The Concierge is a rather unusual anime film. For starters: that’s not the full title of this anime film, which is the anime film adaptation of the seinen fantasy manga of the same name by Tsuchika Nishimura. The full title in Japanese is Hokkyoku Hyakkaten no Concierge-san, which translates into English as The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store. The current title everyone calls it by is just the short and convenient form. As for why else it’s unusual? Well, you only have to watch the new official trailer from Crunchyroll to see for yourself. You can check that out below:

The Concierge: Details

I can already tell that this is a story that will make me laugh and cry in equal measure.

Crunchyroll is proud to announce that they have acquired the NA rights for The Concierge with that new official trailer above on YouTube. Just a few months after its June 2023 screening at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, and its July 2023 screening at the Fantasia International Film Festival to boot. The latter was also its first NA premiere. Sadly, that festival screening was a one-time only thing.

Fortunately, Crunchyroll’s acquisition means that The Concierge is now heading to NA for a second screening. When, you might ask? Well, the Animation Is Film Festival in Los Angeles will screen it on Saturday, October 21 at 3 PM (PT). You can purchase tickets for it right now on the festival’s official website. It will take a bit longer to head to streaming though. Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures only have a vague release window of 2024 for that. We’ll just have to wait for them to give us a more specific release date later. Tune back in to THS to find that out when we do.

Bonus: Key Visual and Synopsis

The Concierge NA key visual.
Any Shirokuma Cafe fans here finding this a bit familiar?

Want a better idea of what The Concierge is all about? Well, Crunchyroll has an official synopsis that can help us out with that. You can check it out below:

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. Run Time: 70 Minutes