Haru (Karen Fukuhara) is a young woman who’s a little down on her luck. She’s just been dumped, her life is going nowhere, and she’s feeling a little lost. So she decides to take a job as a concierge at the Pokémon Resort, a tropical island that pampers Pokémon—and it turns out to be just the relaxation she needs, too.
In the four-episode season, we journey along with Haru as she learns the ins and outs of the resort from the other friendly staff and gets to know her Pokémon clients. She even befriends a particularly endearing Psyduck that she finds herself relating to in very sweet ways. It’s nice to see Psyduck—one of the most underrated cute Pokémon—get some love here, and hopefully become another mascot (I just want those plushies, y’all). Oh, and don’t worry—you might also get a Pikachu sighting or two, in one of the most touching storylines of the season.
Pokémon Concierge is simply delightful and one of my favorite Pokémon series in a while. The stop-motion animation is painstakingly crafted to pull off the most charming slice of life about finding yourself and helping others. It’s never preachy or heavy-handed but still surprisingly profound. Haru is a plucky hero who’s in her healing era—Karen Fukuhara does a wonderful job with the English dub voice acting. The Pokémon all have their own personalities, too, and manage to communicate their emotions with a few sounds and expressions, reminding you just why you love these adorable creatures in the first place.
You can see the attention to detail in all the textures and layers of each Pokémon and the humans looking after them, making you wish you could reach out and feel the fuzziness of Snorlax’s fur or the smoothness of Gyrados’ scales. And the music is uplifting with a tropical touch, skipping along with the sunny days to keep you smiling.
Stylistically, the brightly-hued colors and easygoing attitude remind me of the game Pokémon Snap. This series shows Pokémon relaxing and doing what they want instead of being challenged to fight or train. Here at the Pokémon Resort, they can be themselves and play with other Pokémon. Each type gets their time to shine, showing off their strengths and struggles and helping them bond.
If you’re a Pokémon fan or you’re simply looking for a sweet escape this winter, Pokémon Concierge is ready to welcome you with open arms. I really hope we get to see more of this lovely series!
