Anime Expo 2023: Live At The Pokemon Concierge Press Conference

Note: Due to factors out of our control, this will go live on the main Anime Herald site on July 31. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Interviewer: Seth Burn

Editor: Samantha Ferreira

Kotaku: Apart from Pokémon Concierge being stop-motion, how will Haru’s and Psyduck’s adventure differ from what we saw with Ash and Pikachu in the original anime?

Non: There’s a natural difference between 2D and 3D. The puppets give off a kawaii, warm feeling. It’s really cute and makes you smile. It’s soothing.

Popverse: What can you tell us about your character?

Non: The protagonist, Haru, is a very hard-working person. At the start of the series, she’s overworked because she’s been trying so hard. She decides to work at Pokémon resort as a concierge. There, her job is to show off the property to new Pokémon. Initially, things fail, and she gets disappointed. Then, a Pokémon helps her. The things that she learns by interacting with Pokémon help her grow.

Anime Herald: Following up on that, how would you sat Haru evolves over the course of the series?

Non: At the start of the series, Haru feels she has to be perfect. She put too much pressure on herself to meet expectations and make everyone happy. She decided to take on a new role, working at the Pokémon resort as a concierge. She learned how to find her job rewarding and fun. She grows to embrace not being a perfectionist.

Asia Pacific Arts: Why was Psyduck the perfect companion for her?

Non: Psyduck is a character where we can’t really tell what he is thinking. Haru was interested in him. Psyduck was watching her from a distance. Haru couldn’t read him. Haru came to realize that it’s okay that she can’t really understand how he’s feeling. Working hard makes Haru feel better, and having this kind of relationship softens Haru’s heart.

But Why Tho: What attracted you to Haru and to be a part of this new series?

Non: Haru is naturally a perfectionist. She wanted to do the best she could. With the help of the Pokémon, she learned how to overcome mistakes and grow from them.

ComicBook.com: What do you think is the biggest charm of Pokémon Concierge?

Non: The Pokémon are so adorable and cute. When you look at the Pokémon resort, you wish it really existed. It’s so nice to see the Pokémon relax while vacationing there. Haru sees that every day. It’s kind of therapeutic for her to be in that environment. Just imagining such a place makes you happy.

Manga Mavericks: What was your favorite part of being involved in the stop-motion animation process?

Non: They filmed me making various facial expressions and created versions of them for Haru-chan. You can see my reactions and body language in Haru. It was an interesting experience.

Niche Gamer: Will Psyduck be Haru’s only companion, or will it be more of a team?

Non: Psyduck will be her body, and that won’t change, but you’ll also see her with other Pokémon.

Temple of Geek: How are you hoping audiences react to the series?

Non: I am sure we all feel that we are under pressure. I hope that when you see Pokémon Concierge that it gives you the energy to try again and be the best you can be.

The Kitsune Network: Can you describe your experiences with Haru, going through the stop-motion process?

Non: When working on Haru, I was told there were going to be scenes where Haru was struggling, trying to figure out what she should do. They asked me to model that. My posture, expressions, and movements. They photographed that and included that as part of the stop-motion animation.

That was a very fun thing to be a part of. Once I saw the finished scenes, they were very different than what you would normally see in either 2D or 3D animation. The movements were quite realistic. We could see the shadows. I felt that this was a new way to enjoy Pokémon. I found Haru’s movements very interesting. It was shot frame-by-frame. The final product was very believable.

NIKKEI: Was there anything that you learned from this project?

Non: I really like Pokémon. I was very excited to be a part of this great project. I had a chance to visit the studio. There, I saw lots of Pokémon. It made me very happy. It gave me great joy to work with something that I loved so much. I was so happy during this project.

The O-Network: The casting of Haru was kept a secret. Was it difficult to keep it a secret? How does it feel to be finally able to tell the audience?

Non: I am very happy. We had to keep it a secret for a very long time. Now I can brag about it to my family and friends.

Anime Trending: I know you’ve predominantly in the past you’ve worked in real-life acting. I know that you have some anime voice acting as well. I’m wondering how stop-motion acting was different from what you’ve experienced before?

Non: Yes, I have some animation voice acting experience. For this, it was completely different. I had to do a lot of practice at home to prepare for the stop-motion animation

Game Rant: Do you have any memories of enjoying Pokémon when you were younger? If so, what is your favorite Pokémon and why?

Non: That’s a tough question. Earlier, when I played the games, Mewtwo was my favorite. I admired that character a lot. But when I started working on Pokémon Concierge, and I saw Psyduck in stop-motion animation, he was just too cute. Now he’s my favorite.

Pokémon Concierge will be launching on Netflix in December.