Anime, this one word stirs up a lot of emotion, doesn’t it? The globalization of anime has indeed played a significant role in how anime, a Japanese niche, grew in popularity and has now taken the world by storm. The genre changed the world and the entertainment era, and we changed the genre in various ways too. Now, almost every country in the world consumes this source of entertainment, and it is not only limited to Japan. Anime is hand-drawn in the form of manga or computer-generated in the form of web series or movies, and it originated in Japan. However, now it is not only limited to being created in Japan.
A lot of other countries have also picked up the genre. These are called anime-influenced animations. In areas other than Japan, they call anime merely a short form of animation, but do we not already know that it is certainly very different from normal animation? In Japan, however, anime is considered to be an amalgamation of all sorts of animated works, and it does not take into account any origin or style.
Anime has been created for decades, but only a few years or maybe a decade ago, the genre rose to immense popularity. The first ever commercial Japanese animation came in 1917, and then the earliest style emerged not until the late 1960s. Osamu Tezuka was very responsible for the spreading of this genre.
In the years following the development of the style, the works started spreading fast, and soon enough, anime grew this large domestic audience, and now almost every corner of the world is very familiar with anime. Thanks to the various distributors and every platform available, anime is growing daily. From theatrical distribution to manga, light novels, and games, there are many ways this popular genre is consumed. Now, anime has a revenue of more than $19 billion USD in Japan.
Anime is famous for many reasons, ranging from beautiful graphics, lifelike depictions of real landscapes from Japan, and heart-wrenching stories to several things for every person. Anime works through several various genres, and there are diverse areas to choose from, from romance, comedy, and drama to psychological thriller, sci-fi, and murder mysteries and fantasies; there is something for everyone in the world of anime. The exploration of various plots and subgenres is another reason to add up to its popularity, and it caters to various demands that are so unique and inventive. The visuals are the most important reason as well the art that anime creates leaves a huge impact.
Several countries have picked up the creation of anime in their own countries. As we said, now it has evolved from only being produced in Japan. Korean industry has also picked up the creation of anime series, and it is becoming increasingly popular. The animated Manhwa Korean world is gaining momentum and becoming very popular. Manhwa is a word that Koreans use for comics. The Korean word Aeni comes from the English word animation, and the Korean anime is called hanguk aeni in order to differentiate itself from Japanese anime, which is inarguably more famous.
The South Korean anime industry started booming after the mind-blowing success of Pororo the little penguin and Origami Warriors in 2011. Some Korean animators continue to blame the thriving Korean game industry for depleting the animation industry’s talent pool, but the box office success of the Korean animated film Leafie in South Korea in 2011 is inspiring a new generation.
Here is a somewhat compiled list of various Korean anime series to binge-watch and enjoy. This is not any ranking. It is just a compilation.
Pucca
This is a very popular comedy romance animated Tv show from Korea. It is pretty short. Also, it only has 26 episodes, and it is a very heart-warming show also. It talks about the protagonist, whose name is Pucca. She has a crush on this ninja warrior named Garu. Pucca also has some superpowers that get exacerbated and better when she kisses Garu. Garu is a very focused ninja and keeps training hard to hone his skills in martial arts. And he does not care about Pucca, but the entire series gets funnier as Pucca keeps approaching Garu for kisses, and he keeps running away. It is a heartwarming show, and you should try it.
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Hello Jadoo
This is another very fantastic anime series from Korea. It is set in an early 1980s household in Korea. It chronicles the stories of the five members of the Choi family. They all are living ordinary lives, and the anime features a girl from the family named Choi Jadoo. The girl is a bit of a tomboy. It is pretty long; it has a total of 122 episodes.
It is a perfect anime to immerse yourself in the slice-of-life, and the lead female character gets you hooked on to the screens.
A day before us
This is slightly a sad anime. It is mellow and warms your heart simultaneously, and it chronicles the love story of four different characters. It is a lovely show. It takes you through heartbreak, love, and letting go. It is also a mini-series. Simply put, this is one of the best Korean animated series of all time. A Day Before Us is a sweet and touching story that will appeal to readers of all ages. The animation is excellent, as is the voice acting.
Olympus Guardian
This one is quite an adventurous series based on a Korean manhwa (manga) of the same name. It has a lot of Greek gods, and the show also tells the story of all the gods, like Zeus, Hades, Medusa, Hercules and Icarus, and others. It has a total of 39 episodes.
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Yobi, the five-tailed fox
You have probably heard about the nine-tailed fox. It is a very popular mythical creature, and the Korean Version is called Kumiho. In Korean mythology, the myth is about Kumiho, a five-tailed fox named Yobi. Yobi is a mythical fox, and she can transform into a human.
The story is about Yobi taking on the responsibility of protecting an alien stranded on earth. The alien also gets rejected by her fellow aliens, so she has to stay here; she enrolls in a school and ends up liking this world, a world full of humans. She gets particularly attached to her human friend called, Geum-ee. She attempts to live an idyllic life in the human world, but this is easier said than done. She will eventually require a human soul and must also protect Geum-ee from the Shadow Man’s evil plot.
Seoul station
Seoul station is a prequel that is based on the Korean film which is a very famous one called Train to Busan. This movie is also set in a zombie outbreak era. Hye-sun is a woman who is trying her best to escape the dark world of sex work, and she wants to escape the brothel she has been living in. Meanwhile, her father, Suk-Gyu kept trying to get in touch with Hye-sun, but the zombie outbreak happened before any of this could happen. And now, the fight became of survival.
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Bagel Girl
Bagel girl is a unique show with a very unique story. The plot is about a boy who was constantly bullied because of his weight, he was sort of fat, and one day, he mysteriously woke up to find himself turned into a hot and sexy woman after playing games the whole night. Now, the show becomes all about his exploration of this new identity, new life, understanding all about what it means to be a girl, how to live a girly life, and what things a girl needs. It also explores various new relationships and the issues that come with them. The show also gets funny when they deal with shopping for girly things, how to find a job, and more. Overall, it is a very, very interesting show.
Close Side Blacklambs
This is a unique Korean anime show as well, and it shows a group of young people recruited to fight against alien invaders.
It is also set in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The characters are very well presented, and the graphics are pretty remarkable. All the people in the group train together, and they also grow together.
Flowering heart
This anime takes on the famously developing genre containing magical girls. This follows the story of a 12-year-old girl named Jin Ari.
Though she is still a little girl, she can magically transform into an adult woman and helps other people. She also has two friends, Sunwoo Min and U Suha. All three of them try and stop the evil in their own way. It also explores some other issues. Although it depicts children transforming into adults, the anime is not suitable for children due to its social commentary on weight and food consumption. She and her classmates are used to doing an after-school activity called the Problem-Solving Club.
Still, it appears that no one has any problems that need to be resolved. Fortunately, Ari comes across an unconscious hamster on the road while let down and the story starts there.
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Green days- Dinosaur and I
This story follows the story of a high school girl named Yi-rang. The show shows her struggles with coming of age and growing up. She dreams of being an athlete when she grows up. But given the issues that come with adulting, the loss of self-confidence, the feeling of being inadequate, and everything else. She almost gives up on her dream, but then she meets two classmates, Cheol-Soo and Soo-Min. Their interactions and everything change their dynamics.
This entirely hand-drawn film received positive reviews from critics but performed poorly in its international release, making it an underappreciated gem of Korean cinema.
Ghost-messenger
This is another excellent Korean anime series. Kang-Lim, the series’ main character, is a ghost messenger sent to the human world to find the remaining ghosts who refuse to go to the World of Death even though it is their time. As a result, Kang-Lim will find himself trapped in his own mobile phone.
This is set in an evolved world; the world is a digitized place, the technologies have advanced, and there are new devices that can even control the life and death of all living beings.
Jang Geum’s dream
This one is based on a very popular and hit Korean drama called Jewel in the palace. This well-known Korean drama anime animation is produced by Manhwa Broadcasting Corporation. However, in contrast to its source material, which involves murder and corruption, the anime is a lighthearted show aimed at a young audience.
The anime, which has a 7.17 rating on MyAnimeList, is a delightful show that features Korean values, culture, and food.
This Korean anime tells the story of Jang-geum, a young teenager who must do her best and persevere to realize her dream of becoming a court lady. As a result, with her friends by her side, she will most likely succeed in making her own mark throughout Korea.
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Noblesse
This one brings in the fantasy genre. It is about a powerful and noble vampire named Rai. Rai had been sleeping for a hundred and eighty years. He wakes and does not know what is happening in the world. However, he also realizes or learns that while asleep, something terrible happened to all the other vampires and that he is the only one of his kind now. So, he embarks on this journey of getting to know what happened to the other people of his species.
Rai is taken in by a human named Frankenstein, who decides to assist him in adjusting to his new surroundings. He is also rai’s servant and helps him learn various usual everyday routines of the human world. Rai quickly meets other humans and discovers that he possesses unique abilities that enable him to be powerful.
A group called Union is hunting vampires, so he has to be careful of them as well. Rai must now discover what happened to the other vampires, avoid capture by the Union, and protect the humans who have assisted him. Noblesse is an action, adventure, and mystery-filled Korean anime. It is an excellent anime for fans of vampires and other supernatural creatures.
The king of pigs
This anime tells the story of two friends. It is also sort of a coming-of-age drama. The two friends were bullied in school, and the show shows the transition to adulthood. Their names are Jong Suk and Kyung-min. They are unemployed and live in very bad conditions.
The story takes place in a lonely and despicable world where the wealthy and powerful prey on the helpless. One of them is depressed, and the other is an alcoholic; they both, however, one day decide to take revenge on their bully. They plan to kill them and make them suffer before that. The King of Pigs is a dark and violent story that delves into the darker aspects of human nature.
Solo levelling
I think you might have heard of this one before. It is a Korean drama that tells the story of a man named Sung Jin-woo. He finds out that he has some supernatural powers and abilities, he can also level his abilities by killing monsters, and there is a mysterious outbreak there.
Now, since he has all these powers, he has decided to go to the origin of this outbreak and stop it from spreading further. This anime is packed with action, adventure, and mystery and will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. Sung also finds many people with similar abilities, and they all embark on this journey to find the source of the outbreak together.
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Winter Sonata
Winter sonata is also a Korean drama and was very famous, and this anime is based on the same drama. It centres on a man named Yoo Jin, who falls in love with Joon Sang. However, Joon Sand dies in an unfortunate accident, and Yoo jin marries someone who looks exactly like his former lover, Joon Sang.
This anime has a lot of genres, like romance, seinen, and josei.
Psycho Nya Nya
This is a concise comedy anime series. It has 101 episodes and features an orange cat named Nya Nya. Nya Nya has this firm determination that he will escape his owner; the owner was planning on neutering him, so he tries out all these weird plans it made to terrorize his owner so he can finally run away. It is a hilarious anime, and it would go by quickly.
Tower of God
This is yet another Korean anime that is considered an absolute masterpiece, it also has a Manhwa of the same name, and the series is based on the manhwa. The show was first released not long ago, in 2020.
The series also has a unique plot involving a tower that grants everyone their deepest desires. But the only requirement is that you reach the top of the tower and only the tower gives you your wish. The main character is a boy who decides to open the tower gates himself, so he surprises everyone with his unique abilities.
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The god of high school
This is yet another exciting anime series in Korea. It tells the story of a young man named Mori Jin. Mori is still in high school but dreams of being the world’s greatest fighter and then goes to this big tournament. He trains really hard with his friends, and he realizes that the chase to the top is a tough thing to do. He decides to participate in the GOH world tournament; while the event is sponsored by a shady corporation, the grand prize is the fulfilment of any wish made by the winner.
The animation in this one is impressive, and you should try it.
Oseam
There is a very famous Korean folktale on which this Korean anime is based; it is very heartwarming and makes you feel like melted chocolate inside. The story is about a blind boy named Osamu. He is on this quest to find his mother in the afterlife. Along his journey to the afterlife, he finds a lot of unique and colourful characters, a mountain spirit, an orphaned girl, and a rabbit who can talk.
The story is indeed very heart-touching, and the visuals are stunning. The anime is also very relaxing; you should, without a doubt, give this one a try.
Approved for adoption
The artwork Approved for Adoption is stunning, and the animation is superb. The story is told with wit and compassion and will stay with you long after you’ve seen it.
The story is about a Korean boy named Jung-ha who gets adopted by a Belgian couple. He then struggles to keep up with his new life and search for a place in this new world. This is a work of fiction but is somewhat related to the life experiences of Jung Henin.
Henin himself was adopted by Belgian parents.
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Wonderful Days
This anime was released in 2003. The story is set in a future world. The world has been ruined by a lot of pollution and wars. The survivors who escaped everything live surrounded by a wall.
They also have a machine that purifies the air for them and creates food for them out of thin air; that is how they survive.
The main characters are a girl named Jay and a boy who meets Tae-Won. The boy is a mechanical genius. She found this book that tells her that a city was destroyed by pollution and war, so she decided to find this city, and Tae Won decided to help her on this journey. In this journey, they discover a lot of truth about the city and its people.
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Semi and the magic club
This is a fantasy and thriller anime show. It follows the story of Semi and her genius teacher named, Wai. They become weirdly tangled in a magical journey that also includes time travel. They try to stop Evil X from exploiting the powers of the magical cube. There is also a special catch here, to avert the impending threat and save the world, our heroes must solve math and history puzzles along the way.
The Haunted House: Secret of the Ghost Ball
This Korean series focuses on two siblings who deal with many ghosts and their weird spooky secrets. They have the help of aa 102 years old Goblin living beneath their apartment building. Their apartment was also haunted, so they tried to find out as much as they could about the ghosts living there.
Shining star
This is a unique Korean anime series with the music genre, and this chronicles the story of an ordinary girl named Nara who decides to join the prestigious Shining Star School music school. She wanted to become like her favourite idol Muse, so she joined the school to make her dreams come true. This is also like a cross between Aikatsu and Pripara; they both have the similar premise of an idol school and a concert and motivational songs and all.
There are also very famous K-pop songs covered in it, so that is another reason to watch it.
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Badaui Jeonseol Jangbogo
This Korean anime has everything, from action to adventure, to fantasy. It is unique also. The story is about captain Jang who is the leader of a group. Their mission is to face powerful mafias who want to control the sea, and Jang does not want to let them do that, so he and his group of mercenaries try to stop them. Captain will unravel many mysteries while facing epic battles where strategy and courage will be tested.
Element hunters
This one is science fiction series. It is also a great fit for fans of science and chemistry. A special team consists of these talented young researchers who take the responsibility of looking for chemical elements like oxygen and all. The plot is set in the near future, in 2029, where allegedly certain elements disappeared, and so they try to find them and get them back. The phenomenon because of this happened occurred in the Mediterranean sea, and scientists found another dimension Nega Earth.
Will they be able to get the elements back?
Hammerboy
This story is about a boy named Mangchi who has a special hammer that has magical abilities. He uses it in his daily life too. He meets the princess of Jemius’s kingdom and, along with her, decides to help everyone with his magical hammer.
The fake
It is a 2013 animated film from Korea. The director of the movie is Lee Sung-Gang. The story is very thought-provoking; it is about the story of a village that is terrorized by fake religion. The villagers pay taxes to the church and face dire consequences for their actions, and the church imposes harsh punishments on them. A young boy named Jong-Gil eventually saves the village by exposing the church’s deception. The Fake is a one-of-a-kind and thought-provoking film about the power of religion, its impact on society, and how we are intricately tangled in the entire situation.
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Semantic Error
This is a perfect fit for all our BL lovers out there. It is a very famous Korean BL. It only has four episodes, so it is quite a short watch, but it is one of the very famous ones. You should read the manhwa also, as it is what the show is based on. The story features a computer science major Chu Sangwoo and a design artist Jang Jaeyoung. They fall in love despite being very different.
Empress Chung
This story is very intriguing; it tests how far you can go for your family and what you can do for your family. Princess Chung has to go through all these things as her father is on the verge of getting blind. The show is based on Korean folklore also.
DOTA: Dragon’s Blood
This anime is based on a video game named DOTA 2. And this anime is quite famous; it was released on Netflix in 2021 and has had three seasons. It is set in a fantasy world where a person named Davion, a dragon knight, is on a hunt to find and slay dragons, and he has to protect the world from the dangerous dragons. However, in a fight against a dragon Slyrak, his soul merges with that of the dragon.
Then he, along with a Sun princess Mirana, goes on a journey to save the dragons from being killed and attempts to save them from being slaughtered and save their souls from being collected.
Super secret
This is a charming show, and it is based on the manhwa with the same name. It has a total of twenty-two episodes, and the artist for the manhwa was Eon.
The anime was created by Studio Shelter back in 2020. It follows the story of two students, Emma Ji and Ryan Nam. They have been two childhood friends, and the anime chronicles their life. Emma is an airhead, and Ryan is quite doting and protective, almost like a mother. Emma’s parents left her to fend for herself, and Ryan and his parents allowed Emma to live with them. However, there is a supernatural secret between Ryan and their family that they have decided to hide from Emma.
The show revolves around the secret, and they’re trying to hide the same from Emma. But what will happen if Emma mistakenly finds out about it?
Mari Iyagi
The leading actor Nam-woo gets teleported into his hometown after opening a package from his friend, and from there, he goes to an abandoned lighthouse and into a fantasy world. There he finds a girl who can mysteriously fly whose name is Mari.
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