R.I.P., Drew Struzan

 

K-Pop Demon Hunters: Why It's A Big Deal

K-Pop Demon Hunters was another original release for Netflix in June of 2025, but since it came out during the middle of the bustling summer blockbuster season the masses didn’t pick up on it at first. Most movie goers were either checking out the latest superhero or dinosaur flick in the theaters and didn’t bother watching anything at home on their own streaming service. K-Pop idols were popular enough with fans all over the globe, however taking that concept and having the singers lead a double life as blade-wielding beast busters was an inspired idea.

Maggie Kang was a storywriter and animator who worked on films such as The Grinch, The Lego Ninjago Movie, Trolls, and Rise Of The Guardians. She also worked on various movie franchises like The Croods, Rio, Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, and Despicable Me. Maggie grew up as a Korean girl living in Canada and worked with Shrek creator Aron Warner who had joined Sony Pictures Animation after leaving DreamWorks to make the animated movie Wish Dragon to which she pitched the idea for Korean pop singers fighting demons. Warner got the project greenlit in 2021 and Sony was riding high from the success of the Spider-Verse movies, even though Sony was hesitant to put the animated film in theaters, especially with a production cost of 100 million dollars. Korean culture was on the rise, and Netflix was quick to recognize this as they knew how tremendous shows like Kingdom and Squid Games were, so when Sony went looking for distributors, Netflix snatched it up. Sony got paid only $20 million from Netflix for the streaming rights, however they didn’t expect how huge K-Pop Demon Hunters would become. Over the summer of 2025, the movie gained more traction through word of mouth as it became the #1 original title in Netflix history with a bestselling soundtrack. Sony does still have the contractional rights to do further installments, so it's possible this might lead to a bidding war as the direct-to-streaming cartoon movie grew into a genre-blending juggernaut. This led to theaters having special singalong screenings which is a big landmark for breaking out of the streaming format.

Maggie Kang directed KPDH with Chris Appelhans, a former children's book author turned animator that just finished directing Wish Dragon. The story for KPDH is an original premise not based on any existing source which highlights the K-Pop industry and merges it with supernatural adventure. The anime-styled action has martial arts and synchronized dancing, making each fight scene into its own mini-music video. The other big attraction was the musical numbers which help distinguish the film as a musical where some pieces are done as a performance while simultaneously operating as their own stand-alone vignette.

Korean folklore might seem like the central premise for the story, however the thought of spirit warriors fighting against demonic forces can be applied to dozens of historical cultures. Demonology itself is applicable to numerous mythologies. The Honmoon concept made specifically for the movie that acts as a barrier between the human and demon realms which is essentially placing a harmony-based sound wall to keep the demons underground, even though the film never explains the dynamics of this forcefield powered by people’s moods can repel the literal forces of Hell. The demon king Gwi-Ma is a formless entity but does have the presence of a Satan archetype using deception to achieve his goals, although the film doesn’t really come out and say if any of the victims of the soul-stealing demons are in fact dead. Other spiritual beings in the movie are “yogoe” which are generic Korean spirits that interact with humans and demons which take no specific sides are represented by a grinning blue tiger and a multi-eyed magpie. Yogoe are neutral and not affected by empathy or hostility which is why both spirits are still around in the human world after the new Honmoon is created at the end. The Honmoon itself is executed through music which was an instrument used in ancient Korean exorcisms.

Music is a key ingredient in KPDH as it is the weapon of choice used by both Huntr/x and the Saja Boys. Huntr/x uses music to lift people’s emotions and find confidence in themselves to not give into darkness. The Saja Boys instead implement music to coerce humans into lowering their defenses, making them subject to suggestion which in the movie translates into just your average evil brainwashing scheme. The Honmoon is powered by the syntropy humans generate when their hearts are united all listening to the same harmony. Depending on the performers, this music can either be a valuable weapon or a deadly weakness, so when Rumi’s demon side is finally revealed, Mira and Zoey turn against her, thus disrupting their euphony which ultimately leads to everyone falling under the Saja Boys’ spell. Rumi eventually finds the harmony inside herself, allowing her to synchronize with her bandmates and defeat the Gwi-Ma which shows that people need to discover their inner strength to be part of a larger circle.

For many fans, another factor of KPDH’s appeal is that of representation as they interpreted Zoey’s random and insecure nature as being autistic, or Mira’s rebellious attitude attributed to not fitting in with abuse she received from her family. The largest allegory is Rumi’s demonic nature being seen as an example of gender expansion hiding their inner gay nature. These are all acceptable comparisons, although the downside to any fan theories regarding a character's backstory is that very little of it is really brought up in the film. Unless it's stated that this character is gay, or has ADHD, or was a recovering addict, then we as the audience have little to no clue to confirm this. Representation does matter, however if the story doesn’t take the time out to define any of that, then how much it matters doesn’t register enough to be recognized. Rumi’s birth was because of the interaction between her human mother and her unknown demon father, so the possibility exists that Rumi’s mother was the victim of a sexual attack. This is why there was much speculation behind Huntr/x’s mentor Celine who knew the truth of Rumi’s heritage, which is why she wanted it to remain a secret from everyone else. The fact that this largely an all-ages feature film doesn’t allow the audience to know the dark underbelly of the demon hunters’ lives, although this takes away from the representation most fans were looking for if it never addresses it. There might have been more room for this if they weren’t set on having the running time being only 96 minutes.

Speaking of being short on time, one last aspect that caught more attention from fans than what was given was the made-up romance between Rumi and the demon Jinu who is only doing all this to have the memories of his former life erased by Gwi-Ma so he can enjoy his eternally damned afterlife in peace. Rumi is desperate to keep her demon history a secret, and Jinu is the only one she can talk to about any of this even though she should have been smart enough to know that trusting him was a bad idea. Even the music number the two of them have seems forced, plus Jinu’s sacrifice at the end is too little too late as he just would have been sent back to the underworld anyway which isn’t any better than giving up your already cursed soul. It’s not that the fans who fell for this romance are simps, but they should have seen the flaws in it

Sony Pictures Animation efforts will hopefully lead to future original Korean animated productions making their way to English-speaking audiences. Manhwa, the Korean equivalent of manga, has been largely successful with Americans, particularly with the advent of Webtoon. Korean animation on the other hand has had little exposure in America. Movies like Seoul Station, Red Hawk, Sky Blue, and Ghost Messenger have all gotten Western releases but never stood out among other animated releases. Most of the Korean animation that has been translated into English were underground rip-offs of already established Japanese anime such as Gundam and Dragonball, including some American properties like Batman, Wonder Woman, and Tron which hasn’t helped establish any trust between nations. However, a month before Netflix premiered KPDH, they released the original animated movie of Lost In Starlight by Han Ji-Won which was a science-fiction romance done in the spirit of Makoto Shinkai films such as Your Name. It is possible that Netflix picked up Lost In Starlight to help familiarize Americans a little more with Korean culture, although KPDH goes its own direction modeling itself more like a Marvel movie. Hopefully, there will be further efforts to bring more Korean cartoons over to this side of the ocean as the triumph that KPDH has become might help give this untapped resource more exposure.

ANI-MOVIES, *For Whom The Alchemist Exists

For Whom The Alchemist Exists was an RPG that ran online for a decade before it was shut down. Also known as The Alchemist Code, the Japanese video game got a full-length anime movie in 2019 whose chief director was none other than Shoji Kawamori who originally designed Optimus Prime. Animated by Satelight, the film took the steampunk fantasy gameplay and rewrote it into being a slightly original isekai despite the fact that the borrowed quite a few concepts from 90s anime titles like Rayearth. This entire movie could be seen as a copy/paste of both the Escaflowne movie and Leda: The Fantastic Adventure Of Yohko where the shallow concerns of an emotionally damaged schoolgirl somehow compared to the plight of an entire world being consumed by evil.

Set in the alternate realm of Babel, alchemy has been the source of much chaos in this world's development where magic users can summon up heroic spirits called Phantoms from the past to join them in their battles, similar to Servants in Fate. From the discord arises a multi-headed dragon called Destruk who wraps itself around the central Tower of Babel which cuts off the alchemists' powers, seals the Phantoms away, and plunges the land in darkness with giant robots called Dark Mages. Two alchemists, Liz and Edgar, use some of their last caches of magic to summon a Phantom to help save the world, but instead they get Kasumi, an original character to the movie who is a teenager from our world given the powers of purifying dark magic by an incidental interdimensional gatekeeper that acts as the god character in isekai who reincarnates people into another world. Kasumi has no idea how to activate her powers, but the kindness she shows some of the refugees and her home cooking helps them to lighten up and temporarily regain their alchemy. The former Phantoms are now corrupt and working for Destruk who are sent to collect Kasumi. Edgar leads an assault against Destruk after the alchemists reunite with some of the secondary characters from the video game while Kasumi purifies the Phantoms and they join their former comrades in battle. Kasumi learns that Destruk was originally a serpent sacrificed in the previous wars that was transformed into a giant dragon, so she uses her white magic to free the cursed reptile while sending herself back to Earth. Turns out the whole thing that was holding Kasumi back in her world was working up the courage to stand up to her mother on pursuing her dream as an actress, but that slightly stressful scenario is supposed to be equal to liberating a magical realm is a wonky piece of storytelling.

For Whom The Alchemist Exists is hard to compare as how it adapted the video game, especially since the online servers were shut off years ago. The production is fine, and the CGI used for the mechas and magical tanks is honestly implemented fairly well, but it doesn't seem to be that it was above the quality of a TV series and not totally up to theatrical release standards. Anyone expecting to get the deep storytelling of Fullmetal Alchemist is going to be for a disappointment, and even any fans of the game might find this movie lacking in any stimulation.

ANI-MOVIES, *Hula Fulla Dance

Hula Fulla Dance is a coming-of-age story with an unnecessary supernatural ending. Written by The Colors Within scriptwriter Reiko Yoshida, this Bandai Namco Pictures production was directed by Gundam veteran Shinya Watada and released in 2021. This is based on the real-life hot springs resort, Spa Resort Hawaiians, which had previously been the subject of the Japanese classic Hula Girls, but it was the first time anime was used as the narrative. The film also was done to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the disasters that hit the Tohoku region. The anime movie was popular enough to get its own manga adaptation, even though it hasn't gotten much notice in America.

Hiwa just graduated high school in Japan and wants to take up her older sister's career of being a professional hula dancer. It's never stated, but its implied Hiwa's sister passed away from the Tokoku disasters, so Hiwa joins the Spa Resort Hawaiians' hula dancing troupe along with four other girls who each have their own dreams and personal setbacks. Among them is Kanna who wants to forge her own path away from her parents, the painfully shy Shion, the overweight Ranko, and Hawaiian native Ohana who came to Japan because she was too short to be part of a hula team back home. The girls screw up their debut performance but get their act together by the time of a national hula dance off where they use an unconventional pop song for their shot. Throughout this, Hiwa keeps dreaming that her deceased sister is coaching her own from the afterlife while possessing a mascot plushie, which oddly enough turns out to be true but not in a horror movie sort of way.

Hula Fulla Dance is a traditional 2D animated film, although during the dancing performances the animation shifts to using 3D models for the dancers which is a sharp contrast to the otherwise lively graphics. There are some standard shoujo manga cliches, including Hiwa's flirting with her sister's old boyfriend, but it does have a fair message of friendship and entering into maturity. You're not missing out much on this predictable slice-of life feature, even though it might be worth a viewing on streaming.

ANI-MOVIES, *Josee, The Tiger And The Fish

Josee, The Tiger And The Fish was a short story written by Seiko Tanake which had previously been adapted into two live-action Japanese and Korean movies, so Bones director Kotaro Tamura helmed its first anime adaptation in 2020. This is a melodrama that shines a light on how the physically disabled are looked on by society, which is a subject long absent in anime, plus how they struggle in a world that wasn't designed for someone like them. This beautiful story gloriously demonstrates how life is very limited for in this position who still try to achieve their dreams.

Tsuneo is a college student working part-time in a scuba store hoping to get a scholarship to Mexico to witness a rare type of fish, but all this changes when he saves the life of the paraplegic Josee when her wheelchair gets out of control. Josee's grandmother hires him to act her caretaker, even though they don't get along at first, but eventually start to warm up to each other over time. Josee has spent her entire life without the use of her legs, and after her grandmother passes away, she finds that her choices in life have shrunk, so Tsuneo helps motivate her and make her more sociable, despite that Tsuneo still wants to go on his journey. Tsuneo once again has to save Josee from a car accident which leaves him with a broken leg that puts a stop to all his plans. Josee decides to face her fears and become a children's book illustrator but can't work up the courage to face Tsuneo after the accident. Fortunately, two of Tsuneo's work buddies help coerce them back together while he goes through physical rehabilitation. After finally getting out of the hospital, Tsuneo goes looking for Josee only to have to save her again on her runaway wheelchair where they finally confess their feelings. Tsuneo ultimately gets to take his trip to Mexico and reunites with Josee after his trip.

Many have compared this to other sympathetic anime romance films such as A Silent Voice and Ride Your Wave as it focused on how a tragedy can bring people together despite their differences while also succeeding at their goals. The eventual romance between the two main characters is fairly obvious from the beginning, even with Josee putting up an angry front when they first start working together. The mixed message the film conveys of romance blooming in the face of detraction and does not try to hit you over the head with a heavy-handed result. The characters grow and become better than they were by the end of the film, plus Bones' animation is captivating. Whether you can view this and find it acceptable will vary between what anime films you've watched prior to this, but it is very wholesome even with some of the more noticeable dramatic cliches.

MISC. MANGA, *Xanadu

Anthropomorphics were huge in the indie comics market in the 80s largely due to all the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wannabes, but out of all of them only one managed to establish what most people nowadays refer to as the "furry" genre. Xanadu started out as a 5-issue mini-series by Vicky Wyman in 1988 followed by a sequel mini-series, a color special, and its own fanzine. This was one of the few talking animal comics from the 80s that was entirely cast with anthropomorphic characters and was also a swashbuckling adventure in the spirit of Conan and Dungeons And Dragons. Borrowing traits from both European and Asian folklore, Xanadu begins as a recognizable sword and sorcery tale, but elements of Japanese mythology work their way into the plot. The late Vicky Wyman had a grand sense of romantic fantasy which translated into amazing comic art done in black and white which also leans into manga style.

Set in the magical land of Xanadu, the current Empress is Alicia, a unicorn ruler whose father Allynrud settled his empire after ceasing the quarreling Nobles who are mythical creatures and their adversaries the Freeborn who are the other anthropomorphic citizens. There are also the Domestique animals which take the place of regular animals such as ones for riding on instead of horses. Alicia's foxy handmaiden Fatima is carrying on a flirty relationship with the swaggering feline gentlemen thief Tabbe who keeps infiltrating the castle much to the chagrin of the griffen captain of the guard Plume who has plans of his own for who should be on the throne. Word of this reaches the neighboring kingdom of the Golden Realm run by golden dragons, so the high princess Kajiko arrives in Xanadu along with her younger brother Kinomon who will become one of Alicia's royal guards. Plume's treachery is revealed and he escapes, only to later bond himself with the spirit of the dark sorcerer Typhon which ultimately leads to his demise. The second mini-series shows most of Alicia's court going on a voyage to the Golden Realm but are sidetracked by pair of selfish kyryn and some pesky pirates. The color special acts a prequel set in the early days of the Golden Realm, so it's unusual that nearly half of the entire Xanadu comics run doesn't actually takes place in the empire it's named after.

Vicky Wyman didn't pull her punches when it came to having her animal people expressing their opinions and feelings which makes for a lot of passionate intrigue. Wyman's artwork had great details and unique screen tone backgrounds that are equal to even the most professional manga creators. Xanadu is a stand-alone testament to exactly how deep furry lore can go that shakes off the negative stereotypes that seem to plague the fandom.

ANI-MOVIES, *Origin: Spirits Of The Past

Origins: Spirits Of The Past was an original story written by former Ghibli animator Umanosuke Iida a few years before he died which was animated into an anime movie by Gonzo in 2006. Similar to numerous Ghibli projects, this film has an environmental theme to it that harkens back to Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind as well as Castle In The Sky. It's another post-apocalyptic epic, although not the bleak type you find in Fist Of The North Star or Mad Max. Gonzo executed this splendidly with their 3D animation with 2D artwork, even though some of the mechanics look somewhat shotty.

Set in the 24th Century, an experiment on the moon caused the entire surface to burst which showers the Earth with lunar debris, so now the surviving civilizations get by using a water bartering system in a world covered with the ever-growing Forest. Agito is a young citizen in Neutral City who spends his days collecting water and caring for his father Agashi who is slowly turning into a tree because he became enhanced by a strange race known as the Druids who imbued Agashi with super-strength to help settle their town. Agito finds a girl named Toola in a cryogenic pod who was placed there before the cataclysm, and she is welcomed into Neutral City. The neighboring nation of Ragna is an industrious country run by its military in which their commander Shunack learns that Toola has been released and has the key to a special apparatus called the ESTOC that can supposedly help restore the world. Toola goes with Shunack to help them in their efforts, but Agito doesn't trust them, so he makes a detour to the heart of the Forest where the Druids dwell. Agito is quickly enhanced by the Druid spirits, and then the narrative skips over a sequence where he was captured by the Ragna forces to awaken with his hair now silver and with super-strength and endurance. Agito makes his way to the Ragna city to bring Toola back to Neutral City, but Shunack has none of that and incapacitates Agito as he takes Toola to the ESTOC while the greedy enhanced commander also betrays the Ragna military. Shunack activates the ESTOC which is an entire mobile volcano which will in reality wipe out all life on Earth, although Agito stops the process by freeing Toola and Shunack accepts his fate.

Origin: Spirits Of The Past is an altogether rushed production with entire scenes left on the cutting room floor as the story shifts from one scene to another with no transition or explanation. The film should have been longer in order to fill in the deleted footage. Aside from the ecological metaphor, the movie carries a message of generational discrimination for those who want things to be they were in the past instead of working towards the future. The CGI effects are commendable, especially for the early 2000s, but Gonzo needed to liven up the character designs as you can see that they are reused models from other anime titles. The soundtrack is equally memorable with a mildly acceptable dub. As a thinly veiled tagalong to some earlier Ghibli films, it does make for a praiseworthy feature.