The only thing that makes me happier than The Pokémon Company making spinoff content to showcase other elements of the expansive world they've created is their unique approach to that spinoff. Pokémon Concierge doesn't bring any high-octane battles or epic lore that long-time fans sometimes associate with a franchise. Instead, it goes for something far more reserved, simple, and down-to-earth. However, this is precisely why it is one of my favorite additions to the franchise for quite some time.

There isn't much to Pokémon Concierge at first glance. A young woman named Haru is met with a bunch of bad luck and gets a new job at a unique resort on an island where both people and Pokémon act as the guests. The story is about Haru rediscovering what it means to have fun and loosen up. The episodes are short and to the point; you could finish the whole series in about an hour. However, whether you're paying dutiful attention to the show's incredible attention to detail or possibly watching in the background, Pokémon Concierge accomplishes what it wants to do: create an overall relaxing and relatable experience.

This is probably the most down-to-earth and relatable addition to the franchise we've had in years. Haru is a bit neurotic at first but not overbearing, and the rest of the staff at the resort don't come off as one-note either. You get the sense that Haru is beginning a new journey in her life, and everyone she has surrounded herself with is just further along than her. I found it a surprisingly relatable journey and a unique turn from this franchise. It's incredible how much material Pokémon Concierge can squeeze out of episodes that are only about fifteen minutes long at most, and this is without jamming episodes full of dialogue.

Despite the island's large size, there isn't a wide variety of Pokémon on display, but the daily residents are adorably rendered in stop-motion animation style by dwarf studios. Almost all the Pokémon you would expect to have fur or feathers, like Psyduck, have a soft-looking felt texture, while some of the smoother and rougher Pokémon, like Metagross, almost look like toys out of a toy box. The expressiveness of all the characters across the board is impressive, striking that perfect balance between subtle and cartoony. It's almost like the show is trying to invoke the natural feel of visiting a real-life resort and watching a Saturday morning cartoon, a balance that I think the show effectively hits. However, the voice acting leans more on the realism side. Most of the Pokémon sound more like animals, and Haru's voice actress captured her evolution from nervous to laid back very well. A lot of atmosphere here feels very reminiscent of being on vacation, laying on the beach or by the poolside, and just listening to the ambient noises surrounding you.

The soundtrack is very indicative of that. There are a lot of tropical musical pieces with occasional leitmotifs taken from other franchise elements, like the Pokémon evolution theme ripped right out of the old games. Still, there are just as many moments of silence as well. Pokémon Concierge can communicate a lot with dutiful expressions and well-crafted scenes. This is probably because Haru interacts with Pokémon more than she interacts with any people at the resort. Although they make it a point that this is a resort that treats Pokémon and humans as guests, Haru's interactions with specific Pokémon allow her to come more into her own with gentle nudges from her fellow staff.

My biggest complaint about Pokémon Concierge is that I want more of it. While I'm sure it took quite some time to nail this specific animation style, I was a little caught off guard at not only the episode length but also the number of released episodes. While I think Pokémon Concierge accomplished everything it wanted to do, both as a character piece for Haru and as a franchise experiment, there's so much potential with this setup that it almost feels like a shame that this is all we have. I think even if you're not a dedicated Pokémon fanatic like me, this is a relaxing watch that most people with at least a passing interest in the franchise should be able to enjoy. This is a beautifully rendered, laid-back look into another unique aspect of the Pokémon world. I'm not sure if we'll get a continuation at the time of this writing, but more projects like this in the future will certainly be welcomed.