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Now Playing: KPop Demon Hunters

Any Huntrix stans here?

All images c/o Netflix

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I thought KPop Demon Hunters was going to be a cringefest. But two things had me looking forward to it – I like animated features and my ult girl group TWICE. I went in with caution and came out, like most of the people who have seen it, obsessed. 

As of writing, the animated feature produced by Sony Pictures Animation and streamed on Netflix, is already the number one streamed movie in over 20 countries. 

The songs featured in the movie – which are all absolute bangers – are also charting on the Spotify Global chart. 

So, yes. This little musing is rather late. But I wanted to make sure KPop Demon Hunters occupied some space in our little website. 

KPOP DEMON HUNTERS – When they aren’t selling out stadiums, Kpop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey use their secret identities as badass demon hunters to protect their fans from an ever-present supernatural threat. Together, they must face their biggest enemy yet – an irresistible rival boy band of demons in disguise. ©2025 Netflix

I’ve already shared on social media what I briefly thought about the movie. Here’s the sentiment: 

I thoroughly enjoyed KPop Demon Hunters. 

It has the magic of 2000s-2010s Pixar with a decidedly K-Culture coating. Animation & Art Style also feels fresh. 

All the songs are absolute bangers. Plus, of course, there’s TWICE Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung singing “Take Down.”

Now I shall attempt to expound. 

KPop… Demon Hunters???

KPOP DEMON HUNTERS – (L-R) Zoey (voice by JI-YOUNG YOO), Rumi (voice by ARDEN CHO) and Mira (voice by MAY HONG) . ©2025 Netflix

The movie’s title doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that this would be any good. Why? For one, KPop and K-Culture in general has been on a fever pitch since around 2019-2020. The rise in interest in the whole K-Wave appeared like it was Netflix just trying to capitalize on it. 

But that was quickly allayed, at least for me, during the obligatory lore dump at the start of the film. Essentially, the KPop Demon Hunters have been around for generations. They protect the people from demons both through their music and through actual magical-girl combat– weapons and all. 

This whole premise has gone viral with some ONCEs (fans of TWICE) saying the reason the group’s been active for a decade now is because they’re our KPop Demon Hunters.

Anyway, after the lore dump. I was all in. It just made sense. I grew up listening to stories of music playing a role in some sort of unseen battle between good and evil. It’s a tale as old as time and has probably different versions of it in different countries and regions. 

Then, there’s the whole demon boy band thing. There has always been talk that The Devil uses music to lure people into. Tempt them to snatch their souls. That’s also a tale that’s been passed down from generations and is present in multiple cultures. 

The premise was solid. The presentation was pristine. And yes, again, I was all in. 

Animation and art style 

What I didn’t know coming in was that this was a Sony Pictures Animation production. If the Spider-Verse franchise is any indication, they sure know what they’re doing in this department. 

KPop Demon Hunters’ animation is unlike anything we’ve seen before from major, mainstream productions. The general look is very anime-inspired but in 3D or 2.5D or something of the sort. 

KPOP DEMON HUNTERS – (L-R) Rumi (voice by ARDEN CHO), Zoey (voice by JI-YOUNG YOO) and Mira (voice by MAY HONG) . ©2025 Netflix

The expressions our protagonists, the Huntrix, make are extremely expressive. And the whole film is bursting with color – definitely something that’s very KPop. 

I don’t have much to say here except that it feels very fresh and not something that’s been done before. The overall look feels new but also familiar and that certainly contributed to it being such a huge hit. 

Banger songs 

Like I mentioned earlier, my main hook for even wanting to check this out was that three members of TWICE were tapped to perform the film’s main theme “Take Down.”

The three members are (in age order which is how they prefer to be introduced) Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung (my bias wrecker). 

The three appeared in plenty of promotions for the film too. But the lyric video of “Take Down” felt especially nice because it showed the three posing as if they were actually the Huntrix. 

But “Take Down” is just one of many tracks that are all absolute bangers. And each one was perfect for when they were used. 

“How It’s Done” showed off how the girls fought demons.

“Soda Pop” is a super catchy introduction to the demon boyband “Saja Boys”. It also absolutely pops off in Filipino/Tagalog.

“Golden” is a heartfelt, triumphant theme.

“Your Idol” is a dark, very in theme, song about idols snatching souls.

“What It Sounds Like” is an anthemic solemn hype track.

And, my personal favorite, “Free” displays different kinds of yearning that absolutely touches your soul. 

It’s no wonder that all the original tracks are currently charting on the Spotify Global chart. They’re all well-made and sound great on their own. But they’re also elevated by the circumstances in which they were played on the film. 

Listen to the full album:

Watch KPop Demon Hunters 

If you haven’t already, you should definitely watch KPop Demon Hunters. It has all the elements of a fantastic animated feature wrapped in K-Culture coating.

I haven’t even been able to touch on the excellent voice performances by Arden Cho (Teen Wolf, Partner Track) as Rumi and Ahn Hyo Seop (Business Proposal, Dr. Romantic) as Jinu as well as the other stand performances.

There’s just so much to love about the film. It’s also extremely rewatchable in different dubs too. I’ve so far seen the English (original), Filipino, and Japanese versions. They’re all fantastic.

It doesn’t hurt that overall, it’s really just one hour and 35 minutes of a damn good time.

Oh and there’s Derpy. We all love Derpy.

 

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KPop Demon Hunters streams on Netflix.

Entertainment

Supergirl gets its first teaser trailer

Milly Alcock stars as the titular character.

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Before the new year starts, it’s already fair to assume that Supergirl might be one of the most anticipated movies of 2026. Premiering a year after the globally successful Superman, Supergirl will see the adventures of Clark Kent’s superpowered cousin, Kara Zor-El. Now, the next film in the sage finally has a teaser trailer.

As James Gunn mentioned previously, Supergirl will be based on Tom King’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. Off traveling to other planets to party, Kara finds herself thrust back into the role of being a hero after a young girl named Ruthye Mary Knoll asks her for help.

Though the teaser trailer is mostly a montage of scenes, we already know what we can expect. According to Gunn, Supergirl will be tonally different from Superman, and we see this in the trailer.

However, we can still see influences from Gunn including the usage of “Call Me” by Blondie for the trailer. Also, the film’s space scenes look like they can fit right in with Guardians of the Galaxy.

Still, that’s what we have, and we’re excited. Supergirl will premiere on June 26, 2026.

The film will be directed by Craig Gillespie (Cruella). Milly Alcock plays the titular character. Meanwhile, she will star alongside Eve Ridley as Ruthye Mary Knoll.

SEE ALSO: Superman sequel, titled Man of Tomorrow, comes out in 2027

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Now Playing: Scarlet

The revenge story experiments with the idea of self-discovery.

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You can’t go wrong with a revenge story. Watching a group of evildoers get their deserved comeuppance is always a good time. Mamoru Hosoda’s Scarlet promises such a tale worthy of the greats. However, Hosoda quickly sheds the veneer of revenge for a tale of self-discovery.

Scarlet, the film’s eponymous character, is a princess on a quest for revenge against her uncle, a usurper who ordered the death of her father. However, before she can deal the killing blow, her uncle outsmarts the attempt by poisoning her. She dies and is teleported into a purgatory called the Otherworld. There, she must fight against the other departed to exact revenge from the other side.

So much for revenge

A mix between Dante’s Inferno and Hamlet, Scarlet should have the makings of an excellent revenge story. However, though Scarlet keeps revenge as her main motivation throughout the entire film, she eventually finds a new quest in discovering what she wants to be after she gets her retribution.

She meets Hijiri, a pacifist paramedic from the modern era, who persistently asks her to reconsider seeking violent ends to her enemies. With Hijiri in tow, Scarlet discovers that there is more value in helping other people and giving her enemies a second chance.

Was it a shift well earned?

Most revenge stories today come with a similar twist where the main character reevaluates their murderous rampage to seek inner peace. This usually comes after the murderous rampage. After all, how do you redeem someone who hasn’t done anything wrong?

In stories like these, satisfaction comes when the main character kills minor villains. After getting their fun, a traumatic incident causes them to lose their drive to fall short of killing the main villain. In some situations, the character sacrifices themselves to save someone else. In others, they choose to forgive the villain.

Scarlet fast-forwards straight to the finish by choosing less violent measure right from the beginning. As hellbent as she is on killing her uncle, she fails at every step, usually because of stronger enemies. The only thing she becomes good at is sparing and forgiving her foes, often prodded by allies.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with writing a unique take on the revenge story. However, Scarlet wants audiences to learn its lesson without going through the grueling work that often comes with such a lesson.

Hosoda wants to play it off as the futility of vengeance, and he’s right in making that the moral of the story. However, this just doesn’t stick.

A beauty on the screen

Amid all the criticism, Mamoru Hosoda always manages to deliver visually appealing pieces for the big screen. Scarlet is no different. It features hand-drawn animation that looks three-dimensional and laid on top of realistic scenery.

For all its misgivings, Scarlet transports audiences to a picturesque purgatory with a clear target, the Infinite Lands. If you love fantasy world-building, the movie showcases a fantasy worthy of the name. Though I had problems with Scarlet’s character, I still looked forward to seeing what comes next over the horizon.

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Netflix unveils Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 teaser trailer

Coming in 2026

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Courtesy: Netflix

Fans are finally getting an official first look at live-action Toph as Netflix has unveiled the first teaser trailer for Season 2 of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

It’s been more than a year since the announcement of the live-action adaptation’s renewal for Seasons 2 and 3. The second season is slated in 2026.

Aside from a short trailer, Netflix also bared first look photos for the upcoming second installment. Season 2 features new cast member Miya Cech, who plays master Earthbender Toph in the series.

Returning cast members, meanwhile, include Gordon Cormier as Aang, Kawentiio as Katara, and Ian Ousley as Sokka, among others.

In Season 2, after a bittersweet victory saving the Northern Water Tribe from the Fire Nation, Avatar Aang, Katara, and Sokka regroup and set off on a mission to convince the elusive Earth King to aid their battle against the fearsome Fire Lord Ozai.

Book 2 of the renowned Nickelodeon animated series, of course, focuses on the Earth Kingdom, with Toph Beifong among the key characters throughout that season.

The narrative also becomes more complex, with Zuko’s character arc and as well as the role of Azula as one of the intriguing antagonist figures to set up Season 3.

The 78-second clip mostly previews Miya Cech as the live-action Toph, plus the visual effects fans can expect with her ability to manipulate rocks and see the world through seismic vibrations.

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