The common wisdom for entrepreneurs is to provide our customer base with content that answers their questions, touches their pain points and solves problems they might not even know they have.
And we struggle to figure out how to do that.
Then there are days like today, where we throw our hands in the air and say, “Who cares about all that?? What the people really want is KPop Demon Hunters!” This original Netflix film began streaming in June 2025, has broken records left and right and inspired many pieces already.
I have thoughts about the multiculturalism found in the film, but Euny Hong, an actual authority on Korean culture, has already discussed that here in the New York Times, as has Jeff Yang for the Washington Post with this guest essay.
The theme of mental health is so important, but Dr. Becky got there first.
And obviously the story deals with diversity and belonging… which I found this post about from the chief diversity and impact officer at QVC. (By the way, look up “KPop Demon Hunters LinkedIn” and prepare to be overwhelmed with results!)
Despite the breadth of material already addressing it, here are my takes on the film.
1. Joy!
I have to admit, I was among the millions who wrongly believed myself to be outside of the demographic for this movie. I watched it because my youngest child wanted to. The whole family watched it together, two adults and one older sibling, all for the younger’s sake.
Our attitudes couldn’t have turned around more quickly. All four of us sang along during the credits. Three days later and my musically-gifted partner has looked up who wrote all those hits, child #1 aspires to write raps like Mira, child #2 is planning which demon hunter to go as for Halloween and I am still giggling at Rumi getting popcorn eyes every time the abs appear.
This film was simply a joy to watch. That is enough reason for me to promote it.
2. Immigrant Patterns
I believe everyone watching KPop Demon Hunters, if they have even a kernel of self-reflection in them, watched it thinking about what their own demon patterns are. This is the universal in the personal. Every one of us has something we are afraid to share, something we are afraid isn’t good enough, can’t be changed and will ultimately doom us.
Asking you to put yourself in someone else’s place and imagine how they experience a situation is not new; it’s standard fare at this point. So please, put yourselves in the shoes of an immigrant to your country. What thoughts might Gwi-Ma offer you to lock you in shame? What weakness would he exploit to separate you from the locals?
“I try so hard, but I’ll just never get rid of my accent. They’ll always hear a foreigner first.”
“I thought I was doing it right, but they still yelled at me. Why did I think I could do this?”
“Everything I have done in my life was for nothing. No one will recognize it here anyway.”
“Trying to be one of them is useless.”
“I don’t belong.”
I don’t want to give the false impression that all immigrants everywhere always have this script in their heads, but I would guess that it’s a precious few who have never once dipped their toe in this pool. The truth is that we don’t belong, not right away, at least. It’s something we have to work very hard to achieve and we often feel that if we don’t put away certain elements of our native culture, we will never crack the code to being fully accepted in the new culture. Unfortunately, putting away elements of ourselves is never healthy.
As for Huntrix hunting their demons, we get to watch Rumi struggle with her identity and situation. We see her change her perspective on demons and choose to do the hard thing. Did you notice who didn’t do the hard thing? Rumi’s bandmates, mother figure, manager. They were all happy to continue on as previously. In the end, Rumi’s demon patterns do not change her commitment to strengthening the Honmoon and being her full self in the space she inhabits actually adds to her ability and to the group as a whole. Huntrix wins.
I think we can make two really important parallels between Rumi’s and the immigrant experience. Firstly, we immigrants are not at our best if we have to put away elements of ourselves. I want to make an important distinction here: I am not advocating for immigrants to simply carry on as they would have at home. I understand we need to adapt. I am advocating for grace for us while we learn the rules of our new homes, an open discussion about what is accepted and expected and maybe even interest in how or why we do as we do. (Personally some of my favorite conversations are when non-Americans ask me to explain Americans’ view on guns, health insurance, etc. It means I get to take their idea of us from a caricature to a more full picture.) Just as Rumi chose the hard work of returning to her bandmates, immigrants, with amazing resilience, ingenuity and flexibility, choose the hard work every day of showing up in a society not made for us.
The second parallel I would like to draw is about Rumi’s focus when she returns to the band. Despite her newfound acceptance of her demon roots, her focus on protecting and strengthening the Honmoon remains steadfast. This is what her bandmates realize when they hear her sing “What It Sounds Like”. They understand that she is still who they have always known her to be, she is still committed to their cause, she still cares about them, she still fights by their side. If we take the time to have conversations and share experiences with each other, we will get to know each other. Then, when differences pop up – cultural or otherwise – we should be able to look at each other and still recognize the person we know and understand that we are still united by whatever else drew us together in the first place. At the very least, this will be a wish for the country we both live in to thrive in safety, wealth and opportunity. I personally do not know any immigrant who wants other than that for their new country. Why would we?
Immigrants will always be Other in some way, but we certainly can be united with natives in wanting the best for our country, our school, our company, our religious group, our sports club. The point is, there are plenty of ways to belong, most of them have nothing to do with national identity or national culture. Let’s focus on what we have in common and the goals we strive toward together.
This is What It Sounds Like.
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