[teeth chattering]

361: Snorunt

Snorunt is a design that, a lot like Duskull, finds such simple brilliance. So simple it's hard to go on a long-winded praising rant like it feels like it deserves, but nonetheless it's SO good. Snorunt is a little triangular fella that wears what both looks like a home and a coat, wrapping itself up and shivering non-stop. NOOOO, THE BABY IS COLD!!!!! and its expression is also simply adorable, with the vaguely uncomfortable look to it, and lots of teeth to make it look like it'd make teeth-chattering noises while being so cold. The one thing we'd really change about it would be to leave behind the definition of a circular body and simply leave the face peering out from a dark void inside. That would make it even more precious.

Personal Score: 9/10

Am I glad he's frozen in there and that we're out here.

362: Glalie

Then it evolves into Glalie, which... is considerably less cute. Though it hardly looks that much like an evolution of Snorunt, does it? Seemingly going for a skull or hockey mask look, rather than the cute parka Snorunt had. It's not a bad design, but it simply isn't captivating us as much as Snorunt. Though so long as we've been talking about Japanese names, Glalie's is Onigohri, a pun on oni, or "demon", and onigiri, "rice cake." As well as "kohri", or "ice". And this amusing wordplay is far more entertaining than Glalie itself. It's an ice cake!

Glalie's got the potential to be really cool, but something about it just feels like it's got one detail too many going on, which is impressive to say for a Pokemon that is little more than a floating head. We just wish the holey pattern in its icy mask felt a little more purposeful than just. It's there. Either that or it would've been fun if, again, the black wasn't actually its skin color but rather you're seeing a face peering from a deep, black void.

Hey I just chewed some gum, smell my breath

Mega Glalie:

While the premise of this Mega is metal as hell: apparently the process of Mega Evolving literally BREAKS GLALIE'S JAW which causes it to hang permanently agape like this, we can't really say adding a weird beard does Glalie a ton of favors for us. Shrug.