“KPop Demon Hunters” Official Merch Gets Deemed Tacky

Do you like them?

Netflix has officially dropped the first wave of merchandise for its upcoming animated film KPop Demon Hunters, but the response from Korean netizens has been far from enthusiastic.

The film, which follows a fictional K-Pop girl group who moonlight as demon slayers, has generated buzz for its bold concept and flashy visuals. With its overwhelming popularity, hitting number one in Korea amongst other countries, Netflix unveiled a range of official merchandise, including graphic tees, tote bags, hoodies, and accessories featuring the group members and stylized demon designs.

The price list also took many by surprise with tees going for ₩43,000 KRW (about $31.40 USD) and hats up to ₩62,000 KRW (about $45.20 USD).

While international fans expressed excitement over the drop, Korean netizens had a different take. Many took issue with the overall aesthetic, calling it “tacky,” “outdated,” and “too Western.” With the last point, many pointed out that the designs seemed like a mix of K-pop clichés and Western cartoon tropes.

| theqoo

• Absolutely out of touch.
• …
• They’re outta trend. Revise the merch and come back.
• If you guys want to sell it at high prices, make them pretty at least so that we’d want to open our wallets. Don’t just put out any old thing.
• Huh, how tacky.
• Plays to Western tastes…

Will you be buying it?