ternaryflower53

[ternaryflower53]

pretty sure "your idol" and this shot specifically have permanently altered something in my brain chemistry

actual footage of me listening to this song on repeat for the past week:

[ternaryflower53]

the more i think about what the writers did with rumi/jinu the more insane i get because it's SO good

they're not lovers, they're foils for each other, they're two sides of the same coin

jinu was an ordinary boy who made a deal with a demon to become extraordinary, while rumi was extraordinary from birth due to her half human/half demon heritage and her mother's legacy as a hunter

jinu's shame is internal because his patterns were the result of his one desperate choice, while rumi's shame is external and taught to her by celine despite her patterns not being her choice at all

jinu becomes a demon because of his deal with gwi-ma, and it's gwi-ma who constantly reminds him that he'll never escape who he is, while rumi becomes a hunter and member of huntr/x because of celine, and it's celine who constantly reminds her to hide her patterns and who she really is

jinu doesn't see himself as anything other than a demon and wants to be free of his memories of his family, and thus his humanity, while rumi refuses to acknowledge the demon side of her and wants to be free of her patterns, and thus, a fundamental piece of her own heritage

their connection, then, is inevitable

jinu sees rumi, who is free of gwi-ma's voice in her ear, as the version of himself he'd do anything to be, but he also sees her as the living proof that demons are capable of being loved and can feel more than misery

rumi sees jinu, who steals souls and is bound to gwi-ma, as the version of herself that she's terrified to become if the patterns consume her, but she also sees in him the proof that demons aren't evil and mindless like she's been led to believe

with each other, they feel seen for the first time, and they can see the good in each other that they can't see in themselves, and it feels like they might be able to help each other, like they might be able to save each other, but in the end, they can't get past their individual traumas

jinu betrays rumi because he can't let go of his own shame, because he is so afraid of a future where his family's voices continue to echo in his head that he can't even imagine a different future with a girl who makes the voices go quiet

rumi walks right into jinu's trap because she's afraid of being rejected for who she really is, because she can't see the truth through her own fears

they let their worst instincts get the best of them and they failed each other, and despite singing about being free together, they ended up choosing their own familiar fears over the uncertainty that comes with freedom

the theme of freedom is a big part of their relationship - the freedom they feel to be themselves around each other, the freedom they are both trying to achieve by working together - and i see jinu's sacrifice as the culmination of their relationship, not the end of it

because freedom, to jinu, is freedom from his guilt and shame and pain, as well as the freedom to make his own choices

jinu's choice to sacrifice himself, to give his soul to rumi, is the first real choice he makes that isn't driven by desperation or fear but by love, it's the first real choice he makes to run towards something rather than away from something, and in choosing rumi, he is finally able to be free and at peace

rumi is the first person who looks at jinu and sees hope and not just a demon and jinu is the first person who knows the truth about rumi and says she's not a mistake, and they both believed in each other when they couldn't believe in themselves, they were only able to believe in themselves because they did it for each other first

no, they're not lovers, but the love was there

[ternaryflower53]

KPop Demon Hunters is a good movie because it has something for everybody:

-Famous girl group that's allowed to be good at what they do & still act silly

-Stylized animation that isn't scared to make characters ugly/isn't scared to show girls without makeup

-Queer undertones & generational trauma in one ("Why couldn't you love me?"/"All of me")

-Friendships are just as important as romance, if not more

-Enemies to lovers based on something more than the MC and antagonist finding each other attractive

-The girls have a relationship that can be interpreted however you want and nobody is wrong

-Songs that are still good outside of the plot's context

-Social commentary on the irl K-Pop industry, particularly how boy bands tend to have it easier than girl groups

[ternaryflower53]

one of my favorite tropes is when the villain has a pet that really likes the hero, so you can imagine my joy watching this movie

[ternaryflower53]

jinu being a 400 year old demon senior citizen originally from wayyyyy back in history should be played as a gag more often in fanworks or in a future continuation like. yes, he successfully studied up on modern kpop fandom culture, kpop songwriting, and kpop choreography for his plan. but he doesnt understand how QR codes work. he doesnt understand modern slang. he REFUSES to get a cellphone and ONLY sends handwritten missives via tiger.

rumi: GOD you're old

[ternaryflower53]

rujinu !!!

[ternaryflower53]

kpop demon hunters from the perspective of the fans is so fucking funny because what do you mean the biggest kpop girl group in korea is beefing with and wrote a devastating diss track about a brand new boy band that debuted like 4 weeks ago and only has one song out

[ternaryflower53]

Take my soul

my insta

[ternaryflower53]

hits them with a poly beam

[ternaryflower53]

I really love their "doomed demon couple" moment

[ternaryflower53]

What if?

Jinu's salvation

[ternaryflower53]

fuck it, yurifies your huntrix

[ternaryflower53]

you gave me your heart, now I'm here for your soul

[ternaryflower53]

another thing that KPDH gets right is that they have a chubby male character who is not the butt of fatphobic jokes.

in any other movie, a character like Bobby would be the comic relief — the bumbling, incompetent fat character who probably eats too much and is constantly made fun of.

but the writers of this movie treat him like any other character. he's funny but he's not pushed into the role of comic relief. in fact, all of the characters in this movie have their own funny moments, there is no comic relief.

he is also competent enough as the manager of Huntrix. of course he doesn't know that they're demon hunters, but he handles everything else well, even defending Rumi from the fans when she was having issues with her voice.

there are no comments made about his body and no mean-spirited jokes made at his expense. in fact, the girls are very fond of him and look up to him, to the point where Zoey and Mira ditch their show to save him when they thought he was being attacked by demons.

Bobby also has a traditionally feminine side without, again, being made fun of or infantilized for it. he wears pink face masks and dressing gowns, he matches outfits with his girl group, he dances to trendy boy band songs, but none of it is exaggerated or played for laughs. and he's not given the Gay Best Friend™ treatment either or paraded around like a purse dog.

and while his character isn't too deeply explored, he has his own issues. he cares so deeply about Huntrix and Gwi-Ma is able to convince him that he was the reason they broke up.

a lot of movies don't know when to tone down the comedic characters and has them being goofy and annoying during a serious moment (*cough* the hunchback of notre dame with the fucking gargoyles *cough*) so i'm glad this movie gave Bobby some depth and had him deal with his own insecurities during the third act.

[ternaryflower53]

[ternaryflower53]

sleepy kitty and hat thief

[ternaryflower53]

Girlie pop was a visionary