Famed anime studio Production IG has a new movie out, but so far, no one in North America has been able to see it outside of film festivals. That could change soon — Crunchyroll just announced it’s locked down the US rights to The Concierge.
The concierge of the title is Akino, a trainee who’s just started out at Hokkyoku, the department store with a very unusual purpose: it caters entirely to anthropomorphic talking animals. Akino runs around to fulfill the wishes of customers with a myriad of needs and problems, with the goal of earning the right to be hired on full-time.
The store’s most valued clients are extinct species (who aren’t extinct in the film’s world) and Akino must do anything she can to please them. The film is the first feature production from director Yoshimi Itazu (Welcome to the Ballroom), and is an adaption of the book The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store by Tsuchika Nishimura.
The Concierge made its world premiere last June at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France. It premiered in America at the Fantasia International Film Festival, and will screen again at the Animation Is Film Festival in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 21 at 3 PM (if you’re in the area, hit this link for ticket information).
The Concierge will be widely released by Aniplex in Japan on October 20. Crunchyroll is currently exploring a home release through Sony Pictures sometime in 2024.
