The Pokemon franchise has been nothing if not a juggernaut in the anime space, with over 1,200 individual anime episodes since 1997 and 23 anime films. In addition to the main series, the franchise has been recently expanding considerably into more diverse and unique styles and animation projects, such as the “Poketoon” shorts anthology in 2020 and 2021, which utilized a variety of vintage animation styles to tell side stories about various Pokemon encounters. Now, though, Netflix is about to get perhaps its most unique animated series yet, Pokemon Concierge.
Billed as the first stop-motion Pokemon anime, Pokemon Concierge has been a hotly anticipated—and highly under-wraps—original anime project. With only one short teaser released in late February (of merely one stop-motion Psyduck), the scale and scope of the stop-motion project was hotly speculated among fans of the series. Now that Netflix has opened up more details about the project at Anime Expo, fans can expect a lot of charm in this colorful and warm exploration of Pokemon in an all-new medium.
On the first day of the convention, Netflix first unveiled a behind-the-scenes look into the series in which the newly-announced main voice talent, Japanese actress and designer NON, took a filmed tour of the production at Dwarf Studios in Tokyo. Revealing several of the main sets and Pokemon models, the behind-the-scenes also worked to show the production process of bringing stop-motion animation to life.
NON Discusses Pokemon Concierge at Anime Expo
After the behind-the-scenes dropped, the following day saw at least twenty reporters gather together in a private room of the Los Angeles Convention Center, many raising mics, to get a scoop from a table in which the main chair was occupied by a life-sized Psyduck. Meeting with NON for the first of the show’s official press junket, the actress and her Japanese interpreter candidly discussed the tone of the show, and what to expect from some of the plot points.
The series centers around Haru, a young woman who leaves her monotonous day-job to start working as a concierge at the Pokemon Resort, where Pokemon themselves are the guests. Though Haru is described by NON as “a rhythmic thinker who always wants to make everything perfect,” one of the overarching themes of the show is about her slowly coming to adopt a more relaxed and satisfying demeanor, even when it’s hard and thinks don’t turn out as expected. “Haru learns to grow with the Pokemon,” NON describes. For a series all about its titular creatures evolving into stronger versions of themselves, it’s only fitting that this new series would tackle a different kind of growth, in a different kind of anime medium.
Psyduck is confirmed to be Haru’s main assistant as the resort concierge, with NON joking about the contrast between Haru’s hectic mannerisms and the cool, hard-to-read demeanor of her companion. When asked by Game ZXC about her personal favorite Pokemon, NON jovially stated that it’s a hard question to decide. When she was younger she always liked Mewtwo, but since working on this new project, she’s come to enjoy Psyduck as a personal favorite. Of course, with Psyduck being right there beside her, it was a courteous response.
Pokemon Concierge is developed by Netflix Anime and The Pokemon Company, and animated by Dwarf Studios. The series is slated to release on Netflix in December 2023.