K-animation becomes popular in overseas markets with social media

A one-minute video posted on the global platform TikTok on June 3 is garnering explosive responses. The content itself is simple – Roni, the main character of the video, puts on a pair of glasses after an eye exam, and its eyes appear bigger and cuter. The video was watched over 10 million times in just three days, and the current number of views as of Wednesday is 19 million. Many comments were left in various languages, including English, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, and French. The video is part of an episode of the South Korean animated series “Maca & Roni.”

Many South Korean animated series are gaining global popularity on international platforms. Cute characters catching viewers’ eyes and entertaining stories that can be intuitively understood regardless of languages are what make them stand out. Many characters are garnering more recognition in overseas markets than in South Korea.

　

“Maca & Roni,” which was produced by CJ ENM and South Korean producer Brickstudio and has been being broadcast on Tooniverse since March this year, posted its highlight clips on TikTok and attracted 450,000 followers in just three months. The total views for comic videos describing a genius inventor and his clumsy assistant’s efforts for invention amount to 57 million. “We created short animated films without lines in consideration of YouTube, TikTok, and the overall global market,” said Woo Kyung-min, the producer of “Maca & Roni.” The animated series will be launched as two mobile games this year thanks to its popularity.

　

Ultra-short web animated series “Dow-Dow” featuring the daily lives of donut Dow-Dow and its pet dough Mow-Mow in 20-30 second episodes became popular after its episodes were posted on TikTok and Instagram in 2018. Its TikTok account has 2.1 million followers, most of whom are aged between 18 to 24 (44.5 percent) and 25 to 34 (39.3 percent).

The animated series “Bread Barbershop” produced by Monster Studio was ranked Top 10 most popular TV series on Netflix in the world in less than one month since its Season 1 launch on the streaming platform in August last year. The show is about barber Bread giving life-changing makeovers to its friends – white bread, milk, and other items – after listening to their concerns. Season 2 will be launched at the end of next month and Season 3 is scheduled for December this year.


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