Pokémon Concierge Review: Star Rating:
Cast: Rena Nonen, Fairouz Ai, Okuno Eita, and Takemura Yoshiko
Creator: The Pokémon Company
Director: Ogawa Iku
Streaming On: Netflix
Language: Japanese (with subtitles)
Runtime: 4 Episodes, Around 15 minutes each.
Pokémon Concierge Review: What’s It About:
The Pokémon franchise is the biggest franchise ever created, and to achieve that status, it means to expand outside your core audience, as what began as an RPG video game for the Game Boy console became an anime series, a card game, and tons of other merchandise. Pokémon Concierge is just the latest of those products, being a stop-motion animated miniseries for Netflix. The miniseries brings everything you love out of Pokémon and gives it a fresh coat of paint.
Pokémon Concierge Review: Script Analysis:
Pokémon Concierge is one of the shortest and sweetest offerings that Netflix has in its content library; the show tells the story of Haru, a young woman who has decided to start afresh, and the best way to do that is to get a job at a Pokémon Resort. However, Haru will initially find it hard to get rid of her corporate culture customs and connect with nature, especially with the Pokémon under her care. This is a straightforward premise, but it works because it warms the heart and frees the mind.
Haru is a straightforward character, one that many will identify with, especially nowadays when the newest generation is the first to realize that work is just another form of slavery and that there are jobs out there that fulfill more than just the need for money. Haru is a person who finds herself in this situation, and she needs a new landscape. As the show progresses, we all wish to leave and get a job at Paradise Island caring for Pokémon.
Pokémon Concierge only runs for four episodes, and each episode runs for only about 15 minutes; this makes the series relatively short, and this might be the only awful thing about it. Although the character of Haru comes to a resolution at the end of the season, it feels rushed and leaves the audiences asking for more; at least four other episodes would have been great to explore the resort and the characters that work in it in depth. As it is, it is still a delightful experience, but it does feel too short.
Nevertheless, Pokémon Concierge is a show about the vibes, dealing with issues, and finding an exit by working on what you want and what makes you happy. Some people might not resonate with that message, but the level of presentation will surely make more than one person fall in love with the series. Each episode is a tiny little adventure with Haru, and she is the perfect protagonist, a fish out of water that will let us get into the world at a conscious pace.
Pokémon Concierge Review: Star Performance:
Pokémon Concierge doesn’t have many talking characters. The voiced cast is composed of basically four characters, including Haru, our main character; Alisa and Tyler, two other employees at the Pokémon Resort; and, of course, Ms Watanabe, the manager of the resort and Haru’s boss, who often comes up with very gentle and suitable lines of wisdom when Harus is at a lost. This is an excellent set of characters and the only thing we need in a show that is all about finding yourself.
Rena Nonen plays the role of Haru, and she sells the fact that the character is lost at the start of the show and finds herself a new purpose by the end. Of course, she is helped by the fantastic animation execution, but Nonen’s voice truly completes the character. Ai and Eita also sell their characters’ personalities, making the entire team of employees an odd bunch of friends.
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Pokémon Concierge Review: Direction & Music:
The level of presentation in Pokémon Concierge is one of its most vital elements; it is commendable what director Ogawa Iku and his team at the dwarf studio have done. The way human and pokémon characters are done is just beautiful, with the human characters having this plastic quality while the Pokémon look and feel like lovely plushies you just want to grab and hug. The variety of Pokémon is also commendable, and it is great to see a collection of Pokémon from many different generations.
The music composed by the legendary Mariya Takeuchi fits the island summer vibes to the teeth, which makes sense as Takeuchi is known for being the queen of the city pop genre, which consists of very chill vibes. Having a composer of such renown is very impressive, and Tekeuchi’s music feels like a good fit with the Pokémon franchise. There are also a couple of songs with lyrics that are just as lovely as you can imagine, and some of them will probably stick in your mind.
Pokémon Concierge Review: Last Words:
Pokémon Concierge is a nice little experiment coming from the Pokémon Company, but it feels like something that could only come out on Netflix, of all places. Sadly, it is probable that the miniseries will get lost in the sea of content that the streaming giant is constantly providing, but at least Pokémon fans will be happy with it as it is the type of show that many people look for during these holidays, so grab a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy Haru’s journey on the Pokémon Resort, it is lovely.
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The post Pokémon Concierge Review: This Stop-Motion Miniseries Brings All Coziness Needed For Holiday Season appeared first on Koimoi.
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