen, the ultimate desert island food.
If you're Korean, ramen is one of the foods you'd take to a deserted island. I love Korean ramen, and if I eat a lot of it in a week, I'll eat it three or four times.
The Huntrix also refuses to give up eating ramen even while fighting demons before the show, and the scene where Rumi tells Mira and Joey that they have to wait three minutes to eat because they want to add hot water and eat quickly is extremely relatable to Koreans.
3) Ancestral graves, oxygen
Huntrix Rumi's mother was also a hunter who fought demons. Rumi lost her mother when she was young and was raised by Selene (a friend of her mother's). The gravestone says Rumi Young, so I'm guessing this is Rumi's mom's grave.
In Korea, we use the word oxygen more than grave, which means the same thing, but oxygen is a more honorable term for a grave.
In Korea, when a person dies, they are buried in the mountains and a circle of oxygen is built on top of the mountain and a tombstone is placed in front of it. It is customary to visit the mountain on the day of death or during holidays, leave food and bow to it.
4) Seolleongtang, the soul food of Korea
The characteristic of Korean food is that it has a developed soup culture, so Koreans love soups such as pork soup, gomtang, and haejangguk, and among them, seolleongtang, which is boiled with bones, crucibles, and other ingredients, is one of the foods that rejuvenates people who are feeling weak.
When Rumi is unable to control her voice at will, she suddenly disappears from the stage. When she later reappears with Mummy and Joey, they offer her food without saying a word, and the fact that one of the items is sugar cubes is a nonverbal gesture of comfort.
If you're visiting Korea, one of the must-try foods is seolleongtang.
5) Eastern treatments, herbal medicine
In Korea, it's common to go to a hospital for medical treatment, get a prescription, and pick up medication from a pharmacy. However, many people still go to oriental medicine clinics for oriental treatments.
Depending on my symptoms, I may receive acupuncture, moxibustion, and herbal medicines to help me heal, which are usually flavored with a lot of flavor. But I think there's nothing like Chinese medicine to energize you.
When Rumi's voice fails, Joey takes her to a Chinese medicine clinic, where she receives herbal medicine for her symptoms, only to find out later that the clinic's director is a fake.
6) The Tiger and the Magpie from Korean folk tales
It's the tiger and magpie that serve as a vehicle for Rumi, the huntrix, and Jinwoo, the leader of Lion Voice, to secretly meet.
So why did K-Pop Demon Hunters choose these animals as their mediums? Well, since time immemorial, tigers have been symbolized for their bravery and power to chase away demons, and magpies for bringing good news.
The tiger, in particular, is so familiar to Koreans that it was used as the mascot for the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and the entire map of Korea, including North Korea, is shaped like a tiger.
7) Ilwol-ohbongdo, the authority of the Joseon Dynasty kings
K-Pop Demon Hunters One of the hallmarks of Korean culture is the image of a king and his court during the Joseon Dynasty. The king and his courtiers are at the top, and the subjects are sitting in front of them.
In particular, the folding screen depicting the sun, moon, five peaks, and pine trees behind the king is called Ilwol Obondo, which symbolizes the authority of the king during the Joseon Dynasty in Korea.
The meaning behind this is to accept the will of heaven and rule the country.
8) Korean cultural clothing, hanbok
This is a flashback scene of Jinwoo, the leader of Lion Voice. We see his mother and sister wearing traditional Korean hanbok. Hanbok is a traditional Korean costume.
9) Naksan Park, Seoul's favorite place for relaxation
One of the places Rumi and Jinwoo sneak away from their teammates to meet is Naksan Park. Naksan Park is actually the old walls of the Hanyang city. It's a favorite place for Seoulites to relax, and it's also a place where you can get a great view of the entire city.
10) Grim Reaper taking the souls of the dead
In Korean folklore, the people who take the souls of the dead are called jiseungsasawa. Originally depicted as a person wearing a black cowl and a white robe, they are now often depicted as wearing all black clothing and a cowl.
In Korean culture, death is also seen as a divine appointment, and the first person you see after you take your last breath is the grim reaper.
This is where the image of taking the souls of the dead fits in, as Guima's henchmen, the Grim Reapers, attempt to offer the souls of those who gathered at his concert to Guima.
11) Namsan Tower (Seoul Tower), a symbol of Seoul
Namsan Tower is one of the most recommended places for foreigners to visit in Korea, and it's one of the most popular places to visit year after year. Nothing says you've seen Seoul like climbing Namsan Tower and seeing the city at night.
In K-Pop Demon Hunters, we showed Namsan Tower while depicting the background of Seoul. In addition, Namsan Tower is a Seoul City Tour Busif you're applying for a new job.
12) Public Baths in South Korea
It may be unfamiliar to foreigners, but part of Korean culture is the practice of public bathing. It's when people go to a place called a public bath and bathe each other without wearing anything.
When you walk in, you'll see that there are hot and cold showers, so you can sit or stand to wash, and there's also a sauna, so many people like to go back and forth between the sauna and the hot water.
Koreans tend to believe that by taking a bath together, they become closer and more intimate. Apparently, bathing together naked means that you're showing your full, honest self.
In the movie, Rumi is unable to go to a public bath even at the insistence of Mira and Joey because of the evil spirit's pattern. However, towards the end of the movie, Rumi confesses all of her secrets to them and they go to a public bath together, enjoying the bath and opening up about everything.
Finalize
Today, we're looking at and talking about K-Pop Demon Hunters reviews, the plot, and how Korean culture is incorporated into the show.
I watched it thinking it was just a K-pop animation, but I was surprised by the K-pop music in it, and I was surprised again by the Korean culture in the scenes.
We hope you enjoy the video and that it gives you a new appreciation for K-pop and Korean culture.
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