Rakuten Viki and Imaginus Partner for Animated K-Drama The Painted Soul

The series follows Yun Hwa, an apprentice whose life takes a dark turn when she frees Seol Jin, a mysterious figure whose gaze is rumored to be lethal. Their unfolding dynamic serves as the emotional anchor for the production, which debuts October 21 across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Oceania, India, and Southeast Asia.

Behind the scenes, the creative team at Imaginus—led by former Studio Dragon CEO Jinnie Choi—integrated AI and contemporary digital techniques to define the show's visual identity. Jaehee Hong, chief content officer at Viki, noted that the project is the first of many planned animation titles aimed at satisfying audience demand for diverse Korean content. For Imaginus, the production represents a push to merge traditional storytelling with new technical workflows, building on the studio's previous work on titles like Cinderella at 2AM.