🎬 The Concierge (2023)
Directed by Yoshimi Itazu
Based on the manga by Tsuchika Nishimura
A department store where kindness never goes out of fashion
The Concierge is a gentle, whimsical feature adaptation of Tsuchika Nishimura’s manga The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store.
It follows Akino, a young woman starting her first job as a concierge at the elegant, Art Deco–styled Hokkyoku Department Store — a place unlike any other.
Here, the customers are not people but animals — dignified, emotional, and sometimes extinct species who come seeking help, gifts, and understanding. Each encounter becomes a miniature story about empathy, patience, and the quiet art of listening.
At first, Akino struggles to find her rhythm. She’s too eager to please, prone to mistakes, and constantly watched by her strict supervisor. Yet, as she learns to serve each customer with care rather than perfection, she discovers what it truly means to bring joy to others — and to herself.
A celebration of small kindnesses
Beneath its charming premise lies a story about how kindness can still connect us in a disconnected world.
Even in a society where everyone seems busy, self-contained, and transactional, people — or in this case, animals — still come together when someone is in need.
One of the film’s most memorable moments captures this perfectly: a humble customer, short on money, wants to buy a meaningful gift. Quietly, one by one, the other animals in the store contribute their own small pieces — until a beautiful, heartfelt present comes to life. No one gains anything material. Yet everyone leaves richer.
It’s a scene that says everything about the film’s soul — that compassion doesn’t require wealth, only willingness.
Beauty, detail, and the world within
Visually, The Concierge is breathtaking.
The Art Deco interiors, golden light, and the parade of elegantly dressed animals turn the store into a moving painting. Every frame feels lovingly designed, from the soft color palette to the subtle reflections in the marble floors.
Produced by Production I.G, the animation carries both warmth and refinement — delicate linework paired with expressive, almost storybook-like charm. It’s the kind of world you want to step into, just to linger a little longer.
But behind the beauty lies quiet reflection. The presence of extinct animals is not accidental — it’s a subtle reminder of the fragility of life, overconsumption, and what humanity risks losing. The film offers no lecture, just a gentle nudge to look more closely at the world around us.
Who it’s for
For those who love warm, reflective anime that balance tenderness with thought.
For anyone who finds joy in Studio Ghibli–like worlds — where emotion lives in gestures, where even a smile can change everything.
Final note
In its quiet way, The Concierge reminds us that kindness never goes out of style.
In every shared smile, every gesture of help, every small act done with sincerity — the world becomes a little less lonely, and a little more alive.
