Did the creators of K-pop Demon Hunters have ADHD? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. 100%. Because the movie itself definitely does. But that's not a bad thing. Oh, okay. Great. In fact, it's part of what makes the narrative and film making so effective. Let me explain. When I say that this movie has ADHD, that means two things. First of all, that the story and visuals are presented in a similar way to how someone with ADHD would process and convey information. And second, that as a result of this presentation, the movie is able to engross and engage both neurodeivergent and neurotypical viewers, delivering an experience that is as poignant, this is what I am, as it is iconic. That's why today we're going to be discussing K-pop Demon Hunter's unique approach to storytelling, analyzing the story structure, songs, characters, and much, much more. I'm Dylan, and this is the writer's block. Something that can make staying focused on a particular task or topic difficult for people with ADHD is the time between their input and a noticeable output. Doing math homework on paper can feel like torture because it might be days before your teacher grades the assignment and gives it back to you. But doing math in a program that tells you immediately if the answer is right or wrong can feel like a satisfying video game. Likewise, doing things that have long-term benefit can feel unsatisfying because the gratification is delayed. But if I chuck a third Rockstar punched right now, I can smell colors immediately. So, what does this have to do with KDH's story structure? Well, good movies utilize something called setup and payoff. This is where you introduce a narrative element somewhere in your story. Check this out. Spy maple syrup. And then capitalize on it later in the runtime. It won't stay on. We need something sticky. In A New Hope, we set up that the Force can allow you to do things beyond the limits of human reflexes. With the blast shield down, I can't even see. How am I supposed to fight? And then at the end of the movie, Luke uses the Force to make an impossible shot that blows up the Death Star. Great shot, kid. That was one in a million. Setup and payoff is how we show progress in a narrative. And if you don't do a good job with this element, your movie isn't going to feel satisfying. In the case of K-pop Demon Hunters, though, the difference is how quickly payoff occurs after the setup. Take for example this movie's opening and look at all the elements they establish. The main three characters are singers with secret identities. The world will know you as pop stars. You will be hunters. We learn who the main antagonist is stealing our souls and channeling strength back to their king. We learn the hero's main objective, the golden hun, and how they will ultimately accomplish this mission. It is your voices that will create the golden hun. The movie then sets up the personalities and dynamics for each of the characters. Nobody can move like Mera. Apparently, she's the black sheep of her family. We're here for Zoe. She's the cutest magnet. Room's voice is just incredible. Seline raised her and built hunrics around her. And finally, they established that this opening concert is important. This is our biggest show yet, but that the girls aren't showing up on time. Ready? Ready? But where are the girls? Now, you might be thinking, Dylan, isn't this just exposition? And normally you'd be correct. However, instead of saving the payoff for later in the movie, K-pop Demon Hunters immediately starts capitalizing on what they just established. We go from setting up their dual identity to seeing them fight demons at a concert, which causes both of their identities to collide. We go from establishing their dynamic and personalities to highlighting them in action. Meera is a straight talker. Yeah, this plane's trashed. Who gets straight to business. Zoe can be cute and timid, but when things get serious, so does she. Roomie might be the star of the group, but her main concern is protecting the people she cares about. Keep your shirt on, Bobby. We'll be there in three. Be it with her actions or her voice. The movie also immediately highlights the antagonist by having his demons attack. You got the patterns. Now you got to die and shows how close Huntress is to creating the Golden Hanmoon during their opening song. If this was just exposition, you could easily cut one of these sequences. If the concert didn't happen, the prologue would still tell us everything we need to know for the rest of the narrative. And if you cut out the prologue, the opening song and action sequence still shows us all the same information. So why does this film include both? Well, like I said, it's not just exposition. Seeing the elements on display during their concert feels more rewarding because it was established during the prologue. It builds up anticipation and excitement. Even before the title drop, the movie sets up half a dozen major narrative elements and manages to pay them all off in less than 8 minutes, which is incredibly impressive. This means you trust that the movie won't waste your time, and it makes you eager to see what ideas they're going to introduce next because you know they will actually capitalize on them. Shows like Game of Thrones set up narrative threads years ahead of when they're going to be paid off, which can be incredibly satisfying. But when they fail to do so, it causes the audience to completely lose faith in the show. while Danny kind of forgot about the Iron Fleet and Euron's Forces. But when K-pop Demon Hunters makes a narrative promise, it delivers more reliably than Amazon Prime. Now, this quick turnaround between setup and payoff also applies to the rest of the movie and is the secret to its excellent pacing. See, boring movies often suffer from something I call and then syndrome. This is where scenes in a movie just flow aimlessly from one to the next with little to no cause and effect. This happens. So, go back to the club. And then that happens. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. And then something totally unrelated happens. What do you think of this I got? The scenes don't build upon one another. So, it's not rewarding to watch them all, making you want to leave the theater or turn off the movie. Movies with good pacing have scenes that can be connected by but, therefore, and because. In Finding Nemo, Marlin loses most of his family bar. Therefore, he shelters his one remaining son. But Nemo wants to have more autonomy. Therefore, he decides to touch the butt on his first day of school. And because of this, he's kidnapped. Therefore, Marlin has to go find him. K-pop Demon Hunters definitely falls into the latter category, but there's something special about its scene structure that makes the pacing almost hypnotic. Y'all remember that scene transition in Shrek the Third where Shrek says, "Somebody better be dying." And then it hard cuts to I'm dying. Well, that's kind of how this movie weaves all of its scenes together. There's not 10,000 fans at the door screaming and sounding really scary. There's 10,000 fans at the door screaming and sounding really scary. Obviously, it's not quite as direct, but the dialogue and visuals at the end of one scene tend to explicitly set up the objective and conflict in the one that follows. Visually, the opening sequence ends with several demons being trapped by the Hanmoon. Then, the next scene focuses on the demon's failure. useless. All of you are and the ticking clock for the antagonist. Once the hunters turn the homeland gold, it's over for us. Later, we see this done through dialogue. When Meera and Zoe find out that Roomie released their new single, they say, "Did you announce the new single? The promo starts tomorrow tonight." Which leads directly into a montage of them doing promo for Golden. When Roomie discovers that her patterns are hindering her voice, she says to herself, "How am I supposed to fix the world when I don't have my voice?" Which sets up the next scene where they discuss what to do about Roomy's voice. We have two weeks to fix Roomy's voice. Any ideas and how much time they have left. Scene transitions like these are so engaging because of framing. It tells the viewer what to look for in the next scene and helps them clock how much progress is being made. When Hunrix is planning to ambush the Saja boys, Roomie says, "Once they come off the stage, we'll jump down for the attack." The viewer now knows that their objective in the next scene is to catch the Saja boys off guard. However, that's not what happens. Right as the Satcha boys are about to leave and get attacked, Gu does this. Please welcome Huntrix. It feels so much more engaging when Gu turns the tables on Huntrix because we know exactly how Roomie wanted the scene to go. Framing like this is so important because it makes it rewarding when things go according to plan and exciting whenever they don't. The mother has betrayed us. Now, by no means does every movie need to be this direct about how it seems intertwined. A movie like Glass Onion, for example, intentionally obuscates what denotes progress for the first half of the movie. It's only once the big twist is revealed at the midpoint that you start to see how the different scenes and elements are connected. the viewer has to wait significantly longer between setup and payoff, which can be more satisfying in the long run, but also makes your first viewing feel far less engaging. Conversely, K-pop Demon Hunters is constantly drawing a clear line between cause and effect, allowing the viewer to absorb information somewhat passively. This is also why the movie is so rewatchable. Every single scene flows seamlessly into the next, almost lulling you into a trance while watching. Now, I think some people might say that this means the movie is dumbed down or simple because it doesn't require active engagement from the audience. But I think it's a sign of good storytelling. Much like good music, good cinema allows you to lose yourself in the groove. Speaking of music, let's talk about the songs. Starting with the opening number, how it's done is both an excellent song and an excellent way to set expectations for the rest of the movie. See, believe it or not, K-pop Demon Hunters is a musical. And one question every musical has to answer is how do we handle people breaking into song? In something like The Greatest Showman, people break into song when words alone aren't enough to convey their emotions. Meanwhile, in something like lay miz, singing is the main form of communication throughout the entire runtime. Shoot me now or shoot me later. Fire. Additionally, there's the question of diiaesis. Are the songs actually being sung in universe [Music] or are they a storytelling device that isn't meant to be taken literally? Is this the start of something [Music] new? What I love about how it's done is that it answers all of these questions immediately. This sequence starts with dialogue. You're a demon, right? So, we know that this musical isn't sung through. Then we get an instrumental vamp that eases us into the song before the girls start singing. Additionally, this number begins non-diagetically, making it clear that this movie isn't ashamed to be a musical. This song is also used as an action sequence, showing the audience that Huntrix literally fights demons with their music. Speaking of which, look at this moment right here. I didn't notice this until recently, but the girls are conjuring their weapons directly from the Hanm Moon. On top of just being flatout awesome, it's further evidence that their voices are their greatest weapon. When the girls jump out of the plane and land on stage, this is when the song shifts into being diagetic. The song is actually happening in universe, and everyone on screen can hear it just like the audience. This is important because it lets us see Huntress completely in their element. After seeing them perform on stage, you as the viewer get why they're so popular, and seeing how many adoring fans they have makes the stakes that much higher for the rest of the movie. This is the battle for hearts and minds. A battle for the fans. We even get to see how the fans are what helped generate the Hanmoon, which is excellent foreshadowing for the end of the movie. With all that in mind, let's talk lyrics. A trend we see get set up in this song that continues throughout the rest of the movie is lyrics that trick you into thinking they're generic. In both K-pop and Western pop, lyrics are often designed to appeal to as broad an audience as possible. So I describe my dream girl is really really vague. Like this is by no means a bad thing, but it can be a bit of a challenge for a musical which is supposed to tell the story of specific characters. What K-pop Demon Hunters does so brilliantly is design its story and characters around these types of lyrics. Take for example when Roomie sings in a vacuum. This lyrics sounds cliched and uninspired. There are countless songs that use symbolism just like this. [Music] So they aren't inherently impactful. But wait, if we look at these lyrics in the context of the movie's narrative, they're actually hyper specific to Roomie. The main conflict of the film is Roomie losing her voice. It does in fact waver and she is forced to re-evaluate everything she was so sure of up until this point. Ultimately, their song will defeat Kima. But the question is which song? Another major conflict of this movie is how the characters handle shame. Roomie is ashamed of her patterns and has been taught to hide them no matter the cost. She wants to snuff out that part of who she is, but she ends up suffocating herself in the process. We'll talk about it more later, but one of the lyrics she sings when she starts accepting her patterns is again this movie is about accepting ourselves as we are. In order to self-actualize, Roomie needs to make peace with both halves of herself. Likewise, when the group is singing together, their lyrics reflect their shared journey. Roomie doesn't know it, but Mera and Zoe also have a great deal of inner shame. And in this movie, shame is represented by Gimma's voice. Do you not hear him in your ear? He is the sound ringing in their mind, and we see this leading up to the final concert. You thought you found a family? You don't deserve one. You never have. Again, this is foreshadowing for the end of the film. The fans are an integral part of the Hanmoon. Without them, Huntrix wouldn't be able to defeat Gimma. Conversely, if the fans didn't have Hunrix to inspire them, they wouldn't be able to create the Hanmoon. They need the group to set an example for them. Or put another way, now Gino's song is incredibly short and even shorter if you don't count the spoken word poetry. Stop me if you've heard this one before. But all the same, it tells us a great deal about the character. First, it shows us that Gu is observant. Now all he does is starve. Just a whisper in the dark. He sees just how desperate Gimma actually is and knows that the demon king is scared. Is this the end of him now? This comes back into play when he meets Roomie and he's able to read her like a book. A demon girl also hunter. Additionally, this is the most human he sounds throughout the entire movie. Before being cursed, Gino was a busker who had nothing but his family and his instrument. Seeing him sing like this is incredibly reminiscent of his time as a human, which is why his voice sounds so much more vulnerable than when he's with the Saja Boys. Another challenge posed by being a musical about K-pop is that almost every song is a group number. This means that in addition to writing good songs, you also have to be smart about who sings which lyrics. And Golden is a great example of this. Room's lyrics once again speak to her specific character arc. See, a major part of most character arcs is the lie the character chooses to believe. Basically, it's a misconception that is holding the character back in life, and they can't become who they were meant to be until they realize it's not true. In something like The Greatest Showman, Barnum initially believes that financial success is what will make him and his family happy. [Applause] But by the end of the movie, he realizes that spending time with the people he cares about is what actually brings him joy. [Music] In K-pop Demon Hunters, the lie room believes is I was alone. Because of how Seline raised her, Roomie is deeply ashamed of her demon heritage. Cover those up. You only have those because my dad was a demon. Selene also convinced Roomie that people would turn on her if they found out about her patterns. Maybe they'll understand. No, nothing can change until your patterns are gone. Which is why she mistakenly believes that she is alone. The following lyrics then hint at the journey she'll take throughout the movie. From a young age, Roomie was given the burden of leadership. given the throne. I didn't know but not given the tools she needed to do a good job. I was a queen that part of what makes a good leader is the ability to admit when you're wrong. If you want to be an example for others, it's okay to make mistakes, but you need to be confident enough to not let those mistakes define you. Roomie thinks that being honest about her shame makes her weak. This is why we have to hide it. But in reality, it makes her brave. Looking at Mera and Zoe's sections, they're simultaneously deeply personal and yet still applicable to the broader themes of the movie. When Zoe sings [Music] on one level, it's about her multiaceted identity. She grew up in America but is now a singer in Korea. She's normally soft-spoken but also has an aggressive side. You guys would tell me if I was really like that, right? On a thematic level, this whole movie is about dual identities. When characters try to plate both sides of who they are separately, they end up falling short. But when they realize that both aspects of who they are can coexist, they find harmony and success. When Meera sings, [Music] it's literally about how she broke free of her troubled family life and became an idol. Metaphorically, it speaks to one of the lessons the characters wind up learning. That the parts of yourself that people want you to hide can often be the very things that make you special. Now, if we look at when all three characters sing together, we get brilliant foreshadowing for how the movie is going to end. Obviously, going to be golden is a reference to the Hanmoon, but I think the reference to glowing is a bit more subtle. The big culmination for Roomie's arc is when she accepts who she really is, which causes her patterns to glow. Additionally, the glowing gets brighter and brighter as she reunites with Zoe and Meera. But wait, if the lyrics already contain the main theme of the narrative, why does the movie still need to happen? Well, Roomie, Meera, and Zoe might understand these ideas in their heads, but they don't believe it in their hearts. And that's partially why Roomy's voice keeps cracking. I know I believe at this point in the narrative she isn't done hiding and she doesn't actually believe. Roomie has yet to internalize the message in her own lyrics and her inability to sing is a physical consequence. All right, it's finally time to talk about the Sasha Boys. A demon boy band. What makes you think that could work? The Sasha Boys are primarily meant to be commentary on the parasocial dynamics between idols and the audience. They believe the fans should serve them and exploit their obsession at every opportunity. The first time we see this is during Sodapop. On the surface, it's a squeaky clean pop song with a catchy hook. My little soda pop. And the Sasha Boys even service the community during their performance, but the lyrics wind up revealing their actual intentions. [Music] Right away, the song frames the audience as a resource to be consumed. Without their souls, Gimma and the demons can't gain power. The audience doesn't suspect anything because metaphors like this are commonplace in pop music, but the song is constantly comparing them to food. What's even more sinister is how the songs talk about obsession. [Music] The Sasha Boys are like sugar or nicotine. They're designed to be addictive. Their plan only works if the fans have an unhealthy relationship with them and their music. And just like actual soda pop, their songs are essentially empty calories. Whereas Huntress tries to include meaningful messages in all their music, the Sasha Boys just want you to consume mindlessly so that they can do the same. Good. I'm ready to feast. Takeown is another example of being smart about who gets to sing what lyrics. Room is the one who comes up with the title. Takedown. That's the song. It's a takedown. Reinforcing that Hunrix follows her lead. Zoe and Meera then come up with most of the lyrics. So sweet. So easy on the eyes, but hideous on the inside. Whole life spreading lies, but you can't hide. Meaning that takedown represents their feelings about demons rather than Roomies. The main lyric room comes up with is which is meant to reference how her attitude towards demons is starting to change because of GU. She's starting to believe that patterns don't make you inherently evil. [Music] But she still has doubts about this, which is why she can't actually sing the lines in person. I'm about to switch up these V. The most important lyric from this section is, "How about a demon with no feelings doesn't deserve to live? It's so obvious." Because it's Zoe and Meera who say it. In Roomie's mind, this is confirmation that her friends would not accept her if they knew about her patterns, which further increases her shame. Additionally, when Meera tells Roomie, "If you're with us, prove it." It makes believe that she has to choose between Genu and her friends, between being a demon and being a hunter, it's for this exact reason that Room sings, she isn't ready to choose a side. She knows deep down that she shouldn't have to, but she doesn't see how both sides can coexist yet. And this is what makes the next line so poignant. [Music] Roomie is singing lines written by her best friends. These lines are indirectly about her and she's struggling with the dissonance this causes. She's been taught her whole life that demons don't have feelings, but she's part demon and she feels so much. She's been taught that the line between good and evil is obvious, but after meeting Gu, things don't seem black and white anymore. We also see the consequences of the girls conflict during this sequence. Dozens of passengers lose their souls because the girls were fighting amongst themselves rather than fighting demons. It's a perfect showcase of how insecurities can cause you to focus on the wrong thing. Roomie is worried that Meera and Zoe won't accept her. Meera is hurt because she thinks Roomy's insecurity reflects poorly on their friendship. And Zoe is scared that if the others are fighting, it's because she isn't doing enough to hold them together. But as we see by the end of the movie, the foundation of their friendship is a strong one. Their insecurities are understandable, but they are also indulgent. If they were all brave enough to believe that they deserved each other's love, they could have easily prevented losing those people on the train. This is supported further by their conversation at the end of the sequence. Whatever you think about the song, it doesn't matter right now. See, in any relationship, it's important to differentiate between what was said, what was meant, and what was heard. For instance, what Meera says to Roomie is everything is at stake, and we just need to get through this together. What Mera is trying to say is that this argument isn't important. I love you, and if we can just work together, we can overcome any problem. But what Roomie hears is, "Your feelings aren't important. Just ignore them. Conform like the rest of us, and fall in line." And when Zoe tells her, "You know, I'm always on your side, but it's really hard to understand this time." Zoe is trying to say, "I'm always going to love you, Roomie, but I can't be there for you unless you let down your walls. Please stop shutting me out." But what Room hears is, "I've put up with you for a long time, but whatever you're going through now is just too much for me. We can't win this without your voice, Roomie. Once again, what Zoe means is your true voice is amazing, Roomie. Stop trying to censor who you really are. But what Roomie hears is, "We don't need you, Roomie. Your ability to sing is all we care about." Even before they can hear Gim, their insecurities are warping how they perceive reality. Which leads us into the final appearance of this song. During the Idol Awards, Gu and the demons put Takeown back into the performance. Takeown. They put this back in. The demons are using this song to attack Roomy's insecurity, which is why they imitate Zoe and Meera. Roomie always viewed this song as a sign that her friends wouldn't accept her. But in this performance, we literally see them sing to Roomie and take her down. Obviously, it's not the real Zoe and Meera, but when it comes to shame, reality doesn't really matter. You're a demon. A mistake. Speaking of which, let's talk about Roomy's date with a demon. Date? No. Ew. What are you talking about? Roomie and Ju's dynamic is a key pillar of this narrative. So, it's incredibly important that we believe in their relationship. Obviously, their flirty banter is adorable. And when you look like this, it's not too hard to see why they like each other. But the song free does a lot to make their connection more than just skin deep. Gino first felt a connection with Roomie when he sees her patterns in the bath house. a hunter who's part demon. And Roomie starts to connect with Gu after he reveals his backstory. You know, you can tell me. I'll understand. GU has proved to Roomie that you can be part demon and still be human. And Roomie has proved to Gu that being a demon doesn't have to define you. Eventually, this culminates in Free, a duet that's all about how they bring out the best in each other and give one another hope. I try to smile. Room has been suppressing who she is for as long as she can remember. Junu is the first person to explicitly validate her identity, which is incredibly liberating. I thought for good. Likewise, Ju's feelings for Roomie remind him that his humanity is still intact. We can't fix it if we never face it. When the two characters come together, they finally start to understand the main message of the narrative. But this is barely past the midpoint. So, what's the catch? Well, even though they start to internalize the main message, there's one big caveat. Sure, the main character is willing to overcome her shame. [Music] But she only believes it's possible if GU changes, too. Just like at the beginning of her arc, Room is still looking for validation externally, but true validation comes from within. On some level, they're still avoiding the underlying issue. Help us win the idol awards. You can be on this side when the homemoon is sealed. You can be free from those voices forever. Unless they directly confront their shame, they aren't really accepting themselves, only each other. This is also why the song is so full of questions and conflict. What does it feel like? I don't trust it, but I want to. I keep coming back. So, why does it feel right now? They understand about 80% of the movie's theme, but until they figure out that last 20%, they aren't going to feel complete. Also, this is a great chance to talk about how this movie approaches music in general. Almost every song in this soundtrack feels specifically designed to get stuck in your head. That's kind of this is partially because of how often the songs switch up the rhythm and melody. Looking at this song, these are all the lyrics before the chorus. And if we group them by rhythmic phrases, it looks like this. That's five unique phrasings in one verse, which by western standards is pretty uncommon. On top of this, they give us five completely different phrasings when we get to Genu's verse. Looking at a song like Stick Season, which I would argue has a pretty run-of-the-mill song structure, we see that there are far fewer unique ideas. So, how does this affect the listener's experience? Well, because it doesn't settle into a predictable melodic pattern, the soundtrack emphasizes anticipation over resolution. And because the melodies don't resolve as often, it creates a feedback loop where as soon as the song ends, you feel compelled to play it all over again. It's infectious. I for one only fell in love with the soundtrack after listening to it a couple of times because it took me that long to get used to the groove. Anyways, let's move on to the next song. First off, to the creatives behind this movie, you know exactly what you were doing with this number. Don't play koi. Don't act surprised. You know exactly what this number was going to do to people. Part of what makes this sequence unique is how rarely we get villain songs this late in a musical. The only examples I can think of is the Prince Ali reprise in Aladdin. So Ali turns out to be merely a and Ja's oops forgot my bungee cord in lay of a thief if I chase fire. See, Be Your Idol happens after everyone has given up hope and given into their shame, which is precisely what this song is about. [Applause] The Sasha Boys are offering a way for people to ignore their pain, but they aren't offering a way to eliminate it. The Demons still need that pain to exist because it's what they feed on. The Sasha Boys have a parasitic relationship with the fans and the lyrics constantly allude to this. The other focus of the song is controlling and isolating the audience. In many ways, Gimma functions like a narcissist. He doesn't want people to have connections other than him. [Music] which is part of why he tries to sabotage positive relationships. If you really thought you could escape what you are, you would have told her the truth. As the song progresses, the lyrics start to group the audience with Gaire on fire and suggest that merging with him is their only chance for salvation. I will make you all aart. Even the line to the choir shows that Gimma and the Satcha Boys don't view the fans as people. They're merely an echo chamber meant to reinforce their own objectives. Now, even though each Sasha Boy gets a good verse, Gino's lines are the most important. I'm the only one who love your At first glance, it sounds like he's amplifying the same message as everyone else, but if you consider the events of the narrative, it's actually a reference to his time with Roomie. He was the first person to accept Roomie because of her patterns, not in spite of them. His words got so far under her skin that she began questioning everything she previously stood for. This combined with the fact that he's wearing Rooney's bracelet are a great way to foreshadow that he's still capable of change. During the song, he succumbs to his shame just like everyone else. But when Rooney shows that patterns don't have to define you, he's finally able to break free. And with that in mind, let's examine the final song in this musical. This number begins with confronting Gimma. We are hunters voices strong. And since Gimma feeds off shame, you think you can fix the world. You can't even fix yourself. This is the first instance of Roomie confronting her shame directly. She agrees with what Gimma is saying because it's the truth. I can't. They do. It is. And the truth is something she's no longer ashamed of. Nothing but the truth. Now, additionally, her patterns are now iridescent, a physical transformation that represents internal change. Instead of feeling shame about who she is, the worst of what I came, Roomie chooses to embrace her identity with pride, causing her patterns to become something beautiful rather than embarrassing. More importantly, though, she takes accountability for how she treated her friends. Roomie realizes that she didn't give her friends a chance to love all of her. She chose to put up walls that they couldn't tear down. And when she finally admits to this, Zoe and Meera realize the same thing. They were also scared to live their truth. [Music] And just like Roomie, they put up emotional walls instead of being vulnerable and forming connections. I should have let the jagged instead. Up until now, they were too scared to speak their truth. [Music] But when Gimma shattered their whole world, those walls got shattered, too. With nothing to hide behind, they see each other as they truly are. But now I'm seeing all the beauty in the broken glass. And what they see are three people who love and care for one another regardless of their faults. This radical vulnerability is also what inspires Gu to sacrifice himself. Rather than needing Roomie to validate his identity, she showed him that he gets to choose his own identity and validate himself. I wanted to set you free. You did. He believed that what he did to his family would define him forever. But now he sees that he can choose to be the guy that does the right thing in the end. You gave me my soul back and now I give it to you. The most important part of the song though is when the crowd begins to sing along. In addition to repeating the title, the chant is also a call back to the melody of Golden. And this reveals something really powerful. Even though Golden wasn't the song that sealed the Hanm Moon, it still had a profound effect on the fans. Meaning that even when Huntrix wasn't a perfect team, they still inspired positivity and growth in their community. This moment in the finale is when the fans finally get to give back all the strength that Huntrix gave them. And taking this one step further, since the song manages to defeat Gimma, it's irrefutable proof that amplifying pride and positivity is more powerful than shame ever could be. Also, quick side note, but something I just now realized is how clever the costumeuming for this section is. When the demons expose Roomie during the Idol Awards, they physically remove the black jacket from her body. In addition to revealing her patterns, it makes her visually distinct from Zoe and Meera. The all-white outfit represents vulnerability and exposure, which initially made Roomie feel ashamed. But when Roomie returns to save the day, Zoe and Meera realize it's better to be vulnerable as a group, which is why their outfits change colors after they hug. Finally, this song is the most unique in the whole movie because its structure is the most traditional. There are very few switch-ups in the rhythm or melody. Instead, the verses repeatedly build tension, and the chorus resolves that tension with the line. In my opinion, the song does this for two main reasons. First, this is the end of the movie, so it makes sense for melodic resolution to coincide with narrative resolution. Secondly, the movie wants you to sing along with this song. You're meant to connect with Huntress and their fans. For the fans, so having a song that is more repetitive and predictable allows you to join in even on your first viewing. Overall, the songs in K-pop Demon Hunters are fantastic. But what makes me so happy is that this movie is proud to be a musical. Every song is intentional. Every lyric helps explore the characters and story. The genre of this music makes it appeal to a wider audience than classical musical theater, but all the things that really matter in a musical are still there. Additionally, because there are so many layers and so much depth to the music, the audience gets to choose which parts they focus on. Do you want to hyperfixate on the lyrics and find every double meaning? You can do that. Do you want to watch all the choreography and struggle to replicate it because you'll never look as sharp as animation? You can do that. Do you want to zone out to great music and stare at attractive fictional characters? I can do this. I can do that. Jumping back to the idea of focus and attention span, there are some people who might accuse the cinematography and editing of being hyperactive to a fault. And even though I disagree, I can understand why. There is a lot of auditory and visual information being thrown at the viewer throughout the entire movie. That much stimuli can be overwhelming for a lot of people, but K-pop Demon Hunters does a few things to make things easy for the audience. The first is visual composition. Good cinematography relies on visual composition to direct your focus and make information easier to process. This shot contains two people, but the size of Anna Armis makes it so your eyes look towards her first rather than Ryan Gosling. It also subconsciously communicates that Ryan Gosling feels insignificant, which makes sense given what happens in the narrative. This shot contains lots of people, but Cedric and Cho are in the center, so your eye naturally focuses on them instead of the extras. Additionally, the amount of detail in a frame affects how long it takes to process. It's hard to appreciate The Last Supper in one glance because there are so many different characters and elements. Conversely, the Mona Lisa is a single subject portrait. It still has tons of depth, but you get the gist pretty darn quickly. If we look at the opening fight scene, there are 52 individual shots between the start of the song and when they jump out of the plane. That number is even higher if you consider camera movement that creates multiple compositions in one take. This averages out to less than 1.7 seconds per shot with many shots lasting less than half a second. Needless to say, that's not a lot of time to process what's going on. But if you look at the shots individually, the composition is relatively simple and does an excellent job drawing your attention to what matters. This shot is meant to show the girls calling on the Hanmoon, and the Hanmoon is the only thing moving in the shot, so it's relatively easy to process. These shots are meant to establish what weapons the girls use. The weapons are the brightest thing in frame, so they're the first things our eyes notice. This shot is meant to tell us how long the girls need to wait before eating their noodles. The crash zoom directs our attention and the instructions take up the whole frame, meaning it's the only thing we can pay attention to. The second trick is object continuity. Even when the camera is moving rapidly or we're cutting between several different shots, there's always an object or character that acts as a visual anchor. In this beat, the Hanmoon pulse is what creates continuity between all three shots. During this sequence, there are tons of unique compositions in a short period of time, but all of them are linked together by the water pitcher. Tracking the path it takes eases the transition between each individual shot. In this continuous shot, the camera moves rapidly between each character, but because you can see the next character before the camera moves to them, it doesn't feel jarring. The same thing happens in the bath house fight. We finally get to go to the bath house with Roomie. This shot is initially focused on Zoe, but the camera movement ends up tracking Roomie as she jumps into frame, allowing her to become the new focal point. Moments later, when Gu is trying to escape, the camera initially tracks his movement. But as soon as Roomie crashes through the door, the camera centers on her and follows her movement as she attacks Gu. Shifting focus from one thing to the next isn't a problem, as long as you make it clear how one thing connects to another. And this is why the cinematography is so engaging. With so much happening on screen, it's almost impossible to be bored. But with so much visual clarity and continuity, watching the movie also feels incredibly zen and relaxing. It's a flow state that few other films ever achieve, and even fewer manage to maintain for their entire runtime. Next, I want to look at some of the secondary characters, analyzing their personalities, narrative arcs, and why it's so easy to project ourselves onto them. Starting with Gu. He plays a really complex role in the narrative. Yeah, Gu. Oo, Jinu. On one hand, he's the mentor figure. He teaches Roomie about what it's like being a demon. Demons don't feel anything. Is that what you think? That's all demons do. Feel our shame, our misery, and helps her learn to accept her patterns. On the other hand, he's the main villain of the movie. Sure, Gimma is the head honcho, but Gu is the one who sets the conflict in motion. I'm not here to mock you. I'm here to help you. He's the one who comes up with the evil scheme. We fight the hunters where they least expect it, the fans and is the front man for the Saja boys. Play games with us. In terms of narrative function, GU is Darth Vader and Gimma is Palpatine in the Empire Strikes Back. But like Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi, Gu also plays the part of parallel protagonist. He's struggling with the same conflict as the main hero and eventually learns the same lesson. but at the cost of his own life. What makes this so complex is that there isn't a clear shift from one function to the next throughout the runtime. Instead, he bounces back and forth between these roles in a way that parallels his moral conflict. When he first meets Roomie on the street, he's in total villain mode. Huh? Watch yourself. He is fully aligned with the Sasha Boys and their plan to destroy the Hanmoon. It's only when he finds out about Roomy's patterns, a hunter who's part demon, that he starts to become a mentor. That being said, he's still part villain, and this can be seen in how he tries to help Roomie. Uh, but first, I want to talk about those pants. His goal during their first meeting is to gain her trust. You were supposed to be dead by now. I could have told your friends what you are, but I didn't. But he specifically wants her to trust only him. I understand. I'm the only one who can. He doesn't want to grow with Roomie. He wants her to change in order to be just like him. And it's for that exact reason that Roomie isn't convinced. I'm nothing like you. The first time either one of them start to get through to one another is during the fan event. Since we know that GU wasn't honest about his backstory, this line right here is the first time he starts to tell Roomie the truth. Look, if I help him, his promise to erase my memories, and those voices in my head will be gone. Much of Ju's internal conflict is about how he lies to himself. Juu wants to believe that there isn't good in him, because that's far less complicated. It's much more complicated and tragic to accept that he's capable of good, but chose to do bad things because it was easier. I only made a deal with Kima to get myself out of the miserable life. Another critical bit of dialogue at the signing is when Gu says, "If hate could defeat Ka, I would have done it a long time ago." First off, this line is what makes Roomie see Gu in a different light. Learning that he also despises Gimma is what gives her hope that he can change, which is the main reason she continues to meet with him. Secondly, it tells us why the character has failed up until this point. Gu can't defeat Gimma with hate because self-hatred is what fuels Ginu's shame and shame is what fuels Gimma. Gino hates himself for what he did to his family. I left my sister, my mother, while I slept on silk sheets in the palace with my belly full every night. And that self-hate is why he doesn't believe he's capable of change. We'll get there in a bit, but Gu can only defeat Gimma if he forgives himself and commits a selfless act. On top of this, when Gu gets a note from a fan telling him he has a beautiful soul, I made this for you. uh for me. It challenges his belief that he's a soulless monster. It's also a great bit of animation because all the Saja boys stop masking and revert to demon posture, but Gu continues to stand like a human because deep down he's more than a monster. The film also continues to show a divide between him and the Sasha Boys when they're doing promo. Gu stays silent when they're talking about their fan club, and his expression indicates regret when he sees souls being delivered to Gimma. The next time Gu and Roomie meet is on their definitely not a date. Oh no, we're not a she's not even my type. Excuse me, I'm everyone's type. And this time the roles are reversed. Gu is fully in his conflicted protagonist mode. And Room is the emotional mentor. She's the one showing Gu that he doesn't have to be defined by his mistake. You made a mistake, Ju. It's not that simple. She's also the one who is actively making a plan. Help us win the Idol Awards and that will guarantee your freedom. Now, the main pearl of wisdom in this scene is when Roomie tells him, "That's the funny thing about hope. Nobody else gets to decide if you feel it." Up until now, Ju has been actively choosing not to hope. the things he's ashamed of. What makes you think the hon can save a guy like me? So, even though he doesn't internalize what Roomie is saying about him, he does come to believe that is worth saving. For what it's worth, I don't think you're a mistake. This is made even more clear the next time they see each other. Gu is brave enough to have hope for others. I want to believe in your crazy plan, but having hope for himself is still too much. But I don't think I'm the one to help you. So, what changes this? Well, during GU and Roomy's duet, has multiple lyrics that group them together as a team and allude to their romantic connection. Gino might not be willing to believe in himself just yet, but he's grown enough to believe in a team he is a part of. On a similar note, Gino's verse shows that the human parts of himself are still in there. I thought were buried for good. They might have been suppressed, but that doesn't mean they've been eliminated. But with that in mind, one line in particular foreshadows why Gu isn't actually ready to change. Based on this line, Gu only sees the good in himself through. He wants to be the type of person sees him as, but he doesn't believe that he is that man. He believes that his redemption is conditional on Roomy's validation of him. But as we mentioned before, true validation can only come from within. This is why it's so important when he says, "I I don't hear his voice." Gino's core flaw is that he's been trying to erase the voices rather than confront them. He's haunted by what he did to his mother and sister and thinks that moment will define him forever. Don't think you can escape what you are. When Roomie says, [Music] Gu thinks it means that together they can outrun the guilt and shame, not overcome it. It's for that exact reason that Gimma is able to convince him to betray. Gimma convinces Gu that Roomie could never truly love him. That inevitably she will find out the truth and leave him. And because he only believes he can change if he's with Roomie, this moment causes him to lose all hope and revert to the role of villain. Say you didn't do this. How could you do this? After sabotaging Roomie at the Idol Awards, Jinu goes back to suppressing his human side. He tells Roomie it was all a lie. But the audience knows this isn't true. Once again, it's easier to deny his own moral nuance than admit that he has agency. He tells Roomie, "You're a demon. All we get to do is live with our pain. But the key part of this dialogue is when he says that's all we deserve. What this actually means is that Gu doesn't believe he deserves anything more than misery. Junu is warping his view of the world around him to match his view of himself. What I find so interesting about this scene is that Gu's betrayal is the only reason he's able to change. In the end, at this moment, he has completely abandoned Roomie. He has broken her trust and spat in the face of everything they have been working to build together. His actions also led to Zoe and Meera turning on Roomie. Roomie has no one by her side, no one to set an example for her and no one to validate her identity. And yet, despite all of that, she comes back to face Gimma fully embracing both parts of her identity. I am a Jedi like my father before me. This is what finally makes Junu realize that he alone gets to choose what type of person he wants to be. That choice belongs to you. Despite every selfish act he committed in his lifetime, he decides his final act will be one of sacrifice. You gave me my soul back and now I give it to you. Ultimately, Gu represents how difficult it is to overcome a static mindset. It's easier to believe we can't change because changing ourselves for the better can seem incredibly difficult. I know that's been the case for me in all aspects of my life. If I've been eating badly and not exercising, I tell myself I'm lazy and don't deserve to improve. If I haven't been writing enough, I tell myself no one wants to hear what I have to say anyway, so I should just give up. But we get to choose what we do with our lives. And if you choose to act like the type of person you want to be, then you kind of already are that person. Just to give another personal example, I've always told myself, [Music] I'm very musically inclined, but dancing never felt like a natural way to express how music made me feel, and I'm also very bad at it, so I just decided not to do it. But then just recently, my girlfriend convinced me to learn the choreography for Sodapop. I was very embarrassed the entire time, and objectively, I am still not good at dancing, but I had a lot of fun. And I proved to myself that I can do something even if it scares me and I'm not immediately nailing it. The point is believing that change is possible can be terrifying. There is so much in the world that will reinforce negative outlooks on ourselves and the world around us. But like GU, we get to choose whether or not we feel hope. And I think that message is why so many people connect with this character. That and no other reason. Next, I want to talk about Zoe cuz she's my absolute favorite. In some ways, she's the most static member of Huntress throughout the narrative, she remains optimistic throughout most of the runtime. Don't worry, I'm sure Sodapop is just a fad. And even when she's worried about Roomie, there isn't conflict between them like there is with Meera. But this even keel personality actually hints at what lies beneath the surface. The biggest insight we get into her core wounds are at the doctor's office. Eagerness to please. Maybe a little too eager. What? And when Gimma gains access to her mind. You're too much and not enough. You'll never belong anywhere. Clearly, Zoe is a people pleaser, and as a result, she feels the need to filter her personality so it's more palatable. I'm not like that. You guys would tell me if I was really like that, right? Zoe often feels torn in multiple directions and tries to play into what others expect from her rather than living in her unfiltered truth. I live two sides. One way I think we see this is in how often she tries to overexlain or caveat the thing she says. Don't worry, it's totally legit. To be fair, that's also something a magician would do. She leads with more explanation than necessary, and when she senses disagreement or hesitation, she pulls a complete 180. Okay, great. Well, then I might as well just tear these all up. And this is part of why she is so even keel throughout the movie. She's worried that if she acknowledges a problem that she'll become the problem when in reality she just cares about the well-being of the group. Would you two stop fighting each other and look I also think that this desire for permission is why we see such a shift in personality when she's fighting demons or rapping on stage with my words. These outlets are a confirmed safe space for her to let out intense emotions. She's normally worried that her intensity will be off-putting, but the fans have explicitly stated that it's part of what they like about her onstage persona. She's the cutest man, but when she raps, she goes hard. She gets real scary. Even at the height of the movie's conflict, the only reason she turns against Roomie is because Meera already raised her weapon, signaling that Zoe should, too. And if you look closely, Zoe's weapons are positioned more defensively rather than at Roomie. In terms of growth for the character, we get three significant beats throughout the runtime. The first is when she speaks about what it means to be a part of Huntrix. Before I joined Hunrix, I felt like my thoughts and my lyrics and all my notebooks were just useless. Once again, this speaks to Zoe feeling like she needs permission to be herself. But with the two of you, they mean something. I mean something. Hunch may have given her that permission, but she still needs to learn how to give herself that permission to be who she really is. The second moment of vulnerability is when she sings, after seeing embrace her identity, Zoe realizes that the parts of herself she's been censoring aren't something to be ashamed of. They're something beautiful. Additionally, using the symbolism of colors stuck inside her head draws a connection between Zoe's struggles and Roomie's patterns. The final moment of vulnerability is at the end of the film when she tells Roomie, "Roomie, I'm so happy you didn't like die." Zoe saying this is extra significant because no one else brought up their feelings first. She wanted to talk about emotions and she didn't censor herself even though she was nervous. You guys just mean so much to me. With that in mind, Zoe was still nervous to be her unfiltered self. She overcame that fear, but it still shows that there's room to grow in future stories. I think Zoe is really relatable for anyone who struggles with anxiety, and the multiaceted nature of her personality also makes it easy to see ourselves in different aspects of the character. Maybe you relate to being quiet and timid. Maybe you aspire to be as bold and brash as she is on stage. Or maybe you're just a snack goblin. Either way, her depiction on screen is incredibly powerful, even if it's one of the more subtle arcs within the movie. Less subtle in many ways is Meera. Look, I'm kind of a difficult person. Part of what I enjoy about this character is that I think we all know someone like Meera or you are Meera, which is also valid. The reason I say she's less subtle is because even though she keeps people at a distance and tries to act all stoic, it's obvious that she's nervous to open up to people. Yeah, that's right. I think a lot of this goes back to her family life, which we don't learn much about. All we know is apparently she was a black sheep of her family and that she was considered a problem child. In many ways, this would suggest that she has a similar core wound to Zoe. Her personality was also considered too much. But she responded to this criticism quite differently. Rather than trying to appease her family, she broke away from them. Rather than censoring herself, she made directness part of her identity. overly blunt, shortfused, highly aggressive. Rather than matching other people's energy, she became aggressively laid-back and disaffected. Sounds super boring. I'm so down. The problem with this approach is that even if it keeps people at a distance, the walls Meera puts up are the most obvious. It makes people feel like they have to plate her persona and clearly leads to some resentment. Not everything is about your insecurities, Mera. Ironically, most of her significant character moments happen when she's actively trying to act like it isn't a big deal. The first is when she visits Roomie in her room. And even the way she asks to come in is aggressively casual. Did you want to come in? I mean, yeah. If you want me to come in, I can come in. Keeping with that casual distance, look at how she communicates with Roomie in this scene. So, why are you changing our lyrics? What is up with you? I'm pretty good at reading people and I just can't shake this feeling that you're keeping something from me. Everything is phrased as an interrogation or accusation. Both of which put the focus on Roomie rather than Meera. It's great that she's trying to communicate at all, but if she were emotionally open, she could have said, "Roomie, I'm worried about you. I feel like you're making decisions without us. I'm hurt because it feels like you don't trust me. Do your goals still align with mine?" It's the same thing when they're on top of the train. Why are you questioning everything we stand for when we're so close to stealing the horn? Meera is scared because she feels like she can't get a read on her best friend. It makes her feel lost and alone. But rather than say any of that, she makes it seem like Roomie is the one with a problem. The first time she admits to her own insecurities is when they decide not to sing Takeown. My whole life those things were a liability, but with you guys, they're okay. This is a huge step because she isn't putting blame on anyone else. And it also gives us more insight into her core wound. Meera's personality created a rift between herself and her family. And obviously that speaks to issues with her parents, not Meera. But Meera doesn't want to be a victim. So she has a static mindset that says, "This is just who I am. I push people away." Even though it's a negative way to view herself, it gives her a sense of agency and control. No one can abandon her if she doesn't let them get close in the first place. The problem is, even if she keeps her friends at a distance and pretends not to care, they still mean a great deal to her. So, she still gets all the negative emotions that comes with being vulnerable and none of the benefits. This is further supported when we hear Gimma talk to her. You thought you found a family. You don't deserve one. She didn't want to admit it, but Zoe and Roomie broke through her walls a long time ago. She's not as stoic as she wants people to believe, and she's deeply insecure that they'll leave her behind. That's why when Roomie is exposed at the Idol Awards, Meera jumps to the worst possible conclusion. In reality, Roomie didn't want to show them her patterns because she loved them and was worried that they would leave if they found out. But in Meera's mind, Roomie hid her patterns because she never cared about them in the first place and didn't trust them with her secret. Like Zoe though, Meera realizes she was wrong once returns in her true form. When she sings, it's her way of coming to terms with what it means to be a real family. You don't need to hide the imperfect parts of yourself. The people who matter will love you in spite of imperfections and sometimes specifically because of them. I think Meera is such a great character because her insecurities are both easy to understand and incredibly transparent. Her problems have a solution that is simple but not easy. All she has to do to find love is stop pushing the ones who love her away. But that requires a level of trust and bravery that is incredibly difficult to come by. Also, before I move on from talking about the characters, I just want to mention a cool detail that I noticed. Just like the Ninja Turtles, the weapon choice for each of the girls feels very intentional. Roomie is the leader. She wants to seem as normal as possible and conform to the standard she's been taught to value. Because of this, she gets a sword, which is about as standard of a weapon as you can get. Meera's goal is to keep people at arms length, so she gets a weapon that is designed to do just that. And Zoe has two distinct personality types, so she has a weapon that can be used up close in melee or thrown from a distance. So, up until now, this video has been nothing but praise, which makes sense. I love this movie and think it's pretty darn close to perfect. But there are two elements in particular that make this movie a 9.9 rather than a 10 out of 10. First is Seline. Yes, Seline. But Dylan, Seline is only in the movie for 5 minutes. How can you have a problem with her? Well, that is my problem. Despite her lack of screen time, Seline is the most important character thematically aside from Roomie. She is Roomy's core wound. Why couldn't you love me? I do. All of me. She is the one who taught her to be ashamed of her patterns. Cover those up. And taught her to deny her true identity. You're not one of them, Roomie. You're a hunter, just like your mother was. Even the prejudice shown by Zoe and Meera was instilled in them by Seline. Your faults and fears must never be seen. To overcome her own shame, Roomie has to overcome Seline's influence, but her lack of presence throughout the runtime makes this less impactful. Sure, their seen together in the graveyard is incredible. Roomie, we can still fix this. Don't you get it? This is what I am. But we should have gotten more scenes between them to build up to this. Obviously, Meera and Zoe act as a counterpoint to Gu in terms of accepting patterns. Yeah, because we hate him and we hate demons. But they can't flesh out Roomie's desire for maternal affection. The graveyard scene shows that Roomie wanted Seline to love her unconditionally, but that need isn't explored at all up until this point. Even if Seline didn't appear physically, adding additional scenes where Roomie calls her on the phone to update her on Golden and the Idol Awards would flesh out her need for approval. Seline could then reiterate the importance of perfection and not give room the validation she's seeking. Generational trauma is a central motif in this narrative, but they only focus on the filial generation with Roomie and not the parental generation that set these problems in motion. Clearly, there's a lot more backstory to this character, and I imagine she'll be a focal point of the next movie, but Seline's absence throughout act two heavily undercuts one layer of the narrative. The second fault I see in this movie is somewhat related to this and is also the second word in the title. The messaging of K-pop demon hunters is incredibly poignant, but occasionally the metaphors get a bit mixed up. In this movie, patterns are pretty clearly a metaphor for shame. One of the hunters bears my mark. This means she has shame. Room's patterns represent the shame she feels about her demonic heritage. Talk about my patterns. I hate them just like I hate all demons. And Gu's patterns represent the shame he feels for abandoning his family. But the patterns, they kept spreading until they consumed me. Sounds pretty straightforward, right? Well, as far as we know, all the demons have patterns. Do hunters kill all demons? So everything that has patterns? And according to GU, all demons feel shame. That's all demons do, feel our shame. But this doesn't seem to be the case. When Roomie asks a demon if it's a prisoner, is Kima making you do this? It seems more than happy to do GMA's bidding. And it doesn't seem to be controlled by shame in the same way Gu is. It's how Ga controls us. Do you not hear him in your ear? Okay, so maybe this only applies to the once human demons. But everything we see of the Sasha boys makes it seem like they're just as mindless as the other demons and souls are their main motivation, not shame. The reason this is problematic for the themes is because Room's arc is about accepting the demonic parts of her heritage. Over the course of the runtime, she realizes that being a demon doesn't make her inherently evil. But aside from her and Gu, the movie seems to think that being a demon makes you inherently evil. Now, maybe this is a Rise of Skywalker situation, and the point they're trying to make is that your lineage doesn't define you, even if your relatives are evil. But this would mean Roomy's goal should be to let the past die. Kill it if you have to. This can't be the case, though, because her desire to do so is part of the lie she believes early in the movie. And her success in the movie is contingent on embracing who she really is. Ultimately though, the inconsistencies of this metaphor aren't that big of a deal for two main reasons. First of all, the movie needed disposable bad guys, so the narrative makes an arbitrary distinction between cute, redeemable boy demon and monster demons that are okay to murder. Um, my sword will happily show you to your grave. Secondly, the actual character arc is still perfectly executed. We can easily track Roomy's progression from shame and denial to seeking external validation to consciously validating her own identity and living in her truth. We only notice the inconsistencies in the metaphor because the messaging is so well defined. It's not like say Frozen, which thinks it's a story about the bond between sisters, but what the plot actually tells us is neglect and abandon your little sister all you want. She'll still sacrifice her life to save you. Anyways, that's really all the criticism I have for this movie, but there is a criticism I've seen online that I do want to talk about. If you've seen my other videos, you know I'm a big proponent of show don't tell. This basically means that if you can communicate something through action, visuals, or subtext, it's better than doing so directly through dialogue. With that in mind, some might be surprised to know how much I like the dialogue in this movie. After all, it can be incredibly on the nose in terms of both exposition. It's our most important show. It's when we strengthen the homeland for the entire year and themes. No, no more hiding. No more lies. But what's important to remember is that storytelling isn't about information. It's about emotion. Even if we know how a movie is made or what a particular line of dialogue is trying to do. You think you can do these things, but you just can't, Nemo. The only thing that matters is if it makes us feel something. It doesn't matter that Roomy's dialogue is a bit clunky. We can't skip it. We just can't. Not when I'm so close. Because you still feel her emotion. We know this dialogue is meant to establish the stakes, but we still believe in the stakes because Roomie feels them so intensely. It's the same thing when she says this. How am I supposed to fix the world when I don't have my voice? Roomie is literally laying out the external and internal conflicts she will face for the rest of the movie. There is no subtext or subtlety, but the performance and filmmaking in this moment come together to make you care immensely. In the end, this is really what separates bad kids movies from great movies for the whole family. Just like Puss and Boots, the story and characters are simple enough for anyone to understand, but also contain enough depth to justify multiple viewings. Finally, I want to talk about what I consider to be this movie's X factor. The thing that makes it so easy to obsess over and so easy to project onto. The world building in K-pop Demon Hunters is phenomenal, especially when we consider the limits of the runtime and medium. In just over 90 minutes, this animated movie tells a complete poignant story and introduces a world that can sustain numerous sequels, series, and spin-offs. We don't know what happened to Roomy's mom, Roomy's dad, or the third Starlight sister, but I'm confident that the creators of this movie do. We don't get to see what happened with Mera or Zoe's family, but we can feel how it affected them throughout the narrative. Is there a way to bring Gu back? What happened to Baby and Romance? Why didn't Gimma have control of Roomie? What was Selene doing in the graveyard? How does she feel about the iridescent Hanmoon replacing the golden Hanmoon? Does the audience know that demons exist now? Unlike say Star Wars, these questions fill me with excitement, not concern, because I trust in the creative team and the world they've created. Maybe I'm being overly optimistic, but this really feels like it's going to be one of the next great franchises, and we're getting in on the ground floor. I didn't expect this to be one of my longest videos, but here we are. If you've got any fun facts about this movie, please leave them in the comment section so we can geek out together. If you want more content like this, you'll probably enjoy watching my video on Mean Girls or my analysis of the Moana soundtracks. I'm Dylan and this has been the writer's block. Okay, bye. Yeah. Uh, bye-bye.