The Feral Fandoms Podcast
Why do some stories explode into global fandoms while others fade away? What makes readers ship characters, obsess over merch, and turn books into cult phenomena?
The Feral Fandoms Podcast dives deep into fandom culture — from Twilight to K-pop, Supernatural to BL dramas — to uncover the psychology, rituals, and chaos that fuel obsession. Hosted by author and cult-brand strategist Onley James and cohost Shannon Ezzell, each episode blends pop culture analysis, fandom breakdowns, and witchy insights with practical takeaways for writers and creators.
If you’re a burned-out author, indie creator, or fandom fan who wants to stop hustling and start building a devoted audience, this podcast is your initiation. Expect ship wars, fandom lore, marketing secrets, and unfiltered chaos, plus the tools to turn your work into a world fans can’t quit.
Because readers buy books. But fandoms buy everything.
The Feral Fandoms Podcast
K-pop's Hidden Magic Transforms Fans into Devoted Followers
Step into the electrifying world of K-pop Demon Hunters with us as we unpack Netflix's record-breaking animated phenomenon that's captivated audiences worldwide. This surprising hit has maintained its #1 position longer than any other Netflix offering – and for good reason.
We explore why this film resonates so deeply across generations, delving into how it perfectly captures the all-consuming nature of fandom culture. The brilliant soundtrack featuring earworms like "Golden" and "This Is What It Sounds Like" doesn't just complement the story – it drives it, creating emotional connections that have viewers (including our own families) completely hooked after just one watch.
The genius of K-pop Demon Hunters lies in its layered storytelling. On the surface, it's a vibrant, music-filled adventure, but dig deeper and you'll find clever commentary on the parasocial relationships between fans and their idols. We share fascinating behind-the-scenes insights about the seven-year production journey, deleted scenes fans are clamoring to see, and the meticulous animation details you might have missed.
What makes this film truly special is how it breaks boundaries, appealing to viewers regardless of age or gender. From Easter eggs that reward multiple viewings to the authentic representation of Korean culture, K-pop Demon Hunters demonstrates the universal power of thoughtful storytelling and cultural authenticity. Whether you're already obsessed or curious about the hype, our passionate breakdown will have you reaching for the remote to experience this phenomenon for yourself.
Want the uncut chaos + bonus episodes? Join us inside the cult at Patreon.com/TheBurnedOutMuse. Or find everything else (Discord, socials, freebies) at linktr.ee/theburnedoutmuse.
Hey everybody, welcome to episode two of the Feral Phandoms Podcast. And today we will be talking about K-pop demon hunters. Who are you? I'm only James, uh romance author, fandom architect, teacher, and I'm here with Shannon Isell, who is her PA.
SPEAKER_01:And among other things, wife, mother. Not my wife. She's my niece. It's illegal, unfortunately.
SPEAKER_00:We're never escaping those allegations. I'm the one that started them. We do not live. I'm not gonna say it. I'm not gonna say it. What if we have listeners in that state? That would be rude. Not gonna make any incense. All right. So we are talking about K-pop demon hunters today, which is something that I am currently obsessed with. It's even my screen on my phone. Oh my god. I have the whole You and Harper need to get together. I love this movie. It is my comfort movie now. I go to it all the time. And I love watching other people discover it. Like I watch reactors reacting to it just so I can watch people get excited about it.
SPEAKER_01:It's another thing I like about it is that Netflix did not expect it to go off the way that it did. And I think that they underestimated one, how great the music was, and two, how big K-pop is. And even in my house, nobody knew K-pop anything. And in fact, I didn't like the name of it, K-pop Demon Hunters. Not because not because I care about demons. I was like, oh, it sounds kind of dumb. But then we played it and then we've never stopped. Never locked in.
SPEAKER_00:She was like, this is my whole personality now.
SPEAKER_01:She does princesses, she doesn't do any of that, but she locked in on Demon Hunters day one, song one, right out of the gate.
SPEAKER_00:I wasn't gonna watch it because you know me and my pathological demand avoidance. I'm like, if everybody likes it, I don't want any part of it. Which is weird because I am such a fandom nerd, but I have to fall into the fandom accidentally and then make it my whole life. But yeah, you have to do it independently. Yeah. It needs to creep in a little bit. So yeah, I only watched it because one of the reactors I subscribed to on Patreon decided they were gonna do it as like a bonus. And I was like, eh, whatever. They're watching it, I might as well. It was like Friday night or something, and as every Friday night, I was doing literally nothing except vegetating in my bed. And so I was like, eh, whatever, I'll watch it. Two minutes in, I was rolling, I was laughing so fucking hard because the comedic timing in that movie is fantastic. It is so good. I was impressed. I guess I wasn't expecting it to be good. You know what I mean? I was expecting it to be alright. I was expecting it to be okay, and I'm a K-pop junkie, so I was like, the music better not suck. If it sucks, it's not gonna be good. And then the music keyed up for that first song, and I'm yeah, no, this doesn't suck, you know. Yeah, that shit gets me pumped now. All I have to do is hear one note from a song, and I'm just like, ooh.
SPEAKER_01:Is the note what is it? She likes golden, and then the other one is what's it called? Oh my god, I this is what it's what it sounds like. This is what it sounds like.
SPEAKER_00:That's her number one. Golden, and this is what it sounds like, will literally bring me to tears. I do not know what it is in that music that there are certain lines that immediately hit some weird note inside of me that all of a sudden I'm like, like, I can't even sing it in the car without getting choked up. And that doesn't happen to me. I am dead inside.
SPEAKER_01:Like I am listening to it, like in her little four-year-old voice, like when she's on the swings, too. Yeah, it's so cute. She's cute. So cute. Yeah, she has a problem with Sajaboys, and so Lincoln, my son, always wants to listen to my idol. Yeah, yeah. She's she said those are the ops, ops for life. Okay. So gotta love her mansion. Well, she's an Aquarius, man. She keeps that shit for life. Yeah. So he wants to listen to My Idol or at Soda Pop, and uh, she's like, uh no, only Hun Tricks.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:My idol is such a great song, though. It's a bop. It's such a song. For sure. My soul so quickly. Well, the best part of My Idol is when you listen to the lyrics, it's a metaphor, it's a double because you're not only talking about demons stealing souls, you're talking about what happens when you get into a K-pop fandom. People fall down these K-pop rabbit holes where they will vehemently defend their idols like they are their children, like they are their husbands. They will go to the fucking mat for these guys, and they'll just be like, How dare you besmirch the name of my idol? And even when they get arrested when they get caught doing something really bad, there's still these apologizers who are just like, no, you don't understand. It's weird. It's a parasocial relationship, essentially. And K-pop does it better than anybody else because they mastered the art of making people feel like they know the idol because their idols can talk to them on bubble, their idols can talk to them on fans, and they have this neat little feature where it will say y slash n, which stands for your name. So it knows the software knows your name. So all the idol has to do is type in y slash n. And now it looks like he's talking directly to you. And especially for younger girls, kids. Yeah. It would get me. And well, Chris, dude, if Mikaila had bubble and she thought Chris was talking directly to her, both her spouses would be long gone. Long gone. Because she is obsessed with Bang Chan from straight kids. Like she's like, that's my husband. And you know what? He's everybody's husband. He literally says, I'm Stay's husband. Stay is the fandom name. And they do it on purpose. And but I'll talk about it more when we actually break down the actual K-pop fandom.
SPEAKER_01:Well, just bring it back to the something that you did that I think is similar is sometimes only a host uh question and answers on her Patreon with her characters. So people will submit questions and then Martina answers as if she well, she is the character, I guess, because they exist in her brain. And I think that's one of their favorite things that you do.
SPEAKER_00:And it's so funny. Little disclaimer, you will hear her refer to me as Martina, which is my real name. You'll hear her refer to me as Onlya, which is my pen name. And sometimes you'll hear her refer to me as Nin, which is just some weird shit my family calls me. So all of those people are B. So don't get me.
SPEAKER_01:I've been stan, I've been standing her since I was born.
SPEAKER_00:Since you were born. Yes, that's right.
SPEAKER_01:Actually, you were Ox for a little while.
SPEAKER_00:No, yeah, we were Ox for a little while.
SPEAKER_01:There was there was a time when we would fight over literally anything. Only 11 years apart, so it's more of a sisterly relationship than an aunt niece.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. We've never been maternal. Something we should talk about on the Patreon as an extra. We could talk about it. All the times we almost came to blows over dumb shit.
SPEAKER_01:Oh my god. I was a very bad teenager.
SPEAKER_00:Ugh. And I'm still a teenager. I never grew up. But it's funny though, because it's weird to like I when I'm writing, I'm in such deep POV. Like I put myself in the character shoes. But like when people ask me questions and I answer as the character, I always feel a little silly. I don't know why, but I always feel like it's just like a They love it. Yeah. And I mean They love it. But it's a great way to get your readers to feel more like they're actual people that live in the world. I talk about my characters like they're people who exist in the world. That's part of the reason I have Inspo board some Pinterest, because it makes people feel like they're actual real people. And like I said, that's how that's why K-pop is so popular, because they make everybody feel special and seen and like they're accessible. I think that's part of the reason K-pop demon hunters is so popular, because everybody can kind of see themselves in Rumi. I think like everybody feels like they've been that outsider. And especially in the queer community, it was such a metaphor because her aunt is literally telling her, No, I love you, but you cannot, under any circumstances, be yourself. Like, no, I'm fine with you the way you are, but nobody else is gonna be. So you need to just act like everything's fine, act like this, act like that. I think it was intentional. I think so too.
SPEAKER_01:I took it to a queer space as well. It could be anything, it could be different.
SPEAKER_00:I could be reading into it, but there were a lot of bisexual representation colors in there. The color saturation in that movie was beautiful, the graphics in that music just the way they managed to make concerts and everything look so crisp, and there was no blurring.
SPEAKER_01:The cat when he's trying to stand up the stand up the plant. My favorite line, and this is such a mini line, is when she says, Why is a hat? And he goes, I made it for the tiger, but the bird keeps taking it. And just the way he delivered the line was so crisp.
SPEAKER_00:Apparently, that was not in the original script.
SPEAKER_01:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, like I just look out a lot.
SPEAKER_01:They did cut out a lot. Netflix. They're already making a two. I want the original three-hour movies. Me too. I'll take it. Yeah, there's a kissing scene at an aquarium, apparently, that we don't know about. That's horrible. That's like there I get all my news from TikTok.
SPEAKER_00:Don't they fact check me? Not to come back to the fandom thing, but there's like in one of the stray kids' early, early two kids' rooms, there's a very strange scene between Han and Lino where Han is like very close to Lino's face, and then all of a sudden it very abruptly cuts, and then it comes back, and like all of a sudden, Lino's really mad at Han. And everybody thinks that Han kissed him as a joke. But like people would literally kill for that footage. They would kill for that footage to know what happened in that two minutes. And that's what it reminds me of. Like, because people would very much kill for that. That it's the footage that you never see that you're just like, what happened? But apparently it wasn't even supposed to be a K-pop movie. Yeah. It wasn't supposed to be about K-pop. Maggie King, who's the creator along with her husband, she apparently wasn't going to make it K-pop focused. They were gonna be more like Buffy the Vampire Slayer kind of thing, where they were like a group of just random people coming together as demon hunters. Demon hunters, okay. Yeah. And she wanted to make it more focused on Korean culture. But then I guess at some point she decided to bring K-pop into it. And she said that they recorded all of the songs with no scenes in mind. They just recorded the songs first and then came back. Okay. Yeah, which is really crazy. It totally worked. It worked. But I'm such a linear thinker that it would be very hard for me to go back and be like, okay, well, these are the songs and these are where we have to place them, you know. But maybe they hadn't even written the script yet. Maybe it was easy. Maybe they had like these guidelines, like their little markers, you know.
SPEAKER_01:They had to have a general idea of what was gonna be happening in the right music. It took seven years to make it. That's why I'm worried about the second one. They're gonna bang out that second one, and it won't be as good.
SPEAKER_00:But that's what happens. They don't expect season one to do well, season one does well, and then they just knock out some garbage just to keep the momentum going, and then you're like, what the fuck is this? This is games. Oh my god. We're gonna get into Game of Thrones too. That is also on our list of season one breakdowns. And oh it's gonna be.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, hopefully he's in good health. I really hope you think that he's gonna. It's we're all just gonna have to make up our own endings.
SPEAKER_00:I honestly don't even care what happens. He killed off enough people that I was cares. Everybody I loved is dead. It's fine. Jon Snow? No, I didn't really care about him. Honestly, after they killed off Jason Momoa, I was kind of that's actually when I discovered him.
SPEAKER_01:I think that's when everyone discovered him.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I remember I was in nursing school when Game of Thrones started, and Melissa called me and she's like, why don't you come over and hang out? We'll get dinner or whatever. I have something I want to show you.
SPEAKER_01:And I was like, Jason Mamoa.
SPEAKER_00:And it was literally just see episode one of Game of Thrones. It was just Jason Momoa on screen, and I was in. I was like, Yeah, shit, sign me up. For you telling me about it and then obsessed. Yeah, the most genius thing about Game of Thrones is that they bring the White Walkers in on episode one and then they don't talk about them again for nine episodes. Yes. You forget about it.
SPEAKER_01:Forget about it. Pushing people out with it. Yeah, your main character gets murdered. I love the memes. Hey guys, remember when we thought Ned Stark was the main character of Game of Thrones? Oh my god, Stark. Thinking about Sansa getting reunited with Jon Snow, like they're real people, as if they are real people. Um none of the Stark children reuniting. And nothing good ever happening to them. Nothing. Nothing good happens. My favorite scenes are probably Arya, but when she kills all the from the red wedding, those people anytime Daenerys says Dracaras and then she just sets a bunch of people on fire, it really just soothes something in my soul. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:K-pop demon hunters. K-pop demon hunters, that's what we're here to talk about.
SPEAKER_01:I will say that. Well, they need more merch. I'll tell you that they are fucking up on their merch stuff. I need legitimate dolls. So far, there's only generic ones because before Christmas gets here, they need to step up their game. Netflix, dial in. I don't okay, we we get it. The shirts, fine. Yeah, we've got the shirt, we've got the blanket. I need legitimate. I want pop funcos.
SPEAKER_00:Do we have pop funko's yet? I don't know if we're gonna be able to do that.
SPEAKER_01:We're looking for more kid stuff.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, but I personally have somebody to collect.
SPEAKER_01:I want the pop funcos. Yeah, there's pop funcos of your characters.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, yes, that I know.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, you do.
SPEAKER_00:I don't know much, but that I know. I will simple for purchase. My favorite part of K-pop Demon Hunters is when Gino goes to Guima and he just says that he's basically gonna make a demon boy band. And he's like, Do you really think that'll work? And they just the music starts and everything goes into slow motion, and then the two demons are like, oh yeah, yeah, no, that'll definitely work.
SPEAKER_01:Definitely work. And I love how their real voice actors look like these motherfucking characters. It was crazy. Looks like Mira. So And did you see she wore the the bag dress? No. If you look her, she wore it in person. It looked so good on her, but she wore it to some Netflix, I don't know, some award thing. And she wore it just like in the movie. So crazy. They're playing into it.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, into it. As they should. I was surprised when I heard Arden Show was in it, because I haven't heard her name since Teen Wolf, you know, because they did her real dirty in Teen Wolf. When I never watched it. Well, we're getting into that one too, so I'm gonna give you all kinds of tea about Teen Wolf. Very cliffs notes version of this is she was in season, I want to say four and five of Teen Wolf. And then Teen Wolf screwed the pooch. They ended up getting canceled at some point. I think it's season six, but they came back and did a movie, and they wanted her to be in the movie, but they wanted to pay her way less than everybody else. And so she basically told them to get bent and she wasn't.
SPEAKER_01:And who is she in K-pop Demon Hunter the adopted mom lady? No, she's Room.
SPEAKER_00:She's Roomy. Yeah, she's the voice actress for Roomy.
SPEAKER_01:Wait. Isn't Dean Wolf an old show? Isn't Dean Wolf a super old show?
SPEAKER_00:No.
unknown:Oh.
SPEAKER_00:2011-ish? 12? How old is this?
SPEAKER_01:She's probably in her 30s. I'm gonna kill myself.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, I will be fact-checking on air. I don't want to get it.
SPEAKER_01:Somebody has to fact check live fact-check.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:We're not the government. We want to be crazy.
SPEAKER_00:We just make shit up.
SPEAKER_01:She's fucking 40.
SPEAKER_00:She is 40 years old. I literally thought she was 22.
SPEAKER_01:It's yeah. You know what? Being white isn't all it's cracked up to be. I'll tell you what. I'm sick of it. I'm over it.
SPEAKER_00:I will tell you. And this is definitely probably not gonna make the main podcast, but when I went to the mall, I was the biggest sucker. Because I don't know if you've been to the Concord Mills mall, but it's yeah, it's one of those malls where people yell at you because they're wanting you to buy shit. But I haven't been to a mall in 10 years. So everybody was like, Oh my god, I love your tattoos. Oh my god, I love your hair. And I was like, Huh? You know me, because I can barely hear as it is. Like I'm old and I'm deaf. And so, like, as soon as I make eye contact, obviously they're like, ha, I got you, bitch. Let me straighten your hair. Right. And so this girl calls me over to her because she wants to give me a sample and she's doing skincare, right? And she's I swear to God, she looks at me and she goes, What are you doing for those lines under your eyes? I have like 20 step step skincare routine, but fuck you. And then one girl goes, How old are you? And I was like, I'm about to be 49. And she was like, Oh. She's like, Girl, I thought you were in your 30s. And I was like, Yeah, I don't need your skin. But I did sell them my books. They tried to sell me$600 worth of skincare, and I sold them my gay romances.
SPEAKER_01:One thing about only, I'm trying to remember to use that name, is anytime she spends money somewhere, she's also selling them the books.
SPEAKER_00:Listen, I gotta justify my shopping addiction. I gotta, I got another Necessary Evils hardcover bundle alternative. Yeah, that's coming soon. I haven't I haven't told anybody. I'll tell you guys right now. Oh, and then I'll tell everybody that I have a special announcement in episode two, so they have to listen. But we are doing artist editions of Necessary Evils that are already, all the artwork is already done. And it's gonna be foil, slip cases, it's gonna have all of the sprayed edges and everything. It's gonna be gorgeous, and it's with an artist that everybody has been begging me to do a collab with, so that's coming soon. But I haven't told anybody, I haven't told anybody, not until we get the unhinged boxes, and those would be always available, so not limited edition, just alternate. Yeah, because people get big mad when they're not always available.
SPEAKER_01:But the limited edition is what it is special edition, spite of the colour. Special edition limited edition covers people get confused between alternate deluxe. Deluxe usually is always available, but special edition. Special edition. Yeah, I'm not I'm not doing it again.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, no, Shannon's putting her foot down. But I will say, like, that's part of the beauty of like having readers that are as addicted as they are, is they get that feeling of, well, now I have to buy it. And I tell people it's not poker. Ask for it. You don't have to collect them all, you know. Buy the ones that speak to you and you're just, oh, that cover's beautiful or whatever. Because I do collabs with book boxes and stuff like that. And I think that once you've managed to hook your readers to the point where all of your characters are just like super important to them, then they'll buy everything. Look at, like I said, K-pop demon hunters. You're mad that they're not selling you more shit. Like I need more shit to buy. Yeah. Give me more shit to buy.
SPEAKER_01:The readers ask for this stuff. It's never a cash grab, really, because let's say we were a little bit late putting out the Halloween standees or putting them up for sale. You know what I mean? Not even shipping them. And people were like, hey, is there gonna be because they want to see what character is it? You know, or what couple is it gonna be, because she's just different couples every year, and they look forward to that stuff and they decorate their setups. And if you go into the her Facebook uh reader group, they have some really cool setups, all for Necessary Evils, and then that leads into them getting her other books that they wouldn't have read. You know, her crack is the any, that's the bread and butter, and then they read everything after that.
SPEAKER_00:Necessary Evils is definitely the series that grabs the gateway drug, even though it's not the first series in the books that I did that kind of were just meh, like as far as readership, like good reviews, but not any kind of rabid fan base. Those books really should be read first, but they don't have to be. But all of my books are linked to each other. So if you want the whole experience, you've got to buy all of the books. And that's not an accident, that's just marketing. And that's the other thing we get into a lot in the course is just how to maximize your merchandising, how to maximize your marketing. And I steal a lot of that from K-pop. And you know who else steals from K-pop a lot? Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift has gotten some of her best ideas from like the way K-pop markets their stuff. Her Easter eggs, her little secret, like Easter, she's been Easter egging since she's gonna be. I mean, K-pop's been Easter egging for 40 years. But the Swifties.
SPEAKER_01:Well, no, they do for my personal life.
SPEAKER_00:But also the conspiracy theories are out of control. It's genius because everybody's always talking about her. Everybody's always talking. And if they're talking to nobody, we are doing a whole podcast on her. Don't worry. Okay, if there's a fandom, we're breaking it down.
SPEAKER_01:That's I like to think of myself as a normal Swifty, though. Yeah, but I'm very parosocial.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, you're definitely not the typical Swifty that I've run into. There's been a couple that's crazy. Yeah. Yeah. You gotta watch what you say around some people because again, they will defend her with their lives. They're just how dare you talk about it.
SPEAKER_01:I don't want to hear anything negative about her, or Travis Kelsey, or his brother, or his sister-in-law. Why do I know about the whole Kelsey family? I just do now. I know the the kids' names of his brother. I know Travis Kelsey. I think his brother's name is Jason, right? Jason Travis, and then Kylie is the wife of that one, and then they have Wyatt.
SPEAKER_00:I only know Jason Kelsey because he threw a phone at that dude who called his brother a slurrer.
SPEAKER_01:And I was like, He took his phone. I think I suck my phone back and he goes, It's my phone now.
SPEAKER_00:He's my favorite. Like, oh my god, that man is stunning. He's big. My type big boy. Give me a well, and that's the beard with K-pop. I always say I love Han. He's my bias. I absolutely love everything about him. He's such a dork, but also he is Zoe. If you told me that they used Han as the inspo for Zoe, I would believe it. Because he is a demon on stage. When he's rapping, it's crazy. But when he is not rapping, he is so baby girl, he is so clumsy, he is so goofy all the time. And it's just, I love him for that.
SPEAKER_01:I love how different they made each personality too. When the movie first came out, Harper wanted to be Mira. But then after she watched the movie 10 times, she's never wanted to be Roomy, which I thought was interesting. Interesting. She wanted to be Mira Zoe. First it was Mira. That was Mira for a while. She switched to Zoe, and that's who she I don't know. I love her. She wrote something resonates. Yeah, something resonates, I think, for each of those two characters.
SPEAKER_00:I get Mira because Harper's tough. Harper's not letting anybody talk shit. Harper, she'll shut that shit down. She's four. She says, absolutely not. But it's funny that she wants to be Zoe, because Zoe is kind of goofy and you know, quirky, carries around her little notebooks. I love Han, but if I was to pick somebody to date out of stray kids, my type, it would probably be like Chongbin. He's buff. He's beefy, you know. He never wants to show his abs because he says he is he's fat, which he's so not. But even if he was, it wouldn't matter because he's got those big arms and that perfect chest. You know, you've seen the guys I date. They always have perfect arms. They look like they can beat somebody's ass, but they're never really skinny. He likes a big boy, a big dog.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Scary dog. I need somebody to defend me. She likes a scary dog. I do.
SPEAKER_00:I used to anyway.
SPEAKER_01:I apparently. Yeah. It's my only requirement, apparently. Yeah, you really did go for you.
SPEAKER_00:Every single one. Alex is good looking, though. He's a good-looking guy. And he looks like he could kick somebody's ass. Tony wasn't bad. Oh, sorry. We're very good.
SPEAKER_01:We're literally just having a FaceTime call right now. Almost turned my microphone off again.
SPEAKER_00:Once upon a time, we used to record in an actual podcasting studio, like professionals, but our lives are too busy for that. Oh, I'm doing it from my office, she's doing it from her office, and we're just hoping for the best.
SPEAKER_01:So I thought two kids in school and not home with me would create more time for myself. It's not been the case at all. I'm just dropping people off and picking people up places. He does music lessons and a job.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Readers. I think there's something wrong with my email, by the way, because that's it literally impossible because it's 12 o'clock. I would love to think that I'm that up to date and they don't need anything from me, but there's no fucking way.
SPEAKER_00:There's no way.
SPEAKER_01:There's just$13,000 in sales. There ain't no way I didn't fuck at least one of something up. Just kidding, guys. I'm very professional. Bye bye. Super professh. Super prof all the time.
SPEAKER_00:But yeah, so let me see what else I wanted to talk about. Yeah, it's crazy to me that it started out as a Buffy the Vampire Slayer thing because I can't share that at all. Also, they said that the song How It's Done was inspired by West Side's story.
SPEAKER_01:Okay. Right? See that? All right. Yeah. I like soda pop. It's an early thing. If you open up a can of soda and you're my daughter, she'll go soda pop. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:It's also kind of a dirty song. If you listen to if you were to read the lyrics of that song, you'd be like when there would be grown-up jokes inside movie kid movies, like old school Shrek. But people don't do that anymore because everyone's so K-pop Demon Hunters and Squid Game chose the same actor for the villain. I haven't watched Squid Games. Uh yeah, apparently the guy who voices Kima is also the actor or the villain in Squid Game.
SPEAKER_01:Which is another show that they didn't think was gonna pop off like it did.
SPEAKER_00:Squid Game has the coolest story behind it for how it came to be. Because if you want to talk about somebody who was an overnight success but it took 10 years, it's that guy. If we ever get to a point where we break down it's good row games, it's a really inspirational story if you're a writer. Because it's one of those things where he had an idea and he wrote it down and he was positive that it was gonna sell. And then everybody was just like, yeah, thanks, but no thanks. And then like 10 years later, somebody's just, we want that. And then boom, now all of a sudden it blew up. Yeah, people love it.
SPEAKER_01:I always want to watch it, but I don't know. I end up not watching TV. I think my attention span has gotten a lot of fun.
SPEAKER_00:I literally watch things on my laptop with the subtitles on so I can pay attention. I usually don't watch shows in English because if I do, I zone out. If I don't have to keep reading, I just I'm gone. My brain just takes a vacation and it thinks about all the work I should be doing right now. The Saja Boys all shared the same CG body with the exception of Abby. Mr. Muscular Buttons.
SPEAKER_01:I think popcorn eyes is funny too. So he took the animals and made them into his the rest of the Saja Boys, right?
SPEAKER_00:I think there are actually other demons. I think there are just actual demons. And I think I'm hoping, I'm praying, that they're still around too. Because I really don't want to lose the other Saja boys. I really hope that somehow all of the Saja Boys made it because they're comedy gold.
SPEAKER_01:It's perfect. I'm curious to see if they can keep it going for the part two. I know. And if they can stay out of it and just let the people that created the original again.
SPEAKER_00:You know, I think maybe now that the couple who created it have the formula, they know where it's going, they know the backstory, they know the lore, they know all that stuff. Maybe it'll be a little bit easier. And apparently it was Maggie Kang's husband who made the joke about the hat. I love that part. It's such a little line that I love that. It's such a little line, but it's funny. And a matter of fact, Ginu hit the character who or the actor who plays Gino, that's his favorite line in the movie.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, is it? Yes. Like his voice or something, the way he says it. I just like it.
SPEAKER_00:I don't know if you know this, but he's the lead in business proposal, which is one of my favorite K dramas ever.
SPEAKER_01:I'm scared to get into K-drama because I think I'm gonna like Yeah, no, you'll fall down a rabbit hole.
SPEAKER_00:Like Korean dramas, they make the best villains. They make people who you're just like, I would run that person over with my car. They go full soap opera. You know what I mean? They go just over-the-top villains every fucking time. And I think that's what I love about K-dramas. But Business Proposal is just a love story, but it's funny. But yeah, he plays the main character, which is why when he meets Rumi in the alley and they have that big K-drama moment where everything goes on, I knew the right and the song that they're playing is actually the song that was for the beginning of Business Proposal.
SPEAKER_01:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:And it pops up throughout the whole show. So many references in the movie, too. The actor. He didn't know when he saw the final, he had no idea that that song was going to be in there or that they were even adding it to the soundtrack. So he thought that was hilarious. But I was a little shocked because the actor was a K-pop star. He was a trainee. And yet he's not the one who sings the part for Ginu. He only does the voice acting. He sings the part where he's got the guitar and he's walking up to Gima to give him the idea. But that's the only thing he sings. And then he did a video on his own where he sang free or golden. I think he sang free. And he's got a beautiful voice, but I was really shocked because he almost debuted with Got Seven. I wonder why they didn't choose him. Maybe he didn't have the vocal range they needed for that particular character.
SPEAKER_01:Their songs are kind of complicated. But I'm sure he would have done fine, but I don't mind that they use different things.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, I don't mind either. I was just surprised. Like, because I know for a fact that he's a K-pop star. He almost debuted. I should say he was an idol trainee. I think it's funny that they're debuting. Debutantes. Like debutantes. Well, I mean, honestly, they're all kind of debutants. Let's be real. They're a little high maiden's. Oh yeah, here's where they I just saw them say that they deleted part of the romance between Rumi and Ginu. Which is how dare you.
SPEAKER_01:Great. I just want the original cut. Just before you make part two, just release it. We'll watch it. It's still number one in Netflix right now. Come on.
SPEAKER_00:They said that no show or movie has lasted longer than 27 days at the number one spot, except for K-pop Demon Hunters, which is crazy. And even now, when I checked the other day, it wasn't number one, but it was still in the top 10, which is and it's been months, months and months. And it never leaves the top 10. When I load up Netflix, it's K-pop Demon Hunters. Girl. Again. My girl looks it. I did laugh though, because when they show the top 10 chart and they show Huntryx being in the lead, and twice as the K-pop group who does takedown, they're the ones who sing it at the end. And that's a cute little Easter egg that they hopped in there for you know, just for funsies.
SPEAKER_01:They do a lot. There's a bunch of references in there. And it has a cult following, and a lot of it is all children, and the movie's genderless. All the little boys in kindergarten know it. Lincoln likes it. Yeah, like it's genderless.
SPEAKER_00:A lot of the reactors, most of the reactors that watched it are men, like that I watched. And they were like, at first they were just kind of like, mmm. But like as soon as that first joke hits, everybody kind of goes, Oh, wait, no, this this could be entertaining. And then the music starts, and everybody's like, Well, damn.
SPEAKER_01:Is really good.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And it's funny because like when they're like, oh no, don't mess with our fans, you know, like, and that is such a k-pop thing.
SPEAKER_01:Harper wants to try different noodles. She wants to try those cup noodles. Oh god. I love napalm. Mommy, what's napalm?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. That's my favorite line. Like when I sing that's not ramen, obviously. That is my favorite line.
SPEAKER_01:My napalm era. Yeah. Well.
unknown:Oops.
SPEAKER_01:Promise to use this information for good and not evil, please.
SPEAKER_00:What I did find interesting was that Maggie King was saying that the animation for making the actors look like they're speaking Korean was the hardest part. She said that if you watch really carefully, they round the corners of the character's mouths when they're speaking Korean to make it look more like they're actively how you speak Korean because it has such a vowel base to it. I never noticed that, but it does make sense though.
SPEAKER_01:They move their mouths differently. And there it took me a couple listens to even know they were speaking a different. I like Oh my mind you the first time I listened to it, I was cooking, just happy they were distracted. And then me and Alex bolted to dad move over. You stand and watch with your harps full. Not really watching it. And I'm like, damn, okay. And then come back over. And then the next time I'm fully sitting down, like, all right.
SPEAKER_00:I also love the Easter eggs in the movie. It took me three watches to realize that when they do the joint signing, when they walk off and all of a sudden they're all like so tired, it's because they were sleeping overnight outside in the sleeping bags when they show the line that's them in the sleeping bag. So everybody but Ginu had to sleep there. The only person actively sleeping is Ginu. If you look, everybody else is like not sleeping. Ginu's wide awake. Like it's just little things like that, little details like that make it Chef's Kiss. They really thought of everything, which is why did they cut it? Maybe they just didn't think the movie was gonna be. They didn't. They didn't. They were like, no, we gotta make it fast. They probably thought it was gonna be good for kids, and kids have a short attention span. Not as short as adults, apparently. But kids have a short attention span, so they might as well just kind of you know make sure. Oh god, sorry. Ah, earthquake. Yeah. But it bums me out though, because I would watch 10 hours of that and give me all the things. They just need to release it.
SPEAKER_01:I'm so red. Yeah, they need to release it.
SPEAKER_00:I am also red, but I use a color correcting foundation so that I don't look red on camera. And also I have a light that makes me look less red.
SPEAKER_01:I don't look like the person. Oh. See, I just have to go with the sun because of where I am physically in my home.
SPEAKER_00:If I didn't do all of these things to feel better, I would never put myself on camera, which I'm trying to be better about. I'm trying to be better about it. I think you look cool as hell. Thank you. I don't feel cool, but thank you. As soon as I saw you, I was like, hey, you look cool. So we should probably wrap this up. Please, please, please, please, please rate, review, subscribe. If you want to know more about how to create your own fandoms, check out our Patreon. If you want to just hear more of our rambling, you can join at the$5 level. If you need tech help, you can join at the$10 level. And if you just want to take all the courses but not pay the price for it, you can pay at the$25 level and get everything dripped to you a week at a time. Next week we'll be breaking down Twilight. Be prepared. Bring your glitter. We're gonna get into the hoa, hoa, hoa calendar. So we'll talk about that next time. But thanks for listening. If you made it this far, thank you, thank you. Let us know in the comments if you really, really love K-pop demon hunters. And us. And us. And me and also me. Get in the Discord. Talk about K-pop demon hunters. Let us know what you think about that. And again, Linktree L-I-N-K-T-R.ee slash the burned out muse will get you to our Discord, our Patreon, and all that other good stuff. And we will see you next time.
