What is Meitu? Up close with the anime-style photo app

If you've noticed a sudden increase in anime-style photos popping up on your social feeds, then you've earned your first look at the photo app Meitu.

The app created by Chinese company Xiamen Meitu Technology has been available for several years, and is really popular in Asia. But it's now gaining a lot of buzz in the U.S.

On Apple's App Store, it's the 68th most popular free app as of Wednesday night. It doesn't seem that high until you consider it was ranked 973 overall on the App Store on Saturday, according to research firm App Annie. In the Photo & Video category, it's ninth, ahead of mainstays such as VSCO and Instagram's Boomerang.

The app is a "one touch photoshop for enhancing your beauty and putting the finishing touches on your photos," reads a description on its iTunes page. Meitu boasts several features including a Retouch where you can lighten images or remove wrinkles and other blemishes, and an Edit to include photo enhancements.

But the feature responsible for the anime-like photos is Hand-drawn, a spin on the Prisma app, where it attempts to turn photos into art. Users can add filters titled Angelic or Fairy Tale, and it appears users can't seem to get enough of the results at outlets including Instagram and Twitter.

Founded in 2008, Meitu boasts 456 million monthly active users across its app as of October of last year. In December, Meitu launched an initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.