The Concierge

For Akino it’s a big step: measuring up to the impeccable customer service standards at the prestigous Hokkyaoko Department Store, where she is their newest concierge, tasked with ensuring that each client leaves the building satisfied, no matter how demanding his/her expectations. And one more thing, the store’s caters exclusively to animals, including (the VIPs) extinct species…

Yoshimi Itazu’s lighthearted anime is a wry look at the best — and worst — aspects of a career in the service industry.

With a lively, expressive art style and wonderfully absurd characters, The Concierge’s little vignettes, and low-stakes affairs paint an enthralling picture of the Hokkyokku Department Store’s fantastical ecosystem and a more far-reaching commentary on humanity’s relationship with ecosystems in the real world. Through its light and adorable premise, The Concierge smuggles in a rather tragic environmentalist message, but not at the expense of its incredibly well-crafted gags.

Kambole Campbell, IGN

The Concierge is a wonderfully animated film. While the character designs are simple and only lightly detailed, for the most part, the fluid and expressive animation makes them come alive. Meanwhile, the department store is highly detailed in nearly every aspect, making it appear as the magical, high-class store it’s supposed to be in the eyes of its visitors.

Richard Eisenbeis, Anime News Network