The one thing I really loved about the Huntrix girls was how everyone had a distinct face. Often in Disney-esque animations I feel like we get these cookie cutter faces with limited range of expression and the same bodies with different hair on top. But each of these girls was different.
Rumi was the most stereotypically main-character attractive in my perspective. Small nose, medium to big eyes, oval face. She’s the leader of the group, and their main singer with her distinguishing outfits, jewelry, and weapon.
Zoey was sweet but spicy, a little bit of everything rolled into one (very realistic and relatable to me). She has a rounded, sweeter face, with the biggest eyes and playful hair. But she’s also got a taller nose bridge than Rumi, symbolizing in my eyes a more serious side to her instead of the childish button nose often given to female protagonists. Yes, she’s the sweet one, but she’s also a badass and don’t you forget it.
And Mira’s character design almost had me in tears. I love her so much- it meant so much to me the way she was animated. Her longer face, almost Roman nose, and slanted brows made her seem angled, serious, the harsh realities one of the group. But never, never ONCE was she treated as less attractive or less worthy of romance than Rumi or Zoey. Yes, Rumi was the main character with the love interest in Jinu, but Mira was still treated as a young adult woman in many scenes. Her more masculine leaning attributes, sharp facial features, and equally sharp tongue did not make the animators afraid to give her girly moments with Zoey or romantic inclinations with Abby.
Don’t even get me started on how they all showed so much emotion! I was so excited to see them make real faces, and get down and ugly with it! Let women express themselves in animation!
I guess what I’m trying to say is from a character design standpoint, each of these girls was able to stand out in a different way, without looking like a cookie cutter of one another. It means a lot to me to see more representation in media of girls looking like real girls, not factory produced Barbie dolls with the same face and different wigs.
Also, the fact that they were women didn’t stop the animators from giving them muscles. Rumi has some SERIOUS biceps when she’s not hiding under a hoodie. With other films, that’s a constant issue for strong women. These girls were literally slaying demons- they’re strong as fuck! Thank you to the animators for not being afraid to show it.
Ok, now I’m done. K-pop demon hunters, guys. If not for the plot and the incredible music, watch it because the animation made my heart cry of happiness.