Pokémon Concierge Cast: Takemura Yoshiko, Okuno Eita, Fairouz Ai, and Rena Nonen
The Pokémon Company is the creator.
Ogawa Iku is the director.
Netflix is the streaming service.
Japanese is spoken (with subtitles)
4 episodes totaling about 15 minutes each in runtime.
What It Concerns:
The Pokémon franchise, which started as an RPG video game for the Game Boy platform and grew into an anime series, card game, and a plethora of other items, is the biggest franchise ever developed. To reach that position, a franchise must branch out beyond its primary audience. The newest of those items is Pokémon Concierge, an animated stop-motion miniseries available on Netflix. The miniseries gives Pokémon a new look while preserving all of your favorite aspects of the game.
Examining the script:
One of Netflix’s tiniest and most charming shows is Pokémon Concierge, which follows Haru, a young woman who has made the decision to start over and finds that working at a Pokémon Resort is the ideal way to do so. Haru will, however, first struggle to let go of her corporate culture habits and establish a connection with nature—especially with the Pokémon entrusted to her care. Although the idea is simple, it resonates because it liberates the intellect and warms the heart.
Nevertheless, Pokémon Concierge is a show about positive energy, handling problems, and resolving conflicts by focusing on your desires and areas of happiness. Even though the message may not speak to everyone, the series’ presentation quality will undoubtedly win over many viewers. Every episode has a little journey with Haru, who serves as the ideal protagonist—a lost fish who will allow us to explore the environment at our own leisure.
Star Performance:
There are not many talking characters in Pokémon Concierge. The voice cast is essentially made up of four characters: our protagonist Haru; two other Pokémon Resort employees, Tyler and Alisa; and, of course, Ms. Watanabe, the resort manager and Haru’s boss, who frequently offers very tactful and appropriate advice when Harus is feeling down. This cast of characters is fantastic and all we could ask for in a drama about self-discovery.
The character of Haru, played by Rena Nonen, effectively conveys her journey from being lost at the beginning of the program to finding a new purpose towards the end. She certainly benefits from the excellent animation work, but Nonen’s voice brings the character to life. Additionally, Ai and Eita sell the personalities of their characters, which turns the entire staff into a peculiar group of pals.
Music & Direction:
One of Pokémon Concierge’s most important components is the presentation quality, for which the director Ogawa Iku and his staff at the dwarf studio deserve praise. The human figures have this plastic quality, and the Pokémon characters feel and look like adorable cuddly toys that you just want to hold and hug. It is also impressive how diverse the Pokémon are, and it is wonderful to witness a collection of Pokémon from several generations.
Given that Mariya Takeuchi is regarded as the queen of the city pop genre, which consists of extremely relaxing feelings, her music is a perfect complement for the island summer moods. It’s really astounding to have a composer of that caliber, and Tekeuchi’s music seems like a natural fit for the Pokémon series. There are also a few songs with lyrics as beautiful as they get, some of which will definitely stay in your memory.
Final Thoughts:
Although Pokémon Concierge is a charming little experiment from the Pokémon Company, it seems like it belongs exclusively on Netflix. Since this is the kind of show that many people look for during the holidays, Pokémon fans will be happy with it at least.
