Desert Dreamer

(artwork by Ami Thompson, art director of KPDH)

I think everyone is certain by now based off of interviews and official artwork that Jinu is coming back to life in some capacity in the sequel.

This lingering shot from the movie when Rumi first meets with Jinu solidifies it for me. The male mannequin even has a gat on. This was definitely an intentional still frame. 3 females, 1 male. All together.

I just love the idea of these 4 as a friend group/Hunters. Like when was the last time we ever saw an iconic group of predominately female members with one male? It always seems like it’s the reverse (Star Wars, Harry Potter, TNMT etc) and the potential for this is amazing.

Can you imagine their DYNAMIC???

We already know how much the 3 girls love and care for each other. But imagine how much they can delve into each relationship going forward if Jinu becomes an integral part of their group?

Mira would probably hate Jinu at first and would probably try (or want to try) to kill him, but she’d warm up to him eventually. They would both roast each other constantly, it would be amazing.

Zoey and Jinu give sibling energy with their hair and goofiness and love for animals so they’d definitely bond quickly. Besties/siblings for life. And maybe Zoey would remind Jinu of his own little sister.

And as those friendships grow, so would Rumi and Jinu’s bond.

Now I want to go into why I think this dynamic would work within the realm of Korean folklore, which is heavily used and referenced by the creators of the movie.

In Korean folklore, there are commonly 4 guardian deities (Dragon, Phoenix, Turtle and Tiger)

Dragon - Jinu (Yang: the male king deity that gets paired with the Phoenix) Dragons represent hope, courage, power, growth and protection. They can also represent new life.

Phoenix - Rumi (Yin: could represent being reborn, and is the female queen counterpart to the male dragon) A Phoenix represents royalty, leadership, fame, communication and grace. They can also represent spiritual enlightenment.

Together the Dragon and Phoenix represent love, unity and balance.

Symbolically, the dragon circles below while the Phoenix flies above (Demon vs Human Realm) The Phoenix burns away corruption from the Dragon’s domain. The Dragon then brings rain (change/acceptance), nourishing life so that the Phoenix can raise the world up from the flames. They both act as partners in transformation.

(Tell me this doesn’t sound exactly like what Jinu and Rumi did for each other)

Turtle - Zoey, no question (for obvious reasons) Turtles represent resilience, wisdom, and protection. They also serve as a bridge between worlds.

Tiger - Mira (originally I thought Jinu could fit here too because of the whole Derpy situation but after reading up on the lore and what each guardian animal means, I believe Mira could easily fit as the tiger) Tigers represent strength, courage, endurance and protection.

How cool would it be to see something like this come to life in the next film(s)?