KPop Demon Hunters

My daughter has, for the past few weeks, been raving about a show she watched (multiple times), called "K-Pop Demon Hunters"

Yesterday she conned me into watching it with her and her friends (It was very nice of her friends to let the old guy hang out with them.)

I have to say, I am very impressed with the writers. It was one of the better shows I have watched in quite some time. It had several very profound messages, and some very catchy and emotive songs.

On the whole, it is a battle between good and evil story.

The two Key Characters, Rumi and DuJin, portray two fundamental archetypes - One, the soul broken by their choices (sin), the other, the soul broken from birth (i.e. the "sins of the fathers", or perhaps a physical or mental disability). 

In both cases, the adversary's method is identical, he uses shame to convince them that they are defined by what they've done, or by this one characteristic. He convinces them they can never change, never be forgiven, never be more than their very worst moment. 

For DuJin - the sinner, the hero's journey is facilitated by two individuals in particular, who help him to see the good in him, the potential he has within. It culminates in him taking responsibility for his mistake, and sacrificing himself to save another. In doing so, he finds peace, redemption.

Rumi's story has some similarities. Her broken state was not her doing, it was a curse from birth. Something she desperately tried to hide, to find a way to remove. Her victory came as she acknowledged her flaws and scars. She didn't make them her identity, didn't wallow in victim-hood. She accepted them as part of her whole story and, through resilience, and the support of friends, re-made them into strengths.

Along the way, Rumi's journey surfaced another profound truth. As she worked her way through her own struggles, she became aware of the complex nature of the world in which she lived. People were no longer necessarily Good, or Evil, rather they were a mix of the two. And some who she before saw as despicable demons, became souls worth saving.

Another truth her story surfaced was that hate could not be used to drive out hate, that darkness couldn't not be fought with darkness.

These profound spiritual truths were told in a fun, quirky, somewhat campy way, with catchy tunes and silly animations. Subtle, but unmistakable.

And as the final conflict comes to a head, our heroines bring their journey to resolution with the following words in song

"Nothing but the truth now
Nothing but the proof of what I am
The worst of what I came from, patterns I'm ashamed of
Things that even I don't understand
I tried to fix it, I tried to fight it
My head was twisted, my heart divided
My lies all collided
I don't know why I didn't trust you to be on my side
 
I broke into a million pieces, and I can't go back
But now I'm seeing all the beauty in the broken glass
The scars are part of me, darkness and harmony
My voice without the lies, this is what it sounds like...
 
We're shattering the silence, we're rising defiant
Shouting in the quiet, you're not alone
We listened to the demons, we let them get between us
But none of us are out here on our own
So, we were cowards, so, we were liars
So, we're not heroes, we're still survivors
The dreamers, the fighters, no lying, I'm tired
But dive in the fire and I'll be right here by your side..."

A bold and brilliant anthem to the power of truth, trust, grace, redemption, of accepting people with all of their scars and messiness, setting aside guilt and shame, and lifting one another to greater heights.

The show is inspiring, uplifting, full of positive messaging with powerful music. Definitely worth a watch or three. I am grateful to my daughter and her friends for introducing me to this masterpiece.