This short celebrating Pokémon Day is truly a testament to the emotional range Pokémon stories can have, and to just how incredible Pokémon is as a franchise. Pulling a stacked but unexpected cast of being animated by CoMix Wave Films (Your Name, Weathering With You) and with music by Evan Call (Violet Evergarden, Frieren) x suis from Yorushika (Frieren, BokuYaba), this short does not pull punches when it comes to hitting an emotional story beat within its short runtime. Evan Call feels right at home again writing the music for another series about the power of letters in expressing feelings to others, and the shortdoes an amazing job of delivering that message, balancing some fun comedic moments with a strong emotional buildup into a climax that made me tear up. It also does an amazing job of showcasing a world of Pokémon co-existing with humans, and how much joy and wonder Pokémon brings to both children and adults alike.

In short, this short made me laugh and cry, and it's a truly fitting short to honor Pokémon on Pokémon Day. It reminded me that, in fact, I really do love Pokémon!