Pokémon caretaker is concentrated joy and pervasive mood The Rancid Vibe of Netflix. The streaming service was more than ready for this Job cuts in the animation industry and decided to do so Use AI to close the gaps that have arisen while Increase in subscription price, Porter is such a fun take on the world of Pokémon, painstakingly made in stop motion, so much so that I find it hard to believe Netflix had anything to do with it. In some ways, I’m surprised that The Pokémon Company also did the same thing, given their propensity for it Lately he’s been producing slop and stomping on it with Pikachu’s face. But the four-part series is so beautiful that it reminds me why people love this series so much, even after its recent foibles.
Pokémon caretaker The film stars Haru, an incredibly anxious workaholic who has been having a hard time lately. Her long-term boyfriend has broken up with her, her big career break has eluded her, and she can’t seem to watch where she’s going or avoid stepping in wellies while wearing her favorite heels. When her whole life is turned upside down, she decides to take a job at a Pokémon resort as a break from fighting, where trainers and Pokémon stay, get pampered, and socialize. How Detective Pikachu, Pokémon caretaker thrives because it focuses on different kinds of connections between humans and Pokémon that go beyond competitive sports, but it’s also so low-level that it feels like one of the purest distillations of the series’ core themes of cooperation and camaraderie.
But Pokémon caretaker Haru doesn’t just hang out with her Pokémon customers. Haru is as excited as any career-focused millennial who has been conditioned to believe she has to be productive to have value. When she first arrives at the resort, she is given a task: to be a guest for the day. Doesn’t that sound like work? Is this a test? Is she contributing to her job just by pampering herself and hanging out with the visiting pocket monsters? In hindsight, a resort may not have been the best choice for a workaholic, but Haru’s journey from an overworked professional focused on charts and graphs to someone capable of taking the load off his shoulders can be seen therapeuticallyalbeit sometimes unsubtle.
Haru takes care of several Pokémon throughout Porteris too short-term, and they all reflect their own insecurities fueled by their fixation on work. Can she focus on what she’s good at, like a psycho duck learning to control and enhance her psychic abilities? Is it possible for her to evolve into a better version of herself, like a creature that evolves from a Magikarp splashing in the island’s lake to a Gyarados masterfully swimming up a waterfall? Is she able to overcome her insecurities like a shy Pikachu too scared to be part of a group? Porter The focus is on Haru’s interactions with Pokémon, but it’s all in service of her essentially unlearning workplace trauma and the realization that she has the freedom to grow at her own pace, in her own way, in her own time.
But while Haru is the heart and soul of PorterThe lovingly designed stop-motion animation brings the Pokémon to life. There are a few main characters, like the Psyente that Haru meets and befriends at the resort, but each of the series’ four episodes has a rotating cast of new Pokémon customers. Seeing the mannerisms of characters like Pikachu so beautifully captured in stop motion warms my heart, even if PorterThe main little yellow guy was shyer than Ash’s adventurous partner or the self-confident Captain Pikachu. Dozens of Pokémon appear Porter, and Dwarf Studios does a great job of capturing each of their quirks with their puppets and style. No matter how good elements such as the script and voice acting may be, Porter It wouldn’t be able to sell one of its best moments without nailing the Pokemon, and I keep seeing new little details in the way it chooses to handle each and every one of them with each rewatch to represent.
With over 1000 Pokémon across nine generations, this is pretty easy Pokémon Media loses sight of the personalities that make it more than just the stats and attacks you use. Pokémon caretaker is a special kind of Pokémon Story that gets to the heart of the relationship between humans and Pokémon in an original, relatable context. The show’s four-episode season is short, and its episodes may seem a little disjointed beyond Haru’s story arc, but it’s such a beautiful realization of, and lovingly explores, the Pokémon featured in it and how their stories can mirror ours Long-time fans’ internal struggles are probably feeling good as the franchise approaches its 27th anniversary.
As I write this, I watched a scene in the last episode on a loop in a separate window. In it, the aforementioned shy Pikachu can be seen saying goodbye to Haru and her Psyente as he leaves the resort. It concludes its story with a fulfilling conclusion; Haru learns how to continue helping Pokémon succeed at the resort, and the stop-motion style captures so many little nuances in Pikachu’s behavior that he conveys his emotions beautifully, even when he’s just saying “Pikachu.” Why do I watch this scene over and over again? Because I try to express every little moment of joy that this show brings me since the series is so short. I understand that stop-motion animation is an extremely complex undertaking, but four episodes feels like just a small taste of what this team can do with this world.
Pokémon caretaker is sweet, heartwarming, and an incredibly fresh take on the series that I hope The Pokémon Company continues, even if I don’t trust Netflix within ten feet. The transience of a resort is the perfect opportunity to tell more stories, teach more lessons, and house more Pokémon in an environment where they don’t compete against each other but enjoy a well-deserved break. Plus, that Theme song by Mariya Takeuchi is too good to use in just one season.
