TL;DR – It is bringing Pokémon into a new medium while being charming to its very core.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that viewed this show.

End Credit Scene – The final episode has an end credit scene.

Pokémon Concierge Review –

Well, today, we looked at a show that came out of nowhere and had me excited the moment I locked eyes on it. To be fair, I am an easy mark when it comes to Pokémon. I’ve been playing since Yellow. However, this felt like a fresh take on a formula that has, in many ways, been done to death, and I am glad to say that having now watched it, I was right.  

So to set the scene, Haru (Non/ Karen Fukuhara) is not having the best time. First, her boyfriend of six years breaks up with her over text message (what an arse), then a presentation didn’t go to plan, and worst of all, her work bestie quit. This series of unfortunate events leads Haru to make a drastic career change and become a concierge at the Pokémon Resort. Haru is nervous as to what she will need to do on her first day of work, but out of everything she was expecting, having Miss Watanabe (Yoshiko Takemura/ Lori Alan) tell her to enjoy the resort was not anywhere on her list. Now from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.  

Okay, there is no way we could talk about this show without first addressing the animation. This is a quasi-stop motion-puppet kind of show. Where most of the Pokémon are puppets created out of felt, the humans are puppets that are being manoeuvred, and some of the Pokémon (rock/metal/water types) are clay models. The effect almost has the same impact that seeing the fully rendered digital Pokémon in Detective Pikachu did. It gives each of them this charming feel like you were playing with your own toys, and that helps sell the narrative completely.

There were a lot of things that I was expecting when coming into this show. I was not prepared for a dissection of modern work culture and how it harms our souls. Haru’s main arc throughout the four episodes is to cast off her previous mindset that was causing her stress and embrace the more congenial nature of the resort. Someone finding their confidence in a different world hits a bit too close to home for me, but I could not help but get brought along for the ride. It also helps that nearly every moment in the show is charming. Even Diglett being a little pain is lovely. I mean, they make me care for a Magikarp; the audacity of them for pulling that off.

All of this is tied together by one of the best productions that I have seen this year, with each part of the visuals, voices, and world coming together. I reviewed the English voice cast led by Karen Fukuhara, and they were fantastic. From talking to friends who listened to the Japanese cast, I can tell they were also fantastic. They completely capture the essence of Pokémon without having them have to battle. There was a moment when Gyarados used Waterfall, and it just felt right. All of this is captured in stunning scenery and with a musical score that blends Moe Hyuga’s original works with classic tunes. I think my favourite moment was the musical score, as Dragonite is soaring through the air.

In the end, do we recommend Pokémon Concierge? Absolutely, it starts strong and never looks back. Indeed, I am sorry that we only got four episodes in this first season because I would have been happy to watch many more.  

Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you seen Pokémon Concierge yet ?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day.   
 
Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Pokémon Concierge
Directed by – Iku Ogawa
Written by – Harumi Doki
Based On – Pokémon by Satoshi Tajiri
Production/Distribution Companies – Game Freak Inc., The Pokémon Company, Dwarf Studios & Netflix
Japanese Voice Cast – Non, Fairouz Ai, Eita Okuno, Yoshiko Takemura & Risae Matsuda with Hiroshi Kosaka & Ikue Otani and Shiori Izawa, Kosuke Kobayashi, Ikuji Nose, Takuma Nagatsuka Riho Sugiyama Genta Nakamura, Yu Sasahara, Shotaro Uzawa & Chisa Suganuma
English Voice Cast – Karen Fukuhara, Lori Alan, Josh Keaton, Imani Hakim & Nick Fisher
Episodes Covered – I’m Haru, The New Concierge!, What’s on Your Mind, Psyduck?, I Hope I Can Evolve Too… & Welcome to the Pokémon Resort!