‘Pokémon Concierge’ Review
Season One Review
For those who hemmed and hawed about the benefits of dropping your Pokémon off at a daycare or any variation of that in the Pokémon games, will realize the paradise that you’ve been depriving your Pokémon once you see what’s going on at the Pokémon Resort. Set within a tropical resort aimed towards taking care of both people and Pokémon alike, Pokémon Concierge is an adorable, bite-sized, and therapeutic glimpse into a small, but necessary part of the Pokémon universe. Told through colorful and vibrant stop-motion animation, the four episodes contained in Pokémon Concierge are slight but charming in their celebration of self-care.
Though its stakes are small and Pokémon Concierge is mostly tailored towards fans and children, there’s a calming reflection on day-to-day stresses and the need to step back every once in a while to take stock of what matters most in life. It’s hard to argue against that idea when it’s presented as a resort filled with cute Pokémon all being pampered and taken care of in one of the most idyllic locales, isolated from the bustle of the city or the grueling journey to battle the Elite Four. Haru (voiced by Rena Nōnen) is not a trainer, but her life has begun to feel like a constant battle. Her job has become stressful, her relationships are falling apart, and small inconveniences feel like personal attacks on a massive scale. She’s fighting imposter syndrome, depression, and many other mental health concerns that are instantly relatable to a generation expected to work twice as hard just to make ends meet. So it’s unsurprising that she’s dropped everything and has taken a concierge job in a remote location at a Pokémon resort.
While it definitely appears to be a dream job during Haru’s stay, it’s also littered with positive smaller interactions where the lessons learned are not restricted to a fantasy setting where humans get paid to bond with and pet animals. Tasked by her boss, Ms. Watanabe (voiced by Takemura Yoshiko), to bond with a Pokémon on the island, Haru immediately sees a reflection of herself in a wild Psyduck that seems to roam the island with a constant headache. Alongside her co-workers, Alisa and Tyler (voiced by Fairouz Ai and Okuno Eita, respectively), she surrounds herself with support systems to better her life and the Psyduck who seems just as stressed as she is.
Pokémon Concierge is comforting because it manages to make Haru instantly relatable through anxieties that plague modern society. Where high-stress environments are more commonplace because the requirements to meet a basic, livable wage are higher, Haru finds herself with an opportunity to reassess her priorities and is willing to make whatever changes are necessary to move closer to a happier state of being. Of course, it helps that she’s surrounded by the most adorable Pokémon in an extremely colorful environment. There’s no dreariness represented on-screen and the closest the show ever gets to commiserating is undercut by over-the-top animation and vocal performances.
There’s a very DIY feeling to Haru’s journey to happiness, and it’s mirrored in the stop-motion animation done through the prolific dwarf studios - perhaps best known to Western audiences for their Domo-kun projects. It’s not very often that the Pokémon franchise strays from its anime design, making any change to the presentation a welcome one, but dwarf is legendary for its stop-motion design giving the project an added bit of care to its risk. The stop-motion provides a personal touch to the animation, making each character feel tactile. As a result, the care that goes into making the show look the way it does is symbolic of the care Haru must provide for guests at the resort and toward herself.
Pokémon fans will also be pleased to see such a vibrant, playful depiction of the world they’ve witnessed many times through the games, anime, and other media. The Pokémon Company has done a great job preserving the appeal of the franchise, and Pokémon Concierge is a wonderful diversion from the more homogenized approach to the property. Character designs remain the same, but because the animation style is different from previous works it stands out in a very welcoming way. The cast of Pokémon included touches on some classic favorites while also sprinkling in a few others that fit nicely within the setting.
Ultimately, though, Pokémon Concierge is a very small-scale offering, and as such, it doesn’t leave more than a warm feeling in its wake. While I appreciate its short runtime per episode and the fact that you can binge it all in around an hour, it’s a show that doesn’t have a lot to offer to every audience. The fact that it strives to be more than just a kids’ show or hodgepodge of Pokémon references is compelling enough and focuses itself on something that more people should pay attention to: their own mental health. It’s a serotonin boost in its own right, but Pokémon Concierge also manages to find an easy way to convey that same need for self-care through a property that has long been a form of self-care.
