Welcome to Pokémon Resort, where you and your adorable pocket monster can indulge in such amenities as the spa, zip-lining and extreme yoga. If that sounds like paradise, then you’re probably in the target demographic for “Pokémon Concierge,” Netflix’s unassuming yet refreshing new stop-motion series.
At just four episodes, none of them longer than 20 minutes, “Pokémon Concierge” may seem like nothing more than a shallow TV confection targeted toward tots. But the series’s instant popularity indicates otherwise. “Pokémon Concierge” is a lovable diversion, but for an older crowd; it’s not quite a confection, but more like comfort food for the modern, anxious millennial.
The show follows Haru, a young woman in need of a change after facing job problems, a breakup and a string of bad luck. She comes up with a practical solution: get on a boat and travel to an island resort to become a concierge to cute lil’ magical battle-pets.
There’s no plot whatsoever to the series; each episode is just a peek into a day of Haru’s time on the island. The most difficult tasks she faces involve making sure the guests aren’t running too close to the pool and tracking down a Pokémon’s floaty.
And yet Haru is incessantly worried, letting her anxieties get the best of her. The first assignment she’s given — to simply explore and enjoy the resort like a guest — nearly breaks her spirit. Scared she has failed the job on the first day by accidentally getting too relaxed, she tries to prove her worth like any harried office worker would — by making a PowerPoint presentation.
The show’s simplistic storytelling and easy lessons can seem juvenile (be true to yourself, like an introverted Pikachu, or let yourself evolve at your own pace, like a Magikarp who’s a poor swimmer). But the fact that the protagonist is not a kid preparing for battle but a neurotic, overachieving adult preparing for a day of work shows that “Pokémon Concierge” is intentionally speaking to a particular kind of older fan who, probably like Haru, still has a soft spot of nostalgia for the lovable Pikachu and its friends.
After all, millennials came of age during the height of Pokémon-mania. And despite how personally soothing a fan may find a game of Pokémon Go on their lunch hour, the root of the Pokémon brand has always been a competitive video game where people must collect, train and then battle Pokémon to advance in the world’s hierarchy.
And yet, “Pokémon Concierge,” which features many original Pokémon along with later breeds, uses beloved characters like Pikachu and Bulbasaur to invite fans into a much more peaceful, rehabilitative version of the Pokémon universe.
Haru’s mission at the Pokémon Resort is to relax, and that serves as our invitation to do the same as viewers. The stop-motion animation gives the series a satisfying tactile quality. The show is bright with colors and rich with textures, all evoking a world that seems like a giant play set. Even the Pokémon noises are gently mellowed out in contrast to the coarser, more caterwauling sounds of the games; here the creatures purr, cry, coo and sigh like docile house pets. The show excels at creating the increasingly popular back-seat viewing experience: You can put the series on in the background as you do chores, perhaps even let the episodes play on repeat, just dropping in on the resort and its visitors when it suits.
“Pokémon Concierge” is a rare example of a franchise seizing upon how the culture and its fan base have changed. As kids growing up with Ash Ketchum and Co., we may have dreamed of becoming Pokémon masters, but now we have adult jobs, real pets to care for and kids of our own. We did the battling; now we need P.T.O. Who better to serve as our concierge into a space of nostalgic fun and leisure but Psyduck, Squirtle and Pikachu?
Maya Phillips
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