One of the fun parts of being a children’s book editor is that I need to be familiar with youth media. In other words, watching kids movies is part of my job. And if you’re writing for children, I’d recommend considering it part of yours, too.
So if you haven’t yet watched Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, let this be your sign; after all, your readers have probably been singing along to the soundtrack for months. Not only has the soundtrack gone platinum, KPop Demon Hunters is the most-watched original title in Netflix history. Another sign of its popularity with kids: costumes inspired by the movie’s characters occupy six of the top ten spots in Google’s rankings (I can attest to this from my own neighborhood Halloween research!).
There are many reasons KPop Demon Hunters has been such a success: the movie offers an authentic celebration of Korean culture, features dynamic animation, and has a chart-topping soundtrack, just to name a few. But underpinning all of this is one key element: great writing. Both the script and the song lyrics display great writing on every level. This is especially clear when it comes to character development.
So what makes the writing and characters great? Let’s dive in! (And just in case you haven’t watched the movie yet, the below is spoiler-free.)
Like a cake, stakes are better with layers
(Cue Donkey from Shrek: “CAKE! Everybody loves cake! Cakes have layers!”)
At first glance, Rumi, Mira, and Zoey—the titular characters in KPop Demon Hunters—have a goal that’s familiar to anyone who’s ever watched a superhero movie: stop evil, save the world. And like many superheroes, they struggle with the immense weight of this responsibility and the tireless work required to live up to their calling. Rumi, Mira, and Zoey’s ultimate goal is to create the Golden Honmoon in order to permanently protect humanity, and the movie opens when they feel that this goal is finally in reach.
However, viewers quickly learn that Rumi’s true motivations are much more complex. Rumi believes that the Golden Honmoon is the only way to permanently banish a side of herself that she’s been taught to hide. Keeping this secret from a young age has resulted in a deep sense of shame; Rumi fears that if that if her true self is revealed, she will be rejected by everyone—even her closest friends. Intricately linking the exterior stakes (saving the world) to the interior stakes (saving herself) humanizes Rumi’s quest, clarifies what she personally has to lose, and allows viewers to become emotionally invested in the outcome.
Rumi’s problems continue to accumulate
As described above, KPop Demon Hunters opens by giving Rumi a clear set of goals, motivations, and challenges. However, while some movies feature a main character trying and failing to reach a static initial goal until they ultimately succeed, Rumi’s problems continue to build—she begins to lose her voice, meets an unexpected new opponent, and faces renewed questions from Mira and Zoey as she tries to keep her secret.
As these challenges increase, so does Rumi’s desperation—viewers see how Rumi’s fear leads her to make mistakes, and how her attempts to keep her secret only further distance her from the very people who want to help her. Despite her good intentions, Rumi’s choices lead her further and further away from the confidence, purpose, and sense of belonging she felt at the start of the movie. This leads to the next section…
Rumi’s proactive choices drive her character arc
While KPop Demon Hunters features a large cast of characters with their own goals, motivations, and challenges, Rumi’s character arc is primarily driven by her decisions—not by fate, supernatural forces, or another character’s choices. Rumi’s problems begin when she rushes to release the song “Golden” to try to create the Golden Honmoon, without consulting Mira and Zoey or taking the time to recover her strength. This choice—and the fear that prompted it—causes Rumi to begin losing her singing voice, which leads to concerned questions from Mira and Zoey. Rumi has the chance to tell her friends the truth, but she instead doubles down and begins making a separate, secret plan in an attempt to fix everything. Turning away from her friends further isolates Rumi and causes division among the trio, which ultimately weakens the Honmoon instead of strengthening it.
Of course, Rumi isn’t the only character with a strong arc; characters like Jinu, Mira, and Zoey have similarly strong individual storylines that explore themes of identity, shame, forgiveness, and love (Jinu’s arc in particular has many similarities to Rumi’s).
I’d love to hear your own writing takeaways from KPop Demon Hunters!
Your Editor Friend,
Julie
P.S. If you found this post helpful, you may want to take a look at some of my other posts on character development.