^{Credit: Netflix}

On paper, KPop Demon Hunters sounds like Jem and the Holograms crossed with Totally Spies! and Sailor Moon. If that doesn’t sound like it would be up your alley, it’s from the same studio behind the Spider-Verse movies. Did that get your attention? While not helmed by the Lord-Miller team, KPop Demon Hunters is animated with the same vivacious energy and fast-paced humor. What sets it apart is the music, which goes beyond simply being a string of catchy pop songs, though they are all earworms. More importantly, the music is used to convey what the characters are going through emotionally in a story about battling inner demons along with physical ones.

The title speaks for itself, centering on a trio of KPop stars (Huntrix) who indeed hunt soul-sucking demons. While the devouring of souls takes place off-screen, the film has a surprisingly high body count. The demons serve King Gwi-Ma (Lee Byung-hun of Squid Game), who has a simple yet imposing design out of an abstract painting. Standing in their way are Rumi, Zoey, and Mira, who, like the Powerpuff Girls, are best described as sugar, spice, and everything nice, but with an extra Chemical X factor. Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) has a bubbly personality, while Mira (May Hong) has the edge of Buttercup. Rumi (Arden Cho) takes center stage as the leader, although she’s concealing a dark secret: she’s part demon.

Once they slay enough demons to seal them off from the human world, Rumi can remove the marks she’s spent her whole life hiding. Rumi isn’t the only one trying to erase a part of herself. A bad boy demon named Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop) seeks to wash away the tragic memories of his past life. The Demon King agrees to free him of his trauma if Jinu can take down the girl group. His solution? A boy band that steals the spotlight along with the souls of their adoring fans! It’s crazy enough to work, as this entire world apparently revolves around K-pop. The premise sounds bonkers, which directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans (Wish Dragon) fully embrace. As chaotically kinetic as KPop Demon Hunters can be, it’s also a surprisingly poignant story of self-acceptance.

Naturally, a forbidden romance blooms between Jinu and Rumi, who finds herself torn between her humanity and the demon she’s tried so hard to keep inside. Unless Rumi can embrace all of herself, though, her voice will never meet its full range. This is effectively expressed through a soundtrack of bangers from a variety of different artists. One of them, EJAE, also provides Rumi’s singing voice. The songs complement the spirited animation, which mixes the aesthetic of the Spider-Verse films with the attitude of an anime fever dream. While KPop Demon Hunters is worthy of Spider-Verse and Sony’s The Mitchells vs. the Machines, several elements could’ve been better fleshed out.

At times, the script can be exposition-heavy, although not to the point of stopping the film dead in its tracks. Even when feeding us information, the filmmakers always give us something visually interesting to feast upon. Although the film suggests that not all demons are evil, Jinu and Rumi are the only ones given layers. Jinu also has a toyetic demon tiger and crow, who have more personality than any of his fellow bandmates. The most underdeveloped character is Rumi’s foster mother Celine (Yunjin Kim), who stresses that her demon roots must be kept a secret. Despite playing such a large role in Rumi’s life, Celine disappears for most of the film, never receiving a satisfying arc.

Many of these drawbacks could be expanded upon in a sequel, which is hopefully on the horizon. KPop Demon Hunters is loaded with franchise potential, complete with records, toys, and live shows, not to mention adoring fans. Awards, too? It’s hard to say how the Academy will respond to a film called KPop Demon Hunters, especially if Netflix puts its priorities elsewhere in their crowded animation slate. At the very least, we deserve to see one of these songs performed on the Oscar telecast. Lisa of Blackpink became the first K-pop star to crash the Oscars this year. Let’s make Huntrix the second!

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1 and 2. Available Now!