I’d hazard a guess that when most people think of Pokémon, they think of collecting and battling with cutesy monsters, in either video game or cartoon form. But as a lifelong, extremely obsessive Poké-nerd, I’ve always had a penchant for the series’ lighter side.
I obviously love classic games like Pokémon Red and Ruby, as well as action-oriented spinoffs like 2021’s Pokémon Legends: Arceus. But it was the release of picture-taking adventure game Pokémon Snap that made me want to get my first console, the Nintendo 64. I played the (unfairly maligned) TV-watching simulator Pokémon Channel to death. Pokémon Puzzle Challenge and Pokémon Pinball: Ruby and Sapphire rank highly among my most-played games of all time, Pokémon or otherwise. And even when playing the better known, fighting-and-collection-oriented entries, I relish any opportunity to wash, dress, or hang out with my ’mons. That your favorite Pokémon can walk around the map right alongside you is why Pokémon SoulSilver is my favorite game in the series, and possibly of all time.
My love for this mode of Pokémon is why I was so excited for Pokémon Concierge, the new Netflix series that premiered Dec. 28. It’s a beautifully animated, breezy watch starring a mix of Pokémon and the humans that love them. The stop-motion animated show opens with a woman named Haru, who recently had the worst week of her life. Her longtime boyfriend broke up with her over text. She showed up late to work, which lost her a big project. She spent hours making a curry that turned out horribly, did a terrible job cleaning up her eyebrows, and stepped in gum—twice. This woman needs a life change, and so she takes up a very cool, peaceful, lower-stress job helping out at a resort for Pokémon and their trainers.
