In recent years, the global rise of K-pop has profoundly affected the production of contemporary digital media. KPop Demon Hunters is a typical representative of this trend, which combines idol culture, fantasy narrative and stylized animation. Released on Netflix on June 20th, 2025, and produced by Sony Pictures Animation, KPop Demon Hunters brings together global pop culture and animated storytelling. The film quickly became one of the most popular works in the history of Netflix, with more than 236 million views, showing its strong global appeal.
The film emerges at a time when K-pop has become a dominant force in global entertainment, influencing not only music but also film and digital media production. However, this success also leads to a key question: is this work successful as a “story” or as a “visual entertainment”? In my opinion, although the film is insufficient at the narrative level, its emotional expression and musical influence still make it an attractive cultural product.
The most prominent advantages of this work are its visual style and musical performance. According to Rotten Tomatoes data, its film critics’ scores exceed 90% and its audience scores are as high as 99%, showing that it has been highly recognised at both professional evaluation and audience levels. The vivid animation style and smooth action design bring an immersive movie-watching experience.
More importantly, the soundtrack of the film has achieved unprecedented success. The title song “Golden” topped the Billboard Hot 100 list and became a global phenomenal work. At the same time, many songs such as “How It’s Done“, “Your Idol” and “Soda Pop” also entered the list, and there was even a rare situation that 8 songs were on the list at the same time.
Its musical achievements have further expanded, and even four songs entered the Billboard top ten at the same time, and the album topped the Billboard 200. This shows that the work is not only a film, but also a powerful cross-media cultural product.
Despite the obvious advantages, the film still has problems at the narrative level. Some viewers think that the plot is “shallow and predictable“, indicating that the work focusses more on visual expression than the depth of the story.
“Pacing is rushed, practically none of the characters felt fully fleshed out, the relationship between Rumi and Jinu felt really forced and not organic at all.”
— Xyevz on Reddit
There are also shortcomings in characterization. Although the character design is clear, there is a lack of sufficient space for development, thus weakening the emotional level. This raises the question of whether the film sacrifices narrative depth in favour of market-driven entertainment.
This imbalance reflects a trend in contemporary digital media: content is increasingly influenced by business logic and global audience demand. The great success of acoustic music also further shows that the core of the audience’s participation is often music, not the narrative itself.
Despite the shortcomings, the emotional core of the film is still infectious, especially reflected in the role of Rumi. Unlike many similar works, Rumi did not fall because of her half-human and half-demon identity, but chose to accept himself and continue to fight against evil.
Her solo song “Free” also entered the Billboard list, which symbolizes her self-identity and inner struggle.
Equally important is the relationship between Rumi and the two teammates (Mira and Zoey). This emotional bond between women emphasizes trust, support and emotional connection, rather than competition.
“Shallow plot but unforgettable characters—Rumi’s journey of self-acceptance hits harder than any twist could.”
— Reddit user (The Honeycombers community)
This adds emotional depth to the work, so that the audience can have a real connection with the characters beyond vision and music. This makes the film important not only as entertainment, but as an example of how contemporary media prioritises global reach, music integration, and emotional accessibility.
In general, KPop Demon Hunters is not a perfect work, and its narrative and characterization are still limited by commercial logic. However, its entertainment, emotional resonance and dominance on the global music chart cannot be ignored. Its success comes not only from the story itself, but also from the combination of music, visual and emotional expression.
In this sense, KPop Demon Hunters embodies the advantages and contradictions of contemporary digital media: it is not only a visual spectacle and a commercial product but also can convey meaningful emotional experiences. This also triggers a widespread reflection: Are contemporary media, at the cost of global dissemination, sacrificing meaningful narratives?
For me, although the plot and character development of the film were somewhat lacking, its excellent music and visual effects still gave me a highly immersive and thrilling experience. What truly moved me the most, however, was Rumi’s sincere and powerful journey towards self-acceptance and inner growth.
Shoujie Wang 
Yinan Zhou 
SUN Yinchen