A new Pokémon anime short has been released online.
The new six-minute short was released to the Japanese Pokémon Kids YouTube channel. While the audio language is only in Japanese, English subtitles are available. The short was directed by Kazuhiko Yabumoto, who previously worked as an animator on series such as Code Geass and Samurai Champloo. The animation was produced by Studio Colorido, which is best known for its work on Fruits Basket, Golden Kamuy and for assisting in the production of Jujutsu Kaisen.
The new short is part of the Pokétoon series intended for younger audiences, and stars a young girl visiting her grandparents' house. During her stay she gets to see how Pokémon are integrated into every aspect of daily life, as they help the grandparents clean, knit and even warm the house. While the short features a wide variety of Pokémon from different generations, including an Eevee and a Darumaka, the story centers on the girl's attempts to befriend the house's Slugma, who finds a way to show its appreciation for the girl despite not being able to get near her due to its magma-hot body.
The Pokémon Kids channel was launched in 2019 with the intention of creating content based on Nintendo's long-running franchise for younger audiences.The Pokémon franchise is currently celebrating the 25th anniversary of the original games release in 1996. Two Pokémon games were released for the Nintendo Switch this year, the first being the photography based New Pokémon Snap, and the second is Nintendo's attempt at breaking into the competitive MOBA genre, Pokémon Unite. Netflix will stream the next season of the Pokémon anime this fall, and is also developing a live-action TV series based on the games.
Source: YouTube
