Netflix’s new series Pokémon Concierge is taking the popular franchise in a completely new direction.
The Pokémon Company announced Pokémon Concierge during Pokémon Direct and revealed initial details about the series. It will use stop-motion animation produced by Dwarf Studios, the same studio behind the adorable Rilakkuma and Kaoru. The series will be about a girl named Haru, and as the name implies, she works at a hotel resort for Pokemon and their owners to get their relaxation on.
In the teaser trailer, Naru narrates Pokémon Resort as Psyduck waddles across the beach. Since Psyduck is also featured in the promotional image, it would be safe to assume that he will be a recurring character, and possibly even Haru’s Pokémon.
There’s a set of footprints next to Psyduck’s that shows someone has already walked the beach and Psyduck could be looking for this person. Psyduck’s rampant headaches make it hard for him to concentrate, so he might have a hard time figuring this mystery out.
This is a notable change of pace for a Pokémon animated series, which has historically been about the battles and becoming the very best at it. There have been other rumored Pokémon projects that have been more experimental in nature, but this one is actually getting off the ground.
However, this isn’t the first time battles aren’t the main focus of a Pokémon story; Pokémon Snap for the Nintendo 64 was simply about getting the best photos of Pokémon in various habitats; in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, a character has been transformed into a Pokémon and teams up with other Pokémon to find answers; and Pokémon Cafe Mix is a puzzle game for the Nintendo Switch and smart devices all about serving delicious treats. The franchise doesn’t have to stick to just one style of story.
There is currently no release date for Pokémon Concierge.