Nothing but the truth now – a powerful number of Dragon Con Hunters and Prides showed up to help in sealing the Honmoon; so many that when it came time for the KPop Demon Hunters Fan Panel and Sing-Along in Hilton Galleria on Sunday at 5:30PM, a last-minute room change was needed to accommodate attendees and there was still not enough space to get everyone in.
If you haven’t checked out KPop Demon Hunters yet, find your way to your “Couch. Couch. Couch.” and WATCH. IT. NOW. The movie is a super digestible story of the power of relationships, finding confidence in yourself, and female empowerment, plus the songs are just so refreshing. You will laugh, sing, dance, cry, and feel all the feels.
The panel started with a shout-out of the amazing success KPop Demon Hunters has attained in the short time since its release. Some of the most notable being: number 1 on music streaming, reaching higher on the charts than real life KPop groups, biggest movie in Netflix history, number one at the box office, and four simultaneous top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 list. Ejae, singing voice for Huntr/x’s Rumi, also finally got her incredibly well-deserved break out moment as an idol after working for years as a trainee in the industry.
So how did KPop Demon Hunters find this success? Can I get the mic a little higher? Because beyond the strong and relatable story, the music is just good. The music directors of this movie placed heavy focus on making songs that could be released in real life and it shows. Every song is a hit (literally). They made both groups of the movie, Huntr/x and Saja Boys, able to stand against real life idol groups with both their songs and their choreography; like with real life groups, it’s easy for fans to connect to the music since they are still able to learn the choreo despite the characters being animated.
Next, we found out who the group favorites/biases are – would it be a pop culture discussion if we didn’t? Voted on by way of cheering, favorite idol went to Zoey, favorite companion went to Derpy (with an honorable mention to Bobby), and least favorite villain full-heartedly went to Celine.
A hearty dialogue was then had about why Celine counted as a villain (though it didn’t sound like anyone in the crowd was questioning Celine’s inclusion in the running to begin with). Passionate arguments were made for how immoral the way she raised Rumi was – because really, who tells a kid they have to hide who they are or the people they love most will kill them?
After few trivia questions, it was finally time for attendees to band together to seal the Honmoon. The singalong followed movie order and started with “How It’s Done,” followed by “Golden,” “Soda Pop,” “Takedown,” “Your Idol,” and concluded with “What It Sounds Like.” Attendees sang their hearts out and successfully sealed the Honmoon for this generation.
Again, if you haven’t seen the movie yet, just watch it. There is a reason why it’s as popular as it is, and you will no doubt be joining an incredibly passionate group of Hunters and The Pride. Beat your face, make it cute and savage, and let this movie be your sanctuary. We’re gonna be, gonna be golden.
