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It’s taken over two years for dwarf studios to bring us more of the beloved Pokémon Concierge series that debuted on Netflix early last year, but it was well worth the wait. On September 4, dwarf and The Pokémon Company brought us four new episodes for the second season, which focuses on Haru growing into her role as concierge at the Pokémon Resort.
Like Season 1, Season 2 brings us four episodes of Haru’s adventures on the island, and opens with her learning how to be more independent while also more comfortable with working with the Pokémon and asking them for help. Haru is, as usual, incredibly hard on herself, but learns how to make the most out of less-than-ideal situations and see the silver lining in them.
It seems like this series is dedicated to giving us one tear-jerker episode every season, and that episode this time around is the second one. (In Season 1 it was Episode 4 and the story about the timid Pikachu learning to be ok with not being gregarious, which left me ugly crying.) Tyler’s Uncle Dan comes to visit the island with his Sealeo, who he met as a young fisherman when the Pokémon was still a small Spheal. However, once Sealeo evolved, its sheer size started to become a problem for Dan, who ends up making a drastic and unconscionable decision towards the end of the episode as a result.
Dan’s choice earns him a serious lecture from Ms. Watanabe, the head of the staff at the resort, but the episode ends with Dan and Sealeo’s bond even stronger than before — and Dan landing a new job at the resort.
This leads into episode 3, with Haru teaching Dan the ropes, but feeling like she’s a poor teacher who’s unsuited for the role. Dan ends up quickly getting comfortable in his new position and discovers that his natural intimidation factor that comes out when he’s mad is actually pretty useful for getting Pokémon in line when they become unruly and threaten the harmony of the resort.
Season 2 culminates with Haru’s chance meeting with her ex, Kent, and his Arcanine, who’ve come to visit the island for a short vacation to celebrate Kent’s promotion to area manager at work. This was the only episode that I had mixed feelings about, because I felt like Kent didn’t deserve a shred of the kindness and grace that Haru shows him from the moment they’re reunited. We’re told in Episode 1, Season 1 that Kent broke up with Haru via text and didn’t even have the courage or courtesy to do it face to face. This, along with her abysmal presentation at work, is the catalyst that causes Haru to leave her old life behind and come to the Pokémon Resort.
Without giving away too much about the last episode’s plot, Kent never apologizes to Haru for how he treated her. He acknowledges that he never realized how unhappy she was, but doesn’t follow that up at any point with, “And I’m really sorry for breaking up with you via text. That was pretty cruel.” I think most people would agree that it’s a cold-hearted way to end a relationship with someone, so I don’t understand why Haru is, frankly, so nice and welcoming to him after a short period of awkwardness after they first meet again. You could chalk it up to Haru being a better person than me, and for being so incredibly kind that perhaps she just felt it was in the past and not worth dwelling on. Ms. Watanabe tells Kent that she’s never met a person as selfless and kind as Haru, and Kent seems remorseful — perhaps even a bit regretful about his decision, given some of his last words to Haru. But I ultimately felt like it was a bit of a strange way to handle this reunion, given that the series definitely hasn’t shied away from dealing with negativity or subjects that aren’t all sunshine and happiness.
My one gripe aside, the series is as beautiful as ever, with all of the gorgeous details, smooth stop motion animation, and sharp writing of the first season. Clocking in at an hour and 15 minutes, this was a quick watch, but also felt disappointing knowing it’ll likely be another year at least until we see any new episodes (should dwarf and The Pokémon Company choose to do a third season). This is the consequence of stop motion animation, but the results are worth the time and effort.
Psyduck fans, don’t worry — while this season focuses slightly less on him, given that it’s not about establishing his and Haru’s relationship this time around, there are still plenty of great Psyduck moments. His interactions with the other Pokémon are wonderful, and every Pokémon on screen has its own personality and quirks. Some are just downright adorable, others are majestic, and some are hilarious, like Corphish being put to work as a surprisingly effective masseuse.
The series as a whole does a great job of teaching little lessons in each episode without feeling preachy or even making it very obvious that that’s what it’s doing. The theme of finding happiness in working hard is a very Japanese concept that may feel foreign to people outside of Japan, but it was refreshing to hear in an era where people complain more about work than they manage to find any fulfillment in it. That’s not to say the series doesn’t have something to say about workaholics or the danger of jobs that take advantage of people. On the contrary, that’s exactly why Haru is at the resort, because she was a victim of Japan’s infamous salaryman lifestyle (and no, the series doesn’t explicitly say she’s from Japan, but it’s pretty strongly implied). But the series embraces the joy in finding work that’s meaningful, that can leave you tired or even exhausted by the end of the day, can be physically or mentally taxing, but ultimately leaves the world or even just your community a better place for it.
Kindness is at the center of all of the vignettes in Pokémon Concierge, along with self-development, and the harmony of human and Pokémon working and living together. It’s a beautiful series not just visually, but in the stories it tells and the characters it shares with us. Pokémon Concierge is a gem, and we’re lucky to have it. Now I just have to hope and wait for an announcement of a Season 3. Here’s hoping.
