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What is KPop Demon Hunters, and why is everyone talking about it?

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Of all the unexpected earworms of 2025, a song sung by a bunch of demons masquerading as a K-Pop boyband plotting to steal the souls of their fans was probably one of the most unlikely.

However, if you’re one of the millions of people who’ve been humming ‘You’re my soda pop, my little soda pop’ for the last few months, you’ll understand exactly why a song by a fictional pop band called Saja Boys has had such a monumental impact.

It’s all thanks to KPop Demon Hunters, the animated feature film that has become a cultural phenomenon since its debut on Netflix in June. The Sony-made film is now officially the most-watched film in Netflix’s history, while its sing-along theatrical version (yes, there’s a sing-along theatrical version) became the first Netflix release to top the US box office when it received a limited release last month.

If you’re completely lost or have been hiding under a large rock for the last three months, allow us to explain…

WHAT IS KPOP DEMON HUNTERS ABOUT?

The film opens with a performance by a K-Pop (i.e. Korean pop, a subgenre of pop music that originated in South Korea in the 1990s) girl group called Huntrix (or HUNTR/X). We soon learn that they are the latest in a long line of demon-hunters who have been tasked through the generations to maintain a demon-proof shield around the world called the Honmoon. They do this through the power of music – and their ultimate goal is to make the Honmoon golden, which would mean that demons would be banished from Earth forever. However, the Demon Boss – an entity called Gwi-Ma – has other ideas and unleashes a boyband called the Saja Boys into the world, as rivals to Huntrix with the goal of stealing their fans and destroying the Honmoon.

WHO ARE THE MAIN CHARACTERS?

The three members of Huntrix are Mira, Rumi and Zoey. Their lead singer Rumi is holding a dark secret, which – no spoilers – becomes apparent quite early on in the film. Gwi-Ma is the Demon Overlord, while demon boyband Saja Boys is led by the charismatic Jinu, a one-time human who sold his soul to Gwi-Ma four hundred years earlier.

ARE THERE ANY FAMILIAR NAMES IN THE CAST?

You may recognise some of the names, including Ken Jeong (The Hangover), who voices Huntrix’s manager Bobby; Daniel Dae Kim (Lost, the Divergent films) as Healer Han; Arden Cho (Avatar: The Last Airbender) who voices Rumi; May Hong (Hacks, Tales of the City) as Mira, or Ji-young Yoo (Moxie, Expats), who voices Zoey. The characters’ singing voices are provided by musicians, many of them K-Pop stars in real life.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 16: Dan Lin, Maggie Kang, Ji-Young Yoo, Arden Cho, May Hong, Chris Appelhans, Michelle Wong and Hannah Minghella attend Netflix's "KPop Demon Hunters" Special Screening at Netflix Tudum Theater on June 16, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez
(L-R) Netflix Film Chair Dan Lin, KPop Demon Hunters co-writer/co-director Maggie Kang,
actors Ji-Young Yoo, Arden Cho, and May Hong, co-writer/co-director Chris Appelhans,
producer Michelle Wong and Netflix Animation head Hannah Minghella in Los Angeles

WHAT’S THE STORY WITH THE MUSIC?

The music is one of the main draws of KPop Demon Hunters, and the stats back it up: it has been phenomenally successful in the US Billboard Charts and both Huntrix and Saja Boys songs, including Golden and Your Idol, have topped US Spotify charts – surpassing records held by both Blackpink and BTS.

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WHY HAS IT BECOME SUCH A PHENOMENON?

K-Pop has always been a huge deal in Asia, but in recent years it has become a sensation across the world thanks to bands like the aforementioned BTS and Blackpink, who have introduced the genre to the US and UK markets. It meant that the timing was spot-on to unleash a film like this – but it also helps that the songs are well-written and incredibly catchy, and the animation is top-notch, too, drawing in both younger audiences and curious older minds. The ‘good vs. evil’ storyline may be a well-trodden trope, but it holds a certain appeal – and directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans (who co-wrote the script with Danja Jiminez and Hannah McMechan) certainly brought something original to the table.

IS THERE GOING TO BE A SEQUEL?

Although nothing has been officially announced, the phenomenal success of KPop Demon Hunters means that a sequel is inevitable. In fact, according to one report, Netflix is considering two sequels, a short film, a TV series and a stage musical. You can be assured that there will be at least an animated film sequel on the cards.

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Giorgio Armani creations interplay with Italian masterpieces at new Milan exhibition

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“Giorgio Armani, Milano, for love’’ at the Brera Art Gallery opens today, mere weeks after the celebrated designer’s death at the age of 91.

Featuring 129 Armani looks from the 1980s through the present day, the exhibition places his creations among celebrated Italian masterpieces by such luminaries as Raphael and Caravaggio.

It is one of a series of Milan Fashion Week events that were planned before Armani’s death, to highlight his transformative influence on the world of fashion.

“From the start, Armani showed absolute rigor but also humility not common to great fashion figures,’’ said the gallery’s director Angelo Crespi. “He always said that he did not want to enter into close dialogue with great masterpieces, like Raphael, Mantegna, Caravaggio and Piero della Francesca.’’ 

Instead, the exhibition aims to create a symbiosis with the artworks, with the chosen looks reflecting the mood of each room without interrupting the flow of the museum experience – much the way Armani always intended his apparel to enhance and never overwhelm the individual.

A long blue asymmetrical skirt and bodysuit ensemble worn by Juliette Binoche at Cannes in 2016 neatly reflects the blue in Giovanni Bellini’s 1510 portrait “Madonna and Child”; a trio of underlit dresses glow on a wall opposite Raphael’s “The Marriage of the Virgin”; the famed soft-shouldered suit worn by Richard Gere in American Gigolo, arguably the garment that launched Armani to global fame, is set among detached frescoes by Donato Bramante. Every choice in the exhibition underscores the timelessness of Armani’s fashion. 

Armani himself makes a cameo, on a t-shirt in the final room, opposite the Brera’s emblematic painting “Il Bacio” by Francesco Hayez. 

“When I walk around, I think he would be super proud,’’ said Anoushka Borghesi, Armani’s global communications director. 

Armani’s fashion house confirmed a series of events this week that Armani himself had planned to celebrate his 50th anniversary. They include the announcement of an initiative to support education for children in six Southeast Asian, African and South American countries. The project, in conjunction with the Catholic charity Caritas, is named “Mariu’,’’ an affectionate nickname for Armani’s mother.

In a final farewell, the last Giorgio Armani collection signed by the designer will be shown in the Brera Gallery on Sunday, among looks he personally chose to represent his 50-year legacy.

“Giorgio Armani – 50 Years” opened to the public today at the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan, Italy. The exhibition lasts until 11 January 2026.

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The last day of doomsday: What is the viral ‘RaptureTok’ trend?

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If you’re reading this today, Wednesday 24 September 2025 could be the last day before the end of the world as you know it.

If you’re reading this tomorrow, you weren’t blipped out of existence and good luck with all the rebuilding. Please do better.

Confused? We’ve got you covered.

According to the more holy corners of TikTok, it has been prophesized that yesterday – or today, they couldn’t make their minds up on which one, so just go with it – is the day of the Rapture.

For the filthy heathens among you, that’s the long-awaited end-time event when Jesus Christ returns to Earth, resurrects all dead Christian disciples and brings all believers “to meet the Lord in the air.”

It wasn’t yesterday, clearly, so today’s the day… And turn off that R.E.M. song, this is serious.

This all stems from South African pastor Joshua Mhlakela, who claimed that the Rapture will occur on 23 or 24 September 2025. Mhlakela said that this knowledge came directly from a dream he had in 2018, in which Jesus appeared to him. Mhlakela reiterated all of this on 9 September in an interview with CettwinzTV and since then, the prophecy has become a viral sensation on TikTok.

Many individuals on the social media platform have taken this literally and very seriously, with more than 350,000 videos appearing under the hashtag #rapturenow – leading to the trend / popular subsection dubbed ‘RaptureTok’. 

Some videos mock the prophecy, but you don’t have to scroll for too long to find those who are completely convinced that it’s happening today.

There’s advice on how to prepare; tips on what to remove from your house should certain objects contain “demonic energy”; and testimonies of people selling their possessions. One man, who goes by the name Tilahun on TikTok, shared a video last month, in which he said he was selling his car in preparation for the big day. “Car is gone just like the Brides of Christ will be in September,” he said.

One woman in North Carolina was live recording yesterday from the Blue Ridge Mountains, fervently keeping an eye on any holy activity in the sky. Another claimed that her 3-year-old started speaking in Hebrew, thereby confirming that it’s all legit. 

Some more distressing videos include American evangelicals saying goodbye to their children for the last time… We won’t share those, as they’re actually quite depressing.

It’s hard to completely blame TikTok users for wanting the final curtain to drop, as things aren’t going too great down here on Earth. That being said, it’s worth noting that the Bible never actually mentions the Rapture; it’s a relatively recent doctrine that originates from the early 1800s, one which has gained traction among fundamentalist theologians – specifically in the US, where everything is fine, civil conversation is alive and well, no one’s worried, and they’re all enjoying their “God-given freedoms”.

So, if the Rapture does come to pass, we here at Euronews Culture will be eating a whole concrete mixer full of humble pie. If it doesn’t, see you tomorrow, and do spare a thought for those who are going to be very disappointed on Thursday 25 September. 

And if extra-terrestrial beings followed Tara Rule’s advice (see below), thank you alien visitors for joining in on the fun. And if you could provide some much-needed guidance on how to do better, that would be grand.

Only a few more hours left to find out…

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‘Dawson’s Creek’ reunion sees James Van Der Beek make surprise appearance amid cancer battle

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