The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store is a manga written and illustrated by Tsuchika Nishimura. The manga is quite unique and has received praise from the readers. The manga is not too long, but the readers have been enamored by the story-telling and art of the series.
There has not been any anime adaptation of The Concierge at the Hokkyoku Department Store, but it was recently announced that the series would be getting an anime film adaptation on April 25, 2023. The task of the project is undertaken by Production I.G. with Yoshimi Itazu as the director, and the screenplay will be handled by Satomi Ooshima. No official date of release has been finalized yet, but it is expected to be released in Japan by this fall.
The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store Plot
The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store was serialized in Shogakukan’s seinen manga magazine Big Comic Zōkan from February 2017 to November 2018. The entire story can fit into two volumes and does not go on for an extended period. However, within its short frame, the manga managed to capture the attention of many new and mature manga readers.
The plot follows the story of Akino, who is a new concierge at the Hokkyoku Department Store. The name of the manga gives this much premise to the readers at first glance. However, the twist in the story comes from the fact that all the customers at the store are not humans, but they are animals. This is not something that one would expect from the title of the series.
The plot follows Akino and her growth as she learns through her job as a concierge. In this strange set-up, several extinct animals come to the store to get help with items they are looking for or problems that they have. Akino has to deal with difficult customers, and the entire experience itself seems magical. The juxtaposition of the animal world with the job-themed genre creates beautiful graphics.
One can not help but notice the details that went into the manga and appreciate it for the same. The Art Deco style of the store, along with the spectacular designs of the animals, attracts the attention of the readers. Fans of the series are convinced that the anime will turn out some great visuals with the adaptation.
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The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store Award
The manga won the Excellence Award at the 25th Japan Media Art Festival in the Manga Division in 2022. Many people agree that the award is well deserved since the stories deal with some critical problems of today’s world, like mass consumption society and environmental destruction.
The story is told in a light-hearted and humorous way while also highlighting the seriousness of the conditions that humans are facing. The mangaka, Tsuchika Nishimura, created a fantastic worldview by attributing the role of the customers to extinct animals, which in turn symbolized the arrogant overconsumption of humans.
The drawing itself is a homage to the picture book author Edward Gorey and Tsuchika Nishimura always makes sure to give his animal characters strong personalities, which makes them as unique as a human. The characters that he makes leaves a lasting impression in the mind of the readers and takes them along on this heart-warming journey.
The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store New Anime Film
The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store has announced a new anime film adaptation which is expected to be released in the fall. The Anime Studio Production I.G. has made the official announcement, and the waiting game has started. Not a lot of information has been made public yet, but the announcement itself is enough to get the fans going. They can not wait to see the amazing journey of Akino adapted on the screen.
Many readers have been hoping for an anime adaptation, but since the manga is not too long itself, a film just fits the mold perfectly. We can expect to hear more news about the adaptation soon. Until then, we will be waiting in excitement and anticipation!
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