Pokémon Concierge is a Japanese stop motion original net animation (ONA) series, part of The Pokémon Company's Pokémon media franchise, that premiered on Netflix on December 28, 2023. The series focuses on a woman named Haru, who is down on her luck and visits a resort known as the Pokémon Resort. She becomes a concierge,[1] working on the island in order to care for its Pokémon visitors.[2]
The series was created following discussions between Netflix and The Pokémon Company in 2019, and spent the next several years in development. The series received positive reviews from critics, who praised the series' animation, themes, messages, and relaxing atmosphere. In February 2024, Netflix announced that further episodes were in production.
Singer Mariya Takeuchi additionally sang the series' theme song, "Have a Good Time Here".[5]
Discussions with Netflix to produce a Pokémon series began in 2019 while The Pokémon Company was working on the film Detective Pikachu.[1] The Pokémon Company's Hidenaga Katakami stated the series was initially discussed to be produced in 2-D animation. An animator working for Netflix Japan suggested using stop motion animation, due to prior collaboration between Netflix and Dwarf Studios, which was accepted.[1] The series is written by Harumi Doki.[6]
The series uses stop motion animation. Each individual animator was able to produce up to four to five seconds of footage for the series a day, with 86,000 unique images created for the whole series.[1] Tadahiro Uesugi created the concept design for the Pokémon Resort and designed the major human characters such as Haru. Uesugi stated that he wanted for people to look at the series art style and say "That looks fun."[7] He additionally stated he wished to balance the feeling of being in the Pokémon world with an aspect of surprise.[8] The production team paid heavy attention to detail with the series, creating 30 facial expressions for Haru in order for her to convey a wider range of emotions.[7] Ikue Ogawa, the series' director, focused on how characters would move in the series in order to add realism to the world. The production team made sure to include many details in the background of the series in order to encourage rewatches of the series.[7] Various design aspects referencing other Pokémon species were also included in the background of shots, such as a pillow resembling Gorebyss.[8]
Katakami stated that there were no plans during development for Pokémon Concierge to tie into the wider Pokémon universe, with the focus being on Haru and her development, though Katakami stated they did design the environment to be feasibly capable of existing within the wider Pokémon universe.[1] Pokémon battles, a major mechanic in the Pokémon video games, were excluded from the show, with the production team deciding to focus on the day-to-day life of Pokémon. Psyduck was decided to be a good match for Haru's personality, and other Pokémon that would feature in the series were considered after that. The team got insights from people who had grown up with the franchise in order to decide how the Pokémon would act and which would feature in the show. 29 species of Pokémon were selected to appear in the show, as well as the four main human characters.[1] Iku Ogawa, who produced the series, helped with making background characters, as well as several other Pokémon. Ogawa stated that Psyduck was the first Pokémon he created for the series.[1] Psyduck was given a "dopey" form of movement, with several needless movements included in order to emphasize its personality.[8] The most difficult Pokémon to design was Pikachu due to Ogawa wishing to make sure its design had no mistakes in comparison to its design in wider expanded media for the franchise.[1] Pikachu's distinct negative personality in the series was decided by Ogawa, who was inspired by how dogs and other pets tended to have different individual personalities.[1]
In February 2024, Netflix ordered more episodes of the series, with production continuing on the series.[9]
In February 2023, during the Pokémon Day presentation, it was announced that a stop motion animated television series was in development for Netflix. The Pokémon Company collaborated with Dwarf Animation Studios on the series.[10] In July 2023, it was announced that Rena Nōnen would be voicing the main protagonist, Haru.[11] In November 2023, a trailer was released, revealing the main Japanese and English voice cast.[12] Pokémon Concierge premiered on Netflix on December 28, 2023.[11][12] It consists of four episodes.[12]
Pokémon Concierge received largely positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of critics gave it a positive review.[13] Charles Pulliam-Moore, writing for The Verge, described the series as "one of the first times in years that the company’s landed on something truly inspired," describing the focus on real life dread while also having a cheerful atmosphere and visuals allowed the series to appeal to both old and young viewers. He highlighted the series' focus on low-stakes episodes as enhancing the core themes of the series.[3] Kenneth Shepard, writing for Kotaku, stated the low stakes of the series helped focus on the themes of friendship and cooperation the series entailed, additionally stating that it allowed the series to focus on aspects other than the Pokémon franchise's traditional focus on Pokémon battling. Shepard described Haru as being the soul of the show, with her interactions with the Pokémon in the series helping her to grow and develop away from her workaholic lifestyle. Shepard stated that while the series' short length made it feel disjointed at times, he believed the series helped focus on the personalities of the individual Pokémon species and franchise that had been lacking in previous Pokémon media.[2]
Joshua Yehl, writing for IGN, praised the series for its stop-motion animations and its usage of the protagonist Haru to relate to millennials. He stated that its short run time helped emphasize the series' themes of relaxation while accomplishing the series' main message effectively.[14] Ana Diaz, writing for Polygon, additionally praised the series' "cozy" atmosphere. She praised Haru's role in the series, with her growth to accept herself for who she is being described as a "welcome change of pace for the franchise."[4] Reuben Baron, writing for Paste Magazine, praised the series' animation and messages. They praised the "feel good" vibes of the series and positive messages, but felt the show's small number of episodes hurt its ability to persist in the minds of its viewers following a viewing of the series.[15] Surej Singh, writing for NME, believed the show helped capture the playful aspects of the Pokémon franchise that had been sidelined in prior media for the series. He stated that while Haru's arc with Psyduck was not overly complicated, he believed it to be calming for viewers. Singh additionally praised the voice acting and animation for the series, though he believed the small number of episodes to be a waste given the series' high quality.[16]
Pokémon Concierge was nominated for an Annie Award for its second episode in the category "Best Direction- TV/Media."[17]