Netflix’s Pokémon Concierge is for fans like me—the people who, if we were to place ourselves in the series’ reality, would be more interested in cuddling with Pokémon than fighting with them.
Let me begin with a full disclosure: I have been a Pokémon fan since 1998. That’s 26 years, the vast majority of my lifespan. I remember the very first wave of Pokémania. The game, the cards, and the show were all inescapable on my elementary school playground. But I was always the kind of kid who collected Pokémon Cards but was never really interested in the game.
For hours, I would simply flip through my purple binder and admire the art. I would play pretend with friends that we had Pokémon. When I played Pokémon Yellow, I prioritized “cuteness” over “badassedness.” (I still do this most of the time. Come at me.) I love the RPG games, but as the games have changed and evolved, my favorite parts, even as an adult, have become the cozy touches like putting a bowtie on my Pikachu and giving his head a nice scratch.
A very significant number of us have probably spent more time than we’d like to admit daydreaming about Pokémon being real. Although Pokémon has existed for nearly thirty years, Pokémon Concierge is the first series that is dedicated to allowing us to live inside that dream.
Crying and cuteness
Watching Pokémon Concierge was the first time in my life I have cried from a piece of media being cute. Dwarf Animation Studio’s loving attention to detail resulted in so many delightful, adorable moments that I had to stifle tears of joy. Dwarf deeply understands that the joy of Pokémon—and of cuteness in general—is in the little moments, which are the easiest to pass up. It’s in the fact that Psyduck mutters wawawawawawawawa when he’s on a scooter.
In episodes three and four, those tears became more focused on the artfully delivered, heartfelt messages the episodes conveyed—partnered with memorable moments like the cries of a Pikachu or a Magikarp’s eyes silently welling up with tears.
Continually throughout watching these four gems of episodes, I felt like I had been waiting 26 years for a series like Pokémon Concierge—yearning for it, even. Previously, I was getting my cozy Pokémon series fix from the YouTube channel’s ASMR videos (big rec) or from New Pokémon Snap. Finally receiving a series that I know I would’ve loved at age seven—and subsequently connecting with that version of myself and simultaneously knowing that it meant I could share this joy with my nieces, the next generation—made me even more emotional than the Magikarp. (To hook me in even deeper, Psyduck has always been a top-three Pokémon for me.)
At which point it became undeniable: In my eyes, Pokémon Concierge is the best thing The Pokémon Company has ever done.
A show for everyone
Pokémon Concierge truly feels like it’s a universal pleaser. It has meaningful themes and points of emotional connection for its adult audience, while never alienating kids. These themes are never overstated, as is often a cliché for children’s television.
The incredible craft of Dwarf Studio cannot possibly be overstated; the world is endlessly inviting and oozes with warmth, joy, care, and love. Every shot has something extra that adds to the show’s humor and makes the resort truly feel alive, like Psyduck tenderly holding a half-seashell up to his (supposed) ears while Haru has a conversation in the foreground. Dwarf Studio deserves every possible award.
Pokémon Concierge not only appeals to both adults and children, but it appeals to both fans and non-fans, as well. I watched the series with my partner, who is not nearly as Pokémon-pilled as I am, and he loved it, giggling at Spheal and Diglett playing beachball with an inner-tube.
And it was a welcome moment even for fans. After the glitchy mess of Pokémon Violet’s launch, I failed to connect with that game in the following months (and year). Detective Pikachu Returns was panned. Those twin failures had me wondering if I still liked Pokémon, or if The Pokémon Company was heading somewhere I wasn’t going to follow. Pokémon Concierge felt tailor-made to remind me of all the aspects of the franchise I still love.
I hope The Pokémon Company takes note of the universal praise the show has received (and gives their teams at Game Freak more time to develop their games).
(featured image: Netflix/Dwarf Studio)
