The Big Picture

Get ready for a unique anime experience with The Concierge, featuring a trainee serving animal customers.
Limited theatrical event for this film, based on a 2017 manga, follow Akino at the Hokkyoku Department Store.
Directed by Yoshimi Itazu and produced by Production I.G, don’t miss this one-day release on September 11, 2024.

If you like Pokémon Concierge, then this upcoming anime film should fit the bill. The Concierge has announced a limited theatrical event for this upcoming anime film. Based on the 2017 manga written by Tsuchika Nishimura, this film follows a female trainee who will serve a unique set of customers, different to what we see in everyday life. If this is something you’re interested in seeing, then you only have this short period to catch it as Crunchyroll announced it will be out for one day.

Crunchyroll released the official film poster for this anime feature, where it has our main protagonist, Akino, played by Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury’s Natsumi Kawaida, surrounded by her unique-looking clients, which are anthropomorphic animals. The film first debuted during the 2023 Annecy International Film Festival and was later released in Japan a few months later.

The Concierge’s synopsis reads “Akino is a trainee concierge at the Hokkyoku Department Store, an unusual department store that caters exclusively to animals. Under the watchful eyes of the floor manager and senior concierges, Akino runs around to fulfill the wishes of customers with a myriad of needs and problems in her pursuit to become a full-fledged concierge.” This film was directed by The Boy and the Heron animator, Yoshimi Itazu, and was produced by Production I.G, known for its works such as Haikyu!!, Ghost in the Shell, and Star Wars: Visions, just to name a few. At the moment, dates of when tickets go on sale have yet to be announced.

What is ‘The Concierge’ About?

The Concierge is based on the manga called, The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store by Nishimura. It only released 2 volumes in 2017 and 2018, but it won the Excellence Award during the 2022 Japan Media Arts Festival.

The series follows Akino, a trainee concierge who works in a department store where many of the customers are animals. Some of these unique clients are categorized as “Very Important Animals” as the species are considered extinct. Akino will face many challenges throughout this unique work setting, while also giving her best to serve these customers.

Aside from Kawaida, The Concierge will feature a star-studded Japanese voice case. They include Oshi No Ko’s Takeo Otsuka and Megumi Han, Naruto Shippuden’s Nobuo Tobita and Hiroshi Yanaka, Spy x Family’s Natsumi Fujiwara, Assassination Classroom’s Jun Fukuyama, Jujutsu Kaisen’s Yûichi Nakamura, Eiji Yoshitomi and Kenjirô Tsuda, Detective Conan’s Sumi Shimamoto, A Whisker Away’s Minako Kotobuki, Kaguya-Sama: Love is War’s Marika Kôno, Angel Beats!’s Kana Hanazawa, Spirited Away’s Miyu Irino, and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations’ Kyôko Hikami.

The Concierge will enter North American theaters on September 11, 2024 for one day. You can watch the trailer above.