Photo courtesy of Netflix
The American Netflix original animation’ K -Pop Demon Hunters ‘(Demon Hunters), which features K-Pop as its main material, is receiving attention from all over the world, sweeping global charts immediately after its release.Although it is a Hollywood production, the film, which fully captures Korean elements, is receiving rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, and is quickly emerging as a’ Netflix hit.’
OK-pop anime sweeps the world According to FlixPatrol, a global OTT content ranking chart,’ Demon Hunters ‘ranked first in the most-viewed movies in 22 countries including Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Colombia, Switzerland, Denmark, and France immediately after its release on the 20th, and went straight to first place on the overall global daily chart.
‘ Demon Hunters ‘is a fantasy action film that tells the story of the world-famous K-pop girl group and exorcist’ Hunterlix ‘as they protect their fans from five grim reapers disguised as the boy group’ Lion Boys ‘.Despite featuring’ K-pop idols ‘as the main characters, it is noteworthy that it was produced by Sony Pictures, a major Hollywood studio, rather than Korea.
There were concerns in some quarters that it was a one-off project riding on the popularity of K-pop, but since its release, it has been receiving favorable reviews from critics and audiences alike, saying that it has both a fresh story and great visuals.On global rating platform Rotten Tomatoes, the’ Freshness Index ‘(expert rating)and’ Popcorn Index ‘(audience rating)scored 94% and 95%, respectively.
Photo courtesy of Netflix
O’ K Culture ‘was properly revived Even the K-pop style OST is popular.The’ Demon Hunters ‘OST album ranked 5th on the US iTunes Top 100 Albums chart just one day after its release.Twice’s Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung participated in this album, and existing K-pop hits Twice’s ‘Strategy’ and MeloMance’s ‘Is It Love’ were also included.
Another advantage of this production is that it features a large Korean production team and naturally depicts Korean culture.Namsan Seoul Tower and other famous landmarks of Seoul, as well as Korean food such as kimbap and gukbap, and even a Korean medicine clinic, draw attention, and even small details unique to Korea, such as placing tissues under spoons in restaurants, became a hot topic on social media.
Props and characters taken from Saingeom, Ilwolobongdo, and Jakhodo properly incorporate not only modern but also traditional culture.The evil spirits and demons that appear in the play are also reinterpreted and depicted as traditional Korean ghosts such as the Four Heavenly Kings, Hell Ghosts, and Nojangtal, and global audiences responded to these visual designs by saying, “This is a new design that we have never seen before.”
Reporter Seungmi smlee@donga.com
This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.