介绍： How did Oscar winner Kpop Demon Hunters win hearts the world over?
From: BBC
Kpop Demon Hunters has won best animated film at the Oscars on Sunday evening - the latest in a growing list of accolades for the movie that has swept the world since it was released last summer.
At Oona Herman's elementary school in...

介绍： How did Oscar winner Kpop Demon Hunters win hearts the world over?
From: BBC
Kpop Demon Hunters has won best animated film at the Oscars on Sunday evening - the latest in a growing list of accolades for the movie that has swept the world since it was released last summer.
At Oona Herman's elementary school in San Francisco, stickers of bright-haired characters from Kpop Demon Hunters have become the hottest currency.
Traded among students, these stickers, like so much else to do with the hit film -about a K-pop girl group using their golden voices to fight demons - are everywhere in eight-year-old Oona's life.
At Kpop Demon Hunters-themed birthday parties she attends, children get goodie bags with movie merchandise and pose for photos with giant cut-outs. Of course, they also scream along to the film's chart-topping soundtrack.
Oona cannot decide what she likes most about Kpop Demon Hunters, so she declares: "The characters, and all the dance moves and songs!"
Since its release on Netflix last summer, Kpop Demon Hunters has earned recognition on the biggest stages. It won the Golden Globe for best animated feature and best original song; it became the first-ever K-pop song to win a Grammy; and it has now won both Oscars it was nominated for as well.
The film's virality has taken the world by surprise - and its creators too.
So much so that when the film blew up, fans lamented over the lack of merchandise. Netflix told Hollywood Reporter that its pitch for merch ahead of the release drew only "soft" interest from retailers. Now companies are racing to get those toys on the shelves.
But Oona and her friends aren't the only ones under the spell of the demon-busting crooners. Her mother, Christine Kao, was surprised by how much she enjoyed it too.
"When we're watching it, I really cry every time," she tells the BBC.
"Oona's always like, 'Why are you crying?' I was like, 'Because it's so beautiful! I think that caught on to a lot of adults unexpectedly."
In the film, the protagonist Rumi finds herself torn between her responsibility as a demon hunter and her secret identity as a half-demon.
For Christine, this tension strikes a personal note.
"Just seeing an Asian American, her struggle with her family and expectation, there's a lot of identifiers there that we take with us," Christine says. "We didn't have something like this when we were children."
Of course, beyond the movie's fandom, this universal tale about self-acceptance comes in the form of a love letter to K-pop.
For Oona, the Saja Boys - the supernatural boy band in Kpop Demon Hunters - remind her of her favourite K-pop band BTS, "because they all look a little bit different and they always change their looks".
"It's really funny if you're a K-pop fan, there's a lot of inside jokes," says Dr Grace Kao, Oona's aunt and a sociology professor and K-pop researcher at Yale University.
"But if you're not a K-pop fan, you don't really need to get those jokes to enjoy it."
1. accolade
/ˈæk.ə.leɪd/
n. 荣誉，称赞，奖励
The scientist received many accolades for her discovery.
这位科学家因其发现获得了许多荣誉。
2. virality
/vaɪˈræl.ə.ti/
n. 病毒式传播，流行
The video’s virality surprised even its creator.
这个视频的病毒式传播甚至让创作者本人都感到意外。
3. lament
/ləˈment/
v. 哀叹，感到遗憾
Many residents lament the lack of green space in the city.
许多居民为城市缺乏绿地而感到遗憾。
4. merchandise
/ˈmɜː.tʃən.daɪz/
n. 商品，周边产品
The store sells official merchandise from the band.
这家商店出售该乐队的官方周边商品。
5. protagonist
/prəˈtæɡ.ən.ɪst/
n. 主角，主人公
The protagonist of the novel is a young teacher.
这部小说的主人公是一位年轻的老师。
6. torn
/tɔːrn/
adj. 犹豫不决的，难以选择的（多用于 be torn between A and B）
She was torn between staying home or traveling abroad.
她在待在家里和出国旅行之间犹豫不决。
7. identifier
/aɪˈden.tɪ.faɪ.ər/
n. 标识物，认同因素
For many readers, the character’s struggle is a key identifier.
对许多读者来说，这个人物的挣扎是一个关键的认同点。
8. universal
/ˌjuː.nɪˈvɜː.səl/
adj. 普遍的，全世界的
Music is often described as a universal language.
音乐常被形容为一种普遍通用的语言。