The new Genshin Impact animation is everything fans needed before the anime

Modified May 24, 2024 15:40 GMT

The new Genshin Impact animation is everything fans needed before the anime (Image via HoyoVerse/miHoYo)

Friday, May 24, 2024 saw the official YouTube channel for the Genshin Impact video game release a new animated short, titled The Road Not Taken and running roughly 3.5 minutes long. The short is an animated music video, with the seemingly also titled “The Road Not Taken” and being performed by HOYO-MiX and Japanese singer and lyricist Aimer.

The new Genshin Impact animated short focuses primarily on characters Aether and Lumine, but other characters Paimon and Danslief can also be seen at different points in the short. All four are seen journeying around the nations of Teyvat, which is the continent that serves as the primary world and setting for the original video game.

The short was originally released via the Genshin Impact version 4.7 special live stream, which also announced several other exciting news and events relative to the original game. That includes new banners, a new 4-star character coming in the first half of the upcoming update, two additional 4-star characters coming in the second half and more.

Genshin Impact animated short has fans begging for the anime’s premiere

Expand Tweet

While the video game’s latest animated short is beautiful and enthralling, many fans are more primarily concerned with the franchise anime currently being produced.

At least, as far as fans know, it's still being produced, as virtually no additional confirmed news has come since the anime’s initial announcement in Setpember 2022.

Likewise, fans’ concern with the anime’s status is understandable, especially considering how beautiful animated shorts like “The Road Not Taken” turn out to be.

In turn, this also explains why discussion of the anime is dominant in the immediate aftermath of the short’s release; its quality is of such a high caliber that fans can’t help but imagine what the allegedly coming anime will look like as a final product.

Expand Tweet

Understandably, many online are both giving the animated short its flowers while also expressing concern and hope with the status of the anime production.

Many others, however, are going in one direction or the other, seemingly unconcerned with whatever animation project they aren’t discussing. This is somewhat unfortunate for those asking about the anime, as they seem to be missing out on an incredibly well animated short likewise:

“one day the Anime will become a thing~ (and when it does we see most of these animated short videos be part of it just bettered up prob)” said one fan.

“we need the genshin anime hoyoverse [3x broken heart emojis]” begged another to Genshin Impact parent company and publisher miHoYo, d/b/a HoyoVerse internationally.

Thankfully, there are many others who are going out of their way to sing the animated short’s praises and commend miHoYo for their work here:

“Stand Proud miHoYo you have cooked again. This is PEAK FICTION” exclaimed one fan.

“PEAK! oh my god Lumine is so GORGEOUS! [heart emoji]” passionately said another.

As of this article’s writing, there's unfortunately no additional update on the video game’s television anime production. Fans are hopeful that such an update will come in the next few months as the two-year mark since the initial announcement approaches.