It would be the understatement of the year to say that KPop Demon Hunters has taken the world by storm. Depending on who you ask, the reasons why people have reacted so strongly to it vary: its catchy music, a bustling fandom that has created its own choreography and covers, and a truly eye-watering amount of fanfiction.
As a woman, one of my favorite parts about KPop Demon Hunters is the relationship between Huntr/x’s members, Rumi, Mira and Zoey and how, despite the odds, they still band together to vanquish evil and restore the Honmoon. While there is an ill-fated romance between Rumi and Saja Boys’ Jinu, it never feels as though it takes focus away from the heartwarming friendship between the three girls. They are loud, unapologetic and aren’t afraid to look a little goofy.
According to Maggie Kang, the director and writer behind KPop Demon Hunters, the silliness of the Huntr/x was intentional.
Speaking at Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters press conference on Tuesday alongside Ejae (vocalist of Rumi and songwriter), Audrey Nuna (vocalist of Mira), Rei Ami (vocalist of Zoey), and fellow director/writer Chris Appelhans, Kang was asked what the key elements from a female perspective that she wanted women, both from the old and new generation, to see within KPop Demon Hunters.
“The most important is I wanted to see really silly women,” Kang said. “You know, I think we’re so afraid, especially in animation, to show female characters be really silly and be the silliest one in the room.
“I’ve personally experienced that working on films where we have a troupe of five [or] six main characters, and one happens to be the one girl character. And we always struggle. We have these hourslong meetings about how do we make this one female character unique? And there is a time when I suggested, ‘Well, why don’t we take the funniest character and give it to the girl and make her the funniest?’ And they’d be like, ‘Eh, let’s not do that.'”
Kang admitted that she was so frustrated by the lack of not wanting women to be silly that when it came round to making KPop Demon Hunters, she wanted all three members of Huntr/x to be silly.
“I really think there’s empowerment and strength in comedy,” Kang said. “It takes a ton of courage to be funny. To pitch jokes. To be silly in front of somebody. And if you find a group of people that embrace you and your weirdest side, and they are just as weird with you, that is the best type of friendship. And I really wanted to showcase that type of female relationship.”
It paid off: There are plenty of wacky moments, often conveyed through the animation style, such as the three girls chugging ramen with big, bulging eyes and falling over each other, their hearts in their eyes, when they see the attractive Saja Boys. It’s what makes these characters so memorable, and without a doubt, is one of the reasons why so many fans are heavily invested in the idea of a KPop Demon Hunters sequel. Hopefully, they won’t have to wait too long for it.
KPop Demon Hunters is streaming on Netflix.
