Animated K-drama The Painted Soul lands on Viki on Oct. 21

Rakuten Viki will launch The Painted Soul, an original animated K-drama, exclusively on Oct. 21.

The fantasy romance will be available only on Viki, meaning no other streamer carries it at launch. The rollout covers the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Oceania, India and Southeast Asia, according to Variety.

The story centres on Yun Hwa, a trainee painter who releases a stranger trapped inside a painting for 50 years. Viki's own listing adds background detail, describing a world where paintings possess the power to shape reality.

It comes from director Choi Junbae. His earlier directing credits include Mouse and Stealer: The Treasure Keeper.

The series is a co-production, meaning it was made jointly by two companies: Viki and South Korean company Imaginus. Imaginus used AI and other technologies in developing the show.

Imaginus was launched in December 2021 by Choi Jinnie. She was previously chief executive of Studio Dragon, a subsidiary of Korean entertainment group CJ ENM. Imaginus previously produced Cinderella at 2AM, which streams on Viki.

Viki is part of Japan's Rakuten Group. It reports more than 127 million registered users across more than 190 countries and territories.

The news was unveiled ahead of the Asian Contents & Film Market, the rights market organised alongside the Busan International Film Festival.

For fans, this means a short wait. The full series arrives in one place on Oct. 21, with no cinema release or staggered territory rollout announced.