This post contains spoilers for Pokémon Concierge
Netflix has been offering up some truly unique animation of late, but with Pokémon Concierge they might just be on the front end of starting a new trend. The soothing, beautifully animated four episode stop motion series encompasses not only what we love about Pokémon but also the joys of cozy gaming. Chilled farming sims, nature-focused puzzles, and animal adventures have taken the gaming world by storm over the last few years, and this delightful new entry to the Pokémon canon brings that tone, vibe, and narrative to the small screen.
Pokémon Concierge presents a refreshingly low-stakes, conflict free, series about day-to-day life at the idyllic and serene Pokémon Resort. It all begins when Haru (Karen Fukuhara) decides to leave the disappointments and pain of her life in the city for new horizons at the exotic locale. We follow the anxious young woman as she embarks on her new job as a concierge at the Pokémon Resort, but it's a far cry from Haru's old life. Here she gets to enjoy herself, find time to play, and most importantly build friendships with those around her.
The series comes from Dwarf Studios, the ones behind the charming and equally as sweet Netflix stop-motion series Rilakkuma and Kaoru and Rilakkuma’s Theme Park Adventure. But whereas those shows were slice of life tales that often touched on the harder, more existential parts of being an adult — as well as plenty of fun — Pokémon Resort offers an aspirational vision of how coziness, contentment, and peace are important parts of everyday life. And thanks to the central premise of Haru being a concierge, the episodes evoke the cozy games by presenting our in-character with errands to run that help her get to know the locals. Just like Harvest Moon, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Stardew Valley, Haru must fix drinks, reunite old friends, and help the Pokémon as they make their way in their island paradise.
In 2023, it's not hard to see why people seek out these cozy and comforting stories. It was during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic that Animal Crossing became one of Nintendo's biggest selling games of all time. It wasn't just the cute designs, gorgeous game writing, or brand recognition that launched it into the stratosphere, though. It was people seeking out something to distract them from the reality of the everyday. The appeal of rebuilding our lives on a fictional island was immense. Community could be found not only in the sweet NPCs but in the online play that allowed people to visit each other's islands when they couldn't see each other in real life. Since then the appetite for cozy games has only grown, with life sim games like Spiritfarer, Coffee Talk, and Wylde Flowers continuing the relaxing trend that Animal Crossing: New Horizons sparked off. Of course, there were games like Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, and the other Animal Crossing entries that had paved the way, but the appeal and popularity of the subgenre has never been higher. That makes Pokémon Concierge perfectly timed.
The promise of uprooting your life and finding something better in your new location is an eternally appealing trope — hello every single Christmas movie — but the way that Pokémon Concierge brings it to life is clearly influenced by games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Each episode is a slow-paced slice of life wander where the most important quest is to make a Pokémon comfortable to use its voice or take part in some light exercise as you explore the island. Vibes are far more vital than any heavy narrative here — much like the delightful life sim games that inspired it — and the best part is you can watch it without any worries of heavy topics or even the light stress of the Pokémon battles that usually make up the films, shows, and games.
Pokémon Concierge translating the cozy gaming aesthetic to TV makes absolute sense, seeing as Pokémon was one of the trailblazers in the cozy gaming life. Though Pokémon is a combat-based game, thanks to the slow pace, the massively popular animated series and movies, and the newer games that lean into the everyday parts of being a Pokémon trainer, Pokémon has long been inspiring cozy gamers everywhere. Whether it's the aspirational nature of exploring beautiful landscapes with your cute critters or taking time to dress your trainer in finery, Pokémon has long been trafficking in the tropes that make cozy gaming so popular. So, of course, they're also one of the first to bring the genre to TV. And it's in a delightfully unique stop motion animated format that feels refreshing and new.
As the year ends, conversations about IP fatigue and how to capture an audience are rife as the previously unstoppable superhero genre struggled at the box office this year. Pokémon Concierge offers a new route for beloved properties that have legions of fans: to present something entirely different while also meeting your audience where they actually are. The series not only harnesses the current passion for cozy gaming, but it recognizes the audience's love for other things that bring them joy like City Pop and the internet's favorite artist Mariya Takeuchi of "Plastic Love '' fame. The iconic Japanese singer was brought in to record the perfectly chilled theme song "Have a Good Time Here." It's no surprise that Pokémon was ready to embrace this trend as they'd already been doing. Not only in the newer Pokémon games which focused on home, shopping, and wandering as well as Pokémon battles, but also in the gorgeous Nintendo Switch title Pokémon Cafe Remix, which offered up a cozy puzzle game in the guise of a lovely Pokémon run cafeteria in which you must make delicious dishes for your Poké-Guests.
So if you're looking for the perfect place to relax as the year comes to an end then curl up in your gaming chair, get your Switch out, warm up your favorite hot drink, and check into the Pokémon Resort. Hopefully 2024 will bring us more inventive, nourishing, and relaxing takes on our favorite characters, and if not then at least we'll always have Pokémon Concierge.
Rosie Knight is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything from anime to comic books to kaiju to kids movies to horror flicks. She has over half a decade of experience in entertainment journalism with bylines at Nerdist, Den of Geek, Polygon, and more.
