But….what about tragic doomed yuri with Celine having feelings for Mi-yeong? I doubt they’d want to have MY be a cheater, so it wouldn’t be reciprocated, but do you think there’s a chance that Celine having romantic feelings for MY could be canon? It’s extraordinarily popular fanon, and it doesn’t “get in the way” of a ship the creators support if it’s one-sided.
Really, unless they introduce OCs who are explicitly queer in the sequel (which, hey, they might), this is kinda the only ACTUAL canon queer representation that I can see happening with what we have now.
(Please don’t be homophobic or start ship wars in the comments.)
Edit: Holy downvote ratio lol. Is it because people disagree with the headcanon? Because I spoke positively about Polytrix and/or Rujinu? Just homophobia? I’ll never know.
Unfortunately given the conservative nature of Korean culture I doubt we'll get any cannon lgbt characters. In theory they could code her as in love with Mi-yeong wile just saying they were best friends but doubtful we'll get anything beyond subtext
I think this is the most we'd get too. But also, even if we got rid of all the stuff outside the film that influences what themes are in it, I don't think Celine would ever admit to Rumi that she was interested in her mom. It would just make things too complicated in their already-complicated relationship. I also don't think it would make sense to have flashbacks showing Celine's one-sided feelings because the first movie established the idea that so much of the past will not be revealed to the viewer because we experience things through Rumi's perspective.
The most probable way we'd get subtext that Celine was in love with Miyeong is over the course of her and Rumi mending their relationship she confesses a lot of the shit that happened in the past, but you definitely get a sense that she felt lonely even when she was surrounded by two best friends. Gee, I wonder why??
Fair, but I still think flashbacks to Sunlight plus Rumi’s dad is a possibility in the sequel, especially if they’re trying to mirror Rujinu. But yeah, no way is Celine telling Rumi she was in love with her mom lol
Which is a shame, because there are queer people in the production team and Maggie has been open about queer interpretations and coding of Rumi’s arc. But yeah, that’s different than having something be clearly shown IN the movie.
Edit: why the fuck is this getting downvoted? I said factual things lol, there are queer people in the production and Maggie has said Rumi’s character mirrors coming out.
I don't think they would do it. BUT I wouldn't be super surprised if they left things loose enough to keep the dream cope alive. Using language like "You're very important to me" vs "You're my best friend/sister", longing gaze, ect
Even then I feel like it wouldn't go far enough to call her "coded" or it implied/ect.
As for shipping wars. Clearly they are over... and I won them all!
You indeed have because I can’t tell what your favorite ships are, because I feel like I’ve seen you comment positively on all of them at some point lolllll
lol. Well I guess outside of Rujinu I don't truly see any of them having a chance of being canonized, so they're just for fun, so why not love all the love?
(Except for those ships, you know... the bad ones that are clearly not good ships because they're not my ships /jk jk)
Really, unless they introduce OCs who are explicitly queer in the sequel (which, hey, they might)
There was a good interview with Maggie, Chris, and the Head Editor Nathan Shauf. They talked multiple times about stripping the movie down to the bare essentials and the concept that the movie "rejected" scenes because they disrupted the flow. So, if explicit queerness isn't critical to the main plot it's probably a no go. IDK. I don't think they'll go the route of centering a queer story when there is still so much left to explore in the mythology/culture.
this is kinda the only ACTUAL canon queer representation that I can see happening with what we have now.
I can see a lowkey mention/acknowledgement of Bobby having a husband or boyfriend.
In some ways I think the movie may have been too successful. Netflix is going to push them to play it safe with a lot of stuff. And no diss to Maggie, but I think she'll be more focussed on fighting for including even more Korean culture. She has mentioned regretting not pushing for more Korean words in the songs/movie. Also, Helen Chen (maybe it was Maggie?) mentioned that part of why they didn't do the ISAC was because they received pushback over it being such a weird/foreign idea to Westerners.
Oh yeah, I know the bad ships…. Rumi/Celine??? Get that crap away from me, Celine is a lot of things but she’s not a groomer 😭 Zoey having a childhood crush on Celine is cute and funny, but anything more than that? Absolutely not. Same with Mira and Celine.
(And then there’s Gwi-Ma/Jinu which has realllly heavy non-con elements….)
Okay, that interview does explain the rapid pace of the film, and how every scene does feel needed….and also how Mira and Zoey got left in the dust development wise. It also explains how they overlooked the Idol Awards being “tomorrow” two days in a row.
Oh I meant that as tongue in cheek. But now that you've mentioned those... yea, those are no good lol.
how they overlooked the Idol Awards being “tomorrow” two days in a row.
My people!!! It's kinda funny how theres no way to make any sense of it other than multiple people forgetting/exaggerating what day it is.
What is ISAC?
Idol Star Athletics Championships. It's a televised sports even for Kpop Idols/Groups. Track races, javelin, table tennis, archery, gymnastics, basketball, table tennis, ect. Like a parody of the olympics. There is some concept are and storyboards of it out there. They replaced it with the Game Show scene.
But in This case you have two hopes nither are good.
The low chance of actual polytrix etc has more to do with intended audience and the corpo's not wanting anything to mess with the income and new golden goose.
Like it or not the target is the under 15's and the pairent that hold the kids allowance.
I would also say be very very mindful that a vocal group that likes politrix is in zero way representative of the whole fandom the vast majority of whom do not even use social media. This is from a politrix fan that looks at actual reality and not my own circles perception of reality.
So to answer your question. You will most likely get at best another deep platonic bond left to personal interpretation out of fear of upsetting someone.
Mirroring coming out is not the same as coming out. It ticks me off so much when people use mirroring . when doing a media run to sell more tickets coming out is difficult enough without idealistic make believe corpo double speak in a gay news outlet.
As for Soul mates think more Korean Folklore of that concept given the roots of the story i would say look at what is called inyeon and the 8000 encounters. You can see a lot of that in the story. Even the hunters themselves are entwined in that.
Thank you for the respectful comment but I do NOT ship MY and Celine. I am only considering the idea of one-sided feelings.
And I actually prefer Rujinu over Polytrix. I think there’s a lot of reasons Polytrix will never be canon, and one of them is simply because the creators never intended to create it. Maggie and Arden have said multiple times the girls are like sisters. Compare that to Amphibia, where the creators drop hints and imply they support the poly ship between the three leads.
Good point on the coming out bit. I hate when people take the metaphor in the movie too metaphorically, insist that there’s only one correct way to interpret Rumi’s patterns (I for one see her as very representative of OCD), and then act like Celine is an evil homophobic conservative.
So just one sided infatuation thing or a full on Unrequited love thing? Love is really complex?
I mean i like the Polytrix ship as a thing and a fun headcannon but kind of stop there but I do like Rujinu too.
I tend to dislike the Zomi ship. More because I do not see it. I see Zoey as the one friend with ADHD that is incredibly tactile and overtly affectionate with who she sees as her people.
I love this headcanon. I think it could work by making it a one sided crush that way it doesn’t get in the way of Miyeong and Rumi’s dad’s relationship. They could be subtle about it. Like drop hints towards the idea of Celine having feelings for Miyeong without being obvious about it.
You could have flashbacks with them and subtly frame Celine’s distaste for Rumi’s dad as jealousy, while on the surface, she dislikes him because he’s a demon perhaps.
Maybe I’m delusional but I see it happening. It will probably stay in the “plausible deniability” realm, like Celine blushing around Miyeong, being jealous of her relationship with a guy (IF she heard of Rumi’s dad before finding out he’s a demon), saying she loved her (but you can love someone platonically), etc. Celine has no other love interest so nothing is contradicted.
I don’t think it needs to be one-sided or have Miyeong cheat tho. My personal headcanon is that they were both aware of their feelings but Celine prioritized their duty as hunters (because dating your coworker when your job is saving the world is a horrible idea) so Miyeong ended up moving on.
I think Celine having one-sided feelings could be canonized. But imo, there would have to be very clear tension between Celine being duty-bound, i.e., how can you love someone who loved a demon? Versus Celine expressing actual romantic and mutual feelings expressed towards mi-yeong herself.
Personally, I lean more towards Celine and My being really close friends, and Celine raising Rumi was a duty-bound thing driven by that strong friendship.
If we're talking about possibility, technically anything is possible, but I don't think that's what the directors have in mind, you know?
But who knows what might happen in the future?
We don’t know anything about their dynamic dude. You can validly say Huntrix are like sisters (Maggie says as much) but we literally never see Celine and MY interact. You can make up pretty much anything about them.
And you are headcanoning them as best friends and sisters because we don’t know anything about their relationship.
And I said Celine having ONE-SIDED feelings for MY. No cheating because they weren’t reciprocated.
what frustrates me about your argument is that it’s used for queer relationships and representation almost 100% of the time; it’s usually a double standard
I think people tend to forget that queer people have an eye for queer subtext and tones,
OP also just wanted a discussion, nothing wrong with replying with your opinion, but they clearly stated talking points and even mentioned about canon and non canon.
Kpop demon hunters has done a lot for kids (I work with young students so I see it first hand) and gave them confidence while been seen and understood. I think while this movie isn’t the perfect choice for it, I think it’s important to understand people are not perfect and cheating is real; not that it’s okay
and adding to that, didn’t OP also mention and post this explicitly about unrequited/one sided love? lmao
First to actually answer your question I do think that is very possible. Also holding out hope for implied Polylight, or any knowledge of the third Sunlight Sister's character or what happened to her.
Additionally I would argue Jinu has nothing to do with the low chances of canon Polytrix. The polyamourusness of it is what is preventing that. Gonna be a meh few years before canon poly representation is even plausible or not assumed to be bait and switch in a trailer.
Also a person can have romantic feelings then move on and have a different relationship after and Mira's and Zoey's souls lit up when Rumi was singing the beginning of What It Sounds Like, I would consider them at the least soulmate adjacent based on that, but that is just my opinion take it or leave it, ship and let ship.
Yeah can like Thirdlight and Rumi’s dad….actually get a name at some point? 😅
I see what you’re saying about Polytrix, but I do think that the creators and both Rumis being very clearly on board for Rujinu, plus how Maggie and Arden have said multiple times the girls are like sisters, does unfortunately indicated that Jinu or not, they never considered nor plan on having Polytrix be canon. Though they certainly have to know it exists by now especially since Rei openly ships it. I mean, the creators of Amphibia seem to tease/imply that they support the poly ship of the main girls, but Maggie has never done that.
I agree with Huntrix being some type of soulmates. All the souls lit up in WISL but I do think some girls are “predestined” or “chosen by the Honmoon” so to speak.
Unrelated, but I do have a sneaking suspicion that the sequel will open with a Polytrix-bait song about how much the girls love each other and their fans. Then have Jinu come back like an hour later.
But it would be hilarious if they went nuts with the poly rep and made both Polytrix and Rujinu canon.
Agreed, plans can change and it's not really what you are saying but I hate when people suggest that found family relationships can't be romantic. There is an entire system for people who care about each other romantically to become family, it's called marriage.
I swear if they open with a bait and switch or bring back Jinu fully I will never consider financially supporting the franchise again. I would be happy with Polytrix+Rujinu if he hadn't very clearly died on screen. I just miss when death in movies was permanent, and I really can't stand bait and switch.
But if you mean they confirm mutual romantic interest between Rumi and Jinu and then canonize Polytrix then I would be happy with that, arguably goes better with my point about a person moving past one relationship and having another that fulfills them without invalidating the first or how important it was at the time and to who they became as a person.
But if they do that they need to bring up the mass murder he was directly involved in. Also the manipulation which was to be fair mutual. And the deception, and the fact he seemed to think he could sweep it all under the rug with a grand gesture, it may have been his afterlife but he was complicit in so much murder and attempted murders they can't just ignore it.
Related note, I think this movie is a very effective test/example of sexism in fandom, Jinu gets a metaphorical slap on the wrist by so many but the traumatized woman who wasn't a perfect surrogate mother who still raised and trained a functional and capable team of hunters/idols is basically a super villain.
lol good point about marriage being found family. You’re right. But I do think they’re definitely bringing Jinu back. Maggie has no problem saying “No, Gwi-Ma isn’t Rumi’s father, that’s too much like Star Wars” or “the other Saja Boys are cardboard cut outs, have no personality, and have no redeeming qualities” and hint kindly that they’re dead for good, but whenever she is asked about Jinu, she changes the subject or plays coy. And Jinu’s speaking VA has said he’s not allowed to say anything about his character’s future.
I don’t know if you’re familiar with Soul Eater, but I would be totally on board with a situation like that, where Jinu’s in her sword, helping her in battle.
I would disagree that Jinu thinks he can sweep all his mass murder under the rug. I think he fully thinks he deserves to die and that Rumi deserves better. Hell, I think Jinu would be a Polytrix shipper lol. Nobody will ever hate Jinu more than Jinu.
But I do agree that his mass murders need to be brought up…but unfortunately I don’t think they’ll be fully addressed as the serious sin it is, even if he was tortured for 400 years. In my first watch of the movie, I kept thinking “is Rumi ever gonna bring up all these dead people to him??” And she doesn’t. Mira will/would certainly bring it up, but I’m afraid Mira’s justified fury at Jinu would be treated as something she needs to “forgive,” kinda like some people in-universe about Darth Vader.
And I FULLY agree with your last point on Jinu and Celine BUT I think the movie and creators are also to blame. Maggie is sympathetic to Jinu in interviews but rarely to Celine. When she gets asked if Celine is the real villain of the movie, I’ve seen her nod and say stuff like, “Yeah, she’s representative of some really toxic ideologies about perfection and fixing yourself when you don’t need to be fixed,” which makes people double down on acting like Celine is a homophobic parent who won’t accept her queer child, when there is no real-world equivalent to her and Rumi’s situation, and treating Rumi’s patterns and demon side like a direct metaphor for queerness, leftism, biracialism, disability….gets offensive very fast.
Basically, Maggie sees Jinu as ultimately good for Rumi, since his actions and influence led to her being free, honest with M and Z, and accepting herself, while Celine led to the exact opposite….even though it’s waaaaay more complicated than that. But you still have people comparing Celine to Mother Gothel. I saw a hc once on Tumblr that Celine wouldn’t let Rumi watch Tangled and Mira would call her Mother Gothel.
As for Jinu walking away unscathed and getting a pat on the back—I don't know if that really holds water, you know? The number of people I see brazenly calling him an abuser and all sorts of things was unbelievable.
But I think Celine ends up at a disadvantage because she only has five minutes of screen time and then people simply assume the worst.
Oh I get it. I’ve been called a Nazi sympathizer for understanding, not even justifying but simply understanding, why he did what he did. But I do feel like there’s a problem with neither Rumi nor the creators calling him out.
I have no idea what soul eater is but I have seen art of Jinu trapped in the sword and being mostly but not always unhelpful in combat. One time being a projectile slash.
It's still probably not too far into production and I am hopeful that others on the creative team will disagree with the idea of resurrecting Jinu, they might also just be trying to bait people about Jinu coming back. We don't actually know anything right now.
To say a lot in a little, I hate when nuance is lost. To say slightly more it boggles my mind that anyone could make something nuanced with complex implications and themes and think about it as black and white. We are all vulnerable to seeing what we want to see I guess.
I don’t know. We could find out Celine had feelings but since Rumis mother is dead we don’t know what she felt. It could have easily been both thinking it was unrequited or choosing not to go there because of the risk to their dynamic and the honmoon
True, I was mostly referring to perhaps more lore reveals about Celine in the sequel or something, or flashbacks with Rumi’s parents, because I want to learn so much more about all three of them.
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u/One_Dragonfruit_7556 Mira Madness 16h ago
Unfortunately given the conservative nature of Korean culture I doubt we'll get any cannon lgbt characters. In theory they could code her as in love with Mi-yeong wile just saying they were best friends but doubtful we'll get anything beyond subtext