Those Upon Whom I Look

In which I watch things set in Korea.


• Kpop Demon Hunters (2025): I enjoyed this animated film, even though it is a mash of two genres that aren’t really my cup of tea.

Firstly, K-pop. I don’t listen to very much pop music, Korean or otherwise, and I’ve never been part of the fandom for a band or idol group. (I like K-drama soundtracks but apparently their emphasis on sentimental ballads means that K-OST is considered either a genre blend or a separate genre entirely, and the artists I’ve discovered through K-dramas, like Jannabi, are more in indie-pop and indie-rock territory.) I know a bit about the K-pop genre/culture from K-dramas, Axie Oh’s novels and just from being a person on the internet.

Secondly, demon hunters. I tread warily around, and often (but clearly, not always) choose to avoid, fantasy with demons and the like. In this story, I was disturbed by the demons’ grotesque appearances and by seeing them suck out unsuspecting people’s souls. I realise they’re supposed to be grotesque and disturbing, but at first I was like Oh no I don’t think I can watch this.

However, I really enjoyed how the film applied K-pop choreographing to demon hunting, that was so satisfying! I enjoyed the songs in the context of the story (and also appreciated that they drowned out the music coming from the teenage party next door). More significantly, I loved Rumi and her emotional journey and her relationship with the other Huntr/x members, Mira and Zoey.

It’s not a perfect film, with some plot points and worldbuilding concepts that aren’t fully explored, but I liked the moments of humour and a lot of the (non-demonic) visual details. It was fun to see a depiction of fan culture, too.

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• One Spring Night (2019): I spent 16 hours watching another K-drama and now I feel like talking about it at length, as if the characters were real people.

It begins with Jeong-in, a librarian. After staying overnight at a friend’s, she stops at a nearby pharmacy to buy something to alleviate her hangover and discovers she has forgotten her wallet.

The ensuing drama is about how she and the pharmacist, Ji-ho, cross paths again and get to know each other and fall in love. But it’s also about Jeong-in’s decision to end her relationship with her current boyfriend, who remains blindly determined to marry her, and about the stigma that surrounds Ji-ho as a single father.

This is a story that drags things out and there were moments when that was stressful and frustrating and I shouted at the television, but on the whole, I found it was interesting and realistic! I appreciated that the characters (and the narrative) avoided certain misunderstandings – for instance, early on Jeong-in tells Ji-ho that she’s in a relationship and suggests that they just be friends, and he tells her about his son.

I thought it was believable that Jeong-in’s experience of extricating herself from her ex was convoluted and messy. Yes it’s made worse because he doesn’t respect her boundaries and won’t take no for an answer, but still, it’s realistic that it takes her time – to be certain of her feelings and to have the words to explain them to others, to feel that she doesn’t own Gi-seok anything more (like another face-to-face conversation), and to be ready to tell people who are likely to be disappointed in her decision, such as her parents.

It was so satisfying when Jeong-in finally starts, clearly and confidently, speaking her mind!

(Also, interesting to realise that other characters had kept talking about her as if she was stubborn and strong-willed and I hadn’t really seen it – I’d seen her wavering, I’d seen her speaking tentatively or remaining quiet – and now I was getting to see that stubborn, strong-willed side for myself.)

Other things I liked:

– Jeong-in and Ji-ho’s interactions! They’re able to be honest and vulnerable and playful with each other (and it’s a stark contrast to Jeong-in’s interactions with Gi-seok). I could understand why, even when faced with obstacles and opposition, they were willing to put in the effort to make their relationship work. I ship it.

( Ji-ho’s patience and level-headedness. Jeong-in and her sisters! Ji-ho’s son is very cute. The soundtrack – at first I was worried that the repetitive songs would become annoying, but the songs all grew on me and I loved how the lyrics fitted the story! )

( Footnotes )

Tuesday wasn’t the best day to visit the botanic gardens. The day was overcast and windy – when I arrived, it was 13 degrees C but felt like five.

But, perhaps in consequence, there weren’t many people about. Every so often, I passed people walking in the opposite direction, or I glimpsed them across the lake or disappearing around the curve of a path. At first the I only saw people walking in pairs, or singly, or with a dog. No family groups, no tour groups, no noisy children.

There were enough other people that the gardens didn’t feel eerie and abandoned, but most of the park benches were unoccupied. After walking around for over an hour (with pauses to take photos and look at signs, and to watch the coots while I ate the fruit that I’d packed for breakfast), I decided to find a spot by the lake to read. I had a choice of seats and, when the sun came out and I discovered my chosen bench was in the shade, I just relocated to an empty one nearby.

I had debated whether or not to bring a paper book, given that I have a new phone full of ebooks with a new battery that would undoubtedly last the train journey there and back again. (I couldn’t be so sure of my old phone’s battery, which is one of the main reasons I now have a new phone.)

Then I thought of Moominland Midwinter, which I’d been meaning to read for absolutely ages. It’s a slim 70s Puffin paperback, small enough to fit easily into my handbag, and – even if it is about an arctic winter and I live where it doesn’t snow – it seemed like a thematically-appropriate choice for reading outside at this time of year.

So that’s what I took with me. The first chapter reminds one that: They always slept from November to April because such was the custom of their forefathers and Moomins stick to tradition. Which reminded me that I used to think that I’d like to be a Moomin and sleep through the winter.

I don’t mind winter so much these days. I don’t like being cold, but I’ve learnt how to manage. It wasn’t sunny the whole time I was reading in the gardens, but I was quite comfortable. I love my winter wardrobe, and I really wouldn’t like to move to a place where my coat collection was rendered moot.

Recently people have asked me whether I prefer summer or winter, and I think my true answer is that I like the changing seasons. (I wouldn’t want to live in a place where my summer wardrobe was pointless, either…)

After not quite an hour of reading, I looked up because I was wondering if it was about to rain (It wasn’t, it turned out), and I noticed the swans across the lake! I hadn’t seen them earlier.

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It was a different experience going to the gardens by myself, and going on a day when the gardens weren’t crowded.

I had walked to the botanic gardens through neighbouring parklands (and discovered a memorial garden I hadn’t known about), but I caught the tram back. For lunch, I ordered a pot of Earl Grey and a slice of carrot cake from a cafe – desserts seem safer because I don’t have to worry that they might contain garlic. I lingered over this lunch, and read more of my ebook (The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue seemed more fitting for the occasion than Moominland.)

Then I wandered around the art gallery. That wasn’t crowded, either. When I came to my favourite McCubbin, I was the only one in the room so I thought Why not? and sat down on the floor in front of it.

( In a gallery, I like seeing the artworks, but I also appreciate the artistry of how the artworks are arranged. )

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• Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson (translated by Thomas Warburton): As mentioned, Moomins always sleep through the winter. But this winter, just after New Year, Moomintroll wakes up. The valley has transformed into an unfamiliar world and Moomintroll is, if not alone, then certainly without his family, who remain asleep, and of his friend Snufkin, who won’t return until spring.

This is a quirky little book and I enjoyed reading it, but I can imagine how strongly it might have appealed to my younger self. The only one I had growing up was Finn Family Moomintroll (and even now, the only other one I’ve read is Comet in Moominland). Jansson’s illustrations are whimsical and full of personality. The descriptions of winter are evocative and so is Moomintroll’s experience of learning to live in a world that’s cold and lonely, of finding company and comfort, of building independence and resilience.

The sky was almost black, but the snow shone a bright blue in the moonlight.
The sea lay asleep under the ice, and deep down among the roots of the earth all small beasts were sleeping and dreaming of spring.

( 'And so Moomintroll was helplessly thrown out into a strange and dangerous world and dropped up to his ears in the first snowdrift of his experience.' )