Man Pokemons really been going all out on the animation front in the past few years hasnt it? Weve got Pokemon Twilight Wings the PokeToon shorts Pokemon Evolutions and now a recently finished web series from Wit Studio called Pokemon: Hisuian Snow based on the video game Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Hisuian Snow was first announced in a Pokemon Presents video released in February 2022 alongside the reveal of Legends Arceus DLC and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Needless to say considering how good Twilight Wings and the various PokeToon shorts turned out many fans were hyped for this me included. Plus unlike what happened with Yoru no Kuni TPCi made it clear that Hisuian Snow was going to only have three episodes straight up and not be a fullon adaptation of the game which was about what I expected. I mean considering the pattern the Pokemon animated shorts have been going with I had a feeling Hisuian Snow was going to do something similar to what Twilight Wings and the PokeToon shorts did i.e. be more lowkey atmospheric character focused pieces. Im glad to say that Hisuian Snow met my expectations and is still pretty amazing on its own. Hisuian Snow focuses on a young man named Akio named Alec in English but Im going with his Japanese name so as to be more accurate to the setting visiting the Hisui region to see his father. He hears rumors of violent Pokemon wreaking havoc in the nearby forest which makes him reminisce on an encounter he had when he was a child. As a kid he wandered into a snowy forest and met a shiny Hisuian Zorua against his fathers warnings. After some mishaps Akio winds up hurt but the Zorua helps him out. But humans are wary of Pokemon seeing them as hostile monsters and Akio has been told that theres no way Pokemon and humans can ever really coexist. Years later Akio wanders how that Zorua is doing hoping to see it again. Much like with what Colorido did for Twilight Wings and their PokeToon shorts Wit Studio really went all out in the animation department here not just with the character motion and the little details but the beauty of the environments as well. From the white snowy peaks to the setting sun bathing everything in its light the whole short is just brimming with warm colors from gentle yellows to harsh oranges. That contrast empathizes the storys main theme that Pokemon are both beautiful and dangerous in this worlds era and Pokemon and humans havent learned to coexist yet. The fact that there are characters who outright say that Pokemon are dangerous and shouldnt be messed with isnt exactly a sentiment you normally get in a franchise like this and we the audience already know its going to be disproven based on the story beats and...well the franchise itself. It makes sense as the time period both Legends Arceus and Hisuian Snow take place in is during a time when Pokemon were still alien to humans rather than the constant companions they are in the main series proper but it is refreshing to see a different take on the idea of befriending Pokemon and even the source game leans heavily into this mindset and disproving it. Granted the animation isnt as dynamic as say Yume no Tsubomi or I Became a Gengar but what the series lacks in kinetic motion it makes up for with its usage of colors light and shadows and keeping true to the visual style of the game its based on along with some stark trippy visuals at the beginning of episode one. I dont have as much to say on the soundtrack but its pretty nice and gets the job done. Based on what the various Pokemon short animations have done with their previous shorts Hisuian Snow is very much a character study at heart with a fairly small cast to follow. Most of the development goes to Akio and we get to see first hand how his experiences with the Hisuian Zorua change his view on Pokemon and himself as a person along with how this experience inspires him to convince others to do the same. The side characters dont get much to do especially the ones who appear in the final episode but they all serve their roles nicely and their beliefs towards Pokemon are presented as understandable without coming across as antagonistic nor does the series try to portray Akio as being wholly in the right. Youre not exactly going to find much in the way of complexity or grandeur in Hisuian Snow in terms of its plot or characters but the things it is able to offer are not too much not too little just the right amount needed to do what the show wanted to do. Even the Hisuian Zorua has a surprising amount of personality and depth to it and its literally an animal. Basically Hisuian Snow wonderfully succeeds in being a character study and for being entirely dedicated to its lead character learning new things and changing significantly because of his experience with Zorua. If I had to name any flaws Hisuian Snow has its mainly in the minor details. For one the short intro bit at the very beginning of episode one showing a Zoroark going berserk after seeing its dead child doesnt really get followed up on. We never find out the context behind it what happened or if the Zorua or Zoroark in the story is the same one Akio encountered. I dont know if that scene is just there to establish the fact that humans view Pokemon as dangerous or not but I kind of wish more had been done with it. The final episode has some characters from the game make cameos and even help Akio out in the conflict for that but one of them doesnt talk and the rest of them just feel like plot devices. While Hisuian Snow does make an admirable effort I think Twilight Wings did better in terms of fleshing out the rest of its ensemble cast along with various episodes of PokeToon. But that absolutely does not mean Hisuian Snow doesnt have anything to offer by itself as its still a great wholesome little character piece that really excels in what it set out to do. So yeah whether youre a Pokemon fan or not dont sleep on Pokemon: Hisuian Snow. While not without the occasional stumble its still an excellent web series thats full of just as much passion and heart as its contemporaries.