A movie about a department store that caters exclusively to a clientele of extinct, anthropomorphic animals sounds — and should — be a magical experience. So it’s surprising that despite its unique setting and compelling visuals, The Concierge feels rather boring.
The film’s main instructor is Akino (Natsumi Kawaida), an additional character on probation for Hokkyoku Department Store who is as clumsy as she is determined. The new arrival initially annoys the ever-watching and stalking Floor Manager Todo (Nobuo Tobita) — who steals the movie with his uncanny ability to pop up from unexpected places, including the underside of a cooking pot being used — attracts the interest of Elulu, the bird owner of department stores (Takeo Ootsuka), and eventually forms relationships with many of Hokkyoku’s patrons through her determination to serve.
©2023西村ツチカ／小学館／ 「北極百貨店のコンシェルジュさん」製作委員会
The common impression I get from Akino is that her character type feels very, very familiar. This is not helped by the lack of an interesting backstory, motivation, or characterization that would have allowed her to stand out more as a main character. She’s simply fine, much of her charm comes from the delightfully energetic animation that supports her movements and body language, and blends nicely with the character designs people are simple and attractively malleable.
Akino’s foray into the hotel industry is portrayed through a series of situations, mainly when she assists with a loan to a struggling customer and wins their goodwill. The manga that inspired the film is described by the Japan Media Arts Festival as a “series of short stories,” and that description fits the majority of the film, although there is no official division between the small details. The 70-minute running time feels significantly longer and more tiring as Akino continuously moves from one scenario to another.
The situations in The Concierge are good enough to sit through and the movie occasionally provokes a chuckle (the amusing sight of the deflated maître d’hôtel of Jun Fukuyama in a scene that lingers in my mind). But similar to Akino, these scenarios don’t have any exciting elements or surprises, so quantity is the most prominent quality. Their relative brevity leaves them without the depth or extended focus to be truly heartwarming or create a novel hook. The film is meant to be feel-good, but the stories are too light-hearted to deliver that feeling properly.
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I also couldn’t quite accept the lackluster ending of a few of the vignettes as the need to highlight the service level of the Hokkyoku staff diminished them a bit. There’s the story of a perfume hunt that leads to the creation of a pair of teenage lionesses, but the less-than-glamorous ending comes when the miraculous acquisition of a product no longer in production rather than The lion’s serious search. catalyst for the relationship. (Clarifying that the girl wants to wear the perfume for emotional rather than material reasons only softens the matter a bit.)
In another episode, Akino—upon realizing that two separate customers were secretly buying gifts for each other—scrambled to overcome her initial recommendations and prevent the customers from crossing the street. While not completely unfounded, her crazy actions ultimately felt like a futile exercise. Akino’s efforts also have nothing to do with the story’s happy ending, after all, the customers run into each other, but just out of her sight.
Of the animals Akino meets, the most memorable (other than Kenichirou Tsuda’s mammoth blessed with a voice) are the troublemakers. They appear in the form of a ranking Karen-like walrus and a pair of haughty peacocks who periodically have to be prevented from mating in public. The first problem is solved in a satisfying, passive-aggressive manner, while the peacocks only receive polite pleas to stop. At the end of the day, all of these patrons are free to return to Hokkyoku without having to reform themselves—I was surprised that the walrus was even given a spot in a lighthearted montage about department store patrons near the end. I mentioned before that The Concierge is a feel-good movie, but the fact that Hokkyoku Department Store opened its doors to customers like this dimmed the lights.
©2023
If The Concierge were a department store, I’d say it’s an acceptable place to pass the time. However, its merchandise is uninteresting and doesn’t match the flashiness or appeal of the place’s design, leaving you feeling a bit disappointed upon entering. I really like the animation and visuals — be it the human/animal designs or the bright yet comforting colors — as well as the comforting feeling of embracing Myuk’s ending theme song, but I Wish The Concierge’s stories had more to make them as interesting as the presentation.
Staff
→ Director: Yoshimi Itazu (Welcome to the Ballroom)
Writer: Satomi Ooshima (Fortune Supports Lady Nikuko, Raven of the Inner Palace series composer)
à Character designer and animation director: Chie Morita (Run With The End Ep 17, 21 and 23 co-animated director)
→ Designer color ideas: Izumi Hirose (Tengoku Daimakyou color designer)
à Art director: Ichirou Tatsuta by Studio Fuuga (Haikyu!!)
→ Composed and directed: Kouji Tanaka (The Deer King)
→ Composer: tofubeats
Animation production: Production IG
Performer
support Natsumi Kawaida as Akino
à Takeo Ootsuka as Elulu
Nobuo Tobitanh> as Todo
Megumi Han as Mori
Natsumi Fujiwara as Iwase
Eiji Yoshitomi as Maruki
Jun Fukuyama as maître d’hôtel
Yuuichi Nakamura as Tokiwa
