Off the Shelf Media

On February 27, 2026, Pokémon turns 30. To celebrate, the Pokémon company has a number of exciting announcements to make, including the release of Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen to the Nintendo eShop. 

While these rereleases to modern consoles have stirred up quite a bit of excitement, similar rereleases have fallen short of expectations in the past. Even the modern Gen Pokémon games seem to have lost some of their original luster, and the Pokémon team themselves seems to have hit the bottom of their creative well.

Yet, while the videogame series may have grown a bit stale over the years, Nintendo and Pokémon have continued to bring fans great content in other areas. One such instance is the Netflix original Pokémon Concierge (2023- ), a cozy stop-motion animation made with modern-day technology. 

Netflix secures exclusivity

Back in 2020, Netflix secured the rights as the exclusive home of the new Pokémon animated series, according to The Hollywood Reporter. I had stopped watching most of the Pokémon shows and movies back in the mid-2000s, so I neither cared nor noticed for a while. 

Then, three years later in 2023, Netflix announced its new Pokémon stop-motion series, Pokémon Concierge. Again, this wasn’t on my radar immediately, but social media buzz is, from time to time, worth the hype. At the very least, the cozy look and feel of the trailer was enough to buy me in for at least an episode or two. It was well worth it. 

Familiar plots in unfamiliar places 

Season One introduces us to the main protagonist, Haru, a well-intentioned but sometimes timid young woman who takes on a role at the Pokémon Resort after a bad breakup, a rough time at work, and a few other minor mishaps. For most of us, it’s a pretty familiar sight, aside from being able to escape to a Pokémon Resort as a backup plan. 

She’s a perfectionist and strives to do as well as she can, but her do-good personality clashes at times with the laid-back, open-minded environment of a resort run by a pleasant trio of Ms. Watanabe, Tyler, and Alisa. 

To help give her a sense of purpose, Ms. Watanabe assigns Haru the task of making sure an equally timid and oftentimes confused Psyduck enjoys its time at the Resort. Though it takes some time, Haru and Psyduck learn to speak the same language and find comfort and fun in their friendship. Classic Pokémon traits in a newer, calmer setting. 

Picking up shortly after we leave off, Haru has finally earned her stripes and seems to be getting the hang of how things work at the Resort. But circumstances leave her managing the resort without much help. At first, season two feels overly familiar to season one, but the plot picks up in a slightly heavier way as Tyler’s Uncle Dan struggles to properly care for his beloved Sealeo in his older age. 

While season two doesn’t take a big leap, it doesn’t need to. What made season one a hit was its warmth, comfort, and heart, which season two continues to carry on perfectly. 

Perfectly bingeable 

This is the perfect show to put on after a long, stressful day or simply when you need a moment or two to unwind and don’t want to invest your full time and attention into a new show. 

In total, the show currently has eight episodes, with the second half only being released in September 2025. While each episode is listed as being around 20 minutes long, the actual content itself is only around 14-16 minutes worth of the episode. 

It’s short, sweet, and to the point.

In uncharted waters

When was the last time you heard of a new claymation or stop motion being developed? How about with a well-loved intellectual property (IP)? 

Maybe I’m simply not in the right circles to get those types of media announcements, but it feels like a truly unique venture for any studio to take on in an environment where CGI and AI slop are becoming the newest trends. 

Stop-motion is time-intensive and a bit of a lost art. For a studio like Netflix to take a chance on it with a brand like Pokémon is proven to be a bold but well-worth it risk. It also adds an entirely new look to a distinctive franchise. 

Aside from appreciating the sheer amount of time and effort that goes into making something like this, its unique look perfectly encapsulates the cozy, warm atmosphere that so many Pokémon fans surely enjoy. The soft, cuddly, felt look of Pokémon like Psyduck or Snorlax will have you wanting to dive right back into the same Pokémon obsession of your childhood. Plus, it’ll put new Pokémon on your list of favorites based solely on cuteness. 

A breath of fresh air amidst a sea of overstimulation 

Full of both humor and heart, Pokémon Concierge is a refreshing and charming take on the world of Pokémon that most of the other games or shows don’t explore. If you’re excited to play Nintendo’s new Pokémon Pokopia and haven’t watched Pokémon Concierge yet, consider it your next watch. 

The eight available episodes of Pokémon Concierge are all available to stream on Netflix. 

What other pieces of Pokémon media get overlooked, and which Pokémon did you love seeing in their stop-motion form? Let us know in the comments!