As the ending of Pokémon Concierge suggests “Welcome to a place, where you can be yourself and just have fun”. This show has very much such a vibe throughout the whole series. One might ask, “Isn’t it childish?” and to that, I answer not really, to be honest. For context, the show is animated in the style of clay animation and well I haven’t really watched such shows since the “Bob the Builder” era or simply my time of being a toddler. The storytelling is soothing and you can even watch it in mixed order.
Again, this type of show isn’t my cup of tea but when I tell you, Pokémon Concierge is a must-watch, I actually do have valid reasons. Keep scrolling to find out! The Pokémon Company, Dwarf Studios, and Netflix Animation production is the most unique, underrated, and enjoyable animated shows of 2023. Well, it cannot be compared to heavy hitters of 2023 like – Blue Eye Samurai, Castlevania Nocturne, and Bleach. However, it is a most exciting and enjoyable watch nonetheless. You can trust me on that.
Pokémon Concierge Causing Sheer Happiness
I got myself into Pokémon Concierge based on the review of Joey, AKA ‘The Animeman’ a famous YouTuber I’ve been following for a decade now, and he states Pokémon fans whether they are at level 100 or 0 must take their time to watch this if they want to experience sheer “Happiness” and now I really do understand what he meant after watching the show myself.
Pokémon Concierge provides you with a sample of what would it be like to live in harmony with the Pokémons in the Pokémon world. There are no battles in this show nor any villains and yet without such action, you will find yourself craving to watch another episode of it. “Why would I?” you may ask! Well, the villain in the show is practically all our negative inferior thoughts that keep us from smiling or laughing in this day-to-day life.
While we drown in the turmoil of harsh reality, we will find our main character ‘Haru’ is just like us. She had way too much to bear, a frustrating breakup, debts, family issues, losing jobs and contracts you name it, she just had enough. Just like us Haru too searched for an escape and lucky for her she found a perfect place in Pokémon Concierge.
A Familiar Yet Soothing Plot
Now, this section will contain spoilers so proceed with caution, you have been warned. I actually started watching the show in a very messed up sequence, believe it or not, I watched the last episode first, then the second and third and finished it with the first episode and it did not spoil any fun for me so I can safely say, feel free to watch it however you like to. When I rewatched Pokémon Concierge another time in order I found it gave different feelings so let me explain.
When you watch the last episode of Pokémon Concierge first, you meet the happiest, a bit delulu (delusional), clumsy, down-to-earth person Haru, working in this stunning Pokémon resort. She is so happy that she always signs up for all the activities. She is the type of person who loves to help others but she never knew that was her own specialty. So, watching the first episode in the last made me realize how this person with the brightest smile, wasn’t always like this.
Haru wasn’t always happy. She was frowning even when things were going right. She was on the verge of tears at every turn. Even in good actions, she felt her role to be useless or inferior to others. You can definitely feel how beaten up she was on the inside. This is the specialty of Pokémon Concierge. You can see yourself in Haru and while we don’t exactly have access to the real Pokémon resort, we definitely can feel the same relaxation through the show.
Another plus point of Pokémon Concierge is that you get to see familiar Pokémons with fuzzy bodies, they look super adorable, with tons of Pikachu and you will not believe Psyduck as a lead. All misty fans out there will feel nostalgic. All Generation One fans will too. However, there are Pokémons from different seasons and regions so we also find Dedene and so on. A perfect blend of Pokémons indeed.
The Hidden Gem
If you watch Pokémon Concierge in chronological order, however, you will find the feeling of happiness not through Haru but for Haru, as you will see her experience those that are common and known to us. After losing her job, her being absolutely nervous to sit for another interview to her concerned face as she believes that she is unwanted. To someone who started enjoying life and the small things in it.
She even mentions how the blue sky and the clear water beneath can make you feel blissful and add a beautiful Bento to munch on with that moment, you will literally not need anything else. A friendly note however, you might want to grab a snack too while watching this because not gonna lie, the fried chicken in the Bento is juicy and you know how animated foods are, just yummy and delicious.
You will also find a tribute to the movie, “The Grave of the Fireflies” in Pokémon Concierge as Haru carries around the gumdrop candy container filled with colorful candies but that sounds like M&Ms. Yes, I watched this show with the utmost attention and observed everything in detail. I still can’t get over how cute Pikachu was, it was as if it was detective Pikachu in body but much cuter with almost puppy-dog or kitten eyes that draw you in.
Pokémon Concierge Closes 2023 On A Bright Note
The visuals of Pokémon Concierge are stunning and despite being a clay-animation the whole show is smooth like butter. No, I’m not a BTS fan because honestly, I find their 2014 debuts much better and unique. There are plenty of other groups arguably doing better but let’s not get into that debate.
We all here are Pokémon fans, we grew up with Pokémon and as a fellow fan, I request you to go watch Pokémon Concierge as well. It is streaming on Netflix and will be worth the time you put into watching the show. It made the year-end one of the brightest ones for Pokémon fans.
