The Concierge

directed by Yoshimi Itazu

Enzian Theater, Maitland, Florida • April 13, 2024

Carl F. Gauze

I’m not even going to try on give you the names in this animé, but this is a wonderful piece of modern animation from Japan, and it hits all the right heart throb buttons.

A young woman named Akino begins work in the coolest department store in the world. The clientele is all animals, mostly mammalian, but the occasional arthropod sneaks in. The store’s motto is “The customer is ALWAYS right, no matter how small the niggle.” Making it more difficult is that the clientele is entirely animals, ranging from slugs to ocelots to peacocks. Employees must be experts on biology and animal languages, lest any citizen be accidentally eaten by another client. The cafeteria, needless to say, is vegan.

The story here is not the joy of this film, but it acts as a framework for the joyful cartooning. A bit of menace appears in the gigantic OGRE who comes to check up on Akino, learns quickly, and integrates into the work space.

The characters are a delight, the story paper thin, and the experience almost as much fun as shopping in this high-end Tokyo emporium. I don’t give stars in this business, but this film would get them all.

This film was part of the 2024 Florida Film Festival, an Oscar®-qualifying festival now in its 33rd year.