The creatures of Pokémon may be known for their battle prowess, but it turns out they need a vacation once in a while, just like everyone else. That’s the premise of Pokémon Concierge, a beautiful and breezy stop-motion series made in collaboration between The Pokémon Company, Netflix Animation, and Dwarf Studios. Depicting the first days on the job for Pokémon Resort’s newest employee, Haru (voiced by Karen Fukuhara), the show’s four, short-and-sweet episodes are packed with chill vibes, gorgeous visuals, and a surprising amount of emotional vulnerability. Pokémon Concierge is decidedly not action-packed like the adventures of Ash and Pikachu, but with such amazing feel-good vignettes exploring the softer side of Pokémon, that’s never a problem.
The biggest draw of Pokémon Concierge is the meticulously crafted and infinitely charming stop-motion animation bringing this slice-of-life story to life. The picturesque island resort is a dream vacation with loving attention given to everything from the food on the table to the sand and water on the beach. The fuzzy, adorable Pokémon puppets make everything so gosh darn comforting and soothing. They’re cute beyond belief and feel incredibly lifelike, which goes a long way when it comes to establishing the emotional stakes of the story.
The protagonist feels tailored to Millenials who enjoyed Pokémon as kids and are now grown-ups dealing with the stresses of adult life. Poor Haru just got broken up with over text, she messed up a presentation at work, and she stepped on gum – twice! As she explores the Pokémon Resort, she learns to relax, take a break from her phone, and enjoy the fun of living in a world of wondrous pocket monsters. There’s a real catharsis for Generation Y on display, and it’s sublimely comforting to watch Haru help an overly anxious Psyduck and an introverted Pikachu deal with their issues using empathy and kindness, all while reflecting on how those problems mirror her own struggles with mental health. The Pokémon brand has already gotten into the self-care game with the likes of Pokémon Smile and Pokémon Sleep, so why not Pokémon Therapy?
Given the time and effort that goes into creating stop-motion animation, it shouldn’t be a surprise that there are only four episodes of Pokémon Concierge, none of which go past the 20-minute mark. Yet the brevity of the season doesn’t feel like much of a downside because it accomplishes what it sets out to do, which is take the viewer on a trip to a fun place where they can relax their bodies and unburden their minds with Pokémon. There’s little plot to be resolved, and at times it does feel like there could be more story to give the show more depth, yet that doesn’t stop it from delivering an emotional finale. A brief runtime isn’t all that bad, because it leaves you open to absorbing the chill vibes here in the now instead of worrying about whether Ash is going to win big at the end of a long journey.
