Crunchyroll licensed The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store anime film for release in North America in 2024. The anime is set to have its Japan theatrical premiere on October 20. An English-subbed trailer is now out:
Prior to the Japan theatrical release, the film made its debut at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June this year, and will also be screened at the Animation Is Film Festival in Los Angeles on October 21.
Production I.G is animating the film under the direction of Yoshimi Itazu. Chie Morita is doing the character designs, Satomi Oshima is writing the script, and Tofubeats composing the music. The cast for the anime film includes:
- Natsumi Kawaida as Akino
- Takeo Otsuka as Elle
- Nobuo Tobita as Todo
- Megumi Han as Forest
- Natsumi Fujiwara as Iwase
- Eiji Yoshitomi as Maruki
- Jun Fukuyama as Kyuuji-chou
- Yuichi Nakamura as Tokiwa
The movie is based on the Hokkyoku Hyakkaten no Concierge-san manga, written and illustrated by Tsuchika Nishimura. The series was serialized in Shogakukan’s Big Comic Zokan magazine from February 2017 to November 2018. The manga has not been licensed in English.
The official website describes the plot of The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store movie as:
Akino started working at the “Hokkyoku Department Store” as a new concierge. The department store is a mysterious place where all the customers are animals. Akino is determined to become a full-fledged concierge, but she struggles to become one under the watchful eye of the floor manager and senior concierges, with all kinds of problems appearing before her. Among them are “V.I.A.” (Very Important Animals), an extinct species, a unique group of customers who have their own unique characteristics.
Source: Press Release
©2023 Tsuchika Nishimura/Shogakukan/ “The Concierge” Film Partners
