‘Pokemon: Let’s Go’ Lets You Recreate A Classic Studio Ghibli Moment

Pokemon Let’s Go Eevee and Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu recently released and fans of the Pokemon franchise are loving the makeover for the classic Kanto region of the games.

One of the cutest new additions to the series is the ability to ride on your Pokemon pals, and fans have noticed that riding a Snorlax results in a hilarious Studio Ghibli shoutout.

As spotted by @fct1205 on Twitter, riding on top of a Snorlax has you and your partner Pokemon clinging to its belly while it runs along. This is reminiscent of the Studio Ghibli classic, My Neighbor Totoro, in which a similarly sized friend carries others on its stomach. Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki in 1988, My Neighbor Totoro featured a cute relationship between two smalls girls and a cuddly wood spirit.

Like Snorlax in the Pokemon series, Totoro is first introduced while asleep and sisters Satsuki and Mei happen upon it in their adventures exploring a new home. Travelling around with Totoro had the two clinging to its belly as it jumped high into the night sky. There’s no indication the Snorlax in Let’s Go moves at the same speed, but now it’s even more reason to catch one and nickname it “Totoro.”

Pokemon: Let’s Go Eevee and Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu are now available for Nintendo Switch. ComicBook.com’s Megan Peters scored the game a 4 out of 5, and you can read the full review here. Here’s an excerpt:

“Pokemon: Let’s Go pays homage to the franchise’s first game while using the most iconic elements of Pokemon Go. Unsurprisingly, this RPG will appeal to avid fans of the mobile game given their connection, and longtime lovers will rejoice in the uncomplicated nostalgia drawn up by Pokemon: Let’s Go. However, if you were wanting this Switch title to add in totally new gameplay tropes, you will be left disappointed.”

If you haven’t kept up with the current run of the anime, Pokemon the Series: Sun & Moon is described as such, “What starts as a summer vacation in the tropical Alola region turns into the next exciting chapter in Ash Ketchum’s quest to become a Pokémon Master! There’s plenty for Ash and Pikachu to explore in this sunny new region, with exciting new Pokémon to discover and interesting people to learn from along the way—including the cool Professor Kukui and the fun-loving Samson Oak.

More new faces will help guide Ash’s Alolan adventure, in the form of a group of skilled Trainers—Kiawe, Lana, Mallow, and Sophocles—and a mysterious research assistant called Lillie. Frequent foes Team Rocket have also made the trip to Alola, looking to swipe some high-powered new Pokémon. But they have some heavy competition on the villainy front: the ruffians of Team Skull, who delight in causing chaos and may have more sinister intentions…”