Top 5 Best Aeni Right Now That Must Be on Your Watchlist

Article Summary

Aeni is animation South Korea with unique visuals, diverse genres, and a strong cultural identity
There She Is!!, Ghost Messenger, and The Fake stands out through music, visuals, mythology, and social criticism
Webtoons and streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazons, HBO Max boost popularity Aeni globally

Top 5 Best Aeni Right Now That Must Be on Your Watchlist

For those of you who like watching animation with different visuals and stories from Japanese anime, Aeni is the best recommendation.

Aeni is an animation that comes from South Korea. The Korean animation industry has been growing for a long time, and many Aeni films are now gaining attention through digital platforms and streaming.

If you are only familiar with anime so far Japan, by watching Aeni you can open a new perspective on the development of the animation industry in South Korea.

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Get to know what Aeni is

Aeni (8) — Best Aeni (Source: Top Anime/YouTube)

The Korean word Aeni 애니 (aeni) which is an abbreviation of 애니메이션 (aenimeisyeon) means animation.

Korean animation has been developing since the 20th century. It was popularized by Shin Dong-heon in 1967 with his work "Hong Gil-dong," the first feature-length animated film in Korea.

Subsequently, the Korean animation industry flourished through films, TV series, commercials, and 2D and 3D productions. In the 1970s, the Korean industry faced pressure due to the popularity of imported Japanese animation, but eventually returned to producing local animation.

Characteristically, some use 2D animation with stylish designs Manhwa and using Computer-Generated Imagery 3 (CGI/3D).

The genres are also very diverse, such as action, fantasy, comedy, romance, drama, adventure, science fiction (sci-fi) and others.

Aeni's development is also increasingly integrated with Webtoon (Web Comic) which opens up opportunities for adaptation into animation, film, drama and other content.

Its uniqueness brings Korean cultural identity into the animation media through the characters, stories, settings or themes used.

In today's era, the development of the webtoon industry has given Korea a large source of stories to be adapted into animation (Aeni).

Aeni aims to entertain, tell stories, provide messages and express culture.

Aeni not only provides light entertainment for children, but its scope is very broad depending on the target audience and production.

List of the Best Aeni Currently

aeni (4) — Best Aeni (Source: Senpai Network/YouTube)

Below are some aeni (Korean Anime) that you can watch:

There She Is!!

“"There She Is!!" is an anime adaptation of a comic strip by SamBakZa, with Amalloc as animator and Sogong as comic artist. It was released online between 2003 and 2008 with a running time of 31 minutes. Uniquely, it's not a TV anime series, but a short anime in the style of a music video without dialogue.

The main series consists of five Steps, namely There She Is!!, Cake Dance, Doki and Nabi, Paradise and Imagine.

Step There She Is!! was released on April 20, 2003, Cake Dance was released on February 25, 2005, Doki and Nabil was released on May 21-28, 2008, Paradise was released on August 20, 2008 and Imagine was released on December 9, 2008.

In 2016, SamBakZa ran an Indiegogo campaign to fund an extra episode focusing on Jiintta and his background.

The extra episode was released on August 18, 2020, which was released on DVD as well as an additional continuation/spin-off.

The genre itself is Romance and Comedy-Drama with elements of music video, Slice of Life and Social Drama which can be watched on 삼박자 만화공방 SamBakZa YouTube Channel.

The story focuses on Doki, a female rabbit who falls in love with Nabi, a male cat.

The problem is, in their world they consider relationships between different species to be taboo.

A relationship that initially seemed adorable, then developed into a serious social conflict.

The entire story is conveyed through expressions, movements, music and visuals without dialogue so that the audience must understand the emotions and actions of the characters.

There She Is!! is one of Aeni's best, as it was highly influential in the internet animation era, conveying a romantic story and issues of discrimination without dialogue.

The visual style is simple but expressive, the music plays a big role in the storytelling and the relationship between Doki and Nabi develops from a comedy-romance to one about acceptance, prejudice and the courage to maintain a relationship.

Ghost Messenger

“Ghost Messenger” or Goseuteu Mesinjeo is an anime produced by Studio Animal, directed by BongHue Gu and written by Kim Ji-yeon.

Released in the form of a 6-part Original Video Animation (OVA) series. OVA episode 1 was released on December 21, 2010, with a duration of 35 minutes, then OVA episode 2 was released on August 19, 2014, with a duration of 46 minutes.

The compilation film was released on May 22, 2014, which combines and edits Episodes 1 and 2 into one 79-minute film.

The genres are action, supernatural, fantasy, and thriller, which can be watched on Rakuten Viki, Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel, and Tubi.

The story focuses on Kanglim, a Ghost Messenger whose job is to capture spirits wandering in the human world.

While on a mission, he has an accident and becomes trapped in his Soul Phone. He then meets a boy named Kanglim, an extraordinary human. Eventually, they embark on an adventure between the human world and the world of the dead.

What's interesting about Ghost Messenger is its incorporation of Korean mythology into the story. Characters like Ganglim Doryeong, Bari Nangja, Sara Doryeong, Mago Halmi, and Yeomra Daewang are inspired by Korean traditions and mythology.

Ghost Messenger is one of the best anime that combines Korean mythology, supernatural and modern technology.

The concept of the grim reaper using a device to capture spirits is very unique and the visuals are very stunning.

The Fake

“The Fake” is a South Korean animated film produced by Studio Dada Show, written and directed by Yeon Sang-Ho.

First screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2013, with a running time of 1 hour 41 minutes, it was then officially released in South Korea on November 21, 2013.

The genres themselves are adult animation, drama, thriller and psychological/social drama which can be watched on Google PlayMovies, Amazon Prime Video and Just Watch.

The story is set in a village about to be submerged to make way for a dam. The locals are offered compensation to relocate, but Choi Gyeong-seok exploits the situation by posing as a religious figure and convincing the villagers to hand over their money to the church.

On the other hand, Kim Mi-chul is a local resident with a good reputation and knows when something is wrong. Almost no one trusts him because of his behavior, which makes him considered a troublemaker.

Uniquely, the conflict in The Fake focuses on good versus evil. Kim Mi-chul attempts to uncover the fraud, but he himself is extremely rude and troubled. Meanwhile, Choi Gyeong-seok exploits the locals' religion and beliefs to gain profit.

The Fake is one of the best films because it has a bold story, mature themes and social criticism.

Seoul Station

“Seoul Station” is a South Korean animated film produced by Studio Dada Show and Finecut, written and directed by Yeon Sang-Ho.

It was first screened at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival on April 5, 2016. Then, it was officially released in South Korea on August 18, 2016 with a duration of 92 minutes.

The genres themselves are Horror, zombie, thriller, action, Science-Fiction (Sci-Fi) and drama which can be watched on Amazon Prime Video and HBO Max.

Seoul Station is not a season-long anime, but a sequel to the Train to Busan animation.

The events of this film take place one day before the events in Train to Busan so the two films are closely related.

The story takes place before the events of Train to Busan. Around Seoul Station, a homeless man experiences mysterious circumstances before the zombie outbreak.

The situation escalates as people in the city center begin to become infected. However, Hye-sun must survive while her father, Suk-gyu, and her boyfriend, Ki-woong, search for her.

The interesting thing about Seoul Station is that it discusses social class, homelessness, public indifference, family relationships and the government's response to the crisis.

Seoul Station is one of the best anime because it displays dark vibes, a realistic story and a zombie outbreak that is a threat to society.

Lost in Starlight

aeni (2) — Lost in Starlight (Source: IMDb)

“Lost in Starlight” is a South Korean animated film produced by Climax Studio and Netflix Animation and written and directed by Han Ji-won.

Han Ji-wo originally conceived the music video (MV) for the Korean jewelry brand StoneHenge, titled "Beautiful Moments." Eventually, the music video caught the attention of Climax Studio and was developed into a film.

Lost in Starlight was released globally on Netflix on May 30, 2025 with a duration of 96 minutes.

The genres are romance, Science-Fiction (Sci-Fi), drama and comedy which can be watched on Netflix.

The story is set in Seoul in 2050, focusing on Nan-Young, an astronaut who dreams of going to Mars, and Jay, a musician who is trying to rediscover his dreams.

They meet when Nan-youn brings an old turntable inherited from her mother to Jay's repair shop. Eventually, their relationship develops into a romance, and things change when Nan-young gets the chance to travel to Mars, forcing her to enter a long-distance relationship with a distance of 225 million kilometers.

Lost in Starlight is one of the best anime because it shows visuals of Seoul in the future (2050) with a retro-cyberpunk feel and distinctive hand-drawn animation.

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Those are Aeni's recommendations for the best Korean anime right now, and they're definitely worth adding to your watchlist. So, which one are you interested in watching?

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