Netflix’s new stop-animation series, Pokémon Concierge, debuted on December 28, expanding the franchise into a resort for familiar characters that need a rest from their rigorous training schedules and battles.
The series welcomes Haru to the tropical island resort, a new concierge who’s in training with more experienced staffers to take care of the Pokémon and their trainers. While she learns how to make her guests happy, Haru embarks on a journey of self-discovery and adventure.
Pokémon fans will see some new and familiar faces, including Psyduck, Pikachu, Eevee, Draonite, and Magikarp, who resemble their plushie counterparts.
Pokémon Concierge was first announced in February. The show marks the franchise’s first stop-motion animation project as well as the first time the Pokémon get a chance to unwind, showing fans a different side to beloved characters who book a vacation at the tropical resort.
Video game designer Satoshi Tajiri created Pokémon in a game featuring trainers who collect and battle their “pocket monsters.” The game spawned a series of additional games, anime series, films, and comics as fans scrambled to “catch them all.”
The first season of 1997’s Pokémon Indigo League, Pokémon Master Journeys, and Pokémon: The Arceus Chronicles are also available on Netflix.
Ash, the eternal 10-year-old, achieved his dream and was named the World’s Greatest Pokémon Trainer in 2022. The franchise has moved on to a post-Ash era with its next film, Pokémon Horizons, which debuts on Netflix in February 2024. It is the eighth Pokémon anime series.
Pokémon Concierge is directed by Iku Ogawa and written by Harumi Doki. The original Japanese voice cast stars Non, Fairouz Ai, Eita Okuno, and Yoshiko Watanabe. The English dubbed version is voiced by Karen Fukuhara, Imani Hakim, Josh Keaton, and Lori Alan. The show consists of four episodes running approximately 14 to 20 minutes each.
There is no word yet if the series will continue past its four-episode first season.
Image credit: Netflix