Pokémon Concierge
A stop-motion Pokémon series about a resort concierge.
Pokémon Concierge is a stop-motion original net animation (ONA) series within the Pokémon media franchise. It premiered on Netflix on December 28, 2023, and follows Haru, a down-on-her-luck woman who becomes a concierge at the Pokémon Resort. The series was created after discussions between Netflix and The Pokémon Company in 2019.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Adventure
- Fantasy
- Comedy
- Based on
- Pokémon, The Pokémon Company
- Writer
- Harumi Doki
- Director
- Iku Ogawa
- Country
- Japan, United States
- Language
- Japanese, English
- Seasons
- 1
- Episodes
- 8
Facts from the source article.
Cast and characters
Haru, voiced by Rena Nōnen in Japanese and Karen Fukuhara in English, is a workaholic lacking confidence who grows more assured as a concierge at the Pokémon Resort. Alisa, a part-time worker at the resort, is voiced by Fairouz Ai in Japanese and Imani Hakim in English. Tyler, who handles sanitation, catering, and fitness lessons, is voiced by Eita Okuno in Japanese and Josh Keaton in English. Ms. Watanabe, the island supervisor and Haru's boss, is voiced by Yoshiko Takemura in Japanese and Lori Alan in English. Singers Mariya Takeuchi and Tatsuro Yamashita performed the theme songs.
Production
Discussions between Netflix and The Pokémon Company began in 2019 while the film Detective Pikachu was in production. The series was initially planned as 2-D animation, but an animator at Netflix Japan suggested stop motion due to a prior collaboration with Dwarf Studios, and the idea was accepted. Harumi Doki wrote the series. Over 80,000 unique frames were created for the four episodes, with individual animators producing up to five seconds of footage per day. Tadahiro Uesugi designed the Pokémon Resort and major human characters, aiming for a fun and surprising look that still felt like the Pokémon world. The team created 30 facial expressions for Haru to convey a wide emotional range. Backgrounds included many details, such as a pillow resembling Gorebyss, to encourage rewatches.
Release and reception
In February 2023, during the Pokémon Day presentation, a stop-motion animated series for Netflix was announced, produced in collaboration with Dwarf Studios. Rena Nōnen was announced as Haru's voice in July 2023, and a trailer in November 2023 revealed the main Japanese and English cast. Pokémon Concierge premiered on Netflix on December 28, 2023, with four episodes. The series received largely positive reviews; on Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 100% approval rating from 18 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The critics' consensus called it 'Precious as a Pikachu, Pokémon Concierge is good clean fun for fans who prefer to see the pocket monsters' cuddlier side.' Charles Pulliam-Moore of The Verge described it as one of the company's most inspired works in years, praising its focus on real-life dread alongside cheerful visuals. Kenneth Shepard of Kotaku noted that the low stakes highlighted themes of friendship and cooperation, and that Haru's interactions with Pokémon helped her grow away from her workaholic lifestyle. Shepard felt the short length made the series feel disjointed at times but believed it emphasized Pokémon personalities lacking in earlier media.
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