Pokémon Concierge is one of the latest series in the Pokémon franchise to experiment in reaching new audiences through new mediums and stories. In Concierge’s case, it speaks to millennials who grew up with Pokémon and have now entered the workforce, uncertain how to navigate the pressures and responsibilities of adulthood while still finding outlets to express their creativity, have fun, and enjoy life. The series is a very thoughtful and therapeutic watch and highly recommended for Pokémon fans of all ages. It can be appreciated and enjoyed on many different levels, from the craft and beauty of its stop-motion animation, the maturity of its themes and messages, its comfy vibes, and of course, all the cute Pokémon inhabiting its world.
In celebration of this year’s Pokémon Day announcement that Pokémon Concierge will release its second season on Netflix this September, we’re republishing the press junket interview we participated in at Anime Expo 2023 with NON, the voice actress of Haru. In the interview, NON, accompanied by a life-size plush Psyduck sitting beside her, discusses what sets Pokémon Concierge apart from previous Pokémon anime, her appreciation of the stop-motion animation, the nuances of Haru’s character and her relationship with Psyduck, and of course, who her favorite Pokemon is. Read on to learn more about NON’s thoughts on the show and what to expect from it if you haven’t experienced it yet!
Note: This interview was conducted alongside multiple different outlets, each of us assigned a numerical priority number and allowed to ask one question each. While we were only able to ask one question, we were fortunate enough to be assigned the seventh-numbered outlet in that respect, considering there were several outlets given a lower number who unfortunately were not able to ask their questions as the interview session ran out of time! We’ve credited the outlets we were able to attribute their questions to. Some questions and responses may have been edited for length, clarity, and emphasis.
Isaiah Colbert, Kotaku: Aside from Pokémon Concierge being stop-motion, how will Haru and Psyduck’s adventure differ from what we’ve witnessed with Ash and Pikachu in the original anime?
NON: So I know the form of 2D and 3D animation, but this is stop-motion animation, so we have actual puppets moving, and we actually move the puppets one by one and that creates the animation. So, the big difference is that you have actual puppets, and we move them scene by scene.
So again, you have actual puppets, so you have a very warm, really warm feeling to it because you know that an actual puppet is actually acting shot by shot. So you find it very cute, the cuteness of a puppet, and when you see it, it makes you smile and is really soothing and healing.
Popverse: What can you tell us about your character?
NON: The protagonist Haru is a very hard-working person, and she’s basically overworked and working a lot. She’s lost in work, she’s working so hard. And then, all of a sudden, she decides to work at Pokémon Resort as a concierge, and there, basically her job is to show hospitality to the Pokémon. And she makes mistakes, fails, and she gets disappointed; she feels down. But then, we have those instances, a Pokémon helps her, and there are things that she learns from interacting and spending time with the Pokémon. So she basically grows with her confidence.
Q3: I’m going to follow up from that question – How would you say Haru evolved over the course of the series?
NON: So Haru used to work for a company, and then when she was working for the company, she told herself that “I have to be perfect,” you know, “I have to organize everything and make everything neat.” So she kinda put on herself too much pressure that she had to meet the expectations and everything that makes everybody happy, and she decided to take this new role working at the Pokémon Resort as a concierge. And she started to find that, you know, this is her job, but still, she can find it very warming and see a fun in it. She just learns of new features of fun and working. And before, she was working at the company. She couldn’t say no, and then she thought she had to make everything perfect. But now she realizes that “it’s ok that I have something I couldn’t do” and she’s embraced that, her imperfections. That’s how she grew in the course of the series.
Q4: Why was Psyduck the perfect concierge companion for Haru?
NON: Psyduck is a character where you can’t really tell what he’s thinking. He can’t really seem to speak how he feels. And Haru is interested in him, and Psyduck is watching her from a distance. Haru can’t figure out what he’s thinking. But having that kind of interaction, and having that relationship, it kinda softens Haru’s heart. She then comes to feel that it’s ok that she doesn’t really know, that she can’t figure out how he’s really feeling. But working hard makes her feel better – it’s fun! And Psyduck is a character that basically grows together and is a very good buddy for Haru.
LaNeysha Campbell, But Why Tho?: What attracted you to the role of Haru and to become a part of this new series?
NON: Haru is really reckless and she wouldn’t do everything, or make everything perfect, and realized she couldn’t do everything perfectly, but she wanted to try, and she wanted to be the best she can be. And again, things are not doing well, and again she is disappointed. But she was able to overcome that failure thanks to Pokémon. So when Pokémon were next to Haru-chan and helping in encouraging Haru-chan to overcome her failures and her disappointment, it’s really endearing to me that I can witness how Haru can overcome and grow through her interactions with Pokémon. So, it’s really connected.
Q6: So what do you think is the biggest charm of Pokémon Concierge?
NON: The Pokémon are just so adorable. They are just so cute! And, when you look at the location of the Pokémon resort, it’s a place where you wish it really existed, because you see all these Pokémon relaxed and vacationing there, and it’s so nice to see that. And Haru basically sees that everyday, and it’s kind of therapeutic for her to be in a part environment, and it makes you want to go there too. And just imagining such a place, it makes you happy.
Manga Mavericks: What was your favorite part of observing and being involved in the stop-motion animation process?
NON: So I acted, I posed, at the stage of “phase four” [in the production process]. So, actually, they filmed when I was voice-acting, and the animators used my facial expressions as a reference and created Haru-chan’s. So, my facial expressions actually are in Haru-chan’s expressions. And it’s a stop-motion animation, so you can see my reactions and body-language pretty well in Haru-chan, and you can actually capture the humor in stop-motion action so you can see my real body-language in action, so it’s a really interesting experience.
Q8: Will Psyduck be Haru’s only companion, or will there be other Pokémon, sort of like a team, to help Haru?
NON: Well, Psyduck will continue being her buddy, and that won’t change so much. But in the show you will see many other Pokémon and their trainers.
Temple of Geek: How are you hoping audiences react to this series?
NON: So, I’m sure we all feel we have a burden, and are under pressure, and we don’t want to get up and keep doing what we’ve been doing, we just want to give up everything. But when you see this Pokémon Concierge, it’s really secluded, and gives you energy, and makes you want to do it again and try again; do the best you can be. So I wish viewers will see this Pokémon Concierge as a energy – energetic – and it makes you keep going and do the best that you can be.
Q10: Can you go over your experiences voicing Haru for this unique stop-motion series?
NON: When working on Haru, an impressive moment was that I was told that there will be many scenes where Haru is kind of struggling, trying to figure out what she should do, and so they asked me to kind of do that in a gesture using my body language. So I was like tilting my head, doing those various movements, to try to express how Haru was trying to figure out and get these answers, and she was having a hard time with that. So I was working on those movements, and then I was told that they would photograph or film that, and then they would utilize that in the actual stop-motion animation, and that was a very fun thing to be a part of.
And once I saw the final largely complete finished scenes, they were very different from what you usually see in 2D or 3DCG animation. It was totally different, the footage that I saw was stop-motion animation, and the movements are totally different from 2D/3D animation. And you see these shadows in those frames too, and I thought that was very interesting and fun, and I was able to to feel that “oh, this is how you can also enjoy Pokemon in this format or art-form,” and that was another new discovery of that, and I found Haru’s movements very interesting. And because you’re moving the puppet, and it’s shot frame by frame, but when you see that in action I think that it was totally believable and it was convincing, and I found that very fun and interesting.
Nikkei: Was there anything that you learned by taking up this project?
NON: I really like Pokémon, and I was really grateful and excited to be a part of this great project, and of course, my first Pokémon project. And I had a chance to visit the studio when the film was being created, and in the studio there were loads of Pokémon and it made me really happy and made me realize that it’s such a great joy to work with something and somebody that I love so much. So this whole project I was so happy and grateful that I was a part of this.
Q12: So, as you know, the casting of Haru was tightly kept a secret. Was it difficult to keep it a secret, and how does it feel that you’re able to finally talk about it and reveal it to the audience yesterday?
NON: Yes, I am very happy. We had to keep this a secret for quite a long time, but now I can brag about it to my family and friends. (everyone laughs)
Q13: I know predominantly in the past you’ve worked in “real-life” acting and I was curious how – you know, I know you have some experience with anime voice acting as well, but I was wondering how voice-acting a stop-motion production is different from what you’ve experienced before?
NON: Yes, I have some experience acting a voice in a previous animation, but luckily that anime was a daily lives scene, so I was able to use my experience and know-how that I learned in “real-life” acting or “real-life” film. But this one, I was a part of a Pokémon world, and it’s a completely different view and different scene. So, I had to learn a lot of acting as part of the animation, so I had to stay at home a lot, and had to voice-act for the animation.
Game Rant: Do you have any memories of enjoying Pokémon when you were younger, were you a Pokemon fan going into this project, and what was your favorite Pokémon and why?
(everyone laughs)
NON: That’s a tough question. Earlier, when I was playing Pokémon games, Mewtwo was my favorite character. I admired that character a lot as a Pokémon. But once I started working on Pokémon Concierge and I saw the Psyduck in stop-motion animation, he’s just so adorable. He’s just too cute! So because he’s just so totally cute, currently my favorite is Psyduck.
And on that cute note, the interview concluded, but not before we got to take pictures of the giant plush Psyduck brought as a prop to the interview! NON was right, Psyduck is so totally cute, and he’s probably going to be the favorite of everyone who watches the show too.
Our thanks to NON, The Pokémon Company, Netflix, and Anime Expo for inviting us to participate in this group interview.
Pokémon Concierge is streaming on Netflix, and until March 9th 2025, for free on The Official Pokémon Youtube channel! The second season of Pokémon Concierge will arrive on Netflix in September 2025.
